11 Half-dead men laughing in the midst of a field of corpses.

Katsu lay in a reclined position, his eyes fixated on the dying light. His mind was set adrift as the realization that everything he had fought for had come to an end. The final battle between the Katz and the Dogs was finished, and both of them were now on the devastated battlefield where the battle had raged.

After a few moments of silence, the man spoke up.

"Hey! Why did you stop?" The man asked, his voice hoarse.

Katsu cleared his voice and spat. "Sorry about that. My voice is running out. Give me a moment and I'll get back to storytelling," he said gruffly, his voice deep and calm.

Even with a tired voice, the man still had the energy to laugh. "You think I still have time for breaks?" he said sarcastically.

Katsu grunted as he struggled to stand up. "Well, you survived a full hour of my rambling," he said while dusting off his pants.

The man grinned at Katsu's pathos, but his memories of the past had still not been regained. "You expect us to finish your overcomplicated story in just one sitting? We'd die before you get to the part where you met me!" he exclaimed.

Katsu stretched around and grabbed his satchel, preparing himself to move again. "That's why we're going back to civilization, and check if my squad mates are still alive."

The man laughed maniacally at the absurdity of Katsu's plans. "Are you kidding!? The final battle between the Katz Reich and the Empire lasted for hundreds of kilometers! The number of Archgeomeddons that we fought was able to destroy our entire Military! Look around you! Bodies of our comrades and our enemies are scattered as far as the eye can see, and you still expect your friends to be alive!? Also, the mainland is beyond the sea! You expect us to tread across this desolate wasteland and survive!?" he objected loudly.

"Look, the fact that we are still alive is enough to deduce that there may be more that survived the battle," Katsu said while strapping some harnesses to the uniform of the man.

"Hey! What the heck are you doing to me!? Get away from me right now!" he said whilst squirming and resisting.

But his resistance was futile, and Katsu was able to put on the harnesses. "What did you just attach to me!?" the man complained.

Katsu grabbed the end of the rope attached to the man and threw it over his right shoulder. "Don't worry, it's just something that I can use to pull you. Didn't you say getting dragged from the neck was uncomfortable? This should be a good but temporary fix," he said as he mustered his strength to pull.

The man sighed, "You've got a point there…"

Katsu began to drag the man out of their first camp, but before the man could get far, he grabbed the rations that he had thrown out earlier. He ripped open the package using his mouth and began munching on the food furiously.

"Shut up mate!" He mumbled as he munched on the rations.

Katsu grunts as he pulls the man across the desolate wasteland, one agonizing step at a time. The man is being dragged across the dead bodies of his comrades and enemies, but he pays no mind to it. Instead, he looks up to the sky, preoccupied with his thoughts.

After a few minutes of walking, Katsu strikes up a conversation once again. "The final battle was too much, wasn't it?" he says, his voice low and rough.

The man sighs heavily, his eyes closed as he recalls the events of the battle. "Yeah, it was brutal. Who would've thought that the Katz Reich would rise up again after its fall?"

Katsu giggles softly, the sound jarring in the grim surroundings. "Right? It's still unbelievable how fast the days were. After we invaded the Imperial Cat Capital Kotyo, we discovered all these secrets of our past. I never knew that I'd ever see this day come."

The man scoffs bitterly. "Now that we've learned of the reason of our existence, and of our impending demise, it would've been better if we never learned about this. Now, we wait for the day for our kind to die off. It's your fault Katsu! The reason why you doomed the entire world was because of you and your team of anarchists!"

Katsu chuckles at the man's accusations. "I forgot you were a Loyal Restorationist. I honestly would've never thought that you would be one when I met you."

The man scoffs again. "I wish I wouldn't have met you. I never thought that you'd betray me like this."

"Come on! You don't even remember when you met me!" Katsu replies, his tone light and amused.

"Whatever way we've met, I wish it never happened!" the man retorts.

Katsu laughs, a sound that echoes eerily through the wasteland. He never wanted to see this man ever again, someone he once considered close. His anger for him is insurmountable. Yet, whenever he sees him, he can't bring himself to stop having fun with him.

They both continue their talk, as Katsu struggles to pull both the man and his own weight. They pass over mounds of debris and dead bodies, through craters, trenches, and dried rivers. Minute by minute, Katsu gets more and more tired. His breath gets heavier and heavier the more steps he takes. Eventually, he stops near a destroyed tank, letting go of the rope, and sits down, leaning against the tank for support. The man is left sitting down, his back turned away from Katsu.

Katsu gasped for air, trying to slow his racing heart. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and looked down at his hands, which were covered in raw, red burns. He could feel the man's gaze on him, but he didn't turn to meet it.

"Hey Katsu! Where are you!? What happened!? You better have not left me!!!" The man's voice rang out in the darkness.

Katsu struggled to catch his breath before responding. "I'm here...I'm just...resting," he managed to choke out.

The man laughed bitterly at Katsu's words. "Haha! I knew it! It's impossible for us to survive in this situation!"

Katsu took a deep breath, trying to muster the energy to respond. "Don't give up hope yet...I'll get back to pulling," he said as he pulled himself up using the tank.

"Hehe, mate, we're not catching up on a meeting or something. We have all the time in the world to get to safety!" the man retorted sarcastically.

Katsu dragged the man over to sit beside him. "You're right, we should take a break for a moment," he conceded.

The man looked surprised by Katsu's reaction. He had expected the other man to push on relentlessly, without regard for his well-being. Katsu looked up at the stars, admiring their beauty. For the first time in a long time, he was starting to appreciate life again.

"Are you up for some more storytelling?" Katsu asked, his voice tired and gruff.

The man nodded eagerly. "Do you still have water?" he asked.

Katsu reached into his satchel and pulled out a small canteen. "I've got some, not a lot though," he said as he handed it over to the man.

The man took a sip and sighed contentedly.

"Take it away," he said, settling in for another story from Katsu. And so, Katsu continued his story from where he had left off, the two men finding a moment of respite in the midst of their desperate struggle for survival.

End of chapter 11