Even a beast can cry, it's not a monster.

Chapter 20

Due to Okami's experience with non-human-aggressive Aragami –of course she and the Aragami girl would get along like bread and butter. Okami looked upon the girl like she did her little brothers; in fact, judging from the child's size she guessed the child was the same age as her brothers.

Dr. Sakaki wouldn't let her resonate with her so she wouldn't share her memories or knowledge with the child. She couldn't even talk to the child through Resonance. Dr. Sakaki wanted to see how fast she could develope without unnatural outside interferences. So she talked with the child normally and did simple acts of bonding with her like combing her hair.

"Your hair is so pretty." The child seemed to like Okami combing her hair since she would lean back into each gentle brush with a giggle.

"Thank you!" The child then paused to touch her stomach. "Where's dinner? I'm… hungry."

"I'll tell Saki to get you something to eat on my way out."

"You're… leaving?" The child said with disappointment.

"I have to, I have to catch you some more food. But I'll come back to see you again, okay?" She said petting her head.

"Okay!"

Telling Dr. Sakaki the child was hungry she headed to the Entrance to check with Hibari for the day's missions. She had been keeping track with dealing with the extra missions assigned, all except for one. This forced Tsubaki to address her about it.

"Okami."

"Yes ma'am?"

"Your mission completion time-wise is stellar; however, I can't help but notice you skipped the 'Dancing Ogre' mission for the past few days. It's unprofessional and neglectful of your duty as a Gods Eater." Then Tsubaki looked upon her with sympathy. "You know you can't avoid this mission forever."

"I don't want to do it. No, I can't do it! Send another team."

"Orders from the top, such a request is not possible. The longer you avoid this the higher the chance that people will die rises. The herd has been spotted in the Forgotten Carrier and increases in size as we speak."

"…Must I?"

"I'm afraid so, but you won't be alone. I'm personally choosing a team to accompany you for this mission. Just hang in there and get the job done."

As Okami left reluctantly for the mission gate to wait for her team, Tsubaki pondered who to send on the mission with her. Tatsumi and Brendan was a definite choice, since they most likely would understand of her situation and also get the job done. Now she had a choice between Alisa and Soma to keep an eye on Okami. Alisa would be more supportive to Okami's predicament than Soma. But Alisa would be too emotional, and two emotional God Eaters on a mission was dangerous to others on the mission. At least Soma will get the job done, so Soma it is.

"Soma."

"Ma'am?"

"You are to accompany Okami on the Dancing Ogre Mission, right now."

"Why the hell would you send her on 'that' mission?! You know of her origins!"

Tsubaki was shocked to get such a strong reaction from Soma let alone for someone else's behalf. "It's orders from the top, nothing could be done."

"Those bastards! They're doing this to test her loyalty; they still see her as a 'BEAST'. Damn, this isn't going to be pretty." She knew that to be true.

. . .

The mission was a complete and utter hell for Okami. One by one she slew the Ogretails. With each strike she fought back the tears, guilt making her unable to dodge their attacks. She couldn't even look at her mother's mask for the shame of what she was doing. Killing one aggressive Ogretail was one thing- her limit was four- but to kill thirty was like a cruel punishment. And these weren't just stray aggressive Ogretails… these ones were from her herd. She recognized many of them. She grew up with some as her mother would bring the family to interact with the herd; she played and hunted with many of them. She tried to Resonate with them, telling them do 'go back, stay away, please', but they paid her no mind as they continued their onslaught.

She fell as an Ogretail leaped at her, it Resonated it with her. At last one of them responded to her, but this one didn't mean well as it Resonated before going in for a bite. "You heartless wretch! You treacherous daughter! You betrayed your own for the humans! Then die with the humans, kin killer!"

Before the Ogretail could bite her, Soma struck down on it with a crushing blow, knocking it dead. "Get up!"

"Come on Okami. Let's fulfill our mission." Brendan tried to encourage her.

"Alright… I-I can still fight." Her face had a gloom on it that came out of nowhere to the others. As they fought forward she would occasionally look back at the bodies of Ogretails.

"Don't look back!" Tatsumi said as he devoured a knocked down Ogretail. "Keep moving!"

The further they fought forward the stronger the Ogretails got. Eventually to everyone's misfortune, epically Okami, they encountered Vajratails. The boys looked upon their only female team member with concern as they took down the last Vajratail. Okami was a wreck and on the verge of breaking as she let go of her God Arc.

She looked around at the massacre of Ogretails and Vajratails around her, and then she looked down at her hands. She was emotional for this mission, making her kills sloppy thus she was covered in their blood. The blood on her hands made something in her snap.

She fell on her knees to the ground crying her eyes out. She lifted her head to the sky letting out a cry that they couldn't tell if it was a roar or wail. She tried to wipe the blood off her, but only ended up spreading it. Realizing her attempts were fruitless, she held her head in her hands bowing in despair as she cried.

"Why?! Why didn't you turn back?! I could have let you go! You stupid STUPID fools! I could have let you go if you had just RUN!"

Tatsumi and Brendan were frozen by her display of pure grief, they knew of nothing that would comfort her. All they could do was let her release her grief in peace. But suddenly she lifted her fist into the air and began punching the cemented ground until her knuckles started to bleed.

As she was about to bring down her fist again, Soma caught it in a strong grip.

"Hey!" She looked up at him with teary red eyes. He gasped at the sight; it was heartbreaking and made his chest feel like it was being ripped open. He slightly loosens his grip at the sight of her.

"He's right Soma, I am a heartless wretch!"

"What?" She looked around her at the carnage and then back to Soma.

"I killed my kinsmen. I killed them all!"

"… You did what you had to… don't regret it." Soma was about to pull her to her feet when he felt something coming. Letting go of her, he got in front of her and got ready for whatever was coming. It was a Vajratail, but unlike the others it came from a hole in the Carrier instead of the ground… and had a fang ornament.

'Crap it was her brother,' Soma thought.

"Okami what's wrong?! I could smell your grief all the way from the City of Mercy!"

"Kage! Kaaageeee!" She cried out as she ran to him like a little girl. Tatsumi and Brendan were about to stop her – as she was running toward an Aragami without her God Arc- but Soma stopped them.

"Wait, it's her brother."

"Oh…" Tatsumi said understandingly. "This makes the situation even worse."

She fell to her knees embracing Kage as she cried into his chest. Kage looked at the state of his sister then around at the battle scene. It was the ones from his herd that went missing.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Kage looked to Soma for answers. "Soma, explain this to me!"

"Did that Vajratail just talk?!" Tatsumi said, jumping back in surprise along with Brendan.

"That's not important right now." Soma said to the two of them then went back to addressing Kage. "Kage the thing is-"

"I'm a monster!" Okami cried out, interrupting Soma. "I have no right to call myself your sister after what I've done! I'm nothing more than a savage beast, a kin killer!"

"Okami…" Kage's eyes softened as he looked down at her. "No matter where you go, no matter what you do. You're my sister and I'll love you no matter what."

"But I-"

"No matter what."

"I feel so… disgusting." Then Kage laid down to her level curling his tail around her, blocking her view of the dead Ogretails, laying his head on her left shoulder.

"Then I'll hold you until you don't." Her crying eventually turned to sniffles until she fell asleep out of exhaustion. After she fell asleep, Kage looked back at Soma with cold eyes. "I've let her stay with you since it made her happy. But if you or any of your pacts ever hurt her like this again, I'll break into your Den and take her back!"

His threat actually made Soma flinch in fear for an instant. Did he actually have the power to take her back? Would she go with him? He won't tempt fate by seeing if it was true. Kage moved his tail away, exposing Okami.

"Take her… and make sure your DAMN pact never makes her cry like that again." Soma approached him, taking Okami away while releasing him from her grip around his neck. Soma held her princess style, making his heart accelerate having her so close to him.

"And don't get fresh with her!" Kage said as he went to grab her God Arc gingerly by the blade with his teeth and put it in her hand. She unconsciously gripped the handle. "Be grateful I'm here and not Shiro. If he was here and sensed 'that' he would have tried to rip off what makes you a man." With that said Kage left the way he came.

"Soma what was that?" Tatsumi asked shocked at how normal Okami interacted with the Aragami. It was like a sister seeking comfort from her brother after a bad break up.

"Just a damn over protective brother with a sister complex."

"Well, hey, just surviving means something, right." Tatsumi commented on the bright side. "At least I don't have to worry about in-laws with Hibari."

"Quit implying things!" Soma said with a blush.

"Let's prepare to return to the Den. Soma if you're tired I'll carry her back." Brendan offered.

Soma gripped Okami tighter, his voice turned cold as he slightly held her closer. "Don't get in my way." Getting the point he walked toward the starting point.

Tatsumi then walked over to Brendan and patted him on the shoulder. "Yep, he's got it bad." Turning on his head phone he called for a Chopper. "Hey Hibari, we just got done…"

. . .

Soma found it unnecessary to take her to the Sick Bay so he carried her to her room. On the way he bumped into Sakuya, who grew concerned about their unconscious leader in his arms. He told her what mission they just came from and that alone told Sakuya what happened. She then spent the night with Okami. Emailing Alisa what happened, and got out her ration of ice cream as they spent the night in Okami's room.

The next day Soma went to Okami's room to check on her condition. When he knocked Alisa opened the door. When he question where she was Alisa answered she left earlier that morning. To his annoyance he would have to search the Den for her. He could've stopped there, but something compelled him to look for her. He checked the Entrance bumping into Brendan who said she came to apologize for her behavior yesterday then went off to find Tatsumi.

Tatsumi wasn't hard to find, since he was just down the stairs flirting with Hibari. Soma asked if he's seen Okami, again Tatsumi said she came to apologize but she was heading to the God Arc Hangar with Licca. Taking the elevator to the Hangar he saw Okami embracing her God Arc and Licca working on a God Arc on the opposite end of her, giving her as much privacy as she could.

"Hey."

"Hey, Soma. Did you come looking for Okami?" He nodded and they both looked toward Okami. "She's been talking to her God Arc for a while now. Occasionally hugging and petting it in its blade and devouring form… It actually moves me to see a God Eater have such a strong bond with their God Arc. But… by the way she's acting it's almost like she feels like she wronged her God Arc."

"In a way they wronged each other." With that Soma approached Okami. He noticed the changes in her God Arc. From all the blood from those Orgetails and Vajratails she killed her God Arc was stained red, the fur on her shield was tainted black. Almost as a permanent reminder of the sin she was forced to commit on the Aragami she looked at as kin. As he got closer he could hear her conversation with her God Arc.

"…You were only doing your job of protecting me. Yet I let go of you as if you were something dirty that burned me at the touch… I've been cold to you… I've been nasty and I am sorry… We're a team, we're in this together. However, I am sorry to have dirtied your blade along with my hands. Even if I didn't like the mission, you still did a good job. You're a good boy." She stopped when she herd Soma's footsteps approach then come to a halt.

"Ah, Soma. Have you come looking for me?"

"I see you didn't come knocking on my door to give me an apology." A hint of jealousy escaped his voice.

"You hate being disturbed in the morning. Besides, I knew you'd come find me, you always do." She gave her God Arc one last embrace before placing it back on the hangar. She then turned to give Soma her full attention. "But you're right. I do owe you an apology. I was a burden on the mission and endangered you and the others and I can't apologize enough for endangering my pact."

The sincerity in her face made Soma blush a little, so he turned his head away from her as he spoke. "At least you acknowledge how much of a heavy baggage you are."

She sighed and began to walk toward the elevator, but stopped when she was right beside him. "Oh, I almost forgot." She then turned to him. "Thank you for carrying me back to the Den." She almost gave him a heart attack by kissing him on the cheek. "You know, for a guy who acts so cold you were quite warm."

With that she walked away toward the Entrance to meet up with Kota before their mission in the Infernal Subway.

. . .

She found Kota leaning against the railing in the Entrance. Approaching him she leaned with him.

"The world's a sorry place to live in now, isn't it?" He didn't look at her but he felt her lean next to him.

"Only if we make it out to be that way."

"Well, long before… there were Aragami, it seemed like a really peaceful place. There were no life-or-death struggles at all."

"I highly doubt that one Kota." He let out a you-caught-me laugh.

"Okay, I admit. I'm just quoting everything I found on NORM. There's a bunch of videos from the old generation. Have you seen them?"

"Not all of them."

"It's really cool. Somebody uploaded all these old TV shows, like Bugurally. I bet back then everyone lived their lives in peace… smiling all the time. You'd go home and your family be there to greet you with smiles on their faces. There'd be lots of laughs at the dinner table; you'd then stay up half the night playing games… And when you went to bed, you'd only have happy thoughts. Like what to do the next day… and, then… tomorrow would come, just like that… No one dreamed that the future of the world would be so terrible. Well how could anyone have known? It's not like we know what's in store, either… not like there's anyone to blame.'

"Only cowards and fools point fingers unknowingly. Regardless how ugly this world may be, it's ours, and we must make the best of it."

"But if the Aegis Project succeeds we can go back to that world. Where everyone can live without fear, live happy lives… Oh, that's right! Look at this!" Kota pulled out a small charm of himself.

"It's a good luck charm my little sister made me… Haha… pretty cute, huh?"

"Yes, and full of love too. You must have a great little sister."

"Yup, and I'm bringing her lots of presents next time I go home for vacation…"

"Kota, know that relying on others to make you a better future is pointless. There is only one way to change your future."

"Oh, and how's that?"

"You must discover that on your own."

"I see… Okay, we better head back now or the Adviser is going to yell at us again. I don't think I'm up to doing a 1000 push-ups again."

"True, but that's nothing to our invincible team. Let's go."

. . .

The mission was like child's play for Okami even with only Kota. To their luck they faced the Vajra and fallen Gboro one at a time. The two almost came together at one point but by the time the Gboro reached them the Vajra was defeated. The Infernal Subway still did not sit well with Okami. When they were done she led them out of there, not even staying to scavenge for material. She didn't fear the place, just didn't like it.

But that worked out for them since Dr. Sakaki called for them after their mission was done. When they got there Alisa and Sakuya were already there. Soma apparently locked himself away, but Okami felt that he'd open up in time. Dr. Sakaki had called them in for a favor…

"Huh? A name… did you say?" Alisa asked in disbelief.

"Yes, we can't keep calling her 'this child' it's too inconvenient. I just don't have an aptitude for naming things. I'd like you to think of marvelous name in my stead… will you?"

"Will you?" The Aragami child repeated Dr. Sakaki.

"Ha, to tell you the truth I'm actually pretty good at this naming business!" Kota said in confidence. Alisa looked at him in utter terror.

"Somehow I find that extremely ominous…" Ignoring her Kota continued.

"Let me see… how about… Norami?" Everyone was quieted in appall. Alisa finally broke the silence.

"How repulsive."

"Oh, yeah! Well you got a better idea?!" She looked away in embarrassment.

"W-why should I have to…"

Aha, you're scared to expose your lack of style, aren't you?"

"I-I most certainly am not! It's… um… um…" She started to break into a cold sweet before the child saved her from the pressure.

"Shio!"

"A-actually, I just happened to think of the very same name."

"You're so full of it! Hey… why don't we just go with Noromi then?"

"Shio"

"Is that… is that you're name?" Sakuya asked the child.

"That's right."

"Well, well, well. It appears someone has already christened this child."

"What no way?" Kota said in disappointment, and then addressed the child named Shio. "Listen, don't you like Noromi better?"

"Yuck!"

"Thanks a lot!" Kota teared up in comic disappointment to everyone's humor.

After everyone had their giggle, Sakuya commented on Shio's improvement on speaking. "She's picking up words at an incredible speed, I see. What if she matures at this same speed?"

"Shi…o? ...Shio! Learning is fun!"

"I highly doubt that," commented Okami. "But it's better this way, it preserves her air of innocence."

"Ok, Shio. I'm gonna teach you a greeting that you can use anytime. 'Hey fool!' Got that? Easy, huh?" Kota tried to teach her, Alisa corrected him in a second.

"Shio! You mustn't pick up such inappropriate words, alright?"

"Hey guys we have to go. There's been an epidemic of Kongous in the Tranquil Temple."

"Very well."

"Alright, I've got your back!"

. . .

… Even for Okami, that fight got a little nasty. Two Kongous was nothing, but add two more and it gave her a run for her money. Alisa and Kota did their part but things got harder with Karel. Okami brought him along on the mission since he asked to come along in an email. The Kongou kept knocking him out, but after taking out one of them things got easier, and continued to get easier as they out the Kongous one by one. After that hell-of-a-mission they went separate ways with Karel at the Den and headed to Dr. Sakaki's lab to visit Shio.

"Yo!" Shio greeted them as they entered the lab, raising her fist in the air.

"Yo!" Kota greeted her back in approval.

"Such a vulgar greeting! Don't teach her to talk that way!" Alisa lectured Kota.

"Huh? What's wrong with it?"

"Wrong with it!" Shio repeated.

"Shio that's a no-no. You don't want to be an idiot like him!"

"Jeez…" Kota grunted as Alisa approached Shio.

"Shio, good afternoon."

"Mm… good afternoon."

"Yes, good job, good job." Alisa praised her as she patted her head, making Shio break out into giggles. Then Okami smiled as Shio crawled over to her to address her.

"Alisa said 'good job'! It's good when someone says good job right?! What do you think?"

"Yes, it's a very good thing." Okami says as she bends down to pet Shio's head. She giggled and began to roll around.

"She's learned a lot of different words hasn't she." Kota commented to Dr. Sakaki.

"She has. It's partly due to you engaging her in conversations like this… Even so, she's quite a fast learner, this child. She's survived a dog-eat-dog world all the while armed with such intelligence. She must have been starving… for this kind of communication…"

Okami continued to pet her head as Shio looked up at her with a smile.