A/N: I figured I'd go ahead and get my talking out of the way first before diving back into the story. First, replies to the lovelies who left me reviews.

Reaper of the Rebels: Yes, she's going to be getting an aragami arm similar to Lindow's in game canon. However, it is going to be a bit different, and the way she spends her time until her transformation is going to be different as well.

Arekushisu Atsuhiko: Thank you! ; u; I'll be updating on the days I have off of work, so hopefully I'll keep this story moving at a fairly fast pace.

Okay, secondly! This chapter and a couple more following it are going to be a bit shorter, and they're going to be set in the past to set up Akira as a character and her relationships with others in Fenrir. I promise it'll get back to the action soon, but I feel like I need to set up some more background before I can continue on. Point of View will be switching around quite a bit once I get past the flashback chapters.

As always, R&R appreciated! c:

Hurts.

Everything... hurts.

Where am I?

It's so cold.

I can hear something. Who's there? Who... are you?

I'm so...

Hungry.

"Akira!" Dad ran up to me, a large smile on his face and a letter in his hand. "Read it."

Dad shoved the paper in my hand and I gave him a confused look before turning it over and unfolding the envelope. It was awfully strange for someone to be sending us a letter. Most people communicated electronically now. But when I finished reading the letter, I wasn't smiling like Dad was. This wasn't cause for celebration. Fenrir wanted me to become a God Eater.

There was no denying that this was an opportunity to help out my family. My dad didn't make much money as a handy man and my little brother, Ren, was too young to get a job. The money I would get from being a God Eater would make life more comfortable for them, or at least as comfortable as life could be in the Outer Ghettos. They could buy nicer things, eat better food. But I would have to pay the price, and sell my life to Fenrir. I had seen God Eaters before, when an occasional aragami would break through the wall surrounding the Outer Ghetto. They looked human, sure, and most of them were young too. But they hadn't been human. Not anymore. No one could move that fast or use a weapon that large, but they did. God Eaters kept us alive, sure, but they traded in their futures in order to protect ours.

So yes, joining them would help my family in the long run. But I would have to make a big sacrifice, trading in my future for their happiness. I looked up from the letter at my father. He looked so proud of me, the smile on his face making his eyes light up. Just looking at his expression made my heart ache. Did I really have a choice, anyways? Fenrir ran everything. If they wanted me to be a God Eater, I would become one, whether I liked it or not. I sighed and closed my eyes, folding the letter back up before placing it on the old, threadbare arm chair my father loved. I looked up and forced a smile on my face for my father.

"I guess we'll have a God Eater in the family now, huh?" I tried to sound as excited as possible, but it came out a bit weak, my voice quieter than usual.

Dad pulled me into a warm embrace, tucking my head into his chest and resting his chin on top of my head. He smelled like oil and metal and cheap soap, the scents I had grown to find the most comfortable. His large hand rubbed up and down my back, and I buried my face in his rough cotton shirt, wrapping my arms tightly around him.

"Don't be so scared, darling." I could feel his chest rumble as he talked, his hands still rubbing comforting patterns on my back. "You should be excited. You'll get to carve your own path in this world, protect me and Ren and your friends. You're a smart girl. You won't get yourself killed. I believe in you. So don't be scared, okay?"

I nodded, gathering his shirt into my fists and trying to blink back the tears that were welling up in my eyes. His words were encouraging and comforting, but I didn't want to be a God Eater. I wanted to fix things, just like Dad. I wasn't made to kill and destroy. That wasn't how I was raised. Ever since Mom had died giving birth to Ren, Dad had made sure that I appreciated life, valued everything that had a heart and soul. Even if the aragami were monsters, I didn't want to kill. It wasn't right. But I had to. That was the fate Fenrir was forcing onto me, and I had to accept it.

Backing away, I quickly wiped at my eyes before giving Dad a smile. A genuine one this time, not another fake.

"I'll make you proud, Dad."

Hungry.

So hungry.

Someone feed me.

It hurts. I'm hungry.

I want to go home.

"Do you really have to go, Akira?" Ren was holding onto me tightly, his thin arms wrapped tightly around my waist. His face was pressed against my stomach, and I could feel his tears soaking through my shirt. "I don't want you to go. Can't you stay here?"

"I'm sorry, Ren." I smoothed down his unruly red hair, so uncannily like mine. "I have to go. But I'll come visit, okay? This isn't good-bye for good. Just for now."

His grip on me still didn't loosen. The Fenrir agents who had been sent to fetch me were looking increasingly annoyed, and I knew I had to cut the farewells short soon, or I would start off on a bad foot. I pried Ren's arms off of me as carefully as I could, gripping his shoulders and pushing him away from me a bit. His face was streaked with tears, and he looked up at me with big green eyes. I had gotten dad's dark brown eyes, but Ren had gotten Mom's eyes, clear and green and beautiful even when they were brimming with tears. It was hard to look at him.

Kneeling down, I brushed his hair out of his face and cupped his cheeks in my hands, rubbing my thumbs across his cheekbones. Ren was only six, eleven years younger than me. He wasn't ready to lose another member of his family. Even though I wanted to cry and embrace him and never let go, I had to stay strong for him. Breaking down would only upset him more. So I smiled and leaned forward, pressing my forehead to his.

"Stay strong for me, okay? Grow big and tough and look after Dad." I could feel him shaking, his hands gripping my wrists as if I would simply crumble away if he let go. "I'll visit every chance I get. But I have to do this, so you can be happy and safe."

"Okay." His voice trembled, and a sob caught in his throat as he leaned heavily into me. "I'll wait for you, Akira. And I'll keep Daddy safe for you."

Tears began to well up in my eyes and I pressed a swift kiss to Ren's forehead before standing up and slipping my wrists out of his grasp. Before he could see me crying, I turned my back and walked away. One of the agents placed a hand on my shoulder, and I didn't bother shaking him off. I covered my face with my hands and cried as I was led away from my family and my future, my brother's cries fading in the distance.

Dad. Ren. It hurts.

I want to go home.