((Next Chapter drop is here folks!))

-PKOW- -PKOW-

The bullets soared down range, each round impacting their target. More rounds, more bullets, each one flying in rapid succession of each other.

-Click- -Click-

Zachary ejects the magazine and places his side arm on the counter. The targets close in on his position. Average shot groups, decent hits. But not great. He shrugs before collecting his belongings and exiting the range. Since returning, shooting has become a rather therapeutic pass time for him. The smell of gunpower, the adrenaline from pulling the trigger, the sense of triumph when the bullets make contact. It was as if he was with his boys again.

He walks up to a rather dated looking four door sedan. He fumbles in his pocket for the keys, he clicks the remote and gets in. VA meetings have been good for him it seems. Four meetings in and he's reclaimed some of his old identity back; driving without causing a scene, loud noises still make him flinch but its manageable, and the night terrors have whittled down even more. It wasn't a cure, having an outlet to express these acts in a healthy manner have improved his outlook.

Zachary pulls out of the parking lot. He checks his watch, just barely past midday. Times when he didn't work, no extracurricular activities, the biggest slog one could ever imagine. He needed things to do, playing video games was a decent enough time killer; but he needed more outdoor activities. The sense of isolation from being couped up inside was becoming a bit much for him.

The phone rings.

"This is Zachary." He says.

"What'cha doin right now?" Oddly, it's Natsuki.

"What do you need?"

"Just to haaang oouuut later when I get off." The words playfully dripped like honey.

"You all monopolize my time. It's like I have four wives."

"Dammit! I've been working overtime the past week and so I wanna kick back with some games. I wanna see that weird one you were playing before."

"Which one?" Zachary asks, which causes Natsuki to grumble in frustration. "The one with the giant weird gold tree." She says in a pained tone. "You mean Elden Ring?"

"How am I supposed to know!? You're the Game Nerd." What the hell? "Fine, I'm almost home, get your butt over there and I'll watch you get ground into paste." The conversation ends there.

Natsuki found her passion in baking. Sure, she was that girl who read Manga, watched Anime, and would oft write her own stories inspired by her favorites. The escapism she drowned herself in also provided inspiration for the unique designs of her pastries. A certified Culinarian she achieved her dream of running her own Bakery.

Getting her business off the ground was rough at first. Her estranged father refused to support her endeavors, denouncing them as childish dreams with no plan of execution. Their feuding once caused her to miss out on a grand opening, which brought her infant store to its knees the day it opened.

As days morphed into weeks and then months, the stability of self-employment became realized. She left her childhood home after a rather surprising heartfelt conversation between her and her dad. The first time he had ever told her he was proud of her and after some reflection, was glad to be proven wrong. While it didn't smooth things out right away, it became a stepping to stone a cordial relationship. Despite their desire for a deeper bond, that was probably as good as it was ever going to get.

Life improved substantially and for her, that was enough. It made the dating scene bit more bearable though the guys she dated were weirdos. Either that's who she sought out or who she attracted; she wasn't sure. They expressed a yearning to role play out a father/daughter setting, a brother/sister setting, or play MMO's and have relationships through that; by God, if they didn't try some combination of the three. Was it so wrong for her to just want a companion to share her interests with?

It was when Zachary left, she realized how few guys in the world who genuinely appreciated her company there were. At one point he was a romantic interest, a guy who could make her laugh, check up on her, just act and treat her like a normal human being.

She gathered some freshly baked pastries that didn't sell. Normally she'd repurpose them for the next day, but she could afford to skim a bit off the top. Close out checklist was completed, and she went on her way to visit her friend.

He cracks open a beer, he studies the inventory in his fridge. Will need to get more soon. After the one in his hand, he would have a real crisis on his hands. Two six packs before I'm out. No good. Zachary swings the fridge shut deciding it would be tomorrow's problem. He settles on the couch longways as he powers on his console to have a nice little round of gaming.

Halfway through his beer and one progress stalling invasion later he hears the doorbell ring. "Alright alright I'm comin!" Zachary calls out as he saunters over to the front door. It was probably Natsuki which gave him slight pause. He looks down, assessing what he's wearing: tang top and a pair of workout shorts? Granted, this is his house, but he also wants to be a generous host. Roll with it!

Sure enough, the small statured pink haired dork was greeted by him. "I brought goo-wha?" She evaluates him in a period of awkwardness. She fumbles for words, and she averts her gaze from his rather toned physique. "Take a picture, it'll last longer." He quips much to her embarrassment.

"Sh-shut up. Moron, you did that on purpose."

"I swear I am innocent."

"Yeah right…I brought treats, we can share." She pushes past him, her face still cherry red. They spread the pastries on the coffee table and dig in on a few bites. She turns over to the TV noticing the display. "You started without me?" She asks in a pouting tone as she snatches the controller.

"Hey hey! Start a new game!"

"Fine! How do I play?"

"You just play."

About an hour into the game and some rather colorful language due to the intricacies of its mechanics, she places it down. "How can you enjoy this? I can't get anywhere and that giant Golden Knight keeps killing me."

"Stop fighting him then."

"And that Castle, I keep dying and the horse, deer thing is going all over the place!" Her whining was almost amusing.

"You gotta 'get good'." She turns to him and hands over the controller. "Beat it for me." Zachary shakes his head. "Do it!" She insists, but he refuses. That did it for her, she lunges forward and promptly shoves the controller in Zachary's face, gritting her teeth in sarcastic frustration. "Heellp mee!" She whines. "Geeeet gooood scrub!" She collapses in defeat as the electronic falls by the wayside. Her head lands square on his chest; she stays there, deciding her next move. It really had been a long time since she had had any sort of fun, with anyone really. She sinks in, her body going completely dead weight.

"You okay there?" He asks lightly scratching her head while reaching for his drink.

"Yeah. I'm just having fun, it's not everyday I get to kick back with friends. I really needed this."

"Yeah unwind. Let loose, grinding it out with no reprieve sucks. Trust me, I know." She sighs and looks up at him. "How are you holding up?" Zachary shrugs. "Better." He takes a sip before returning her gaze with one of his own. "Comfy?" He raises a brow.

"Very much so." She nestles in playfully. "Don't get the wrong idea though, I'm just here as a friend."

He laughs and scratches her head again. He grasps the controller, finishes off the bottle, and swaps back to his profile of the game to continue playing. The phone rings.

"Hello?" He listens intently as the person on the other line responds. "Miranda?" Zachary's demeanor changes. "No, I haven't heard from him in almost a month." He gestures Natsuki to get up; he rounds the couch and heads into the kitchen. She watches from the couch as the conversation takes a more serious tone.

"Really?" Zachary leans over the counter. "O-okay. If you need anything. Please, let me know." The phone drops to the counter, he buries his face in his hands as he takes deep, deliberate breaths.

"Zachary? What happened?" Natsuki asks in a concerned tone. He turns from the kitchen back to the living room. An expression of sorrow and defeat so obvious it could be viewed from space. "My old Army Team Leader, Myer." He says before taking another deep breath, pinching the space between his eyes. "Apparently his wife came home from a doctor's appointment with their kids, and she saw Myer in his recliner with top of his head just gone."

"'Gone'? Wha-what does-"

"He's dead Nat! He blew his own fucking head off." Natsuki flinches and looks down, wishing she could sink away into the couch. It suddenly became much harder to breathe, the tension swelling up. Zachary saunters out the back door, drops onto one of his patio chairs, and stares into the night sky. Why? His leg bounces up and down rapidly, his fingers dig into the fabric of his shorts, and his expression remains stoic. Please dear God. Tell me why?

Unsure of what to say, unsure of what to do, her thoughts getting her nowhere fast; Natsuki collects her things, takes one final look at Zachary before heading out the door. Stupid! Why don't you comfort him?! What would she say? What would she do? It's clear his military experience was on a whole different level that she and the others couldn't possibly understand though they did try.

Zachary sighs heavily and heads back into the house. He needed to drown his sorrows to forget, and he needed to sleep.