3-4 Grief

Date: September 1-2

Place: Cargo Plane's & Kyoto's HQ

[Cedrick]

    With Rei's excellent leadership and experience on the battlefield, so far no one is badly injured. But I can tell that she's already exhausted. Just a few more distance until we arrive at the location where Kazuma is waiting.

"They're still coming," shouts Ybut who shoots anything she sees that is getting close to us with Vincent helping her. As we try to pick up the pace running and slaying what comes in our way, the more unOrdinary comes our way. It's like there is no stopping them. Like a bottomless cup that has no end.

    After a few minutes, we manage to get to where Kazuma is at. I can see him struggling, fighting for his life along with some other people at his command. They finished drawing the circle but just like us, they were surrounded by a herd of bloodthirsty unOrdinary.

"Hurry up," Kazuma shouts when he saw me from a distance. Despite her fatigues and loss of breath, Rei ran towards their direction and helped them, swinging and jumping, running and killing every unOrdinary that blocks her path.

    All of us didn't hesitate to follow her. I have no bullets left and my sword is already dull. It can break anytime. Even so, I also charged. Slicing their troughs, blinding them, and sinking my blade in every flesh that I could hit them as their blood sprays everywhere. Cold and green, just like that rain.

    Usually, they just bite everything they see but based on what I see right now, someone must have been coaching them. Some of them sharpened their claws and some are holding thick branches to swing them to their targets. It's the first time I've ever seen something like this.

[Rei]

    The sounds of growling and the rumbling ground send shivers. The night visions already lost effect so it's hard to see. Although, I can be sure of one thing. It's that these people with Kazuma, I haven't seen their faces before. Not in the headquarters or any official lists of the current Assault Division's members. Some experienced passerby? But I should just be grateful that they're even helping us out.

"Rei, it's no use. We'll just tire ourselves at this rate," Kazuma stated.

"I know," I gritted my teeth knowing that this is a waste of time. "There should be a few seconds delay because of our numbers. Until then, everyone who can still fight will try to buy some time and kill as many as we can before it takes full effect," I commanded. They did what they are told to and used the mass tp.

"Two minutes," says someone in Kazuma's group.

    That's an awful lot of time, I thought it was just a few seconds. This will be the longest two minutes of my life.

Some of the injured and the ones who don't have the tools to fight anymore are inside the circle already.

"One minute remaining," someone shouted. Well, that was fast. I reduced the distance that I have on the circle and gets ready to jump inside it when it takes effect.

    Then, I hear screaming in my transmitter. Shouting as if they were cornered and no way out of their situation. I can't make up the words they were saying because of the sounds of guns, growling, and screams of dying people.

"Help!"

Some familiar tone of voices.

"Captain Rei! Mr. Cedrick! Help!" they cried.

    Even if I can't see them, I know who those voices belong to.

[Cedrick]

    Those wereー

"It's no use! We have to fall back!" shouted Kazuma, he was holding Rei who was rushing over to where our group was. Even I know that it's no use, they were far away from us.

"Give me a tp, I can go on my own," she argues.

"There's no more! And you're at your limit already," replies Kazuma.

"Thirty seconds," someone said.

"Hang in there! I'm coming," Rei says in the transmitter. "Let go of me!" struggling, she manages to break free. My surrounding was a mess. But the second I caught her when she was sprinting away, I couldn't care less about anything anymore.

"Don't you dare betray them! Save themーplease," she begs, trembling as she looks me straight in the eyes. Tears were flooding up her eyes. But I can't. Anything but that.

'Anything but seeing you die' I endlessly chant in my head.

"No. I can't" I whisper. 

"Everyone! Get inside!" someone shouted as I drag her inside the circle.

We successfully teleported back into the Kyoto Headquarters in front of the metal gate.

One by one, my tears began to drip down my cheeks and I instantly wipe them away, but it was no use. It kept flooding my vision especially when Rei's eyes met mine.

"I'm sorry, Iー" words forbid themselves to come out of my mouth as I watch her helplessly knelt to the ground and stares into space.

~~

I managed to finish the report for Rei after I went to the clinic to get my wounds dressed up. I stretched my arms and rubbed my eyes as I print down the report I finished typing on Rei's laptop. I'm inside our group's lounge, sitting at Rei's chair and using her stuff. I drank my coffee as I wait for the printed version of this report so I can hand it down later to the Supreme Commander. It's already dawn now and I barely got any sleep from tonight's incident.

After we got back, Rei never spoke a word and just walked back to our room to get some rest. I spent those next minutes following her and trying to apologize. But the Lieutenants demanded to finish the report and with Rei gone, out of the mood to do it, I did it instead.

I filed the prints and walks out of the lounge to hand this in. While I walk to this corridor, I hear rumors circulating about what happened last night but I don't care about trivial things at a time like this. And I didn't stay put to know what happened to the ones we rescued which leaves me wondering right now.

    I was walking back to our room after I handed it to Supreme Commander Akashi at his office. I was going to head to our room to take some sleep but something caught my attention. It was those people who were described at the black file, the ones we rescued who stayed by that boy's side when he was at his most vulnerable point.

    They bowed at me when they noticed I stood still and stared at them. It looks like they were being given private rooms like us on this underground's fifth floor.

"Thank you for everything," they all bowed at once. I think they still recognize me.

"Stay safe," I blurted while I hold out my hand signing to lift their heads.

    They didn't bother me anymore when I walked away. Just walking straight to where my bed is at as I opened the door, I found them looking at me. They were all up sitting and staring into thin air.

"What's with those faces?" I sigh.

    I glanced at Rei's empty bed and seen no sign of her. They told me that they couldn't even hold a single conversation with her ever since she came back. She didn't eat, spoke or treated her wounds. But thankfully, Yui somehow convinced her to bathe and go visit the clinic.

"Please, comfort her," they advised. But it would take a lot more than just comforting her.

    I ran to the clinic even if I felt like passing out because of the lack of sleep and my aching body. I found her sitting at one of the beds on the right where a doctor was treating her wounds, putting bandages on her scratches down her legs, up to her face.

"I apologize on behalf of the people who are putting such a beautiful maiden into this risky mission. Things like this would leave a scar on your delicate skin. You should just sit still and maybe help meー" I hear the doctor says. Quite a way to flirt with a wounded patient. He was taking advantage of Rei's condition. I was about to run and help her but I stopped midway.

"I'd keep my hands for myself if I were you, doctor," I hear Rei's cold comment about what the doctor was doing to her. I can even feel her deadly aura even from where I stand.

"Tsk. What a brat. You could at least be grateful I'm treating you," I hear him whisper when he walked past me.

"I promise you'll hear from your boss about this," I stood in front of him, warning him which made him startle and quietly left the room.

"I could've done something," she mumbles. "You could've too," I stood frozen in front of her. I can see her hatred towards me reflected in her glares, stabbing me with guilt. I didn't say anything in response and just obediently waited for her next words. The bottom of her eyes was bright red, she was undoubtedly crying this whole time. It pains me to see her in this kind of state.

"Do you think you can understand how I feel right now?" she asks. Tears falling from her eyes. She tried restraining herself from letting out more tears but every single drop of it is too heavy to just blink away.

"I'm sorry," I couldn't do anything while she cried silently with no sounds escaping her mouth. You can vent on me all you want but I wouldn't regret anything I've done.

    It's not easy to forget the people who made you think that there's happiness in this twisted world and who you cherished like your own family. I didn't even notice that little droplets have been pouring out of my eyes.

"I want to see them. Tell me they're alive," she says looking at me, sobbing as she smiles like she believes that they're still walking happily into this world. I was shocked, not sure what to reply to her.

"They're alive, aren't they?" she asked once again. Her smile turns upside down and looks at me with eyes that are full of hope.

"I'm sorry," I don't know how to answer her question. And with my answer, her quiet sobbing turned into an emotionless face like she's staring into the abyss.

    Even I want to believe that they're safe and running around like true children who could enjoy their youth. Seeing her like this still hurts but I'm just thankful that she's even breathing. Even if I kept apologizing, I know that nothing can be undone, nothing can change the present we have now.