A/N: Finally done with this chapter! September has been one hell of a month, especially since my job took most of my free time. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Follow and favorite if you like the story, and leave a review if you have something to say about it.
The Ether Conflict
Chapter 35: Last Day of Peace
"So... You're telling me you and your friend over there got chased by a horde of girls, while trying to sneak into the dorms undetected to give these girls over there some medicine..." Lottie says in amusement, the corners of her mouth twitching ever so slightly from the urge to laugh.
"Technically, they were chasing me. Reiji was there to make sure they wouldn't get me," Tyler clarifies and Lottie giggles a little.
"Is that so?" she asks rhetorically, and a nostalgic expression forms on her face. "Ah, this reminded me of your father in his younger days."
"Told you it was genetic," Odysseus leans and whispers in Annabelle's ear, causing the redhead to quickly cover her mouth and look away to hide her amusement.
Noticing this, Lottie turns at Annabelle with a questioning gaze. "Was there something funny at what I said?"
"Ah, no, no, nothing funny," Odysseus answers immediately, shaking her head a little.
"Anyway, who are these girls, Tyler? Are they all your girlfriends?" Lottie asks and all the girls, minus Odysseus and Annabelle, blush at this, looking away in embarrassment.
"Mom, stop the teasing, alright? You should know who they are from what I told you earlier," Tyler groans, though a hint of embarrassment is mixed in his voice.
"But I haven't seen you for over two years! As your mother, is the least I can do," she says with a genuine smile, though it turns into a pout in the end. "But I have to say I am quite disappointed in you."
"Huh?" Tyler utters in confusion, having no idea what Lottie is talking about.
"To be a mere loader, how sad... I expected you to be at least a commander. Or even better, have a platoon of tanks under your command. What would your grandpa say?"
"Is this about how I should improve my leadership in order to be ready for when I inherit your or dad's position?" Tyler asks with a flat face and Lottie nods.
"Of course, Tyler. I inherited your grandpa's position at the age of sixteen. Do you think I would have survived Los Angeles' cruel underworld if I was a soft, wimpy, naive princess locked in her own world not knowing what to do in extreme situations and crying in a corner?" she says with a sharp and clear voice, her expression changing into a severe one. "While I hated my old man for all the hardships he caused me during my childhood, even I have to admit that they were beyond just helpful; that's why I'm still alive and kicking."
"Well, you are in bad luck; I'm not looking on doing anything illegal to make money," Tyler responds with the same kind of expression as his mother.
"Haaa..." Lottie sighs in displeasure. "Thank God I have three more kids to take over the family business, since it seems you still won't accept your responsibilities."
"You do realise that you can't guilt-trip me into accepting, don't you? And my sisters would never take over the family business," Tyler says with a flat face, but Lottie dismisses the comment with a wave of her hand.
"We'll see about this." Clapping her hands once together, she turns at the rest of the occupants. "Let's leave family matters aside for now. I'm sure you all must be hungry after such a long flight."
"Uhm, excuse me, but... where are we going?" Miho asks slowly Lottie.
"Your name was Miho, correct?" Lottie asks in Japanese, which surprise the girls a little.
"You know Japanese?" she asks reluctantly, and Lottie nods.
"Well, one of my contacts, with whom I traded "things", was from Japan, and because his English were truly awful, I learned Japanese to be able to at least somewhat communicate with him. Then I took a liking to the language and studied it more, reaching a point where I could speak and write fluently. But answering your previous question, we are going to our mansion."
"Dude, you... you lived in a mansion?" Odysseus asks in disbelief, and Tyler looks at Odysseus with a confused expression.
"No... Last time I checked, my home was in downtown LA..." he answers and turns to look at Lottie with a confused expression. "Care to elaborate about this sudden house change?"
"Well, after the earthquakes, business in LA and the nearby towns really boomed, so there was a substantial rise in income. Since we were barely able to fit in the apartment we were staying-"
"Because of all the things you and dad were bringing from your work," Tyler interjects, but Lottie conveniently ignores the comment.
"- me and your father decided to buy the mansion where we are staying now. It has lots of space and rooms, and it is in a secluded area, just a few minutes out of LA, so no noisy people or anything like that," Lottie explains, but Tyler doesn't seem content with the answer.
"I feel like you are keeping something from me," Tyler says.
"Well, I might had to "convince" the owner of the mansion to offer me a better price, but that's all, no harm was done."
"So, what kind of business do you run? Is it like the mafia?" Odysseus asks curiously, in which Lottie immediately responds.
"Somewhat. Though what I have built, far outclasses them," she says with pride gleaming in her eyes. "We mainly utilize in importing and exporting contraband, providing protection to local businesses, providing assassination services, blackmailing, kidnappings..."
With every word Lottie speaks, the girls get more and more alarmed, while Tyler's expression gets a tad bit darker.
"We were also in the human trafficking market for some time, but since it wasn't as profitable as expected, we bailed out before we had incurred too much income loss."
An awkward silence descends inside the cabin, which is quickly broken by Tyler.
"And that's why me and my sisters hate you," Tyler says in disgust.
"Tyler! How can you say that to your mother!?" Saori whispers wide-eyed at Tyler, but Lottie manages to read her lips and answers.
"Don't worry, Saori, that's normal for us." Turning to Tyler her smile doesn't falter even once at her son's glaring. "At least Rosalie still loves her mom."
"Yeah, because she is like, what, seven years old now? You haven't talked to her about what you really do, have you?" Tyler counters, his every word coated with anger.
"He hadn't told us his relationship with his mother was so good," Odysseus whispers discreetly to Annabelle, who in response elbows her and motions her to stay silent.
"Well, you can berate me for my life choices as much as you want after dinner, but now it's neither the place nor the time to do so." Sighing, she hears two knockings coming from the window behind her, so she turns to the suited man on her right. "We have arrived."
Nodding once, the man gets up from his seat and opens the limo's door, then exits to keep it open so the rest of the occupants can disembark.
As everyone exits the limousine, a breathtaking view greets them. A Victorian-era, two storeys tall house, built with red bricks, while the courtyard at which they find themselves at the moment is paved with stone. A single, marble staircase that is wider at the bottom than at the top settles in front of them, leading to the house's entrance. Flanking the sides, and probably rear, of the house, is a huge garden, filled with different kinds of flowers and decorative bushes, as well as paved paths with antique lampposts.
"When did we even get here?" Odysseus gasps, looking all around her in awe, like the rest of the girls.
The only one who isn't as amazed as the rest is Annabelle, who has seen her fair share of Victorian-era mansions and manors, some of which far outclass this one.
"Welcome to our humble home," Lottie says as she takes the lead and starts walking up the staircase.
"If this is a "humble" home, I can't wait to see the "exaggerated" one," Odysseus snickers to herself and quickly follows over the woman, who by now has finally put on her hat, tilting it slightly on the left and backwards.
"I wonder if they have servants like in the other noble houses," Annabelle mumbles to herself and quickly follows after Odysseus.
"This... This house is so big! " Saori gasps in awe, looking at the stone building and its surroundings again and again, unable to tear her gaze off.
"Indeed, it is a sight to behold," Hana says, though she mainly looks on the vast garden that flanks the mansion, trying to see how many different kind of flowers and bushes she can spot.
"At least now I won't have to climb through boxes of weapons or other contraband to get to the kitchen for breakfast," Tyler sighs, then instantly develops a flat expression. "Oh, wait... I'm going to stay here for two days only... Well, let's see how my sisters are doing, at least. Come on, Saori," he says at hjs ginger-haired girlfriend, then starts walking up the stairs.
"Eh? Ah, coming!" she says quickly, snapping out of her thoughts.
"This is bigger than my family's house back in Japan," Miho muses at herself, then turns to face the remaining people. "Let's get going. We shouldn't keep the others waiting,"she says and starts walking up the stairs, followed by Yukari, Hana and Reiji.
Passing through the opened, wooden doors that were at least three meters tall, Miho finds herself inside a large room with a wide staircase on the opposite side from her, which leads to the next floor. The floor is made of marble, while most of it is carpeted, with the carpet being red in color. Looking around, she finds the room a bit "empty", only seeing a few furniture here and there, and a painting at the staircase's point where it branches left and right in two separate ones to connect with the above floor.
"I see we are all here, good. This lady over here is Sarah, and she is one of the maids working here."
Turning to Lottie, Miho sees her gesturing at a woman in her late thirties who stands next to her, wearing a maid's outfit.
"She will guide you to your rooms whenever you feel like checking them out," she says, but then a younger maid quickly approaches her and whispers something on her ear.
"Well, so much for having a day off," she says to herself, then turns to Miho and the rest. "It seems something has come up regarding work, so I'll leave you for the time being. The maids here will show you around if you want," she says and the two maids bow slightly. But as Lottie moves away to go to her office, she turns around and talks to the younger maid. "Sofia, escort Tyler to the library. I'm sure he'd love to see his sisters after such a long time."
"Yes, Miss Snow," Sofia, the younger maid, says, then turns to Tyler. "If you'll follow me."
Tyler nods slowly and follows the maid, albeit reluctantly.
"Ah, wait, Tyler! I'm coming with you!" Saori exclaims and quickly moves to his side.
Now the only people remaining in the room are the members of the Anglerfish team, minus Saori, and the members of the Antelope team, minus Tyler.
"Can you show me please where my room is?" Mako asks the older maid in a lethargic voice.
"Are you okay? You seem to be tired," the maid comments as she takes a better look at the girl which seems to be devoid of any kind of energy.
"Its nothing. I just have low blood pressure. If I sleep a little, I'll feel better."
Normally, at this point, Saori would interject and berate her, but since she has gone with Tyler, there's no one to stop her. Except for Miho, but she decides to let her sleep this time, since she barely got any sleep during the flight.
"If you say so," the older maid says and turns around to start walking up the stairs. "Then follow me, please. I'll show you to one of the guest rooms. Though," Looking at everyone, she makes a few calculations in her head, then speaks her thought, "with the current amount of people, some of you will have to sleep two people per room."
"Then, could you show us our room, too?" Miho asks and gestures at Yukari, and the maid nods.
"Of course," she says.
"Thanks," she bows slightly, then turns to Yukari. "Come on, Yukari. After we are shown to our room, we can explore the mansion."
"Okay, Miss Nishizumi," Yukari responds.
But as Miho turns to talk to Hana, Odysseus quickly steps besides her and whispers to her left ear.
"Leave Hana here; I've got a plan."
Hearing this, Miho turns to look at her with a questioning expression, but Odysseus mouths "Trust me" and motions slightly to Reiji and Hana with her head.
Albeit reluctantly, and after some thought, she finally relents. "Just don't cause her any trouble," she whispers back at the blonde, who develops a cheeky grin.
"Aww, when did I cause trouble for anyone," she winks and goes to Hana, while Miho, Yukari and Mako go away with the maid.
"Hey, Hana, can you do me a favor?" Odysseus asks Hana, who turns to look at her.
"What is it, Odysseus?" she asks with a smile and the blonde inches forward so no one else can hear her question but the black-haired girl.
"You see, Reiji has been feeling a little down lately, so if you could..."
As Odysseus is whispering to Hana, Reiji just stands watching them, trying to understand what kind of nefarious plan his commander has hatched yet again to cause trouble and mischief to everyone.
On the other hand, Annabelle stands a few steps away from Reiji, looking at Odysseus with her hands crossed over her chest and a menacing glare. "Always poking your nose where you shouldn't..." she mutters quietly, tapping her left foot somewhat impatiently.
"Thanks a lot!" Odysseus says to Hana and quickly goes to Annabelle.
"What where you-" Annabelle tries to ask, but Odysseus grabs her by her wrist and drags her away, almost causing her to trip over.
"No time to explain! We have a whole mansion to explore!" she exclaims as she drags her redhead friend over at the room on their left.
"Stop dragging me, I'll fall down!" Annabelle yells at Odysseus as she tries to keep her balance and regain her footing.
Having been left alone, Reiji turns to Hana and asks her a question. "What did Odysseus ask you? If you don't mind telling me, of course."
"Nothing much, just to get her a few white roses from the garden," Hana responds back with a smile, but Reiji forms a doubtful expression.
"Knowing her, I doubt she'd ask for flowers just because she wants some," he says and Hana looks at him in surprise.
"Why do you say that?" she inquires, as both she and Reiji make their way towards the mansion's entrance.
"Many reasons; one of them being she is a truly cunning person. Unpredictable, scheming, always hatching a plot to cause trouble or mischief for her own amusement. Although, most of the times her pranks are harmless."
"You... don't have the best of opinions about Odysseus, do you?" Hana asks slowly, as both she and Reiji descend the marble staircase and go left, towards the garden.
"Don't misunderstand me, it's not like that. But after being almost two years with her, I've come to know that most of the times, her every move and action is meant to be part of a bigger plan she has. Hence why I'm sceptical about her request for flowers."
"So you think she is planning something?" Hana asks and Reiji nods in agreement.
"Yes. Most likely, something that involves us, too. But being she is really difficult to read, I have no idea what she's planning. The only person that can understand her process of thought and what she's thinking is Annabelle. Maybe it's because they have been together since Odysseus first came to Japan, or because they trust each other a lot, but she can see through every act or mask Odysseus might put forth to fool us."
"She must care a lot for her," Hana comments as they reach the start of the garden at the side of the mansion.
"This is an understatement. I'm sure you have noticed, but they consider each other family. Annabelle makes sure Odysseus won't do anything stupid, although she sometimes is a bit harsh to her, and Odysseus makes sure Annabelle is safe."
Walking on the brick pathway of the garden, which is flanked on both sides by flowers, he stoops down and picks up a white tulip. "But I think I've talked enough about them. How about we talk about ourselves a little, get to know each other better?" he asks, presenting the flower at Hana.
"I don't mind," Hana responds, taking the white tulip and inspecting it slowly. "Such a healthy flower; the gardener here must care about them a lot."
"Indeed," Reiji says as he looks for a moment at the huge field of flowers that the garden is, before walking along with Hana further on it, looking for the white roses Odysseus has asked for. "Since I asked first, let me answer, too. I come from a normal family, having lived all of my life in Hitachinaka city, which is in the Ibaraki prefecture. I was studying to become a researcher, actually, wanting to earn a scholarship in the Tokyo Institute of Technology."
"Isn't it considered one of the most prestigious universities in Japan?" Hana asks and Reiji smirks a little.
"Always liked to dream big. Also, the reason I'm my team's gunner is because I always had a knack for ballistics. Though I'm sure my skill can in no way compare to yours."
"Thank you for your words, Reiji, but I'm not that good," Hana says with a smile, stopping for a moment to pick up a purple carnation.
"I beg to differ," Reiji steps next to Hana and picks a purple carnation too. "Your shot that knocked out the flag tank against Saunders was truly a spectacle to watch."
"Are you a fan of Senshadou?"
"No, not really. I find it very time consuming and drawn out for my liking. But my parents were, so I happened to see that exact shot on TV. I was really impressed by it."
"Ah, I see. Where are your parents, now? Are they back in Blackout, or are they living somewhere else?" Hana asks Reiji, who for a second remains silent, then turns to look at her.
"They are dead."
The calmness with which Reiji says that causes Hana to remain silent, looking at him with slightly widen eyes.
"Oh... I'm sorry," she says, but Reiji merely takes a few steps away, picks up a daisy, and returns to give it to her.
"Don't worry about it," he says and hands her the flower, with Hana now holding a white tulip, a purple carnation and a white daisy. "When the initial earthquakes hit, our house collapsed and my parents died from the rubble; I barely managed to escape unscathed." Pausing for a moment, he hands Hana the purple carnation he had been holding. "That's my life's story, really. It's a rather plain one, in my opinion. But, what about you? What's your story?"
"I come from a wealthy family which has been practicing flower arrangement for generations," Hana says, as she spots some lilacs nearby, so she goes and picks a few.
"I take it that's why you like flowers so much?" he asks, spotting the bouquet of flowers Hana is holding with her right hand.
"Yes. Though, they always fascinated me, since I was a little girl. They always looked so pretty, with their colorful appearances, their different shapes and sizes. How every Spring they would return to blanket the fields and fill the void Winter would leave behind. From the smallest daisy, to the biggest sunflower, flowers have something beautiful and unique; it's almost as if they talk to us." Inspecting the red rose she has just picked up, Hana carefully places it between the other flowers.
As both Reiji and Hana keep walking further in the garden, they find themselves at a point where the brick pathway forms a circle, with more brick pathways connecting on that circle. In its center, a big brush having a multitude of white roses stands, while in the outer perimeter of the circle are black tulips, creating an eerie, yet beautiful contrast. Walking on the circle, Reiji picks up a black tulip, spending long moments observing it, remaining silent as a gentle breeze picks up, carrying black and white petals in the air with it.
"What did Odysseus really ask? Except for the white roses," Reiji looks at Hana and asks.
Hana, turning to face Reiji as she had been looking at the white roses, remains silent for a moment.
"She said you were feeling a little down lately, and asked me if I could cheer you up, somehow." Hana develops an apologetic expression and bows her head slightly. "I apologize for not telling you earlier, but she also asked me to keep it a secret from you."
"You don't have to apologize; you did nothing wrong." Turning around, Reiji makes his way at the circle's center, picking slowly some white roses as silence descents once more, with Hana looking at Reiji with a worried expression.
"Do you remember how I told you there were many reasons why I doubted Odysseus simply wanted some white roses?" he asks Hana who nods in agreement, though Reiji doesn't see this. "You see, Odysseus despises roses, and especially white ones," he says and turns to Hana, holding a bunch of white roses in his left hand.
"Despises them? But why?" Hana asks.
"Because she knew someone who really loved them." Picking a few black tulips, Reiji starts putting them between the white roses, trying to make a checkered pattern with the flowers.
"I trust you enough to tell you why I'm feeling down today, but please keep it between us."
"I will," Hana nods with a serious expression.
Letting a light sigh escape his nose, Reiji talks. "Today... is the day my sister died."
Hana widens her eyes in shock, but remains silent as Reiji keeps talking, still trying to make a checkered pattern with the flowers.
"On the one hand, I always berate myself for not being able to save her, but on the other hand, I wouldn't have been here if she was still alive."
"So... the reason you never talked about her is..." Hana says slowly, but Reiji completes her sentence for her.
"...because it is really painful to even mention her."
"I see... I'm really sorry for bringing it up," Hana bows her head in shame, but Reiji gives it no heed, instead picking a single white rose from the flowers he holds and inspecting it slowly.
"You have nothing to apologize for; I was the one that brought the subject up."
Hana nods silently, but then, out of morbid curiosity, a question pops in her mind. While she knows she shouldn't ask something like that, and feels ashamed of even thinking something like that, her curiosity finally wins and so makes her inquiry.
"I'm sorry for asking, but... your sister... Did she... when the house collapsed?"
Reiji looks at her with a bitter smile. "I know it'll sound dark, but I wish it had been that way..."
"Why would you say something like that, Reiji?" Hana asks in shock.
In return Reiji takes the single, white rose he had been inspecting and carefully places it at the center of Hana's bouquet.
"It's simple really." Although his face doesn't change expression, it's like a dark shadow has been cast over it.
"It's because Odysseus killed her."
"Here is the library," Sofia says as she stops in front of a simple-looking, wooden door painted creamy white to match the color of the walls of the hallway they are currently in.
"I expected something more grand for an entrance in a big library," Tyler says and Sofia giggles a little.
"That's what Miss Snow said when she first came here. If you'll excuse me, I'll return to my duties now," she says and bows her head a little, before going away.
"Well, I hope it's not like these huge libraries in movies where you can get lost just by taking a wrong turn," Tyler muses as he grabs the door's knob and turns it. "Coming?" he asks Saori, who seems to be hesitating for some reason.
"W-Well, I feel like I'd be intruding in your reunion with your sisters," she answers shyly, and Tyler makes an expression like he has been offended.
"You mean you don't want to meet my sisters? Do you think so badly of them even though you haven't met them yet?" he says in an exaggerated manner, causing Saori to panic.
"Wh-What!? N-N-No, no, no, of course not!" she says in a panicked voice, flailing her hands left and right, though she does pout when she sees Tyler laughing.
"I'm joking, I'm joking," he waves his hand in a dismissive manner to indicate he didn't mean what he had said, but Saori takes a step towards him and starts pinching his cheeks and pulling them harshly.
"That wasn't nice!" she almost shouts at him, with Tyler now cringing from the pain.
"And neither you pinching and pulling my cheeks like I'm made of rubber," he says after grabbing Saori's hands and moving them away from his now red cheeks. "Now I know how Mako feels."
"You shouldn't tease me like this!" Saori says and turns away from Tyler, crossing her hands and pouting cutely.
Sighing through his nose, a gentle smile forms on his lips. Like father said, 'If a girl gets mad, even if it isn't your fault, it's your fault.'
Rolling his eyes on the thought, he goes behind Saori and hugs her.
"Huh!? H-Hey, Tyl-!" Saori exclaims in surprise, but grows silent when he kisses the side of her neck, her face reddening from embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, okay? I won't tease you that much again," he says gently, slightly swaying her left and right.
"You are cheating..." Saori murmurs, and as Tyler lets her, she turns around and looks up at him.
"Sorry. I may have overreacted a little," she says and stands on the tips of her toes, kissing Tyler on his lips. Parting their lips, Tyler smirks a little.
"You are becoming bolder," he says, causing Saori's slight blush to expand to her whole face from her embarrassment.
"You said you wouldn't tease me anymore!" she exclaims embarrassed, pushing Tyler towards the library's door amidst his laughter.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but you are so cute when you are embarrassed," Tyler says and Saori grows quiet once more, grumbling to herself.
Reaching the door, Tyler opens it and enters the library along with Saori. Looking around, they find bookshelves that reach the ceiling filled to the brim with books.
"This looks like a maze," Saori comments, then walks closer to one of the bookshelves and starts scanning the titles of the books.
"Indeed. We better stick close to each other, or we'll probably get lost," Tyler says at Saori, then his expression turns to a flat one. "Getting lost in my own house, huh? That'll be a first. What are you looking at?"
"The titles of the books," Saori answers and points at the books.
"Huh... Gun basics 101," he mutters the title of one of the books and picks it up, opening it and reading a random page. "When firing a weapon, accuracy tends to be higher when crouching or lying prone, as opposed to standing, and it also minimizes one's silhouette, providing the enemy with less chances of landing a hit." Closing the book and putting it back in its place, he starts reading more of the titles to get an idea to whom these belong to. "Field maintenance of Sub-Machine Guns. Rocket launchers that changed warfare. Revolver tricks to impress your friends... Yep, these definitely belong to my dad."
"To your dad?" Saori asks curiously, and Tyler nods.
"Yep. My father is a weapons dealer."
"Are you trying to tease me again?"
"Nope. I'm honest with you right now." Turning to look at the huge bookshelve, he spots another book and takes it. "Both my parents are doing illegal jobs. That's one reason they are together, after all."
"Oh."
"Under the years, through their jobs, they managed to gather a substantial amount of things, and some of them were books. Glad to see that they no longer pile up in the middle of the hallway because there is no space somewhere to put them," he says and puts the book back, then turns to Saori. "Come on, let's go find my sisters; I'm kinda glad I'll get to see them after all this time."
"Ok," Saori responds, but as they start navigating through the maze of bookshelves, she spots a book with an interesting title and gets distracted, approaching the bookshelve and pulling the book out of its place.
Inspecting its rugged, leather cover, then its title, Saori opens it at a random page and starts reading. Although the text is in English, Saori knows well enough the language to speak, write and read it. "...while its existence remains largely a secret, with its production method long forgotten and lost, love dust was widely used during the Middle Ages, especially by female assassins and infiltrators. When used in high quantities, it would send the target into a euphoric shock, causing dizyness, disorientation, and in some cases even fainting. An enchanted version of it, known as Venus dust, was said to be able to mesmerize anyone, even the gods."
Reading page after page, Saori gets more and more intrigued by what is written in the book, till she reaches a page where there is no text, but a very intricately-drawn circle, with various shapes, symbols, and Latin characters drawn in it. "This resembles the magical circles I've seen in manga and games. And the contents of this book are like we are in a fantasy world. Speaking about alchemy, spells, and other such things..." Skimming her fingers over the page, she finds out that the circle is actually engraved on the page, and directly beneath it there is a single name.
"Pandora..." Saori whispers the name, and the circle in the page starts glowing with a soft pink color.
"Eeek!" she yelps in surprise and lets the book to fall down on the carpeted floor, taking a few steps back. From the book, a single orb colored soft pink rises, hovering at the level of Saori's chest.
"D-Don't tell me... this is Ether too..." she whispers in fear. "T-Tyler..." she stutters, but when she gets no response and looks around, Tyler is nowhere to be found.
"Tyler!?" she shouts, but no response comes. Looking forward, the orb starts swirling, and under a moment changes form to a harpoon. Before she can react, the harpoon launches itself and pierces through her heart, passing cleanly through her.
"Aaahhh!" Shouting in reflex and squeezing her eyes shut, she remains like that for a few seconds, but when she finally notices that there is no pain, she reluctantly opens them, only to find herself standing in front of the bookshelve she previously was, still holding the book in her hands.
"Huh?" she utters, blinking a few times. "What just happened?" Looking down on the book, like she remembered, the page has an intricate circle drawn on it, but there is no name underneath it.
Shaking her head a few times as if to get rid of herself of what just happened, she closes the book and puts it back on its place, turning to talk to Tyler.
"Hey, Tyler, did you..." Looking around, she finds Tyler nowhere to be seen. "Tyler?" she says louder, but gets no respond back. "Where did he go?"
Walking towards the direction she and Tyler were walking, she instantly regrets her decision as she gets lost when she takes a wrong turn between the rows and rows of bookshelves.
"Tyler! Where are you?"
Taking a left on a T-shaped intersection, she finds herself on a dead end.
"Geez! Who thought that building the library's layout like this was a good idea?" Turning around and walking back at the intersection, as she is about to turn right, something rounds the corner quickly and collides with her.
"Ouch!"
Looking in front of her, she finds a little girl with long, blonde hair tied in pigtails and blue eyes sitting on the ground, rubbing her forehead with her hand. "My head hurts."
"Are you alright, little girl?" Saori asks and the girl looks at her, saying nothing for a few seconds. Standing up, the girl dusts her short-sleeved, striped black and yellow dress.
"Hi! My name is Rosalie!" she waves cutely at Saori.
"Hi, Rosalie. My name is Saori," she responds with a smile, and Rosalie starts giggling.
"You sound funny!" the little girl says cheerfully, finding Saori's accented English funny.
"That's because I'm from a country named Japan," Saori answers and the girl gasps.
"Really!? My big brother is there! Mommy said he had gone there for a job, but he would return home quickly."
She must mean Tyler, Saori muses to herself. "You see, I'm a very close friend of Tyler."
"You know my big brother? Is he here with you!?" the little girl shouts at Saori, looking at her with eyes full of excitement.
"Mmhm," Saori nods and Rosalie turns around and starts running, completely surprising Saori, who quickly follows her.
"Mommy, mommy, Tyler is back!" she shouts as she keeps running, with Saori trying to keep up with her as the girl turns left and right, expertly navigating through the rows and rows of bookshelves.
"Ah, wait! Don't run or you might fall down and get hurt!" Saori shouts at Rosalie, but the girl keeps running. Rounding a corner, Saori hears a muffled, thumping sound, followed by Rosalie saying "Ouch!".
Rounding the same corner, Saori finds Rosalie sitting on the ground, rubbing her forehead again, but this time, a tall woman with short, black hair and black eyes stands in front of the little girl, wearing a pair of glasses, a white dress shirt with the last two, upper buttons opened, and a long, black skirt.
Seeing Saori, the young woman stoops down and picks up Rosalie in a hug, before turning her body slightly, like she is trying to keep the little girl away from the ginger-haired girl.
"Are you okay, Rosalie?" she asks and the girl nods, before pointing at Saori with a huge smile.
"Tyler is back! She is a friend of big brother and said she came here with him!"
"Is that so?" the woman asks and looks at Saori, scanning her from tip to toe for a few moments.
"H-Hi! My name Takebe Saori. I-I was with Tyler a few minutes ago, but got separated from him and then I lost my way," Saori stutters and bows hastily, feeling the woman's strict glare on her. "I-It is nice to meet you."
"My name is Natalie Davis, Tyler's older sister," the woman introduces herself. "Hmm, you must be a "very" close friend to Tyler," she takes a guess, and when Saori's cheeks start blushing and her eyes start looking at the floor, she hums in mild interest.
"Nata, Nata, why is Saori blushing?" Rosalie asks, tugging at Natalie's folded collar. "Is she not feeling well?"
"Maybe," Natalie responds, but quickly changes the subject. "Shall we go and find Tyler?"
"Yay, I'll see Tyler again!" Rosalie cheerfully says, lifting her hands in the air.
"Do you have any idea towards which direction Tyler went?" Natalie asks Saori, which shakes her head in response.
"No. I was reading a book when we got separated, so I have no idea where he might have gone."
"Ah, well, no need to worry. Kaylie was also searching for Rosalie, so she'll most likely find him," Natalie says, which earns a curious gaze from Saori.
"Kaylie?" she asks, and Natalie stops to look at her.
"Tyler's twin sister. Has he never spoken about us?" she asks, and Saori shakes her head.
"No. He always avoided the subject," she answers, at which Natalie nods understanding.
"Ah, I see. It's okay, then." Walking for a minute or two, Saori finds herself in an area, probably in the center of the library, where a huge, wooden desk is placed, with several chairs around it and a few lamps on top of it. At one of its sides, an open book sits on top of it, with the chair there bring further away from the table than the others.
Putting Rosalie down, Natalie makes her way to the open book and picks it up, marking the page at which is open, then closing it and placing it at the table.
"Can I see Tyler, now?" Rosalie asks impatiently, fidgeting in place as she waits for Natalie's response.
"I'm sure Kaylie will bring him here, so could you please wait a few minutes?" asks Natalie.
"Okay," Rosalie nods. Running towards a nearby bookshelve, she tries to reach a certain book at a shelve that is too high for her. Seeing this, Saori goes to the girl to help her.
"Let me help you," she says and lifts Rosalie up.
"Thank you," Rosalie says as she grabs the book. After putting her down, Rosalie runs to the wooden desk, putting the book on it, then climbing one of the chairs to start reading it.
"You are really good with kids," Natalie comments.
"Ah, well, I was working at a-"
"You bitch, is this how you greet me after returning here after two years!?"
"You are one to talk, you dick! Just upped and left without saying anything!"
"Seems like Kaylie found him," Natalie sighs, walking behind Rosalie and cupping her ears.
"Is something wrong?" Rosalie asks confused, but Natalie merely smiles at her, as the twins keep bickering somewhere in the distance.
"Oh, how grateful I am for your kind words, Kaylie. What would I do without you!?"
"Probably die in a ditch somewhere out there, you damn buffoon, so let me show you how grateful I am!"
From a hallway that passes within the bookshelves, a random book flies inside the area they are, followed by a second book and a thumping noise, and finally Tyler jumping backwards, crossing his arms in front of him and a book hitting him.
"Tyler!" Saori shouts, and Tyler momentarily gets distracted, turning his head to look at her.
"Saori?" he says, before a book strikes him at the side of his face, causing him to stagger backwards and look forward.
"It seems you still lower your guard down when you are surprised." From the hallway, a girl around 165cm tall appears, sporting wavy, blonde hair and blue eyes just like Tyler's. She is wearing a striped shirt colored red and white, a black, short skirt, white stockings, and black boots.
"And you still keep gloating like a cliche villain, Kaylie," Tyler says and kneels, grabbing one of the books that are lying near him and throwing it at his sister, hitting her in her belly.
"Fuck!" she grunts as she hugs her own belly, falling to her knees and muttering curses quietly.
Tyler on the other hand falls to his butt, sitting on the ground and grasping the side of his head. Saori runs to his side, kneeling down to look at his head and make sure he isn't hurt really bad.
"Tyler, what where you thinking? You could have gotten hurt really badly!" Saori berates her boyfriend, then turns at his sister. "And you, why were you throwing books at him!?"
"Because this idiot had the nerve to show up after disappearing for two years!" Kaylie shouts at Saori, then turns to Tyler. "Do you know how sad Rosalie was? Not even saying a word to us..."
"Hey, it's not like I had a choice! I-!"
"Will both of you stop arguing, or should I call Mother here to calm you down?" Natalie raises her voice over both of the twins, which are now sporting pale faces and are silent as the night.
"Tyler, are you okay?" Saori asks worried as she sees his pale complexion.
"I'm better then ever, right Kaylie?" Tyler asks with cold sweat visible on his forehead, and Kaylie immediately nods several times.
"Yep, everything's fine and dandy!" she responds with a hollow smile frozen on her face.
Uncupping Rosalie's ears, who had been blissfully reading her book, Natalie leans next to her and speaks to her with a sweet voice.
"Rosalie, look who is here."
Turning around on her seat, the little girl gasps as she spots Tyler. Immediately jumping down from the chair, she runs and jumps at him, hugging his neck from behind.
"Yay, you are back!" Rosalie shouts in joy, with Tyler turning his head in surprise to look at her.
"Rosalie!" he says in joy, too, turning his entire body to give her a tight hug.
"I missed you so much! Mommy had said you were going to come home soon!"
"I missed you a lot, too, Rosalie." Parting from their hug, Tyler ruffles her hair a bit. "It seems you have grown taller."
"Of course! I'm a big girl now!" Rosalie says with a prideful expression, and Tyler smiles at her.
"I'm sure you are." Standing up, he turns to his older sister. "So, what have I lost these past two years?"
"Not much, really. Business has been going very "smoothly", both for Mom and Dad, though the US did get split up in four factions," answers Kaylie before Natalie can speak, so Tyler turns to look at her. "But what about you? What had you been doing these past two years? I'm sure you'll have an interesting story to tell us."
"Yes," Tyler nods, but then mouths, "Not in front of Rosalie". Kaylie nods understanding and goes and kneels in front of Rosalie.
"Rosalie, will you do me a favor and go with Saori tell Daddy that Tyler is here?" she asks, and Rosalie nods several time, then runs to Saori.
"Ahh... Uhm... Why me?" Saori asks awkwardly looking at the girls, while Rosalie grabs her hand.
"You are a nice person," Rosalie says, pulling her hand as hard as she can. "Come, we need to tell Daddy that Tyler is back!"
"Ah, wait a second! Don't pull that hard, you'll make me trip!" Saori says at Rosalie, as both disappear from everyone's vision.
"Well, I guess you can now start explaining where you had been these past two years," Natalie says and Tyler sighs in response, beginning his recount of everything that had happened till this point for the second time this day.
"Wow..."
Entering the guest room, both Miho and Yukari gasp at what they are seeing. The room is fairly large, twice as big as Yukari's. The walls are covered with tapestry, frames with paintings hanging on them, while most of the floor is carpeted. Two single beds are placed at the opposite side of where the door to enter is, with a single, wooden wardrobe that could hold several people's clothes being between them. A single, large window is at the wall behind the beds, giving a direct line of sight at the magnificent garden that resides behind the mansion.
While both girls ogle at the luxury the guest room has, Mako makes a beeline straight for one of the beds, removing her boots and lying on the bed in mere moments.
"Your friend seems to be... quite exhausted," the old maid notes with a raised eyebrow, sitting just outside the room.
"Yeah, she gets tired pretty easily," Miho says with an awkward smile, rubbing the back of her neck uneasily.
"Wake me up when the sun comes up," Mako says in a monotone voice, and like flipping a switch, she instantly falls asleep.
"At any rate, this is the guest room you'll be staying. The three rooms next to this," the old maid gestures to her right, "are guest rooms too, as well the rooms opposite from the rooms at this side of the hallway. There should be enough to cover everyone; I'll leave the room assignment to you."
"Thank you very much," Miho bows at the maid, who bows back at her, then goes away.
"Well, now we know where the rooms are," Miho says, not sure what to do next.
"Miss Nishizumi, you should come and see this," Yukari says in amazement as she looks out the window. Walking next to her, Miho gasps too, as the sight of the most colorful flower garden she has ever seen fills her vision.
"This is so pretty," she almost whispers, seeing all the different colors of the flowers. "Hana would love this."
"I think I can see her," Yukari says to Miho and points at the center of the garden.
Looking at where the brick pathways converge and form a circle, Miho indeed spots Hana, along with Reiji. Looking a bit more at them, she can see them talking, with Reiji putting a single flower at the bouquet Hana is holding.
"Well, we still have a few hours till dinner, so let's take it easy for now," Miho suggests, but then sees Yukari widening her eyes slightly. "Is something wrong?"
"Our stuff!" Yukari says loudly, grabbing her hair and slightly pulling them. "We left them with that guy from Blackout!" Like a deflated balloon, Yukari let's her hands fall to her sides, adopting a depressed expression. "Ugh... I had my MRE kits and equipment there..."
"Huh?" Miho looks at her friend with a raised eyebrow, but then it hits her. "Oh... W-Well, we could ask Miss Snow if she could get us at Blackout's base to get our stuff," Miho says and Yukari instantly brightens up, cupping both of Miho's hands with her own and raising them at her chest's level.
"You think so?" she asks with sparkling eyes, and Miho can't do anything but smile.
"Yes," she nods.
"Then let's go ask her now!" Yukari declares, running to the door and opening it. "Uhm..." she utters as she finds a tall, muscular man with wide shoulders waiting in front of the door, his hand raised like he was about to knock. He wears a black T-shirt, blue jeans and boots, while a long scar runs diagonally over his face downwards from left to right. "Miss Nishizumi, we have a visitor..."
Upon hearing the name, the man's black eyes turn to Miho, then to the sleeping Mako.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought this was the room Tyler was staying," the man says.
"Tyler? Do you want him for something?" Miho asks in English with the best of her ability, and the man nods.
"I'd like to talk to him. I assume you know where he is?" the man asks, rubbing his head with his left hand and slightly messing his black hair.
"He has gone to the library to meet his sisters."
"Ah, I see. Haah... not even sparing some time for his father, huh?" he shakes his head, but then notices the girls looking at him with surprised expressions. "Do I have something on my face?"
"You are Tyler's father?" Miho asks slowly, looking at his black hair and eyes.
"Let me introduce myself," the man says and coughs once. "I'm Blake Davis. Profesional weapons dealer, husband of Lottie Snow, and Tyler's father. It is nice meeting you, Miss..."
"Nishizumi Miho," Miho bows respectfully. "This is my friend and colleague, Akiyama Yukari," she gestures to Yukari, who upon seeing this and having seen Miho bowing, she bows too, "and the girl sleeping on the bed is another friend and colleague of us, Reizei Mako."
"You are all Blackout mercenaries, huh?" Blake says, noticing the uniforms the girls are wearing, as well as the insignias on them. "Black Wolves... nice name," he nods a few times, looking at the squad's custom emblem. "Pretty cool emblem, too."
"Uhm... Thank you?" Miho says uncertainly, and the man chuckles in response.
"Don't worry, I won't ask anything more," he says and turns around to go away.
"Uhm, excuse me... but can you tell us where Miss Snow's office is?" Miho asks before Blake can leave.
"Something you want to ask her?" Blake asks and Miho nods. "If you go down the main staircase, turn left and pass through the lounge room, and at the end of the living room you should find a wooden door with a carved frame. In that room is her office. Just knock and enter."
"Daddy! Daddy!"
Looking at his right, he sees further down the hallway Rosalie running towards him, dragging with her an older girl with ginger-colored hair.
"Wait, Rosalie, I'll fall down!" the older girl says loudly to the little girl, and both Miho and Yukari look out of the entrance when they hear the girl's voice.
"Saori?" Miho says and the girl looks up for a moment.
"Ah, Miporin!" Saori says, then loses her balance and crashes down to the ground. "Ouch!"
Because of this, and because Rosalie was holding Saori's hand, the little girl finds herself being dragged down on the carpeted floor, hitting the back of her head with an audible "Thump".
Sitting up on the ground, Rosalie looks at her father and starts sniffling, her eyes tearing up.
"Rosalie..." Blake says slowly and the little girl immediately starts crying.
"Waaaaaah!"
"Rosalie! Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?" Saori says upon hearing Rosalie crying, completely forgetting about the pain she is feeling on her right forearm from her clumsy landing, kneeling on the ground and scooting closer to Rosalie.
Turning to look at her, the still-crying Rosalie turns around and stretches her hands towards Saori. Picking her up and placing her head over her left shoulder, Saori tries to calm down the little girl.
"Shhh, calm down Rosalie, everything's fine," Saori says in a soothing voice, and Rosalie stops crying, albeit she keeps sniffling, trying her best to wipe the tears from her eyes with her small hand. After she has calmed enough, Saori gives Rosalie to Blake.
"Feeling better?" Blake asks, and Rosalie nods, though she still sniffles occasionally. "So, what did you want me?"
"Tyler is back. He is at the library," Rosalie says quietly, then hugs Blake's neck.
"You came to tell me?" he asks and Rosalie nods. "Thanks," he says and pats her head. "Dinner should be ready in an hour or two, so if you want to explore the mansion, just ask one of the maids to guide you around."
Turning around, the man goes away with Rosalie, leaving Saori, Miho and Yukari alone.
"This was Tyler's father, right?" Saori asks out of the blue, with both Miho and Yukari nodding. "Wow, they share almost no resemblance."
"Even Rosalie looked more like Miss Snow," Yukari comments.
"Now that I think about it, only Natalie somewhat resembles him."
"Natalie?" Miho asks, guessing it's probably one of Tyler's sisters.
"Oh! She is Tyler's older sister," she responds. "Anyway, what were you doing? I was with Tyler in the library, where he met his sisters."
"A maid showed us where our rooms are, and we were going to go to Miss Snow's office."
"What for?" Saori asks with interest.
"To ask her if she could take us to Blackout's base to get our duffel bags."
"Ah, you are right! Our spare clothing is in them!" Saori says in surprise. Looking down on her own uniform, she makes a slightly cringing face. "With all that happened today, I completely forgot I wanted to change my uniform. Ugh, I feel so dirty and sweaty..."
"At least the house isn't hot," Yukari notes.
"Probably because it's made of bricks and stone. They tend to be very good insulators," Miho says.
"By the way, where is Mako and Hana?"
"Hana is with Reiji, exploring the garden. Mako is inside the room, sleeping," Miho says and Saori frowns a little.
"We can't have her sleep now! Dinner is in two hours max, she might lose her appetite," she responds and goes inside the room to wake her up.
"Mako, wake up! Dinner is in two hours!"
"Then wake me up when it's ready."
"You might lose your appetite if I do that, so you need to get up now. Ngghh!"
"I'll never leave this bed. You might try to pull me out of it as much as you want, but I'll never concede."
"Come...on, Mako! What...would your grandma tell...you if she saw you like this!"
"Sleep more?"
"You know she wouldn't tell you something like that!"
Seeing them like this, Miho can't do anything but giggle, the whole scene reminding her of her time at the Ooarai carrier.
"Is everything alright, Miss Nishizumi?" Yukari asks, seeing Miho giggling.
"Yes, Yukari," Miho answers, turning to look at her with a serene smile. "They just remind me of our time back in the carrier..."
Looking at her, Yukari can clearly see her smile faltering, turning into a melancholic and bitter one.
"Don't worry, Miss Nishizumi! I'm sure we will return to peaceful times like these, eventually! We just have to be patient!" she says confidently in an effort to cheer Miho up.
"You are right. We just have to be patient. Thank you, Yukari."
But while her smile has turned again into a cheerful one, inside her she just feels sadness. Sadness at the fact that however much they try to go to their old lives, to return to those peaceful and cheerful moments, to relive them once more, it wouldn't be the same.
They had lost far too much, sacrificed far too many things to simply forget everything they had done. They had too much guilt to allow themselves to do that.
A few hours later
"...and as the wolf stooped down at the river's edge to drink some water, he slipped in it. Because he had eaten so much, despite his best efforts, he couldn't swim to the surface of the river, and thus, drowned." Looking over the top of the book, Tyler sees Rosalie has finally fallen asleep.
"Finally," he sighs as he closes the book and stands up from the chair he had been sitting for the past hour. Stretching his hands for a moment, he turns to the figure that sits in a chair next to him.
"Hey, Saori, wake up. Rosalie finally fell asleep," he whispers as he gently shakes Saori.
"H-Huh? O-Oh, she finally fell asleep," Saori says groggily, yawning slightly and rubbing her sleepy eyes.
"Yes. Though it seems you fell asleep too," Tyler answers with a smile.
"It's not my fault, alright? The exhaustion from all the day was starting to show up, and your voice sounded so soothing," Saori says as her eyes start closing again, and her head nods towards the right. In response, she jolts her head up on instinct.
Knock-Knock
Placing the book on his seat, Tyler goes towards the door and opens it slightly, light pouring from the hallway at the dimly lit room.
"Oh, Kaylie," he says as he finds his twin sister standing in front of the room's door.
"Hey Tyler," she says quietly. "Is Rosalie sleeping?"
"You are here to take her to her room?" he asks and Kaylie nods, so Tyler opens the door to let her come in, then closes it.
"Sorry about what happened in the afternoon. I might have overreacted a bit," she apologizes with an awkward smile.
"You don't need to apologize. You already did once," Tyler smiles, but then his expression turns flat as Kaylie adds one more thing.
"Though it still is your fault."
"There is my sister I know. Polar opposites till the end, huh?"
"Totally!" she grins. Reaching the bed where Rosalie is sleeping, she gently picks her up.
"Oh, Saori is here," she says in surprise as she only now spots Saori, sleeping in the chair she is sitting onto. A cat-like expression forms on her face as she looks at Tyler.
"Oh my, I never had you for such a person, Tyler. Are you planning on taking this girl's first time here?" she whispers with a smirk.
"No," Tyler deadpans and Kaylie's expression vanishes. "I'm used to this kind of teasing, because my commander does things like this all the time.
"Ah, you mean that psycho blondie?"
"Psycho blondie?" Tyler mutters with a raised eyebrow. "First time I hear someone call her something like that."
"Well, I want to study to become a psychologist. Spotting crazy people is the least I can do."
"Yeah, but for all her craziness, she does seem to care about us. So I'd say sees more like a sociopath, than a psychopath."
"Even so, don't you think it is dangerous being near her?" Kaylie asks worried and Tyler snorts.
"In this kind of world? I'd say she's our best ticket on staying alive."
"If you say so." Moving to the door, Kaylie opens it and steps out. "Just make sure you don't die out there. Rosalie would be really sad, and I'd be really pissed off."
"Dully noted," Tyler responds and Kaylie goes away with Rosalie.
Closing the door, Tyler sighs and goes back to wake up Saori.
"Hey, Saori, wake up," he whispers, gently shaking her again, but Saori makes no move to indicate she has woken up. Picking her up in his arms carefully, he slowly places her on the bed Rosalie was sleeping. Untying the shoelaces of her boots, he slowly removes them and puts them besides the bed.
"Probably should get her spare clothes for her to change," he mutters to himself, but as he turns around, he knees the chair he was sitting in, causing the book that was on top of it to fall down.
Clang
Thump
"Aw, shit," he curses quietly and turns to look to Saori, who seems to have woken up from the sudden sound.
"Uhm... Tyler? Did I fall asleep again?" she asks slowly as she sits up on the bed, blinking a few times.
"Don't worry about it. I'll go get your spare clothes for you," Tyler answers as he picks up the fallen book and puts it on the chair it was previously, but then feels a hand grabbing his left wrist.
"Something wrong?" he asks as he turns around, and sees Saori looking at him with eyes full of worry.
"It's... Well, I..." she tries to speak up, but her voice is full of hesitation, so Tyler talks for her.
"Are you worried about the mission?" he asks. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Saori gets up and sits next to him.
"Yes. I... I'm really worried about it," she says, looking on the floor. Taking hold of Tyler's hand, she unconsciously starts squeezing it. "It also didn't help I had a horrible nightmare the other night."
"Don't worry that much," Tyler says and uses his left arm to pull Saori closer to him. "Both Miho and Odysseus are exceptional commandets; I'm certain they'll make sure we come back safe and sound."
"I-I know... It's just that, what if something happens to you?" Looking up at him, even in the dimly lit room, Tyler can clearly see her glistening eyes. "I-I could never forgive myself i-if... i-if you were w-wounded, o-or... Sniff..." Tears start streaming down her face, so she looks away from Tyler, trying her best to wipe them away with her uniform's sleeve. "I just don't want you to get hurt."
"You don't have to worry, Saori. I promise you I won't get hurt." Hugging her, Saori remains silent, looking down on the floor, her hair blocking Tyler from being able to look at her eyes.
"Feeling better?" he asks as he stops hugging Saori, but Tyler gets no answer. "Saori? Did I-"
Before he can react, Saori turns around, pushes him down on the bed and mounts him, supporting herself by pressing her hands against Tyler's chest.
"W-Whoah! Saori, what are you doing!?" he asks in surprise. Saori remains silent, looking down at him with a flustered face and breathing heavily. She feels like her heart is about to explode from her embarrassment, but she also feels she has to do this. Taking Tyler's right hand, she places it on her left breast. Tyler reflexively gropes it, causing Saori to squirm.
His cheeks immediately blush and his eyes widen in shock as his brain turns into scrambled eggs, not knowing whether to apologize to Saori for accidentally groping her, ask her what the hell she's doing, or to simply keep silent and go with the flow.
"S-Saori... wh-what are you-" he starts stuttering, but Saori interrupts him.
"No!" she whispers softly, but her tone is powerful enough that Tyler instantly stops talking. "E-Even if you say that... that everything is going to be fine, I don't believe you, Tyler! How do you know that everything is going to be fine? How do you know that nothing will happen to us!? What if our teams get separated? How will I know that you are alright, then?"
Silence feels the air as Saori stops talking for a few seconds.
"I love you, Tyler. I love you more than anything that exists in this world... And I don't want to lose you. I... I couldn't stand living without you. Please, just...j-just let me do this."
Looking into her eyes, Tyler can see a flurry of emotions burning brightly inside them, like shining stars in a starry sky. Determination, anxiety, fear, doubt, hope, and many more, but burning brighter than all of them, love and pain.
Forming a gentle smile, Tyler places his hand over Saori's right cheek, looking directly at her eyes affectionately.
"I love you more than anything that exists in the world, too," he says.
"Thank you, Tyler," she whispers with an affectionate smile, and leans down to give him a passionate kiss.
Two days later, Whitehead town
5:35 PM
Explosions fill the plaza in front of the town hall, as mortar shell after mortar shell falls from the sky, causing craters in the ground and throwing pieces of bricks and dust, as well dirt, everywhere.
"Hana, a squad of enemy soldiers is trying to make it to the nearby houses! Drop them!" Miho orders as she spots a team of five enemy soldiers exiting from a nearby crater the previous artillery barrage has caused, trying to run at the safety of a nearby apartment building.
"On it!" she says and aims the cannon at the running men, firing an HE shell at them. One man manages to dive inside the apartment building just in the nick of time, three of them get obliterated into bloody chunks, and the last one gets blasted backwards, getting showered with a storm of shrapnel.
"Miho, I'll need to change barrel after this belt!" Saori says through the intercom, trying to suppress with the hull-mounted MG-34 some enemy soldiers that are hiding inside a store at the other end of the plaza.
"Roger that!" Miho responds, looking at all the potential targets through her cupola's vision ports. "Hana, targets at the right side of the town hall, near the windows on the first and second floor."
"Aiming," Hana says as she guides the cannon and aims its sight at the outermost window of the town hall's right side. "Ready to fire."
"Fire."
A second later, the room explodes, with concrete chunks, rubble, and mutilated bodies flying everywhere, before the room on the second floor crumbles down from its own weight.
"To all units fighting near the town hall, this is Command. Enemy forces are greater than expected. Commence tactical withdrawal to secondary defense line and remain put."
"To all Delta elements, this is Delta Leader. Withdraw at the edge of the plaza and hold till all forces have successfully retreated to the secondary defense line."
"Delta-2 acknowledges."
"Delta-3 acknowledges."
"Delta-4 acknowledges."
"Delta-5 acknowledges," Miho says on the radio.
"So much for a small reconnaissance force," Yukari groans as she pushes another HE shell inside the cannon's breach.
"Changing barrels!" Saori announces as she fires the last bullets of her MG-34.
"Copy that! Hana, try to suppress the soldiers in front of us with the coaxial, until Saori has changed the MG's barrel.
"Copy that," Hana responds, but then an explosion occurs at the tank's left. Looking through the cupola, Miho spots an M60A3 on fire, with pillars of flames spewing out of the cupola and the loader's hatch.
"We just lost Delta-3!"
"We need to get out of here or we will get overrun!"
"Miho, in front of us! Enemy soldier with an RPG, distance 50 meters!" Mako says with widened eyes as she spots the man kneeling in one knee and aiming the shoulder-mounted weapon straight at them.
Knowing she has no time to order Hana to deal with him, and since he is closer than 60 meters the APS won't register the RPG warhead, she stands up and opens her hatch, grabbing the cupola mounted MG-34. But as she aims it at the man and fires, the soldier does the same, too, with the warhead landing directly on the NERA-covered frontal plate, between the driver's vision port and the hull's machine gun. A great fireball devours the front of the tank, as Miho immediately hears Mako screaming through the intercom.
In the next chapter:
"Look at what you have done! This is all because of you!"
"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean for this to happen!"
"An example must be made, Commander. Whether it is sacrificing yourself, going by the book, or doing horrible things, war is war. Everything is allowed."
"Miho... What should we do?"
"...Fire."
Chapter 36: The Battle of Whitehead