Intro Song: https://youtu.be/HzYrZoALCCA / I Can’t Handle Change by ROAR
You look over the window...
Waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting...
For what exactly?
...
...
...
What's missing?
What's...?
Empty?
Is it me?
You?
Your life?
Your longing?
The sky?
The sea?
The people?
Your people?
Your...
Family?
.
.
There's nothing left...
For both me and you...
Atsushi...
My beloved...
Come back...
Soon...
The woman looks over the city lights... Her head down...
Her silent tears pouring over...
Her breath ragged and held back...
And then...
It all washes over...
All of these years... Of brief glimpses...
Why won't it last...
Why won't it last...
Why... Won't it last...
and now...
It all washes over-
WHY WON'T IT LAST?!?!?!?
ATSUSHI!!!!!
WHY!!!!!!!
FUCK!!!!!!!!
She smashes the glass right through the window pane, the glass shards slowly falling over, her fragile eyes look over, her heart swells, she knows... Why...
And yet...
And yet...
She still waits...
She still longs...
She still hopes...
For him...
For their time...
If there even is any left...
At all...
.
.
I know... Inari...
The man coughs up blood...
His hand barely visible to him...
I'll come home... soon...
To you...
To you all...
Wait for me...
Wait for me...
W-wait...
For m-me...
The man collapses...
The ground all barren and rough and cold and... is all he'll ever feel...
Last...
.
.
.
-So Long Ago-
Ever since...
I could remember...
Everything... everywhere...
All I could do, breathe...
And be...
Was for them...
For us...
For...
The Great Empire...
I...
Wanted...
To escape ever since...
Did I?
D-did we?
Did... we...?
.
.
Rows of crowds of people line up and are spread all over the barely spacious tunnels we called home...
I-
Most of us never saw the sunlight...
All we ever ate was canned food and the exotic vegetables and fruits... in the islands...
We didn't know it at that time...
We...
"PAY CLOSER ATTENTION!" the senior officer screamed at the hundreds of children all lined up, dressed in military clothing, all armed up to the teeth, all of them... inexperienced...
All of them... obedient...
All their lives...
"Atsu!" the young boy shaked him over and over again till he stopped his spacing out
"You're gonna get us both shot!"
"Oh! ... right..." the younger Atsushi pressed both of his palms together on his cheeks, and slapped them hard till they were red
"I'm s-sorry... Suzu-nii" he muttered
"Yeah well... you can do me a solid later-!"
"He's about to be here!"
The senior officer checked every single child, shooting every single one who didn't comply... the child who wasn't paying attention... who wasn't prepared...
"BANG!" the senior said as he aimed his pistol directly at Atsushi's head, loading its chamber for the next round
"You..."
Atsushi stays silent... his eyes drifting... in disbelief...
"YES YOU!!!!!"
"YOU BASTARD" he slaps his face hard with the pistol, the young boy's face all bleeding and purple
"Heh"
"You got a death wish?"
"Where's..."
Suzushii can't intervene.. lest...
He wants to die too...
"Where's your rifle... soldier?"
Atsushi's world of escapism shatters...
With the barrel in between his eyes...
"L-lieutenant!"
"I- I!"
He can only stutter and stammer...
His death...
Imminent...
His mistake...
Is on him...
The trigger is pulled!
Each and every child around watches on, some with their eyes closed, some stare...
Desensitised...
The...
The chamber is empty...
"You're lucky soldier...!" the senior exclaims as he beats him senseless, over and over again to the stomach, until he passes out
"Tch!"
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"What a fucking pathetic piece of shit..."
"You!"
Suzushii's eyes widen at being called, he gulps halfway...
"Yes sir?!?"
"Get him out of here!"
"Consider this mercy on behalf of the emperor himself!"
"Hah!"
"As if" he scoffs, spitting at the passed out Atsushi
"Thank you sir!" Suzushii salutes him, as every child in the room does the same
"As you were!"
"NOW LEAVE!" he screams, Suzushii nods, leaving in a formal military courtesy, carrying and limping under the weight as Atsushi on his arms...
"Atsushi..."
"I'm sorry... I couldn't..."
"Do anything..." he sobs while leaving the hanger, with the senior officer still screaming and shooting his way through the lines of children...
.
.
"Suzu-nii... I'm sorry... I almost got you killed" he lays on the hundreds upon hundreds of bunk beds around them, Suzushii nods... his eyes still red...
"Don't worry... Atsu..."
"We'll...be out of here..."
"Someday..."
He embraces him, the bruised and tucked in Atsushi, his arms warm and strong...
"Suzu-nii..."
"Promise...?"
"Promise..."
.
.
The days... the years... all pass...
I... can't...
I can't be weak...
I can't show...
Any weakness...
I can't show... any... emotions...
Unless...
BANG!
He aims his rifle as it shakes rapidly, his arms struggling from supporting it...
He fires a shot...
His shoulders bolt upwards, unable to withstand the firepower
And yet...
His eyes...
Are as focused as ever...
His spirit...
Colder than ever...
I can't die here...
I can't die here...
I can't...
He reloads the chamber of the bolt-action rifle
He holds his breath and aims it at the target, right at the center...
His body reacts accordingly... with a sweaty forehead and slippery hands
BANG!
He missed... by just a few places...
I can't die here.
His eyes glare at the target...
Determined...
To be the perfect... killing machine...
I won't die here.
"Atsu? you alright? come on let's play!"
I won't die here.
"THE GREAT EMPIRE HAS NO DESIRE FOR USELESS FODDER! TODAY TILL YOU'RE ALL READY, WE'LL WEED OUT THE UNWANTED!"
His ears ring from the gun shot close to his ear...
The blood dripping and spilling...
All across the floor and flowing... right beneath his feet...
I won't die here.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
I WON'T DIE HERE!!!
His eyes look only ahead...
Every target...
Is his...
His survival...
Is his...
His freedom...
Is...
Isn't just his...
...
Suzu-nii...
When...
Will this ever end?
.
.
.
"THE WORLD... HAS BEEN ROTTING FOR THE PAST CENTURY..." the voice rings out through the entire hall, the walls decorated with propaganda of imperial japanese greatness and superiority, the old imperial japanese flag is everywhere from where you may look...
It watches everyone...
"WESTERN INFLUENCE AND DOMINANCE... IS A PLAGUE TO THE ENTIRE NATION... LET ALONE THE ENITIRE WORLD!"
"THE GREAT EMPIRE... WE... CANNOT LET THIS PERSIST ANY LONGER..."
"FOR WE... HAVE THE RIGHT! TO RULE THE WORLD!"
"TO LET THE SUPERIOR JAPANESE PEOPLE! BE THE LIGHT FOR ALL THE PEOPLE!"
"OUR WAY IS THE BEST! OUR LANGUAGE! OUR CULTURE!"
Roars of chanting echo through out the halls of the bunker... who knows how many bunkers there may be...
"WE HAVE NOT LOST!"
"THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT MAY HAVE SURRENDERED OUR WILL! BUT WE! WILL NEVER SURRENDER!"
"HOORAH!"
"THEY REJECTED THE NATURAL COURSE OF THE HUMAN RACE... ISHII... OUR ABILITIES..."
"OUR NATURAL EVOLUTION..."
"OUR RIGHTS..."
"NO LONGER!"
"NO LONGER WILL WE HIDE!"
"WE WILL SHOW THE WORLD!"
"WE WILL EDUCATE THEM ALL!"
"THE GREAT EMPIRE RULES SUPREME!"
"HAIL! HAIL! HAIL! HAIL!" the great voice booms, the man with the golden robes stands firm, his kitsune mask stares at all of his royal subjects...
He takes it off...
His beautiful and handsome face, undiscernible and androgynous form towers above all...
The chants get louder and louder...
And yet two soldiers stay silent and firm... unmoving
"Suzu-nii, is this it?"
"We're close, Atsu... so very close"
"The plan..."
"Starts tomorrow..."
Their whispers and drowned out by the hundreds upon hundreds of the soldiers all huddled up like sardines in a tin can, chanting...
In blind belief...
.
.
In a great circle, all those with power sit...
Among those are...
Suzushii...
Atsushi...
"Today we are all gathered here... to discuss..."
"The great plan..."
The one who sees all as they would call him, all dressed in black, with a mask of a demon...
He stands as all sit, he commands as he sees fit...
"Each of you have been chosen... with a specific role in mind..."
"We all know the great plan... the great salvation... no?"
Every person nods around the table...
"Every single one of you will carry the great salvation..."
"The eight leaders of salvation..." he opens his arms welcomingly and spreads them out and upwards towards everyone
"The leader of destruction!"
"The leader of surveillance!"
"The leader of espionage!"
"The leader of reclamation!"
"The leader of malaise!"
"The leader of cultivation!"
"The leader of supervision!"
"And lastly our General- the leader of heritage!"
They all look at each other, acknowledging each other's presence, especially for the important matter in their hands...
"Today is the day, all of us have been preparing for the past 5 or more years for..."
"Your mission-"
"Is to find the next anomaly"
"Your target will be disclosed to you on your transport..."
"Your destination: Hokkaido, specifically... Furano..."
"Only 3 leaders will be needed: surveillance, espionage and lastly, cultivation"
"You three will carry out your duty in taking out your target"
"Any failure will result in immediate termination..."
"Is that understood?" the masked man questioned them, his voice absolute and detached
"Understood!" all three leaders exclaimed as they stood and saluted, all eyes on them... especially the leader of destruction on the leader of surveillance
"Then this meeting is dismissed, all remaining leaders... prepare for the next step... of the great salvation in... motion"
All get up, the old chairs creaking, the dim light surrounding the circular table remaining, the leader of surveillance's shoulder is then grabbed-
"Hey Atsu-chan? Are you ready to finally to do this? The great salvation!"
The young man in the dark kimono excitedly exclaimed, he repeatedly shakes Atsushi over and over again
"Ever since we were young, they kept mentioning to this over and over, pestering rather!"
"Hah!" he laughs
"But don't tell anyone I said that-"
"It's treason!"
Atsushi nods in response
"God! You're always like this!"
"I gotta shake your boat a little! From time to time!"
He stares deep into his cold eyes, the warmth underneath visible in his look, he snickers
"Oh atsu-chan! Wake up won't you?"
"Well I like you for being different!"
"Too bad you're older brother won't be with us!"
"Guess I'm babysitting you for the mean time-"
He elbows his arm hard, Atsushi breaks his stoic presence a bit, as the man leads his eyes to the girls next to the other edge of the table
"I know you've got an eye on her... our precious leader of cultivation!" he giggles, as Atsushi turns red, looking downwards
You don't even know why I got my eye on her... Mikoto... he says in his mind-
"I'll let you and her get alone!"
"Consider it... my treat!"
"AHAHAHAH" his laugh bellows through the room, capturing the attention of the girls, the leader of cultivation stares at him, specifically... at Atsushi...
I... can't surely do this... can I?
But I've got to...
Right? Suzu-nii?
The leader of cultivation subtly checks him out, winking in response...
Atsushi's heart swells... in hesitation of "the plan"
Err... rather...
"Their plan"
"Well anyways Atsu-chan! See you at the chopper!" Mikoto laughs once more, elbowing him one more time, Atsushi grabbing his stomach in reponse to the pain
Oh Mikoto...
I'm sorry...
For what I'm... about to do...
Suzushii notices Atsushi, rushing to him, grabbing his shoulder, wrapping him close
"You alright? Did Mikoto hurt you again?"
"It's f-fine..."
"Heh, he always breaks your coldness well!"
"Too well..." he says darkly...
"Suzu-nii... should we do this...?"
"They... they're only following orders..."
"I... I care about them all..."
Suzushii's face softens...
"We... we've got to..."
"Unless... you want another world war..."
"I... don't want to do this..."
"Everyone here... is my family..."
"But... we can't tell them what we're about to do"
"We'll die before we change their mind..."
"Our family..."
"Is evil..."
"Don't forget that..."
Atsushi nods in response, his face vulnerable... only visible to a few... like Suzushii and Mikoto...
This mission...
is the turning point...
We have to stop it...
We... have no choice but to...
Atsushi walks to the hangar with heavy shoulders, his hand on his hand cannon, all loaded and itching...
But his heart... swells... and aches...
.
.
"So... you ready?"
"Atsu-chan?"
He nods with his gear ready in tow, The leader of cultivation stares at him once more, Mikoto grabs the both of their shoulders, laughing
"Today- blah blah blah" he says, mocking the emperor and the one who sees all, the both of them used to this respond appropriately-
Atsushi unfazed, stares off into the distance
"Oh come on! Akari! Don't be like that!" Akari rolls her eyes, but she doesn't move away, knowing how Mikoto acts, he'll just become more obnoxious
"Oh whatever!" he grabs his specs, and now shouts excitedly
"Let's go pilot!!!!! Time for the great salvation to commence!"
"Or whateverrrrrr!" He mocks Akari, rolling his eyes too, smiling and smirking like an idiot
The chopper's blades start to rev up, the wind all around spinning to lift them upwards, Mikoto says all sorts of non-sense, his presence takes the spotlight, a great distraction...
For the real plan...
Atsushi ponders, just as the chopper leads them away from the island they were just in...
They've seen all sorts of places...
And yet...
Freedom is up to the eye of the beholder...
Heh...
Freedom...
What a joke...
We can't just escape... with the great empire running around...
Scheming all sorts of plans...
Especially with all of their Ishii abilities...
Who knows...
What am I kidding?
We already know...
What they're planning...
What will happen next...
They pass fields upon fields of farms, the wind chilling to the bone, the clouds foreboding, the sky dim, the climate changes as they get closer to the north
The snow falls all over, everywhere they look
The blizzard hits harder than ever, their gear is thick and layered, and still-
The coldness is still felt regardless...
He looks over at Akari, his face hiding his true intentions, Mikoto stops talking and lets the overtones fill the air
He pushes Atsushi right towards Akari's arms, he looks right up at her...
Her face a bit red, she smiles a little, shocked at Mikoto's antics
Who gleefully smiles and lets them interact gladly...
"H-hey there"
"U-uuh" he stammers...
She holds his face and rubs it a few times... her face still blushing...
The curves of her mouth, moves in a strange direction...
It quivers...
She kisses him...
Atushi overwhelmed... cries, with tears down his face... He... He doesn't want to do it...
She doesn't stop, but slowly notices his wet face...
In letting go...
She sees him for the first time...
All vulnerable, like a scared little boy...
"W-why?" she asks, confused and baffled, with Mikoto turning his head in how the conversation isn't what he expected...
"Why? Are you crying?"
"Are you alright? Atsu-chan?" she wipes his tears, waiting for a response...
His body shakes in fear and in pain...
She embraces him, her warmth scaring him...
So much warmth...
For something so cold as...
"I- I- I- I-"
"I'm sorry..."
"Akari-nee..."
"I- l-love you..."
Her eyes widen in shock and in happiness... she smiles deeply...
Too bad...
It's all gone...
BANG!
Just like that...
"A- Atsu-chan..." Mikoto watches in disbelief...
"W- what did you just do?" Mikoto hesitates as his whole world is shook, Atsushi's face full of tears, shock, dread, sorrow, grief and lastly...
Blood...
Her blood...
My love...
I'm sorry...
I can't turn back time...
I'll... see you...
In hell...
A sudden force hits the helicopter, the chopper loses all control, Atsushi's body moves on its own, choking out Mikoto
His breath in sparse bursts, his specs, fall away from the chopper, broken and shattered...
Mikoto's eyes glare right up at Atsushi, whose face has turned colder, to hide from the absolute worst thing... he's ever had to do...
Or is it?
Mikoto's hands shake, grasping, trying to move his finger-
To write... something...
Atsushi notices this, he increases his chokehold on Mikoto, the sudden increase of augmented aura on his hands, getting closer and closer...
To finishing the job...
"A-atsu-chan..."
Mikoto mutters...
His consciousness begins to wane...
A sudden bolt of energy bolts through him, his last aura reserves kick in-
He writes the words on the ceiling of the chopper...
He chuckles...
Atsushi's eyes widen, with only just a split second to build up his aura...
BOOM!
The chopper goes up in flames, a bright light in the dark blizzard, the remains come crashing down...
With the fire spreading on the fields...
A figure comes unfazed but battered inside...
He prepares his form, ready for any resistance, his eyes search the entire area-
Endless fields of flower-covered snow, he clicks his tongue...
This must be it...
Our source told us about it at the hangar before we departed...
This must be... the town of Nakafurano...
A few clicks from here, in a house near patches of lavender and lilies, will lie...
A humble family...
W-with...
With...
"A- ATSUSHI!!!" the blood-curdled voice reaches through and spreads out, but just as Atsushi's head turns around-
A punch sends him flying towards the lit-up house, definitely hearing all of the commotion
Mikoto pants over and over, his fist filled with Atsushi's spit and blood, in gritting his teeth
He spreads his heel and flies towards him, punching him over and over and over again
Atsushi unable to protect himself, takes it...
Maybe as a reminder... of the consequences... of what he's done...
And is still going to have to do...
His body is sent everywhere, from trees to the fields, tasting dirt and snow, his spit and blood sent spilling the whole trail over...
No amount of hits is enough to atone for what he's done...
He knows this...
But he...
He's still got a mission to complete...
He grabs Mikoto's flurry of fists, and he activates it...
His true ability-
His eyes glow blue and with his aura spilling like a tear gas-
The field goes quiet, and the chopper's remains disappear, the evidence of commotion?
Gone.
The door of the house?
Opened.
His figure walks slowly, one step at a time, his form spilling aura as if a strong gust of wind were blowing directly at him-
He searches the rooms one at a time, multiple siblings it looks like, hiding scared in the corners.
The father and mother, still confused search outside the home for what noise awoke them...
And his heart races...
He found it...
Rather...
The kid...
The... baby?
The infant...
In the baby's room, alone, crying, in the cradle...
This... this is it...
I don't care anymore...
I-
I want this to be all over...
His cold look spreads, hiding his true feelings...
Is it even true anymore?
What does he even feel?
After all this?
Is this really for the sake of the world?
Or did they just kill innocent people for the sake of it?
BANG!
He does it...
And yet...
It's done...
He doesn't even want to look at it...
He leaves the room...
Never to return...
"Suzu-nii..."
"It's done..."
"Let's..."
"Let's..."
"Let's finally leave..."
The cold look however breaks, his tears flow...
He sobs silently...
Breaking the illusion...
And in this...
The commotion...
Still remains...
-To Be Continued-
...
Ending Song: https://youtu.be/3oeQleJ77fU / Christmas Kids by ROAR