If you lost something so precious to you that you would do anything to get it back... could you pay the price?

Darken Skies, Hollowed Eyes

Immediately after Umiko had made it back to the Finland Branch, she began joining the Search Units at finding her brother. Whether she joined her Unit's group or her Brother's team she didn't care, all she cared about was finding results. And they felt the same, even Iida. She knew that if anyone could find Sora, Umiko could.

That's why when she confronted Umiko she sincerely begged her with tears as she made her plea.

"Umiko..."

"?"

"We've been looking... I've been looking for three days non-stop. Relentlessly looking for clues the rouges left behind, signals Sora dropped along the way to show where he was being taken, anything. But throughout it all, we've come up with nothing."

"..."

"I know I'm not as good of a Gods Eater as you are, I most likely never will be. But that's why I'm asking- no, I'm begging you, please bring Sora back! Please... please bring him back."

"..." Umiko walked passed Iida, gripping her shoulder as she stopped at Iida's side.

"!" Iida gasped in shock, the stoic White Queen known for her dislike of human contact had just grabbed her shoulder.

"You don't need to ask, I intended to do such regardless." Umiko looked Iida in the eyes as she honestly stated. "You are a better Gods Eater than me. That's why I intrusted Sora with you all this time."

"!" But before Iida could respond to that Umiko walked off, continuing the search for another day.

*** Back at the Far East Branch ***

It was the start of another day, another day for Taiyoko to continued her hollow rituals. She had skipped breakfast again and had headed out to the porch again. Mindlessly sweeping away the dirt, not caring that she was simply brushing it away and back again.

She had started these strange habits ages ago. In her own way she was hoping to relive those days long gone. As if thinking that if she had just swept her porch differently the events of those days would have been altered. So she continued on diligently to sweep her porch each day, changing the way she did it each time. Hoping that something different would happen.

That's when she heard footsteps approaching her porch as if summoned by her ritual. Her heart stopped at the idea, she had been waiting for this. But she wasn't ready for this... has time come to repeat itself? She refused to look up from her sweeping as the foot steps came to a stop not too far from her. Her eyes stayed to the ground, only looking at the visitor's boots and baggy gray pants.

"Mrs. Yukino?" The deep yet smooth voice of a young man called out to her.

"..." She remain silent, continuing to sweep in place.

"My name's Soma von Schicksal." The young man greeted her. "I'm a Gods Eater of Fenrir and-"

"Get. Out." She ordered him, just like Umiko once did. So the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

"Hold on, ma'am. I'm just trying to- Hey!" Soma protested as she started to whack his head with the broom, blocking it with his arm. Her weaken state made her strikes feel like nothing, but it also insinuated that Soma had to be extra careful with her. If he didn't watch his strength he could wind up breaking her frail body. "There's no need for all that!"

"Wretched Fenrir, you've already taken all my children from me have you come to take more?!" She yelled at him.

"Ma'am, you don't understand. I'm a friend of Umiko."

"Lies! You're only trying to trick me!" Taiyoko hissed at him. "You brutes of Fenrir, have you no shame? First you take my husband from me, not even giving us back a body to bury or an answers as to how he died. Then you take my daughter from me under the pretense of it being for the common good. Soon some time later you take my son away too after promising to leave him out of the fight. And then you guys come back just to tell me that both my babies are dead! Hasn't Fenrir done enough?! Must you come to torment me?!"

"Dead?" Soma repeated in disbelief. "Sora and Umiko aren't dead!"

"Don't play dumb with me!" Taiyoko commanded, tossing aside her broom and pulling out the certificates of Honorable Discharge from her apron pocket and showed them to him. "One of Fenrir's God Eaters came over to my house, delivering these bloody death certificates for each of my kids."

Soma looked at the papers, noting the dates of discharge. Sora's was a month apart from Umiko's, and her's was on the same day she was transferred to the Finland Branch. These papers were purposely forged to cover up traces leading back to Umiko and Sora.

"These papers are fake. Umiko and Sora are still alive in a far off Branch."

"Don't toy with me, child." Taiyoko tiredly pleaded. "I barely survived the lost of my children, I cannot survive losing them again..."

"I'm not lying to you, Mrs. Yukino." Soma pleaded with her. "I know Fenrir has only brought you nothing but bad news, but you have to believe me this time."

"!" Her eyes widened as Soma got into seizan in front of her, and bow his upper body to her. Leaving his back straight as he tilted his whole upper body and kept his eyes to her feet.

"I won't lie to you, ma'am. I have no idea of the status of your husband, his death might possibly be real." Soma honestly confessed to her. "But I can assure you, your kids are still alive. However, both of them have been altered and changed since the last time you've seen them. And they're both far away from here... But I promise you, I'll bring them back to you no matter what. So I beg of you... don't let yourself go anymore than you've already have. It would break Umiko's heart to come home and see you in this condition."

"..."

"I won't give up until I bring them back. So take good care of yourself ma'am." Soma said, getting back on his feet again. "I'll check in on you every now and then to make sure of that. Just hold on until I bring Sora and Umiko back."

"..." And with that, the strange young man who called himself Soma walked away from her house. Taking away with him a piece of her worries, and leaving her with a fleeting light of hope. Making it the first time Fenrir had actually given back to her.

*** That night back at the Finland Branch ***

Umiko had returned to her Branch, feeling utterly defeated. She had picked up Sora's scent and was tracking the trail with her team. But her enhanced senses weren't good enough to pick up such a faltering scent. Her sense of smell was able to track his scent until it slowly grew too faint for her to pick up, leaving her in the middle of nowhere. And the tread marks of the Jeep had long since faded for her to be able to pick up. The trail had gone cold...

Crushed, Umiko had parted with her team to head back to her room. Perhaps if she rested and regained her strength she could force a controlled Blood Rage to give her sense of smell that extra kick.

"You look beat, Umiko." Garland commented to her as he greeted Umiko on her way to her room. He had started calling Umiko by her name. She didn't question the change, in fact she welcomed it. Since her brother's disappearance it was one of the only few times she would ever hear her name. "How does the search go?"

"Terrible, Sir. We've picked up a trail, but my sense of smell is not strong enough to continue to follow it." Umiko sadly confessed to him.

"I see... and what if I told you I had a way to make your senses stronger?"

"?!" A spark of hope lit up inside of Umiko.

"We've created a new dosage of liquified Aragami core, using the cores of colossal class Aragami."

"..." Umiko stared at the dosage needle Garland pulled out of his Director's coat. This dosage glowed a darker yellow than the last one Sora had injected into her neck, almost an orange color.

"However, the effects of this high sample are unknown to us. They could be similar to the regular effects you experienced from your dosage or they could be extremely more aggressive. The choice is yours if you want to take it. Will you take the chance in order to find Sora, or will you continue to rely upon your limited ability?"

"..." Garland held out his hand to her, giving her the option of taking it or casting it aside. "I will do anything to bring my brother back. Let us see where this takes us."

Garland grinned at her decision, watching as she took the needled dosage from his hand. Rolling up her left arm sleeve, she injected the dosage into her upper arm. The positive effects were almost instant, she could feel the energy pouring inside her as her senses were punched instantly with enhancement.

"Hn, good... Let us see the results of your sacrifice, No. 2."

*** Next day back at the Far East Branch ***

Dr. Sakaki was inside his Director's office, waiting for a call to give him the signal. It was early morning and yet again he found himself awaiting contact from his mystery friend alone in a dark room. He had thought everyone would still be asleep, but he was proven wrong when Soma burst through his door.

"Hey Doc, I got something to ask yo- Whoa, and you say I was acting emo?" Soma rhetorically mocked as he noticed Dr. Sakaki sitting at his desk in the dark.

"Heh heh, never mind that." Dr. Sakaki nervously laughed, trying to wave off Soma's comment. "Is there something bugging you?"

"There is." Soma said, placing his hands on Dr. Sakaki's desk as he leaned in closer. "How come Fenrir sent Umiko's mother false death certificates?"

"?!" Dr. Sakaki's eye shot open at the news, no wonder the poor woman look like such a wreck when they saw her. "Impossible, those two are still registered as Active on the data-frame even if Sora is classified as MIA."

"Hm, so those documents were intended to cover up their tracks." Soma mused aloud. "Tst, that damn One Eye. He must have purposely did that to cut off all ties to Umiko's and Sora's past. Leaving them with nothing to return to, he even wiped out their last name on the system and all of Umiko's past records."

"A brilliant idea on physiologically caging in his subjects, inhumane but effective."

"Whose side are you on Doc?" Soma growled at him, annoyed at the fascination in Dr. Sakaki's voice at the notion.

"Sorry, I just got carried away is all..." Dr. Sakaki nervously apologized, rubbing the back of his head as he waved his other hand at Soma defensively. But then he got serious. "But we let the ball drop for letting Garland take Umiko away again."

"Tell me something I don't know?" Soma sarcastically replied, not really expecting an answer.

"Garland will be on the defensive now, since Sora has been taken out of the picture. He'll hasten the process of his experiment and gamble everything on Umiko."

"!"

"Garland had just touched the Mantle of his Project when we last met, I never said he reached the Inner Core."

"What?! What is he going to do with Umiko?!"

"I'm not sure, but whatever it is it's going to be big and it's going to be drastic."

"!"

"It was good that they got Sora out of there when they did." Dr. Sakaki sighed as he leaned his chin into his crossed hands, resting with his arms on his desk. "But I wished they could've done it sooner so we could've moved on with Umiko before it was too late."

"You speak as if you know who took him?"

"I do."

"!"

"I have friends in dark places." Dr. Sakaki grinned at Soma's wide eyes. "They've been helping us find a cure for the twins' memory loss."

"And have they found it?" A slight bit of Soma's hope escaped in his words. As if answering his plea, Dr. Sakaki's phone rang as the bling sound of a short email popped on to Dr. Sakaki's laptop screen.

"I do believe they have." Dr. Sakaki chuckled with a grin as the email on the screen said 'It is done.' The phone on the desk still kept ringing, waiting for Dr. Sakaki's answer. "Tell me, Soma. How would you, Alisa, and Kota like to accompany me to a place once known as California. I believe Sora is ready to meet us again."

*** Days later back at the Finland Branch ***

The search for Sora has been showing steady progress. Umiko was able to track down the scent all the way to the Ocean boarder. Where the scent cut off, meaning that Sora's abductors either took Sora by boat or by Chopper. Either way he was most likely no longer on this continent, and judging by the projection of direction he was taken to one of the Americas... or Canada, she couldn't rule out the possibility.

But she was never able to truly single down which continent he was on, since she was being bombarded with missions and test observations. The Aragami seemed to have started acting up in the area, and she had to make up for her work along with Sora's. But that wasn't the problem, the delay frustrated her but it didn't slow her down. What troubled her was... the increasing progression of side-effects.

"Umiko."

"!" Umiko turned at the sound of Iida calling her name.

"You've been working too hard, I think you should rest." Iida suggested with concern.

"What? No way, I feel fine."

"No you're not. You've been working non-stop and starting to daze off at random intervals of time. It's starting to get dangerous."

"Ha ha, come on, you're worrying too much. I'm okay... uh..."

"Umiko!"

"!" Umiko gasped, grasping her head in shock... she had forgotten who Iida was for a second. "I'm sorry Iida, I'm just out of it today. Maybe you're right... I think I'll call it a day."

Umiko wobbled her way from the God Arc Soldiers' Dock and back into her room. Much to Iida's concern, but she respected Umiko's pride and remain silent since Umiko was heading to get some rest in her room. Umiko rested on her room's door-frame before she finally entered. Her head was killing her, things were... fading. Places she's been, people she's met were starting to blur in her mind. And it frightened her... she found herself zoning off at times and she'd find herself saying things to people she didn't remember saying during these zone outs.

*** Later that night in a secluded area somewhere in California ***

Dr. Sakaki landed in a secluded area of a California forest. Many of the trees were large and ancient, some of the oldest trees still existing in the world. Dr. Sakaki had lead the group, once off the Chopper, into the forest where they stopped at a scarred tree. At first Soma though an Aragami clawed into the tree, but as he looked closer the scars had the more refine cutting of a God Arc. This was a marking system for Check Points...

They didn't have to wait long for someone to come to lead them to the next spot. Two God Eaters had appeared from the trees to greet the group, a female with a boomerang God Arc and a...

"Hello, Dr. Sakaki. It's been awhile." She happily smiled at him, while her partner beside her found something to the right of him more interesting than their visitors. "Dr. Sakaki has told us so much about you guys. We're a secret God Eaters Unit from the America HQ, we act as a rouge group in the shadows, making us able to do things most God Eaters or Branches of Fenrir cannot. Dr. Rumiko had requested for our assistance, but I don't think we've properly met. I'm Mizuki, and the prick to the right of me is-"

"You!" Soma growled at the guy beside her, eyes burning with rage.

"Yes, it's me." The guy groaned, scratching the back of his head. "What's up with you and Sora having the same reaction when you see me?"

"You shot our friend." Alisa angrily answered him.

"Yeah... right through the Ta-tas. A shame really, I hoped its healed properly, they were quiet lovely." Silva joked around, earning a surprise sucker punch right in the jaws. "!"

"Dirt bag...!" Soma growled at him.

"..." Silva looked a Soma with his only eye, his face still turned from the punch. Spitting out the blood from the hit, he turned to look back at Soma with a grin. "My, I had expected Sora to sock me for a comment like that. I never would've guest such a violent reaction would come from the cold as stone spawn of the Schicksal family."

"Tst."

"Well what do you expect after a comment like that, Silva." Mizuki angrily lectured to Silva. "You shouldn't make jokes like that, they're not tasteful."

"Heh, no, if anything he should've just yelled at me for that line." Silva retorted to his partner before smirking back at Soma as he grew angrier. "But I hit a nerve, looks like the knight in shinning armor feels more than just loyalty for his Queen."

"Shut up, Bastard." Soma sneered at him.

"It's Silva, Bastard was my father's name." Silva cheekily retorted back at Soma.

"Enough all ready," Dr. Sakaki ordered. "Shouldn't we be going."

"Of course, this way everyone." Mizuki stepped in, leading the way while keeping Silva away from Soma. If looks could kill, this forest would be a bloodbath. She had lead the group no further than ten minutes away from their initial spot to what appeared to be a small storage hole building. "We're here."

"How are we all going to fit in that, is their a secret door compartment or something?" Kota questioned.

"Looks can be deceiving." Silva quoted before opening the door to the hole to reveal a large stair way. Silva bowed, gesturing for the others to proceed ahead. "Ladies first."

"Why thank you." Alisa and Mizuki both answered as they proceeded, Alisa said it mostly out of curtsey while Mizuki out of sincerity.

They walked down the stairway, the sound of their echoing steps and a dripping pipe were the only sounds that greeted them. A lone ceiling light lit their path as they entered the room, which was more of a basement. There they saw Sora, resting on a lab bed. Unstrapped and free to move, as he rested on a pillow. Dr. Rumiko hovered over him, taking notes in a notepad to document his progress. Jake and Edgar guarded Sora just in case he went on a berserk while Dr. Rumiko was studying him, Sora simply took a power nap during it all. His God Arc rested on a Hangar not too far from him. He turned his head at the sound of the group entering in.

"You guys? Strange of me to say this but... it's good to see you again." Sora said, slightly bored. Dr. Rumiko refused to allow him to go out, so he had been trapped in that room with limited interaction with other people. He would take any changes in his routine he could get.

"Sora my boy, I hear you got your memories back." Dr. Sakaki grinned at him. "How much can you remember?"

"I remember my parents... my home... most of kindergarten. You know all that good jazz."

"Fascinating, fascinating!" Dr. Sakaki praised before turning to Dr Rumiko. "How did you do it?"

"The sample injected into him were genetically enhanced Oracle Cells, tampered with cores from the most advanced Aragami with showings of intelligence. It took a while, but I did it." Dr. Rumiko explained while pointing her fingers at Sora in the areas of the flowing process. "The Oracle Cells had been tampered to be attracted to the liquid in Sora's skull and took on a role as White Blood Cells. Leaving the beneficial Oracle Cells alone, they attacked and destroyed the Oracles Cells damaging his temporal and frontal lobe. Allowing the beneficial Oracle Cells to regenerate the damage, slowly restoring the memory to its initial condition."

"I see..."

"What about their bodily effects?" Soma asked, persistent for an answer.

"... I'm afraid there's no cure for that." Dr Rumiko sadly answered. "They'll have to live with the changes in their body."

"Honestly, I see this as a win-win." Sora commented, causing all heads to turn in disbelief. "Judge me all you want, but I like the way I am. I just don't like the idea of sacrificing my memories for it, that's all. This has been the closest I've ever come to touching the sky, and I wouldn't trade the feeling of it for the world."

"And how do you know Umiko feels the same way?" Soma retorted back at him, sickened by Sora's care-free attitude about the permanent effects done to his body. "How do you know she's not disgusted at what has happened to her body?"

"!" Sora shot up from laying on his lab bed, facing Soma with angry glowing eyes. "Are you calling my sister disgusting?"

"!"

"Umiko has always been comfortable in her body. Her Blood Rage transformation represents her inner self, as does mine. She to the sea, and I to the sky." Sora leveled to him. "The only thing that's disgusting about this whole situation is the fact that people like you are going to judge her for what she has become!"

"!" Sora was right, they will be judged. When they lacked the memory or the processing of emotions they couldn't see it, but the others from different Branches looked down upon them as monster and feared that they might one day turn on their masters. Now that they can fully understand the things around them, things were going to get a lot harder for them. They would have to watch their steps more, just so they don't end up in chains. They were labeled as monsters now... just like he was.

"Oh don't be too hard on him, Sora." Silva taunted while still coming to Soma's defense. "Soma's just concerned that the lady might not like the idea of never being normal again."

"We're twins, we weren't normal the moment we were born." Sora taunted with a smirk.

"Ha!"

"Speaking of my sister, when can I see her again?"

"..." The others remained quiet, unable to look at him.

"You are going to help her too, right? Doctor?"

"... We will help your sister, Sora. But... her case is... a little harder than yours." Dr. Rumiko hesitantly answered him.

"What do you mean?"

"Umiko is under more super-valence at this time, since your disappearance. It'd be harder to pull her away from Director Garland, and she... might be a little dangerous to be around right now."

"You're not making any sense, Dr. Rumiko."

"?" Not even Alisa or Soma could make out what she meant by that.

"It's best that you stay away from your sister for the time being. We'll take care of her soon enough." Dr. Sakaki simply stated. "In the mean time, you're going to be hiding in our Branch for a while until this is all sorted out. You'll be finally getting out of here. Fun, huh?"

"Yeah... fun."

*** Days later back at the Finland Branch ***

Her new dosage of Aragami core was doing something to her, but she continued on taking it in order to save her brother. She walked over to the room's monitor and programmed it to refill Sora's test tube. She sadly walked over to his tube, watching as the green liquid filled up the tube and read her brother's name placed on top of the tank. She placed her hand on the glass as her mind played off memories of her brother floating in the tubes tubes soothing liquid. Umiko would do anything to get her brother back... but what would her brother have to come back to?

She wanted to leave Sora with something just in case... she wasn't the same when she finally got him. Umiko would take care of her other arrangements later, but first she had to set things straight with her brother. She had found an old portable tape player while she was out in the wasteland that day, and it even had a tape inside it still in tack. Rewinding it to the very beginning Umiko hit the record button and started... singing Sora her possible final words.

"Sora, it's just you and me in this wreckage of a world.

That must be so confusing for a lonely boy.

And I know you're going to need me here with you,"

Umiko's hand on the glass bent its fingers as she rested her forehead onto the glass as she gasped out her next sentence.

"But I'm losing myself and I'm afraid you're gonna lose me too."

She flipped over to rest her back on the glass, looking up to the ceiling.

"This liquid keeps me alive,

But it's making me crazy.

And I need to save you,

But whose going to save me?

Please forgive me for whatever I do,

When I don't remember you."

She paused in her song, turning around to look at her brother's test tube again. She look in the liquid as her mind started to play tricks on her. Umiko started to see an image of her brother in the tube, floating as he looked at her with a sad face and a frown.

"Sora, I can feel myself slipping away.

I can't remember what it made me say.

But I remember seeing you frown.

I swear it wasn't me, it was the fiend."

She turned her back to the glass again and slid down to the floor as she looked up to the ceiling.

"This liquid keeps me alive,

But it's making me crazy.

And I need to save you,

But whose going to save me?

Please forgive me for whatever I do,

When I don't remember you.

Please forgive me for whatever I do,

When I don't remember you.

La, la da da da da da.

La da, da da da da.

La da, da da da da."

*** Days later ***

Umiko's memories were getting worse, she couldn't remember what she so desperately was looking for anymore. All she had in this world were her orders, her God Arc, Empty Eyes, and this tape player she kept in her belt pocket. But something was missing... she could no longer put her finger on it, but something very important was missing. It was bad enough that one of the co-unit members, Iida, kept reminding her that she was looking for Sora -some missing Gods Eater- and now she felt like she was missing something inside herself.

Empty Eyes would comfort her to the best of his ability and would stay by her side when the headaches would come around. They just kept coming when an unreasoned sadness and pain would come over her, and each time it came... it felt like it took something from her. But Empty Eyes would always be there when the pain would come around, holding her gently in his big strong hands. Akutenshi helped her too, but he always spoke of things she didn't understand. Empty Eyes was that silent comfort, and that was what she needed at the time to slow her down from this fast pacing world.

Today she had a Resonance mission with Empty Eyes due to strange spikes of multiple Aragami activities from the Fenrir satellite. Umiko's mission was a simple go in there with Empty Eyes and obliterate the pact before it grew into a threat. Akutenshi stayed behind, watching from the Control room as Umiko and Empty Eyes marched to their destination. Director Garland watched it all in the Control Room with all the other Scientists and Engineers monitoring her status. Akutenshi was able to stay in humanoid form due to the multiple needles full of Umiko's blood that she gave him. Akutenshi knew something was up the moment she started filling those damn needles slowly over time and just handed them to him in a cooler. It was as if she knew something was going to happen to her... as if she wasn't telling him something. She gave enough for him to survive on his own for a long time. Either he could use them until he found another Gods Eater to replace her, if something where to happen to her. Or he could find a scientist willing to transplant the blood sample into an armlet so he could permanently stay in humanoid form.

Either way something was going on with Umiko. He could see how she was slowly breaking down, the random dazes were becoming more frequent. And her memory was slowing dwindling, she constantly had to keep calling his and Empty Eyes' name just to remember them. If he didn't know any better, he would say she had completely forgot about the Far East Branch or Sora for that matter. So once again, everything was being taken away from her for the good of humanity. Akutenshi was beginning to hate Fenrir far more than ever, with their hypocritical beliefs. They vow to protect and preserve life and yet they cruelly use life as a tool, abusing it with no sympathy. Man, he was missing Kaminari right now... he had no comrade God Arc to relate to. He hoped her and Sora were doing alright, hopefully better than how Umiko was doing.

Umiko continued to march on as the rain poured down, searching for the target. But she found nothing. Nothing but trees, and water puddles. The growing fog didn't help her much either. But she knew something was out there... it was quiet... too quiet. It made the baby hairs on the back of her neck stand.

"Control Room, it's already been two hours into the search and still no sign of the pulse of activity." Umiko confirmed to the Branch, using the communicator inside of Empty Eyes.

"Keep searching, it's out there. With how big of an energy burst we detected, there's no way it could've escaped the area... unless." One of the monitor scientist informed to her. "Keep your guard up, this might be a trap."

"Roger that." She continued to cautiously move through the fog. Her grip tight on her Buster Blade as she readied for anything. And that's when it charged at her, head on, coming from out of the fog. "Target acquired, Engaging combat!"

"It's a Ba'al!" The scientist informed with alarm.

The Ba'al had charged in with no games, going straight for the bite. Umiko grabbed its head and shoved it in the ground toward the direction it was going, and away from her. As it passed she went for a downward strike with her Buster Blade, not taking into account its counterattack with its tail. Taking the blow she received slight damage in the stomach area.

"Empty Eyes has suffered 3% damage." One of the Engineers informed. "Careful, No. 2. Watch out for those extra body parts."

"Yeah, I know that." Umiko said as she ran head on at the Ba'al. Leaping in the air along with it as it tried to go for another bite.

Grabbing under its jaw, to keep it shut, Umiko lifted it higher than her so as to stabbed it in the stomach in mid air. Lifting her buster blade over her head, Ba'al and all, she swung her sword behind. Thus knocking the Ba'al off her blade and hard on to the ground. She didn't go to extract the core right away as she steadied to rise up on her feet again.

"Great job, No. 2." One of the Scientist praised. "But it's strange... I find it hard to believe that one Ba'al could create that much of a power alarm to the signal."

ROAR!

Came multiple roars from all around her. Shadows emerged from the fog as three Ba'als came into play. They roared at her, rolling their tongues in a way that made that 'clicking' sound that fused with an evil purr. They were all eying her hungrily as they stood their ground, waiting for someone to make the first move.

"Control Room to No. 2, disengage! Repeat, disengage!" A Scientist ordered with sincere worry and fear. "Targets are too numerous for you to face alone, do not initiate combat."

"That's a negative. They've blocked off all exits, I have nowhere to run." Umiko informed. "Requesting for back-up immediately."

"Converging Signal has been sent." An Engineer confirmed as he type in the command into the monitor. "All active God Arc Soldiers are heading to your location."

"Roger that, I'll hold them off until Reinforcements arrive." Umiko replied to the Control Room, before taking the first initiating step forward. Stating her place as the stronger will.

Pouncing as the stand still was broken, all three Ba'al charged at her all at once. Umiko's first option was to take care of the fastest on. Reaching her before the others, she grabbed it by its neck. Ignoring the pain as its razor arms dug into her back as she stabbed her God Arc into its stomach and sliced the blade upward. Cutting it in half as she let go of her hold on its neck.

"Back has taken 20% damage, total damage is 23%." an Engineer announced the update.

The next one to make it to her was the one behind her. Crouching down her knees, she flipped her wrist to flipped her blade downward. Thrusting her elbow back as she stabbed the Ba'al from behind. Swiftly pulling out the blade, she did a quick twirl, cutting into its shoulder as she severed its arm. It was down for the count, leaving only one Ba'al left that was coming at her from the side.

Quickly she place her foot on the Ba'al her blade was implanted in, using that as a stabler to pulled it out. Once out, the force of the separation knocked her slightly back and the Ba'al tumbling to the ground. Just as the last Ba'al was coming in for a bite, she shoved her God Arc into its mouth. Thus splitting the skull in half. Going the extra long mile, once she retracted her God Arc from its skull and it fell to the ground, she knelled down and punched a whole right in its stomach.

She was tired and out of breath after that fight. She took the moment to calm herself before going to extract the cores. Relief came over everyone back in the Control Room as they started to cheer.

"No. 2 to Control Room, targets eliminated. Still requesting back-up to help extract the cores."

"Roger that, you're done for the day."

"Understood, returning to Branch after- !" Umiko was shocked as she felt all power drained from her. Alarms in the Control Room went off.

"!" Engineers began to panicked as they searched for the problem. "Empty Eyes' charger is empty! The damage on the back must have ripped through the Energy Pack! Power has been leaking out this whole time, Empty Eyes is immobile!"

"Where is that backup?" Garland demanded.

"About 10 minutes away from her, Sir."

"Sir, the Aragami have become active again!"

"What?!" How could they have forgotten, Umiko had failed to extract the cores. The Ba'als were slowly rising up like zombies of the undead, even the one she had taken out earlier. They all grinned at her with their sharp teeth sinisterly as they notice her immobility. Umiko on the monitor tried to regain motion, struggling with all her might as the threat was sinking in.

"Ugh, Damn it! I can't move!" Umiko growled in frustration, she had to continued to fight until help arrived. If not for her sake then for Emprty Eyes'. "I have no choice! I have to go into Beast Mode!"

"You can't do that! With the amount of time you'd need to last for backup, and the energy you'll burn from facing multiple colossal Aragami, you will die!" A Scientist yelled to her in warning.

"I can make it! I have to make it!" Umiko shouted as she began to force on a Blood Rage. "All right, Empty Eyes, let's- (Gasp)!"

"What's happening?!" Garland questioned as Umiko's monitor screen went off.

"Resonance has been disconnected!" One of the Scientist said in panic.

"What?!"

"Empty Eyes what are you doing?!" Umiko worriedly question to her Soldier, as he only replied to her with his submarine horn noise. Just as the Resonance had been disconnected, Empty Eyes lifted up his hands to protectively block his chests. "!"

"Empty Eyes has moved on his own!" The Engineers began to gasp in shock among themselves.

"It's like it has a will of its own!"

"Empty Eyes, don't do this!" Umiko pleaded with him, communicator still connected to allow the Control Room to hear her. "You can't do this to me! Don't face them on your own!"

The Control Room watched on the main viewing screen in horror as all four Ba'als leaped onto Empty Eyes, knocking him to the ground and tearing him apart as they ate him alive. Many turned their heads in sad respect while others covered their mouths to hold in their cries and screams. His damage percent went up to 100% before even 20 seconds had passed, but still he continued to block off his chests. The only sounds of pain Empty Eyes made was the submarine horn sound. They could hear on the communicator link how the Ba'al crunched into Empty Eyes.

"Empty Eyes stop it, why are you doing this?!" Umiko pleaded with him as she began to cry. He was being eaten alive, and she was spared the pain due to him disconnecting the Resonance. But that would have been her only way of saving him. "They're killing you! Please stop this!"

But Empty Eyes closed its blood red wine eyes as it accepted its fate. Its horn sounds became more soothing as if Umiko's voice was lulling him to the other side.

"Stop this, please Empty Eyes." But his horn sounds started to slowly fade and his neon blue core was starting to dim, telling Umiko that she was losing him. "STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT! PLEASE!"

Empty Eyes went quiet, and a light had shined in on Umiko... They had breached Empty Eyes chests now they were eating their way for the core. But she would not allow that! Not while she was still breathing!

Umiko had felt a Blood Rage, a Blood Rage the likes of which none of them have seen before. Leaping out of Empty Eyes' core she jumped out of his chest toward the Ba'al in the opening. She started to morph... and she started to grow.

"My God..." An Engineer said in awe and fright.

"We've created a monster..."

"..." Director Garland had no words for what he was seeing. Umiko had undergo a forced Blood Rage... and had turned colossal.

She smacked the Ba'al back with her giant hand, scaring the other Ba'als to jump back. Looking down, she wanted to call to Empty Eyes to ask if he was okay. But what laid on the ground below her was gore.

Empty Eyes legs were ripped off, thrown away from him in each direction. His stomach was ripped open, leaving his Inorganic intestines to spray all over the place like bloody cobwebs from the worse horror flicks. They were eaten, ripped, splattered, and scatter all around him. Making his blood flood the area around him. His arms that were still position in a protective defense around his chests... were eaten off. His chests was ripped right open. The only indication of peace on him, was his closed eyes and his still sealed up jaws, indicating that through it all he didn't scream.

The sight was too much for Umiko, her friend was gone. They had fought along side each other for so long and now he was gone. He was beyond her reach, she couldn't see him again. Her hand hesitantly went down to caress his cheek, hoping that his eyes would open again. But when her hand went under his cheek and slightly lifted it as she pulled away, he limply fell back to the ground.

"Ah, eh ugh geh eh...!" The sounds of squeaks escaped her as a loud cry tried to escape from her throat. The pain was too much, she hurt an unbearable sort. Umiko curled into herself, building up something as she shook, then it all came bursting out with one boom as she shouted across the land. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The door... was opened. Something inside her snapped.

~(l)~

*** Author's Notes ***

Yes the song Umiko sings is a remake of the Adventure Time song 'Remember You.' it's actually based off the Ice Queen's version, song by EileMonty. I love her voice, give it a look-up sometime on Youtube.