LXXI

Beginn

She kept on crying for what felt like an eternity to her, an experience like this what she had always wished for, for somebody to hold her in their arms.

"You know you made a promise to me now? I should have done this sooner, I blame myself for having been so stupid at not making you promise me this earlier. I have been an idiot."

She could hear him say, she didn't want him to let go of her this time. For that matter she was not going to struggle either, as far as she was concerned this could go on forever. "Mm-hh-mm." She mumbled as she raised her arms and grabbed tight of his jacket, she was not planning on letting him go but as she did so she could feel that he was struggling to breathe.

It almost seemed like he was struggling to get enough air, his hold on her losing its strength, as he leaned back he started to cough violently.

Kaede cried as she saw the blood rushing from his mouth and as Kouta dropped to his knees it only further worried her. "KOUTA!? KOUTA PLEASE GET UP! PLEASE DON'T DIE ON ME! I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU! NOT NOW! WAIT HERE FOR ME! I AM GOING TO CALL AN AMBULANCE!" Doing her best not to panic she ran down the stairs, what she needed the most right now was a phone.

Didn't matter if it was a cellphone or a regular one just as long as she could make a call, running down the stairs she kept screaming for help hoping that somebody would react to her. To think that she was wishing for people to have been here seemed kind of ironic to her, has this place been crowded then this would not have happened.

"… Kouta… please don't die… to think that I could lose you now… when we have a chance… to be together… please live… if you were… to die… I… I…I…" She began to slow down as a horrifying realization started to sink in with her. "I see… this is my punishment… I should have known… that it would… be impossible… for me… to live a happy life… again…"

So this was what fate had in store for her, to have Kouta tell her they could live together only for it be taking away at a mere whim, it was too cruel even for her but maybe it was only a befitting punishment for the crimes she has committed. "Guess I do deserve that… but Kouta deserves better… if anybody deserves to die… it should be me… not him… me… the monster…"

As she thought about that she started to pick up the pace again, it would not matter to her anymore if they could live together. What really mattered now was saving Kouta, he was not the one that was going to pay for the mistakes she had made in her life, she was the only person who should be punished for that. They were her mistakes, not his.

In the far distance she could hear an odd buzzing sound coming closer but she dismissed it as she had bigger concerns to worry about.

"… Kouta… just hold on… just a little longer…"

"Sir! The drone is entering Kamukura airspace!" The man yelled as the video footage started to come in on the main monitor, they had arranged that all feed would be directly send to the vector craft as he would be giving out the orders. The fleet was still a good half hour away from reaching their location but even then they needed to have solid intel.

"Judging by the radar we can estimate that Lucy seems to be located somewhere on Enoshima island though her precise location is unknown to us but it has to be close."

"Relay that information immediatly to the local law enforcements and have them pose an immediate blockade on all traffic from and to the island! Nobody leaves it without my permission! Contact all Saseba personal in the area and have them converge on the tower and call in air support! I want those gunships in the air now!"

The men peered at the screen as video came it, despite the image being hazy there was enough for them to see. Back in the corner of the bridge Arakawa shook her head, seemingly feeling sympathy for Lucy much to her own surprise. This had turned into little more than an old fashioned witch hunt, if people kept hounding her than it would come to no surprise to her that eventually Lucy was going to retaliate big time like she had done at the DRI.

"Why did you come here out of all places, why is this city so special? Is it that boy you were with?" The thought emerged in her mind as tehre had to be a reason as to why Lucy was back in Kamakura, even if she had by mere chance washed back up on its beaches then it still remaiend ratehr odd that she had not fled further inwards to put as much distance between herself and her pursuers and she had to know that these people were after her.

Surely there had to be a reason, it could not have been blind luck that out of the entire coast she would wash up here again. "People are hunting you and you risk your own life to see him? Surely you can't be so foolish to risk your own life over seeing him? Why is he so special to you?" There were some answers she could come up with but for the moment she rather kept those to herself, who knew what these people would do. Besides they didn't need to know and for herself her biggest priority now was making sure that she got back safe with the vaccine tough the thought that the vaccine had dropped in value had crossed her mind.

"I wonder if that ship was part of the chief's plan, if the virus did not get released then my vaccine might not be needed at all. Such a shame after all my effort invested in it, still it does exist now whether it is needed or not it exists." Rousing from her thoughts she turned her attention again towards the monitor and the constant rambling of the commander which was by now really starting to irritate her, seriously it almost seemed that the moment a diclonius appeared he lost all control and just went into some kind of stupidly absurd must kill mode. Boy did she consider herself lucky to not be his girlfriend, or perish the thought, his wife for she certainly would have killed herself by now just to get away from him.

"God, this guy is just like the chief. I have heard enough speeches about higher causes to last me a lifetime, I really need to get out of here." Arakawa mentioned silently underneath her breath as she shook her head from side to side until a sudden outburst from the crew caused to snap at the attention.

"Lucy has been sighted!" One man screamed as he pointed towards the monitor, it seemed that the drone was now flying over the Enoshima tower itself and as she gazed as the monitor herself she noticed a single solemn figure running down the stairs, even with the hazy footage coming back she instantly recognized the red hair waving in the wind.

"Inform all operatives, our target is at the lighthouse, cordon the area and contain her but nobody is to undertake any action until I arrive!"

From somewhere down below she could hear footsteps approaching her, it seemed that somebody had entered the tower but right now she was feeling elated about that despite her earlier hestitation, if these people had a cellphone or something like it with them they could call an ambulance for her. Overjoyed that there was a chance that she could save Kouta's life she ran down as fast as she could, she just needed to get to these people fast.

She could go much faster but then that would mean using her vectors and she had just promised to Kouta never to use them, odd how big the difference had felt when she had made basically that same promise to only herself. It seemed to have never hold that much power and yet when she had promised it to Kouta she actually felt this irresistible compulsion to do her best. For whatever reason it was she was glad to have made that promise.

The footsteps were starting to get louder and she could make out voices, it seemed to be men but right now she could hardly care who or what they were, just as long as they carried a phone or even a radio would suffice.

"Hello!" She called out much to her own surprise. "Can you hear me!? I need help! My friend is injured and he needs to go to the hospital! Please help me!" An odd noise greeted her but she almost immediately dismissed it as by the sound of the voices these people were just below her, on a few more steps.

The expression of hope vanished from her face as she came into view of the people she had heard, taking another step she came face to face with the barrels of their weapons fully trained at her.

"PUT YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM FREAK!" They yelled from behind their masks as their weapons were kept aimed at her, no this couldn't be. Not a time like this, this was not what she had hoped or even feared for, even to her this was too cruel.

"DO NOT MAKE US REPEAT OURSELVES! PUT YOUR HANDS WERE WE CAN SEE THEM! KEEP YOUR DISTANCE FROM US AS WELL! NO FUNNY TRICKS OR WE WILL OPEN FIRE, FREAK!" They shouted at her again, their guns remained trained on her. "MAKE ANY SUDDEN MOVES AND WE WILL OPEN FIRE! WE WON'T WARN YOU AGAIN! NOW GET DOWN AND HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!"

It did not matter that the distance between her and them was well over seven meters, her range had expanded to such a length that she would likely even reach them if they on the beach or within the actual city. There was no chance for either of them to keep enough distance between themselves and her, if she wanted she could kill them here and now, grab their radio and call the ambulance without Kouta even finding out. It was all so very simple.

"Promise me that you will never kill another person… promise that you will never harm anybody as long as you live… promise that you will never use your powers again…" His words and the promise she had made to him suddenly flared through her mind, if she were to do so she would be breaking the promise she had made to him. Here was a chance for her to show that she could be a good person, if she held her promise now then Kouta would certainly be proud of her. It made her smile even despite the tears that Kouta would be proud of her, she could already see him patting her on the head.

"Kouta… will you be proud… of me… for… keeping my promise." Her head cast down as she raised her arms for them to see, she was showing them that she was not going to do them any harm. As the men wearily approached her one last thought went through her head as well. "Oh that is right… I still… did not get a chance… to tell you Kouta… that I really like you… that I… love… you…"

"NO TRICKS FREAK OR WE WILL SHOOT YOU! TURN AROUND AND PUT THOSE HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD!" They yelled once more, a disgruntled voice came from the closest one as he reached out for something on his back. Apparently they were all apprehensive about coming any closer, not that she could blame any of them.

"I don't mind this at all… just as long as Kouta is saved…" Feeling her arms being forced down she understood she was being cuffed for the time being, so this was going to be her eventual fate, treated like a criminal. Well she couldn't argue against that as she had committed plenty of crimes in her life. This was her punishment for all that she had done, for all of the lives that she taken.

"Contact command! Inform them we have secured the package!"

Nana sighed as she finally managed to put on her shoes, she was happy to see that Mako had taken the time to have cleaned them for her. "Thank you I am sorry for having caused you some trouble." She bowed as well when she apologized to her, it was a very kind gesture and one of which she did not feel like she had earned it.

"No need to thank me, besides I can hardly let you and Saeko-chan go meet your family being all dirty. You can keep those clothes for now as Kyou-chan and Ryou-chan have plenty of spares for now, you can return them later when things have settled down a bit."

Making another bow, this time to thank Mako for her kindness, Nana was beginning to feel better knowing that the twins were living with such a kind person. "So what will we do next?" She asked her, curious on what they were going to do next.

"Well first I am going to set you off at the hospital, your family should be waiting for you there but…" Mako watched at the clock and then as she looked back at her she smiled. "We really need to go now, we are already late and traffic is starting to look pretty crowded."

"That is okay, I can always walk." Nana cheered as she was more comfortable that way but then she hadn't had a ride yet with a car though she had seen plenty of them, she wondered what it would be like, perhaps similar to when she was on the helicopter. It was going to be a new experience for her.

"Have you seen Saeko-chan, I called her a couple of minutes ago but she hasn't shown up yet? Was she still busy in the bathroom or was she having trouble with her clothes?"

"Ah no." Nana mentioned. "When I came she said that she wanted to check up one more time on our wounded sister. I think she might still be a bit mad at me for having hurt her like that." Truth is that she was really worried about it and she did feel guilty about her action.

Mako luckily did not say a word on the matter, something for which Nana felt grateful. It was still too fresh and too painfull for her. "Well could you go and see what is keeping her? We really need to go if we want to meet them."

Nana nodded in response as she left to go and find Saeko, honestly she would not mind if she were to stay here, going back into the living room she came to a halt on the spot as she could see both of the twins standing there, staring out of the window with an empty blank expression on their faces.

"Kyou-san? Ryou-san? Is there something wron-?" She sensed it at that point as she got closer to the window, there was an overwhelming presence out there and it felt familiar.

"Some onee-san is in pain." Ryou whispered as she pressed her face against the glass. "She is sad, she is really sad… and... angry..."

Nana wasn't sure how she could actually feel that the one to whom this presence belonged was sad, she only could feel the presence but this one she did recognize as Lucy. It was met with a mixture of fear and rejoice for if Lucy had come back to the city then that meant that Nyu would be back as well, they had escaped from the DRI but she wondered in what kind of mood she would be.

"Yeah…" Kyou chimed in. "She is grieving for somebody, I can feel her sadness as well… why is this onee-san so sad? Did somebody hurt her?" Almost on cue both Nana and Kyou looked at each other, she fully understood what Kyou was going to ask of her next but Nana could not let other people get involved with this, as long as the twins kept out of sight they had a good chance at a normal life.

"Y-You can't." Nana pleaded with them, shaking her head. "If people find out about you will all be in trouble. You, your little sister and the people who live here. Please if you want to keep her save." By now Nana was pointing at Ryou in an effort to make it clear how dangerous it could be outside by now. "Then stay inside and don't come out no matter what, some really bad people might come soon looking and if they were to find you, the two of you would lose each other."

She didn't know if that was going to happen but if her fear of losing her little sister would force Kyou to stay here and out of trouble then she felt no regret about having said such a thing to her. Really if Lucy was back then she would also prefer it if Saeko were to stay here as well.

"Please I need you all to stay here, it would be for the best if you could also look after Saeko-san as I think she should stay here as well."

"Who should stay here?" Mako appeared from the hallway, apparently getting somewhat impatient and attracted by their talking. "Is there something I should know?"

Nana fell silent, how in the world was she going to explain this to Mako. Well she was a member of the DRI so she must have heard about Lucy and how dangerous she was but given that meant she had to go out on her own. "It's Lucy-san…" She mumbled keeping her voice down. "She is back in the city, I 'm afraid something really bad is going to happen soon."

"Lucy?" Mako asked in confusion. "How did she get here, she escaped from the institute well over half a year ago?"

Nana then started to explain very briefly about her encounters with Lucy and the alternate persona of her called Nyu, the one who she was by now considering as a big sister. Hearing it all Mako dropped in the nearest couch as she was at a loss for words.

Not saying a word Nana left the house and ran as fast as she could, it would be best if nobody else where to show up. Who knew what Lucy would do now that she had escaped, Nana did not have a good feeling about it either after the words she had heard from the twins. It did make her wonder how it was possible for them to understand. Pushing those thoughts aside she focused again on the presence of Lucy. "Why would you be sad? What happened to you? What did they do to you back there? What will you do next Lucy-san?"

His chest stopped hurting for the time being and some of his strength had come back but even so he was still feeling incredibly weak, he didn't know for how much longer his body was going to be able to keep on going like this. Maybe what Kaede or Nyu had told him was not such a bad idea after all, perhaps it would be best for him to try and get downstairs.

He would feel rather guilty if he were to die here in this place after having gone through so much, Yuka was never going to forgive him for it either.

"Nyu? Kaede?" Looking around he noticed that she was gone, had she really gone on her own to call that ambulance for him? He just hoped that she would stay out of trouble, guess he was finally starting to find the answer to the question he had been asking self a lot over the past months.

"I'm such a fool… even when I say I hate you… I still want to have you in my life… said that I wanted to kill you… yet I can't even find the strength to hit you… I'm such an idiot… maybe I am in part to blame for your suffering… but I won't let you suffer any longer."

Pouring all of his strength in his legs he managed to get up on his knees, now if he could just get back on his feet then he could go. "You are both part of my family… I am not going to turn on you… not now… not ever… Nyu… Kaede… I like you both." Already he was straining in order to get his legs moving, each step felt like it was going to be his last one.

In his condition he wasn't sure if he could make it down the stairs without tripping, gripping the railing tight he slowly but steadily started to make his way down. Taking it one step at a time he frequently needed to stop in order to not only catch his breath but also to prevent his legs from giving out. He felt so weak and each step took an enormous amount of strenght.

From further downstairs he could hear angry shouts coming, it didn't sound all that good to him and he hoped that they had not run into Nyu or Kaede for that matter. A few more steps and he paused to catch some breath, damn he must be in a terrible condition if this was already making him feel exhausted, perhaps he should try being less stubborn when people tried to tell him that he needed rest. "None of you… are going to let this slide… if I were to pass out here… right?"

The shouting and yelling was starting to get livelier and from what he could vaguely make out rather violent as well, now he was getting concerned if he should even bother going further down and risk running into those people or perhaps better to wait here for help to arrive.

"… I would prefer waiting… but if I stay any longer… who knows what will happen… need to get to a hospital soon… the others would cry… if I died." Struggling to get past the next few steps he started to hear another sound as well coming from downstairs, as he stopped to listen it became hauntingly familiar to him. After all he had heard that very sound maybe only minutes ago, Nyu or Kaede was crying but why?

"THEY DID WHAT!? HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE!?" The commander was red with anger, it seemed that some of the men had not been passed on the orders in time and had already managed to subdue the target. To both the commander and the men present it seemed to be almost too good to be true, there was no way that a mere four men could overpower and subdue Lucy not unless she was in a critically wounded state.

"I WANT AN IMMEDIATE UPDATE OF WHAT HER STATUS IS!? AND GET THIS BLASTED SHIP TO MOVE FASTER! INFORM THE ADMIRAL I WILL HAVE THEM SHOT IF WE DON'T ARRIVE SOON AT KAMAKURA!"

This was supposed to be his moment of glory but it could no longer be helped, it had happened and the only thing that he could do at the moment was making sure that nobody else would be able to bring the final verdict. The act and the honor of killing Lucy would belong to him and him alone, he would not tolerate anybody else stealing the glory away from him.

Finally managing to bring himself to calm down he started to issue more orders. "Inform the men they need to keep her secured! No civilians will be permitted into the area! Any trespassers are to be shot on sight should they pose a risk!"

No, he would not allow anybody to interfere, this was going to end here and now. The entire diclonius issue would be resolved before the day would be over. "Now make sure the crew get this ship moving at once, we are wasting our time here!"

He turned around to look at Arakawa who had remained silent the entire time. "You should feel honored." He addressed her, a vicious grin clear on his face. "You will be amongst the first to witness judgment being handed to Lucy and bear to witness her execution."

"No thank you." She remarked. "I've seen already enough people die so I pass but do go out and amuse yourself, you seem to be getting a kick out of it." She left it at that, the way this guy was seeming to enjoy himself with killing Lucy had gotten to the point that she no longer wanted to be a part of it.

Still she could feel the ship listing as it seemed their course was being adjusted, no doubt the commanders rants and orders had likely found their way to the ship's crew but she did wonder for how much longer these people were going to tolerate his arrogance.

As she thought about that it started to dawn on her that if the commander kept acting like that then a revolt was bound to happen at some point, perhaps it would be best than when it came to that that she was on the right side when it happened.

That reminded her that she also needed to thank that kind guard when he had brought her something to eat unlike the commander who had seemed to have forgotten.

"Please, I have one request." Kaede mentioned as she sat there on her knees, hands tied behind her back. "Upstairs there is a person who got shot, he needs to get to a hospital fast. Please, if you can help him I will comply?" She begged them, might as well try to make the best of the situation. "Please I beg you? He needs urgent medical help and fast."

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Was the seeming only response she got from these men, Kaede didn't understand why they remained so hostile. Hadn't she willingly surrendered to them in the place to avoid any further needless deaths? Behind the other three there was a fourth man but he seemed to be pretty busy talking on the radio, occasionally she could hear him say something. It was not a wild guess that they would be talking to their commanders who no doubt would be excited at the prospect of having captured her.

"Please just go upstairs, if you help him I promise that I will behave." For whatever reason her pleas for help were starting to have an unnerving effect on the men, apparently they had not expected this kind of behavior, well she couldn't blame them for it. It was after all something that she had not displayed before in front of others.

Had this been just hours earlier she likely would have retaliated the moment their weapons were aimed at her but now with her newly made promise there was only reluctance. If she behaved and remained a good girl then she could live together with Kouta and even though it was more due to him liking Nyu over her it was more than she had hoped for. Just having a chance to live by his side was enough for her to endure all the hardships she was likely going to endure again.

"What do you think? Should we go?" His weapon lowering one of the men carefully approached her, this close to her she could see that the man had to be terrified of her as the weapon kept shaking, not much but enough to betray his feelings.

"Go upstairs and check it out! We just got our orders from commander Kanbe, trespassers are to be shot on sight if they proof to be a threat! Make sure that nobody comes close to her either!"

She trembled at hearing them say those words, no this was not what she had turned herself in for. She had submitted in the hopes that they would help Kouta for her, not for them to go and hurt him. She prayed that nothing bad was going to happen when they stumbled onto to him, luckily if he was still unconscious there was a good chance they would help him.

"P-Please, he is hurt. He is no threat to you people. He is badly wounded and needs help! Why aren't you listening to me!?" By now she was starting to get increasingly worried as the men had walked passed her and then continued on his way upstairs. As he vanished from her sight she couldn't decide which was worse, the silence of not knowing what was going to happen or the shouting until now.

"You have some balls to come and ask for help freak! Really you monsters don't deserve any kind of help for all the people you have murdered in cold blood! Maybe we should just shoot you on the spot and be done with it!"

"Holster that weapon now!" One of the remaining men yelled. "We have our orders!"

Behind her back she could hear the disgruntled noise coming from the one who had likely been the one pointing his weapon at her.

"The commander wants her alive, don't do anything stupid like provoking her you moron!"

She breathed a sigh of relief at knowing that at least one person here was able to keep themselves calm. "Kouta… please be careful… don't get yourself hurt…" She kept thinking to herself, right now she did not want them to find out who he was though it would likely matter very little when they found him.

"He is no threat, he is wounded and needs help." She said out loud all a sudden, adressing the man nearest to her as she held up her head and looekd him in the eyes. "He is just a boy, he has done nothing wrong... please... help him... I don't want... to see him die..."

"We will determine that and for his sake you had better not be lying! Make no mistake diclonius it is you that we are after but we will not tolerate any intrusion by civilians either."

She couldn't get another word over her lips as sudden shouts coming from above caught her attention, her heart almost stopped beating as she feared for the worse as the radio of the others switched on. This close to them she could hear what they were saying, it gave her once more hope.

"Requesting back up. Found a young male, approximately about twenty years suffering from a gunshot trauma. Immediate medical assistance is required."

Kaede did her best not to get too anxious after hearing the call but she was glad that it had not turned out so bad as she had feared. Two men ran past her as they responded to the call, the last man remained her all alone with her, she wondered what he must be thinking as he sure kept his distance from her.

Shifting her weight a little as he knees were getting a little numb from the wood the man behind her reacted almost instantly.

"Don't even dare to make a move freak! I will shoot if you dare to come any closer!"

Petty insults but insults nonetheless, in the past those would have vexed her and no doubt have caused her to lash out at the man but even know with hearing him say those words they only thing that kept going through her mind was the promise. As long as she kept telling herself that she could live together with Kouta then perhaps there was hope for her to keep that voice under control, even now she could hear it in the back of her mind.

"I said don't move FREAK! Are you having a problem with listening because of those fucking HORNS!" Try anything and I will kill you, you ABOMINATION!"

"Do to me what you like but please help him, as long as he lives I won't mind being punished for my past crimes. If it means for him to live on with his life then I wouldn't mind the sacrifice…"

Observing the scene Dai felt surprised that despite the area still was considered to be in quarantine that there was actually far too much personnel present. Guards stood at what seemed every couple of meters in an effort to keep people out, already from here he could tell that his area had taken one hell of a pounding during the fighting.

He remembered it all too well, hardly a surprise since he had been in the thick of it for the most part. That was until both Bando and Dreachon had made it clear that he was to escape and head back to help the girls while they would keep the Saseba forces busy, not being particularity proud about having left them here he asked himself if they could ever forgive him. "Who am I kidding, those two were pretty much assholes but at least they were assholes with a good sense of justice. Besides they are both hard as nails, they have to have survived this."

Approaching the nearest guard he already pulled out his ID, no doubt he was going to be asked to show them anyway. "Agent Hirano, second division." He announced himself as the man looked at him, maybe he had not expected to be visited by a higher ranking member.

"Excuse me sir but I cannot allow any non-authorized personnel onto the premises, the standing orders came directly from command." The man was quick to inform him as he handed him back the papers. "My apologies but orders are orders. No authorization from command no access to the area. This is considered a hazardous area sir."

Dai knew that that was a lie, if there was no threat from radiation then why the hell was command so anxious to keep the area cordoned off. The answer to that question appeared from just around the bend as a heavy truck and flatbed combination appeared.

So it was all part of a plot to keep the public away while Saseba recovered the two lost vectorcraft. Plenty of heavy fabric had been laid out across the flatbed to conceal the cargo.

"I have to kindly ask you to leave, without clearance I cannot allow you to stay. Now kindly remove yourself from the premises or I will have you escorted." The guard replied once more as his hand already hovered above on the radio he was carrying, that settled it for Dai. If he were to stay here any longer he was certainly not going to betray his real allegiance.

Waving his arm he left the area, perhaps it would be better if he tried later when it would be dark. Guess with this development there wasn't much else to do for him other than to back to the command post and pretend this hadn't happened. Getting back in his car he checked his own phone, luckily there had been no calls, as he drove off he gave one last glance at the area before taking a right turn.

"Damn kid you are heavy." One of the men grumbled in frustration as he helped Kouta getting down the stairs. "How the hell did you even manage to get up here in your condition?" He cursed a little as they took another cautious step downward.

Kouta coughed as he tried to come up with a fitting reply but right now he didn't really know what to say, for the moment he was more concerned about keeping these men befriended. Even if he were to try and fight them it was likely not going to do him much good anyway, his body felt so heavy.

"Likely that horned freak kidnapped him and brought him up there! God knows what she had in plan for him. Guess you are lucky kid that we got to her first."

"… Yeah… lucky me…" Kouta mumbled in response, he could feel the outright hostility these men had against either Kaede or all diclonius in general. Could it be that these men also belonged to Saseba for if they were then he was finding himself in a very risky situation about to go drastically wrong if they were to find out what really was going on.

"Just remember not to look at her and whatever you do don't get close to her. If you want to see tomorrow then don't get closer than you have to, if you see us backing away from her then run as fast as you can." They warned him, the warning sounding surprisingly sincere.

As if he was able to, he could barely walk let alone run. God he just hoped that the ones left with Kaede weren't as stupid as this guy otherwise there was going to be trouble for sure. She was in a pretty bad shape herself because of their talk earlier, not physically but ratehr emotionally but deep in his heart he fully believed that Kaede, with the backing of Nyu no doubt, was going to do her best to uphold her promise to him.

"Enough with the chatter, just keep helping that kid. Otherwise he is likely going to fall down all of these stairs and we can't have him bumping into that abomination."

They sure were letting their opinions about horned beings known, didn't seem to bother them in the least these girls had feelings just like anybody else. God just because they horns growing out of their heads and had these weird tentacle like arms didn't mean they were monsters, sure they were misunderstood and could be violent but why wouldn't they if people treated them like this.

If this was the way that Kaede had been treated her entire life then it didn't come as a surprise to him why she made that choice to listen to that voice, with people constantly labeling you as a monster any person would eventually go mad but that still did not excuse her actions.

"… Can we stop… for a moment… need to catch my breath…" He coughed as wanted to stop for a moment, really he could do with anything now that would enable him to loose these two.

"Have you already called for a medevac, we need to get this civilian out of the area?"

The other man nodded. "Already on its way but there is no telling how soon it will arrive, best we make sure the kid stays alive long enough. Let's get him downstairs quickly."

"Agreed, damn wish we could use the elevator but it seems the damn thing is out of commission." The soldier remarked as they walked past the sign, yeah Kouta had to agree with that but did have the fortune that Kaede had carried him all the way up, it must have been heavy for her and yet she had not complained a bit. They all paused as a bloodcurdling scream came from down below, Kouta could only whisper. "Please god no… please no…"