Protectors to the young

The helicopter ride back was long for being so short a distance from the Branch building. That's what Kota thought as he watched Sano hold Erina. Kanon kept her head nestled in her lap, caressing her face.

To be unable to protect one's squad was a captain's ultimate shame, but thanks to Sano he was spared the worst possible outcome, he wouldn't forget this. Ever.

The helicopter landed, and Kanon supported her head as Sano took her into his arms again.

They were immediately met by the personnel in white carrying a gurney. Yae was at the front running at the lead.

"How is she?" she asked, putting her hand on her forehead.

Sano instinctively pulled back protectively, confusing Yae, but it didn't stop her from examining the girl. Tear marks were running down her eyes, and it looked like she had been sleeping for a while. She noted there were no real injuries, but her ragged appearance told her something definitely happened to Erina.

The med team placed the gurney before Sano. In response, he immediately gripped his god-arc in his free left hand.

Noticing this, Yae gave him a pleading look.

While it was clearly reluctant he laid Erina out on the gurney relieving Yae.

"Kanon come with me and tell me everything that happened!" Yae said as the medics pushed the gurney to the lift.

Sano was the one pleading this time.

"There's only room for one more, the meds need the room to work." Yae said, trying not to be as cold as possible.

There were 3 medics with Yae and the elevator was only so big and Kanon was a field medic.

Sano didn't want to get in the way. With little to no argument, he turned around nodding towards the lift.

Kanon quickly went to his side. "I will call you the second-no-Millisecond she's all clear by Yae! You too, Kota!" Kanon declared. She bore both fists to show her determination.

Kota nodded in acknowledgment, grasping the upper end of Erina's god-arc.

Sano only turned slightly so Kanon was in the corner of his eye.

"Kanon!" Yae urged as the med team opened the gate to the elevator.

Unable to wait for Sano's response Kanon hurried with Yae to the gate.

Enter Silence

Kota and the Inmate stood against the gate, waiting for its return to the roof.

Kota was talking on the phone and left his and Erina's god-arcs to the side.

"Yeah, if I come home tonight it'll be definitely late. Oh, but I'll make sure to let you know first. If I can't make it kiss her good night for me." Kota said, with a sad smile. He hung up and let out a tired breath.

Sano stared up at the afternoon sky. Moments ago he was surrounded by snow, but now it was already warm enough for him to remove his jacket and enjoy the sun.

Or he would if he wasn't focused on Erina.

Hey

Sano looked down to see Kota extending a foil-wrapped strip.

"Gum? They have gum in prison right?" he asked.

Sano looked at the case noting it was the last strip inside.

"...Yeah, if you can find it." Sano replied, taking the wrapper off the strip and throwing it into his mouth.

He immediately scowled going blue in the face sticking the blue gum out from his mouth.

Kota gave a soft laugh.

"Not a fan of blueberry huh?" he said.

"Sorry." Sano grunted sincerely. He wrapped the gum in its wrapper, ashamed he couldn't honor the gesture.

"It's fine. It helps me see." Kota said, making Sano raise a brow.

"Ya see, I think I think I'm starting to understand you. The way you held Erina, the way you've been acting this whole time with her. I'm like that with my little sister. I try to be that way with Erina sometimes, but it usually backfires. She's not my sis, I barely knew her big brother back when he was alive." Kota said, gripping the empty gum pack.

Sano had dulled out the taste of the gum and kept his ear to the younger captain.

"The way you protected her, I could only hope to protect my sis like that. I don't know what you did to get into prison, but I don't think someone like you goes to prison cause he's an awful guy. I think you and I could be alike. Nowhere near as strong as you though. I mean you kept open that Ukon's jaw open with your BARE HANDS! You're cooler than Kanon said you were! You did lots of stuff!" Kota exclaimed.

In the midst of Kota's excitement, there came a sudden silence.

"...I don't think I can compare to that, one of my squad was already injured and now Erina's probably a wreck." Kota said sadly. His head went downcast.

"...Kota." Sano said, making Kota perk his head back up.

"If your sister is alive...then you're already better than me." Sano said. Those words couldn't have hit Kota harder than if they were actual punches.

He was quick to shed a tear but quickly rubbed it out.

"*sniffle*, Is that right?" Kota said, letting the silence set in once again.

The elevator finally reached their floor.

"About damn time, that took forever." Kota said grabbing his and Erina's god-arc, trying not to shed more tears.

The two entered the elevator and down they went.

Sano's mind went to Erina, Yae, and Mustumi.

Who would've thought that not only such a young nurse would be found with an even younger god-eater and somehow a worker younger than that?

God-Eaters were enlisted anywhere between 13-18. But a 16-year-old nurse who was in charge of a whole floor, albeit small, managed by herself and a 9-year-old chef?

"(What kind of branch is this?)" he thought.

Though never granted access to any Branch building, at times he still interacted with certain personnel. Some were as young as 15 once in a while. But it was his personal experience that anything below 15 was a usual death sentence.

Sano let out a sigh, as he levied himself on his god-arc.

"What's on your mind?" Kota asked.

"(Might as well ask.) How old is she?" Sano asked facing the wall.

"Heh? My sister? About the same as Mutsumi, I think. Maybe one year younger." Kota said.

Sano scoffed. "I mean, HER." Sano said trying to change the focus.

Kota thought for a moment.

"...OH, you mean Erina. She's fourteen. Youngest god-eater I've ever known." Kota said as a sense of exhaustion filled him.

"Of course she is." Sano said bitterly, as he scowled.

The elevator came to a stop. As the gate opened rows of red pods came into view.

"Welcome to god-arc storage." Kota said.

The two walked down the aisle seeing, a few technicians working on god-arcs. Kota put his arm through some device and a pod opened nearby. Engineers got a look at Erina's god-arc and went pale in the face. Upon seeing a face of a senior engineer Kota stopped to talk to him.

"Hey, can you open up Erina's pod?" Kota asked holding up the spear.

The engineer eyed the spear with worry.

"Where's Erina...? Is she...?" he asked hesitantly. He spoke loud enough to draw the attention of the other workers. They all stopped working to hear Kota's response.

"No, she's just in the infirmary. She's had a rough day..." Kota answered quickly. They all let out breaths of relief, using the pods to balance themselves.

"Thank god." the engineer let out a sigh of relief. The blue-clad technician went to a console and typed away, vigorously.

Unit 512 Open

A pod emerged a ways off and revealed its empty contents. Kota gave a nod of thanks and proceeded to store the god-arc in place.

After that, he went to his own and stored his gun.

With that done Kota looked at the inmates' black claymore. Its shield was quite worn, but the blade itself was in good condition.

Noticing this Sano shook his head to Kota.

"I'm not leaving it here." he said, letting his wolf-like eyes tell the rest.

Kota not wishing to fight it too hard simply shrugged and headed back to the elevator.

"Ya know we have the best god-arc tech in the biz working here, she'll never do you wrong." Kota said.

"I got trust issues." Sano said sternly. There was no real ill-intent in his words, but hostile honesty.

"Is that right?" Kota murmured, wishing he wasn't having deja-vu.

The elevator opened, and Licca walked past them looking worn out and exhausted.

"I can't believe I lost it..." she said, dragging herself like a zombie with her head hung in shame.

Poor thing was on the brink of tears.

"Uh, Licca are you alright?" Kota asked.

Sano didn't wait and went into the elevator.

When Licca turned to her posture straightened and she brightened up immediately.

Not at looking at Kota, but the black god-arc in Sano's hands.

"THERE YOU ARE!" she screamed rushing to the blade. The moment she reached for it, her hand was slapped away.

Sano leered at her and pulled his god-arc closer to his side.

"Uh, and where do you think you're going, this is the maintenance deck, how did it even get here!? I know you haven't had that god-arc checked since you've got here. Let-me-see!" Licca nagged, attempting again and again to inspect the god-arc.

Sano did not like her prying eyes, not one bit.

Kota was left befuddled.

"You want it so bad, go get it!" Sano barked and threw the buster blade straight over Kota's head down the hallway.

Kota was sure he lost hairs, and Licca was in a panic.

"Are you crazy!? You could kill somebody!" Licca yelled as she ran to the weapon.

When she was halfway something flew by her neck and she turned to back to Sano.

He caught his god-arc in one hand and reached for the button panel with the other.

"Hurry up or I'm leaving without you." Sano said to Kota, as the elevator started to close.

Kota looked back and forth between Licca and the lift, trying to figure out what happened.

Licca was charging straight back, with a menacing glow in her eyes.

Kota had no time to think. He hurried into the elevator gate and could only watch helplessly as Licca knocked on the metal repeatedly.

"HEY! How did you do that!? What just happened!? Answer ME!" Her screams were muffled as the elevator moved up.

Kota was left in the dark as she was. Sano said nary a word as the elevator moved.

Of course, Kota's not one to bask in silence.

"Well. Let me just say. How-did-you-do-that!? You're a Gen-1 god-eater right!? Not a new-type!? Or maybe your BLOOD, what prison did you come from again?" Kota assaulted him with questions upon questions.

Sano rolled his eyes eager for the elevator to hurry to its destination.

Today would not be a short one.

Not a short one at all.