The sky was filled with smoke...
By those enraged...
And who felt...
Cheated...
And by those parched lips...
Which parted those separated...
Why do all these terrible things happen?
Those wondered...
She wondered...
Standing in between oblivion and reality...
Little did she know...
What happens next...
Will change the course of history...
Forever...
...
Static filled the room...
The light coming from a single place was all she could see...
Flashing images...
And overlapping voices...
Her heart longed...
To see her again...
Her soul wished...
To see her again...
And yet...
And yet...
...
And yet...
...
And for today's news...
The infamous Osaka Conflict worsens as relations between those with an outcry of ishii use being outright forbidden, and the ICA itself trying to scale down the controversy and growing opposition, still splitting apart the city of Osaka-
Many injuries and even deaths are being reported by the police force there working with the ICA, with rumors of the JSDF joining in to stop such commotion, it is no wonder this modern national crisis has all eyes of not only Japan but also the entire world on its frays-
With those concerned fearing the possibility of a civil war arising over this heated conflict-
All eyes are on the ICA-
On how such a disaster-
Will be managed...
And with other news-
...
Her eyes were just glued onto the screen-
Never leaving-
Her lips were dry-
And so was her throat...
And with images of her...
Mother... on screen...
She...
Had the worst feeling inside her gut...
She didn't want to feed into this...
But...
Deep down inside of her...
There was something clearly wrong...
She could feel it...
Coming...
And she just stayed there...
Unmoving...
Starving...
Thirsty...
Restless...
And most of all...
...
Her eyes were split open...
With the only fluids coming out of her body-
Over there...
For so long...
She...
Kept silent...
And so still...
...
How can the ICA still be an organization???
Our national budget is being distributed with a bunch of hacks!
Who can't even protect us from those insurgent bastards-
We have to live every day with the prospect of possible terrorist attacks!
With no guarantee of any sort of safety!
It's no wonder this Osaka Conflict is happening!
We are sick and tired of feeling oppressed by our own security organization! Whose main job is to ensure no national disasters would ever happen!
And yet...
A city square is attacked!
A mall!
A city block!
What's next?!?!?
A school!
Of our own children!?!?
We have to live every day!
Knowing our own children are endangered and might have to feel such fears that make us fully grown adults cover and quiver!
Bullshit!
I call bullshit!
These worthless Ishiins!
Are all useless!
They might be insurgents themselves!
What's to say we can trust the ICA themselves!
We scream against any use of ishii!
Which have caused turmoil in our country!
- MORE. ISHII!
- MORE. ISHII!
- MORE. ISHII!
...
- MORE. ISHII!
...
SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She screamed and bellowed so hard-
She threw the remote right through the TV screen...
Causing a huge hole-
Right in between...
And with the prostestor's distorted image and voice still ringing in her head...
She proceeds to pick it up-
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
And to throw it right towards the awaiting twilight sky!
...
With the remains of the television set sprayed open on the balcony's floor-
She just panted...
Hard...
Bellowing and screaming right into the night and the stars-
And yet...
No one heard her...
"Mom..."
"Please..."
"Please be ok..."
"P-please..."
She dropped to her knees...
Almost pleading and...
Begging...
"PLEASE BE OK!!!!!!!!"
Her heated tears filled her ankles and thighs...
...
"Please be ok..."
"Mom..."
...
.
.
.
Her heels clacked through the orange-hue-filled corridors...
Her shoulders heavy...
Her eyes had this furrow with them-
Her aura was so potent-
It leaked out of her like boiling steam from a pot
Each and every person there could only look in awe...
It was her!
The legend...
All of them whispered and beckoned amongst themselves-
"To think she's been sent too?"
"I know, right?"
"This must be it!"
"Isn't this the Final War itself?"
"Well..."
"With everything... happening..."
"All at once..."
"This might as well the one and only time for it..."
"GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!"
"SCAR-GIVER!!!!!!!!!!"
All she could do was roll her eyes-
Clicking her tongue-
With a smirk on her face-
Raising her hand in acknowledgement of those who called out to her-
"Scar-giver huh..."
"That name never really did suit me..."
"AHAHAHAHA!"
A frail-looking person is also seen beside her-
Clinging as if her life really did depend on it...
"Nayumi-san..."
She kept whimpering and raising her glasses with her little fragile fingers-
This woman towered over her-
"Jeez! Come on Ko-chan!"
"Just call me Omoi instead!"
"You don't have to be so formal!"
Kokko barely registered this, nodding slowly as her small footsteps struggled to keep up with her
"Umm yes! Nayumi-"
"Err! Omoi-san!"
"HAHA! Good enough!"
She patted her back so hard, it let Kokko gain a bit of distance in front of Omoi
Omoi couldn't help but smirk harder
"Y'know? For some one like a Grade A agent like you-"
"You'd think you were just a Grade B or C no less!"
"So come on Ko-chan!"
"Have some confidence in yourself!"
She couldn't do much of such compliments and advice but to only nod and bow ever so many-
Omoi gained that bit of distance almost instantly-
Kokko just stood there, bowing-
"Ughhhh there you go again!"
Omoi starts to pull her, grabbing her soft hand and dragging her towards their destination-
A glowing... yellow hue...
That simultaneously blended in but also contrasted with the corridors-
It was...
Weird for sure...
"Let's get going already!"
"This..."
"Will be our most important mission yet..."
"And with how things are going..."
"Well..."
"You never know what could happen out there!"
Kokko only whimpered and kept her comments to herself-
But her body language was pretty much saying a lot already-
Omoi stood in front of the rectangular, almost sun-like rays of such a hue that was emanating in front of them-
A... portal...
"This is it..."
"Ready? Ko-chan?"
She only barely nodded, quivering in fear
"And also..."
"Try to keep up?"
"Hmm?"
...
They went in...
And soon after...
They were met...
By such a contrast of environments-
A black and terrible smoke filled their lungs-
The smell of gunpowder and war filled the air-
The once-peaceful state that Osaka was once in-
Was now completely shattered...
It was like they were sent back in time to a time when Japan was completely in shambles, thanks to the Second World War...
And yet...
Her mind was only thinking of one thing...
She bit her lip...
Fearing the worst to come...
"Koyo..."
"I promise I'll soon be back..."
...
Kokko could only scream in horror seeing...
For the first time in her life...
...
Charred bodies all lined up in front of them...
All unrecognizable...
And yet...
Omoi knew what this sight was...
A message...
These weren't just some random bodies...
They all had a little bit of their aura signatures implanted...
On purpose...
She...
Knew...
What this was...
"This..."
"This isn't right..."
"They already know how we're dealing with the situation directly"
"So why have such an elaborate message?"
"Umm what?"
"Omoi-san?"
Kokko just kept looking at Omoi, she couldn't bear to see such a sight-
It...
Was too much for the feeble...
It...
Was too much of a shock to the senses...
The destroyed remains of buildings and bodies and blood and rubble and bullet casings and glass shards and-
Kokko had her hands on her temples-
An aneurysm-like headache started to grow, rushing all to her head-
Omoi just kept her hands to herself-
But never letting her guard down, her aura was sent to Kokko as well-
To strengthen her defense as well...
Her intuition was ringing already so quick-
She wondered...
"This is how bad it's gotten???"
Her mind rushed-
And then...
Her eyes widened so hard-
"This must only mean one thing!"
"IT'S A TRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"JUMP KOKKO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Wha-"
A HUGE EXPLOSION OVER CAME THEM, DIRECTLY HITTING THEM
THEIR BODIES WERE SENT FLYING SO HIGH-
Omoi recovered the very moment she was already mid-air-
Time started to crawl slowly-
Each and every piece of rubble that was sent, thanks to the shockwaves carried over by the massive trap...
Was able to be seen by Omoi...
She reached her hand forward to Kokko's
Desperately stretching it to grasp even just a finger-
"That's all I need... SO COME ON ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!"
And yet-
Their positions were instantly filled by the presences of what she's always been so accustomed to recognizing-
"SHIT!!!!!!"
"INSURGENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
SHE SCREAMED BLODDY MURDER
HER FOOT CAUSING FRICTION IN THE AIR, HER AURA WAS THAT THICK
TO GRAB KOKKO'S UNCONSCIOUS BODY, WRAPPING HER ARMS ALL AROUND HER
SHE LANDS TO THE GROUND
WITH MULTIPLE INSURGENTS ON HER BACK
HER FEET START TO CAUSE DUST CLOUDS, HER LANDING IMPACTING THE TERRAIN HEAVILY
CAUSING MASSIVE ALTERATIONS TO THE CONCRETE BELOW
OMOI GRITS HER TEETH BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF THE SPEED SHE'S GOING THROUGH
AND WITH THE SHOCKWAVES OF HER AURA-
STARTING TO PULL IN ALL THE REMAINING AURA FROM THE INSURGENTS
THEY STARTED TO REACH HER CLOSER AND CLOSER AND CLOSER AND-
THEY WERE IN EVERY DIRECTION
AND AS THEY WERE NEARING THE VERY CENTRE OF THE CITY-
THE KITA AND UMEDA AREAS-
WHICH WERE FAR FROM THEIR PAST GLORY NOW
THE INSURGENTS HANDS KEPT GAINING DISTANCE TO THEIR EVER GROWING AND MOVING POSITION
OMOI THEN SHOUTED SO LOUD
THE AURA THAT WAS BEING PULLED IN BY HER
...
IMPLODED IN AND ON OF ITSELF
CAUSING A SHOCKWAVE EVEN MORE MASSIVE THAN THE EXPLOSION FROM EARLIER!
THE WIND ALL AROUND THEM STARTED TO RUSH OUTWARDS LIKE A TORNADO HIT THE ENTIRE AREA
CAUSING ENTIRE VEHICLES AND BUS STOPS AND TRAFFIC SIGNS AND GLASS FROM THE SURROUNDING BUILDINGS TO SHATTER-
And there...
They stood in the eye of the storm that she just created all safe-
And sound...
Or so...
They thought...
"ARE YOU ALRIGHT? KO-CHAN???"
She looked at her small petite body, her glasses were gone, her body was bruised-
Despite Omoi's best efforts to protect her from danger-
She sighed
"You're supposed to help me out here!"
"Not be protected by me!"
"O-o-o-o-omoi-san..."
Her voice was so feeble, she couldn't hear it clearly
But she saw her lips twitch ever so slightly
Parting together-
"YES? KO-CHAN?"
She raised her voice because of the gushing wind that surrounded and protected them from the growing approaching insurgents that were sent flying-
By the artificially made tornado-
"I'm sorry I couldn't catch u-u-u-up... w-w-w-w-w-with you..."
Her voice kept having cracks-
And she kept stuttering...
Omoi couldn't help but smile sweetly despite the situation-
"Ughhh... I guess I can't help but want to protect you huh?"
"Ko-chan..."
"Now..."
"Let's find a way out of here..."
"Before we get swept up by another kind of storm..."
"Sooner or later..."
Kokko nodded weakly-
Omoi then embraced her and carried her...
And just like that-
...
They instantly flashed out of the eye of the storm...
...
But shadows followed them everywhere-
The mid-afternoon heat-
And more importantly-
The sun itself...
Caused a certain someone...
A great advantage...
...
"That must be her..."
"This..."
"Is all going according to plan..."
"Your highness..."
"I won't fail you now..."
-To Be Continued-
...
Ending Song: / Say Hello to the Angels - Interpol