Fan Fiction ❯ Espoir ❯ Return to Unreasoning ( Chapter 9 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: Ilze

Title: Espoir

Summary: As Earth enters it's final stage of existance, humanity attempts one last stance to save themselves. An experiement that had been studied since the beginning of Earth's destruction is put into action. Project Espoir 1 has begun...

Rating: PG-13+

Genre: Drama, Action, Post-Apocalyptic.

Chapter Nine

Return to Unreasoning

The city was still burning, the smell of blood hung heavy in the air. Every building in sight was destroyed and coated with a thick layer of red blood. The city of Kendai was a sad, sad sight.

None of this were seen by Kuris Takasa, however. He didn't notice the dead corpses and burning buildings all around him. He didn't notice the dry blood that coated his armor as he ran. He paid no attention to the giant dead demon that lay pierced on a church pike, a demont hat used to go by the name Yukio Raidon.

The only thing that ran through Kuris' mind was the thought of Rene Henri. Young, mysterious Rene who had somehow been changed into a monstrous giant just like Yukio. Who had collapsed into the city, possibly dead.

No, not dead. Kuris would not allow himself to think such thoughts. He couldn't be dead.

Then, he saw him.

The area around him had completely been flattened, probably from the fall. Laying in the middle of the destruction, coated in dark red blood, was Rene. He saw nearly completely naked and lay unmoving, blood still gushed from the open area where Rene's growth that allowed him to enter Espoir once had been.

Kuris ran up to the boy and shook his violently, trying to awaken him. Rene lay limp, not breathing or moving. He was cold and pale, more so than he was while alive.

"Rene! Wake up!" Kuris shouted, tears welling up in his eyes. "Come on, buddy! You're okay, we can still get out of here! We made a vow, remember? We promised we'd get out of this thing alive! We were friends, Rene!"

There was no response from the unmoving corpse in Kuris' arms. It just lay limp. No soul resided in the bloody, rempty shell of a human being anymore.

"Please, Rene. Don't die! You're too young, damnit! Too many people have died for this damn program. Don't die, Rene. Too young, damnit! Too damn young! Why does it have to be you? Why couldn't it have been..."

Kuris led his voice trail off as he heard a familiar sound. The sound of a million people whispering. The sound of The Judges. They were still in the city and everyone else was gone. In his mad dash for Rene, Kuris hadn't even noticed The Chariot flying off, leaving him behind to die in the grasp of The Judges.

Standing, Kuris withdrew his pistol and silently ran off into the city. He took one last glance at Rene, who lay dead and sprawled in his own destruction. He nodded one last time to the dead boy before taking off into the city.

espoir

"Isn't there any way, sir?"

"Captain, I will not tell you again." Said the voice on the other line, "We can not take the risk of sending soldiers into a area so hot as Kendai. We have proof that the enemy still resides in the city and in full force. You will just have to realize that this war is taking lives."

Nottap frowned deeply, "Yes, sir."

"Very well." The man said with a sigh, "Now, moving on. How did your soldiers handle the sight of those two beasts above the city?"

The two giant monsters that battled to the death above Kendai. Nottap had heard the tale many, many times since their return.

"They are very shocked and confused, sir. Is there any explanation as to what they were? Were they Judges?"

The man cleared his throat, "At this time, that information is classified. It will be released in due time but the ECB has decided not to let anything out at this time."

"Right."

"Kendai was an unfortunate thing, Captain but we cannot allow one defeat to define the entire war. There are many more battles out there to be fought and you know damn right that we are the only ones who can do it."

"Yes, sir."

"Stay strong, Nottap."

The line cut off and Rufus hung up the reciever. With a sigh, Captain Nottap collapsed onto his bed and covered his face.

Many more battles to come, eh? It was a grim thought. So far, every battle that occured was harder than the last. At this rate, Espoir would fall soon enough and after that, the entire planet.

Shaking his head, Nottap pushed the thought out of his head. As a leader, he had to be optimistic, especially about the program he was in charge of. The soldiers morale may have been lowered due to Kendai but Nottap would not allow it to effect his ability.

If there were more battles to come then Third Region would be there to stand strong. Roman Evans and the ECB can plot and plan all they want but it was Captain Rufus Nottap's job to get the soldiers ready and defeat the enemy.

If he wasn't ready to face The Judges with determination and grunt, who would?

espoir

"Kuris and Rene both, huh...?" Sean sighed and leaned his head back against the wall, lookng up at the sky in despair.

"Yeah." Craig said, shaking his own head. "We're not even sure if they're dead. We had to evacuate before a thourough search could be initiated."

"Is the Captain going to issue a search?"

"I haven't heard anything." Craig said, looking at the ground.

"There's no way the brass will allow us to perform a search." Bray said, frowning as usual. "The city was overrun. It would probably be suicidal to send troops in there. There's no chance they would allow that to happen just for the life of one soldier."

"Two." Corrected Craig.

"Captain Nottap said that they had confirmed Rene's death, remember?"

Craig thought a moment, "That's right. He said that they had reason to beleive that he was dead while we were still in the city." He crossed his arms.

"How'd he know?" Asked Sean, still looking at the darkening sky.

"No idea." Craig said, defeated.

Bray frowned deeper, "The ECB knows a hell of a lot more than they're letting on."

"I really wish they would stop keeping so many secrets and just keep us all in the light."

"That's some wishful thinking there, Craig." Sean said, smirking under his beard, "We're the grunts. There's no way they're gonna tell us everything that's going on."

"Just do your job and don't ask questions." Bray said bitterly. "The rule of the grunts."

Craig chuckled and shook his head, "So, Sean. Your free now?"

"From what?" Asked Sean, finally looking back at his two friend. "Of the ward? Not completely. I still have to go in once a week for a session but now I'm allowed to go back on missions and stuff."

Craig nodded, "Good."

The group went silent for a moment before Sean spoke up.

"So, Kuris is gone, huh?"

"Seems like it." Answered Craig.

Sean was silent and remained that way for the remainder of their time together. As was the rest of the group.

espoir

They never stopped.

The whispering just continued. Never pausing, never ceasing, never stopping.

Kuris sat with his back against a charred wall, hiding inside a small broken building and listening to the never-ending whispering of The Judges.

They were everywhere.

The entire city glowed with their angelic white light, illuminating Kendai even as the sun began to go down. The city was alive with light and sound, even while it's inhabitants lay dead in the dirt.

He was going to die here. There was no chance he could escape without being burned to a crisp by The Judges' stange, laser-like weaponry.

Judging from his current condition and maps Kuris had seen of the city before leaving Tokyo, Kuris was a little less than a mile from the city's exit. Even if he made it that far, he could have to cross endless miles of countryside and suburbs before finally making it back to Tokyo.

Kuris checked his weaponry once more. He had lost his rifle back during his brief battle with Yukio. He still had a few clips left of his sidearm and his blade rested quietly in it's sheath.

That was the extent of Kuris' defense.

The odds definately didn't look good but what other choice did he have? Hide in this measly little builing and wait for The Judges to find him or try to escape the city and probably being shot and killed quickly rather than slowly.

It was a couple of sad choices but they were all he had.

Leaning his head back against the wall, Kuris closed his eyes.

"Be strong." He said to himself quietly.

Finally, Kuris pushed himself to a crouching position and snuck his way over to the door of the building. He swallowed hard and peeked his head out into the road outside. A feeling of relief washed over Kuris as he saw nothing outside.

With one last breath, Kuris broke from his cover and started jogging down the street, heading for the exit to the south. The whispering of The Judges was even louder now and Kuris' knuckles turned white from his group on his pistol.

He saw them every now and then. As he passed by a alley, he would see a group of them together. When this happened, Kuris would swallow hard and jog faster. For some reason, the enemy did not follow him. They simply continued their inhuman conversations and allowed him to run by.

Kuris' morale was given a huge burst at the sight of exit signs. He ran faster and rounded one last corner where it would be a straight shot to the countryside.

Just then, Kuris came face-to-face with a enemy.

It's warm, white glow rushed over Kuris as he stood rigid, his nose nearly brushing The Judge's smooth surface. The whispering grew louder as Kuris' eyes widened and he stood still, in complete shock of what stood only inches away.

Then, he felt pain.

Kuris looked down at his chest and saw three bright white tentacles that had pierced his chest. He tried to scream but nothing came out. He nearly went limp, his eyes becoming glazed and his senses turning dull.

Then, he heard a voice.

It was deep and steady and somewhat familiar and spoke directly into Kuris' mind.

You are scared.

Who is this?

What do you fear?

Whose talking?

Do you fear us?

Who is 'us?' Are you one of The Judges?

Do you fear death?

You are. This is just what Yukio was saying happened...

He was weak. Weak and easy to manipulate.

Who? Yukio?

He thought we could give him power but he was foolish. How can we give power to one of the Condemned?

Condemned?

The Condemned are destined to be destroyed.

Who is the Condemned?

Do you fear death?

What? Of course I fear death.

Do you long for death?

What? No, I want to live.

Do you fear death, or do you fear dying?

I fear... well... I fear both.

Why are you scared, young man?

I fear death. I fear being dead.

What else do you fear?

I fear...

You fear being a failure? Being a coward? Being like your father?

My father?

You fear turning out just like him.

How do you know this? Get out of my mind!

You know that you are just like him and hate that. You hate your father but you are your father so therefore, you hate yourself.

Shut up! Leave me alone! Get out of my head!

You fear death and yet you want to kill yourself.

I do not! I am not like him, I want to live!

You are a coward.

Leave me be!

Why do you fight?

I fight for humanity! I fight to preserve life!

You fight because you must fight in order not to die. You fight because you are afraid.

What are you saying? Leave me alone! Get out of my mind!

You long for us.

Shut up! Get away from me!

You long for us.

No!

You long for us.

espoir

She had been like that ever since they'd gotten back.

Audrey knew for she had watched her.

Kei simply lay on her bed, not moving or speaking. She just lay there, curled up in a ball and crying silently to herself.

It hurt Audrey to see her like that. Sad and scared, fearing that the man she loved was dead. The thought of Kei being hurt was very painful to Audrey.

However, the thing that hurt her the most was the fact that she couldn't do anything about it.

She wanted to comfort her. She wanted to take her in her arms and tell her that everything would be okay but she couldn't do that. Audrey knew that everything wasn't okay. Kuris was probably dead. His remains lay somewhere in the destrution of Kendai, if there were any remains at all.

So, all Audrey could be was sit there and watch. She would stay by Kei's side for all long as it took and when she was ready, Audrey would be there when she was ready to talk about it.

Until then, Audrey would simply watch her.

A light rap on the door make Audrey jump. Shaking her head, she stood and quietly opened the door. Standing on the other side was Miya. Her hands were in her pockets and her face was pale. Audrey smiled lightly to her and stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind her.

"How's Kei?" Asked Miya timidly.

Audrey didn't know Miya too well. She used to be a chipper, up-beat girl but after the first mission, she'd changed. She'd become quiet and anti-social and spent most of her time either in the confides of her room or in the mental ward. It was beyond Audrey as to why she was here.

"Upset." Audrey said, glancing back at the door. "She spends most of her time sleeping."

Miya nodded slowly, "May I speak with her?"

Audrey was silent for a moment as she pondered the question. Why would a girl like Miya want to speak with Kei? They weren't exactly the closest friends and Kei so far hadn't spoken with anyone.

Sighing, Audrey looked up at Miya. "She's in bad shape. I don't think she wants to-"

"Please, I think I can help."

This caused the blonde to blink a few times. Help? What did she mean? Finally, Audrey shrugged her shoulders and motioned for Miya to follow her as she quietly entered Kei's room. She nodded to the bed where Kei lay and crossed her arms as Miya wlaked over.

"Kei?" Miya said quietly, making her way to the bed. "You awake."

A slight jerk in her shoulders showed that Kei was awake but refused to speak.

Miya was silent for a second, "I just wanted to see if you wanted to talk. You know, to someone who can relate to you."

Kei remained silent but her breathing had slowed and she showed signs of listening.

"I remember when I realized that he was dead." Miya said, her voice dropping. "It hurt. As if a part of me had died along with him. He was the only thing that brightened this whole situation and having him taken away just made me want to die as well."

Audrey listened intently, unfamiliar with the tale.

"I spent a long time considering... suicide." Miya continued, "Now, I'm not saying that that's what your thinking about but just in case, you have to think of what Kuris would say. That's what I did." A slight grin came over Miya's face, "He used to always talk about being a hero and keeping people alive. That was what he was, ya know... Just the memory of him keeps me alive."

Miya crossed his arms, a single teared fell from her cheek and landed on Kei's bedspread. "Just think about it, Kei. What would Kuris want you to do? It sounds cheesy but it's true. He may be gone but his memory lives on. Especially with you."

The room fell silent for a moment and Miya turned to leave. However, Kei finally sat up and looked at the ground. She swallowed hard, "Thanks."

It was almost inaudible. Kei's small voice carried thorugh the room like the squeak of a mouse. Miya smiled and turned her head back, "Just trying to help out a friend."

Kei nodded slowly, "But, Miya." She said, wiping tears from her eyes.

All eyes went to Kei as she tried to wipe all the tears from her face.

She finally sighed and looked up at the two females in the room, a look of pure determination and beleif written on her face.

"He isn't dead."

espoir

Get out... of my... mind...

The sky was dark. No clouds, no stars. Nothing but endless darkness and despair.

He was awake?

Kuris blinked a few times and looked around. He was still in the broken city of Kendai. Buildings still burned and the city still smelt like fresh blood. The loud whisper of The Judges still floated in the air.

After one last look around, Kuris tried to stand but immediatly fell back to the ground in pain. He cursed uner his breath. His chest felt like it had been stung by a million bees and his entire body was weak.

Gritting his teeth, Kuris once again tried to force himself up. Sweating and breathing heavily, Kuris finally forced himself to his feet and leaned himself against the nearby building. Just then, his memory returned to him.

Why was he still alive? Why hadn't that Judge killed him? Was it showing some sign of emotion and felt sorry for Kuris?

The whispering grew loud and Kuris decided to save the questioning for later. The gate to the city was only a few meters away.

Those few meters felt like miles as Kuris pushed himself towards the countryside. His breathing was difficult and walking was a obstacle in itself. Once out of the city, Kuris walked quite a ways further until he stood upon a hill looking over the city. Kuris collapsed into the soft grass and breathed heavily.

The sky was dark, the only real light came from the stars overhead and the burning fires within the city. Kuris lay on that hill for quite awhile before pushing himself to his feet once again and stumbling down the hill.

Eventually, Kuris came upon the main road. That road led straight to Tokyo. After only a second of thought, Kuris began his stumbling journey down the road towards home.

Each step was difficult to take and Kuris thought many times that he would collapse but was able to push himself those few extra feet.

Finally, Kuris was growing more dizzy and tired than usual. He knew for sure he couldn't go much further and felt his legs begin to give out when he saw a bright light ahead.

Kuris narrowed his eyes and stood in disbeleif. Could this be The Light of Heaven? How could a man such as Kuris be going to Heaven? All his sins, his wrong doing, had it all been forgiven? The light grew closer and closer and Kuris was able to hear a loud sound. Like grinding metal or something.

The lights eventually split into two separate lights and Kuris stood by as the large truck pulled up next to him. The window rolled down and a old man looked him in the eyes.

"You okay, son?" The man asked, his voice gruff and country-accented. "You been drinkin'?"

Kuris couched and leaned against the truck, trying not to collapse. "No..." He sputtered.

The man looked closer and his old eyes widened when he caught sight of Kuris' dirty, dented armor as well as the Espoir insignia. He looked up at Kuris' bloody face and nodded. "You just come from Kendai?" Kuris nodded, "Hop in."

The old man had to help him open the door and Kuris collapsed into the front seat. He sighed heavily and laid his head back, his eyes closing.

"I was actually on my way to the city to see if I could help." The man said, turning on the engine.

Kuris coughed, "Don't."

"So, the city's really lost, eh?" The man shook his head and turned the car around, "What's your story?"

Kuris gritted his teeth, talking was becoming a challenge. "Got left behind..."

The old man whistled, "Stuck behind enemy lines. Your one lucky fella."

Lucky? Kuris would have laughed at the accusation if he had the energy.

"You hurt at all? Need first aid or anything?" Kuris shook his head and looked away from the man. His chest was killing him.

The car was filled with the sounds of the engine as the truck rolled down the street. The two people inside were quiet for quite awhile before the old man sighed and spoke once more.

"So, be truthful with me, son." The man began, "How is the war going? Really?"

A tough question. The systematic response should be that the war is going well and that Espoir was very successful. However, Kuris didn't feel like lying at the moment. He cleared his throat and tried to peer out the window.

"It's subjective." He finally said, coughing lightly.

The man sighed and chuckled a bit, "Great..."

Kuris dozed off for awhile. His breathing slowed and his head tilted back, rocking slightly due to the car. His dreams were completely nonexistant, as if he was in sort of a coma. When Kuris awoke, he wasn't greeted by the bright sight of Tokyo.

The old man smiled at him from the driver's seat, "It's getting late. Why don't ya sleep at my place and get some food in your belly before you head home?"

That wasn't really what Kuris wanted. He wanted to go back to Centra, sleep in his hard, cold bed and eat the crappy food of the military. He wanted to see his friends, to tell them that he was okay and feel Kei's warm embrace. However, that wasn't what he said. He simply nodded slowly and accepted the old man's help into the house.

Once inside, he was told to wait on the couch. It was hard and lumpy but enough for Kuris to be grateful for. He leaned his head back and grunted when he heard the old man enter the living room again.

This time, a little old lady was with him.

"Your welcome to stay the night, young man." Said the woman with a warm smile. She reminded Kuris of his late grandmother. "You want anything to eat?"

Kuris shook his head, "I'm fine..." He said through gritted teeth. The pain was still there and Kuris was more tired than he was before. "Can I... just get some... sleep?"

"Of course." The old man said, "You can stay in the guest room."

The man led Kuris to the room and he immediatly collapsed onto the bed. The old man sighed and shook his head, "There's no way you can sleep in that suit of your's." He laid down some clothes on the bed, "Get changed. I'll be in to grab your suit in a minute."

Once the man was gone, Kuris began the lengthy task of removing the armor. It was even more difficult as he was hurt. He removed the leggings easy enough but the torso was difficult as his chest was killing him. After a few minutes of painful pulling and tugging, Kuris got the upper half off and threw it to the floor. He looked down at his chest in shock.

There were three dark purple welts on his chest. In the exact spots that The Judge had pierced him. They hurt like hell. Kuris heard the old man coming and immediatly thrw on the loose jeans and plaid, button-up shirt he'd provided then laid himself back down in bed. The old man came in, laid down a glass of water that Kuris happily accepted, and left with his armor.

Kuris didn't look at the welts again but drifted off into a dark, painful sleep. He dreamed that time but could never remember what about. All he knew was that they were lonely, pain-filled nightmares that he was glad he couldn't recall.

espoir

Raymond George sat himself down in the large board room inside the building in Paris. He sighed and set his briefcase on his desk as he peered around the large table.

All of the ECB were back, chatting quickly with themselves about everything but what the meeting was about. George was probably one of the youngest men at the table and everyone knew it.

The man sighed and ran a hand thorugh his auburn hair. His chin itched and Ray vowed to shave off the silly goatee that stood out on his face as soon as he got home. His thoughts were interuppted as soon as one man entered the room.

A broad, white smile coated the face of Roman Evans as he walked in. He laughed and shook the hands of everyone in the room, paying little actual attention to each. Ray smiled and said hello to the man as he came up to him then frowned as Evans made his way to the front of the room.

Everyone grew quiet.

Evans cleared his throat, "It's nice to see you all again and I apologize for calling this meeting on such short notice but something has come up that must be dealt with."

Kendai. Ray knew it was about the battle.

"Recently, the Third Region has been dealt it's first loss at the hands of The Judges in the Battle of Kendai. There were relatively few Espoir losses but many civilian and military casualtys. Not to mention that this will surely lower morale for all."

Evans sighed, "However, we cannot allow this to set the foundation for the rest of the campaign. The war is not going badly and we cannot allow Kendai to destroy all our work. The war will continue, with Espoir coming out on top."

"Now, onto the real reason this meeting was called." Evans clicked a button on the small remote he held. A picture appeared on the wall. It was a picture of a large, demonic-looking creature impaled on a long spear atop a church. The sun was setting in the background and set a orange-ish glow along the background. The dark clouds only aided to the picture's horrific beauty.

Evans frowned, "This was the picture on the cover of just about every major newspaper in the world. It's already being spoken of as a shoe-in to win photography awards for the rest of the year."

"What the hell is it?" Asked a elderly man at the front.

Roman continued, "This is one of the things Third Region encountered at Kendai. There were two beasts. They fought each other and both died. This is the result of the LeFluer Equation."

The LeFluer Equation? Ray had heard the word spoken only once before. Pierre Lefluer used the statement once while introducing everyone to the project. He'd never explained it.

"The LeFluer Equation is what Pierre LeFluer used to explain the reaction of the Maher Gene to the Espoir Armor."

The Maher Gene was the defect caused by the Maher Meteor Shower over twenty years ago.

"The Equation states that the armor activates the gene, allowing it to surpass it's full potential and allowing the carrier to be given hightened abilitys such as strength and speed. The Equation also says that if given the proper dose of emotion surge and as long as the carrier has reached a certain point in it's development then the gene will reach perfection." A small smile crept over Evans' face.

"Is that what happens?" Ray asked loudly, "The carrier turns into a..."

Roman sighed, "You all my be surprised to find this to be what the perfect stage of Espoir is." He said, looking back at the picture, "But this is the ultimate weapon against The Judges. There is nothing more powerful than a Espoir soldier in perfect form. It can defeat any foe. This is what Pierre LeFluer dreamed of."

"Who were the beasts?"

"The one in the picture is beleived to be Yukio Raidon. The other is Rene Henri."

Yukio Raidon? The mad soldier that deserted in the heat of battle and was rumored to have joined The Judges.

"It is definate that Henri was one of them. He was the most developed of all soldiers and the most likely to reach perfection. We beleive the other is Yukio Raidon, the deserter, is because if he truely did try to join The Judges then being subjected to them may have caused him to develope more quickly."

Ray leaned back and ran a hand thorugh his hair. This was shocking. The Espoir Project was turning these young people into monsters. They didn't even know about it.

"Are you going to tell the soldiers?" Asked another man.

Evans sighed, "Yes. We will be notifing all captains who will then relay the information to the soldiers. We hope they will take it well as it is our only chance at survival."

Their only chance was turning innocent kids into monsters? Pierre LeFluer, and Roman Evans as well, definately were insane.

espoir

The sun rose over the horizon. Signalling that a new day had begun. Kuris took the sun's arrival with a groan. He sat up, cringing at his sore muscles and killer chest. He sighed as he forced himself out of bed.

The cold, wood floor helped in waking the young man up and he stretched. His muscles were tight and sore but felt much better than the night before. He made his way to the door and opened it up only to be greeted by the awakening smell of cooked meat and syrup. Kuris couldn't help but allow his stomach to growl at the smell.

He walked out into the living room and saw the old man sitting on the couch, watching the morning news. Kuris smiled and greeted the man humbly.

"Ah, good mornin'" He said with a smile, "Feel better?"

"Much, thank you."

"You'll feel even better after breakfast." The man said with a grin. Kuris nodded and looked up at the television. A picture of the dead beast atop the church in Kendai gritted his eyes and he quickly looked away, remembering the sight of Rene.

The old man must have seen the look on Kuris' face and turned the television off. He chuckled and lead Kuris to the dining room where he was seated at one side of the small, round table. It wasn't long before the old woman was serving him fried ham, crisp bacon, and syrup soaked pancakes. Kuris dug in immedialty.

The old couple watched him eat and the man laughed, "Won't get food like that in the military."

Kuris looked up and smiled, "It's very good."

The lady chuckled, "Thank you." She looked him over, "You look much better now that your out of that dirty armor. I'm glad the clothes fit, they were our son's."

The man nodded, "He left it all behind when he joined the military."

"Where is he stationed?" Asked Kuris after a bite of pancake.

The man looked down, "No where. He died after the first Japanese attack of The Judges."

"Oh." Kuris said, lowering his head, "My apologies."

"None needed." The man said, "Your clothes are laying out on the couch. I'll drive ya back to Tokyo as soon as your ready."

The meal went by quickly and Kuris felt even better after having his stomach filled. He sighed a hearty sigh and stood as the old man went to grab his keys. He was surprised to turn around and recieve and hug from the old woman.

"It's been so long since we've had a young man in the house." She said tiredly, "You keep safe now."

Kuris nodded as she pulled away, "I'll try."

"We'll be praying for you" She said, smiling up at him with a twinkle in her old eye.

"Thank you." Kuris said as the old man returned, "We'll be needing it."

With that, Kuris said farewell and followed the man out to his truck. The ride back to Tokyo took less than half an hour however pushing through traffic took another half hour just to arrive at the gates to Centra.

Once the truck came to a stop, Kuris gathered his clothes and turned to the old man. "Thank you for everything."

"Anything to help." He said with a grin, "Stay safe and give'em hell. You know you got our support."

"Yes, thank you." Kuris noticed a small tear in the man's eye.

The man nodded, "Don't get yourself killed."

Kuris nodded once more and stepped out of the vehicle. He was about to leave but turned his head at the last moment, "You asked before, about how the war was going." He nodded slowly and looked at the gates. They shone brightly in the daylight, looking like the very gates to Heaven. "If there's still something to fight for, you can count on us."

With that, Kuris made his way to the gates. He listened as he heard the noisy truck pull away. He gave his verification to the guards at the gate and was quicly let in. Kuris exhaled deeply and made his way across the concrete towards Espoir's headquarters.

As he neared the complex, he caught sight of Sean sitting outside reading. He said nothing but smiled broadly as Sean looked up in shock. His eyes widened and he stood.

"Kur-Kuris?!" He stammered. "My God, how can it... This is a... I'm so..." Sean gave up talking and gave Kuris and quick embrace. He pulled away fast and took off at a sprint down the street.

Kuris didn't get much futher before he was greeted by the entire espoir infantry. He grinned as everyone welcomed him back to Centra and asked him how he survived. He vowed to tell them all the tale later and slowly made his way through the crowd. He shook hands with Captain Nottap and continued his way through until he saw who he wanted to see.

Kei quickly threw her arms around his neck and buried her head in his shoulders. He returned the embrace, vowing never to worry her like he did. Everyone applauded his return, yelling and cheering at the top of his lungs. Sean, Craig, Bray, Nogami, Miya, Audrey, Nottap, everyone in Espoir was there but no one saw the quick kiss Kei planted on Kuris' lips and whispered that she would kill him if he ever left without saying goodbye again.

"I'll never leave." He said quietly into her ear, "No goodbyes are needed."

The cheering eventually died down and everyone returned to their daily routine after speaking with Kuris for awhile. That is, until they were all gathered together by Captain Nottap. The Captain stood at the front of his soldiers, looking more than a little distraught and having trouble speaking.

He swallowed hard, "I have just been ordered by the ECB to tell you all something. I know this information will surely seem frightening but I ask each of you to take it bravely and consider the reasoning behind it." The captain nodded, "Those two beasts at Kendai..."

To Be Continued...