Izumi

As their home crashed down in flames before them, Lily and Izumi Yuko could only watch. Lily pulled Izumi close as the firemen arrived, tending to the flames. “We’ll be okay,” she whispered. “It will all be okay. We’ll make it.”

Lies.

Our parents were murdered, our family destroyed, our lives ruined, and nobody does anything. Izumi pulled the last possession of her old life, an old, worn-out stuffed bear, close to her chest, shoving her face into its fur. Six months had passed since that day. Nothing.

Izumi looked up as steps echoed down the alleyway towards her, splashing through the puddles from the night before. She sighed in relief as she recognized Lily approaching, a bag of food in her hand.

“Lily,” she smiled faintly, “How was your day?”

Lily smiled back, kneeling down on their small tarp and gently removing a small package of dried meat. “Again?” Izumi asked.

“I’ll get something different tomorrow,” Lily said. “But this is all I could afford today,” she said, unwrapping the package.

As she did, Izumi noticed more bruises on her arm. Lily caught her stare and quickly pulled her sleeve down. “Just work,” she said. “Don’t worry about it.”

Izumi frowned. “Are you sure?”

“Of course,” Lily smiled. “You just focus on reading that book I brought you.”

Izumi sighed, falling back and laying down on her bear. She glanced at the book stored in a small cardboard box among their few possessions. “I’ve already read it,” she replied.

“Then you’re ready to pass the test then, are you?” Lily grinned.

Izumi rolled her eyes. “What’s the point?”

Lily sat down next to her, running her hand through Izumi’s hair. “Do you really want to stay like this your whole life, Izumi? You need an education.”

“And what good did your education do you,” Izumi grumbled.

Lily sighed. “I’m not that smart, Izumi. Not as smart as you’re going to be. That, and I have other things we need to do right now…”

Izumi sat up suddenly. “I can work too,” she said, grasping Lily’s hands. “You don’t need to do it alone.”

Lily patted Izumi’s head playfully then pulled her into a hug. “Don’t worry about me, Izumi. I’m fine.”

“Promise?”

“Of course, but right now, let’s get to bed.”

“Okay,” Izumi yawned.

The next morning, when Izumi woke, Lily was already gone, but that wasn’t too unusual. She often left early to get to work. So Izumi set off to work. She read the book, like she always did, until she got bored, then played with her bear for a bit. Around noon, she got up and went out to explore like she usually did.

She smiled as she watched the flags waving from the wall, as she observed the merchants sell their goods, and as everyone moved about, busy in their days. As she moved between the crowds, Izumi found herself making her way towards a small bakery she’d often visited with her family.

It was a bittersweet place to visit now, but the owner was a kind woman who’d often helped Lily and Izumi these past months, giving them extra food and bits of money when she could. Izumi moved around to the back of the building, conscious of the stares she was receiving.

It wasn’t common for a girl her age to be wandering the streets, but few people ever bothered her, all she had to do was stick to the right paths, the ones Lily had taught her. Life had been tough, but Izumi had gotten used to it. After their expulsion from the Upper District and the removal of their names, they’d settled in the markets of the Lower District.

Approaching the back door, Izumi rapped on the door lightly. A few moments later, it opened, revealing Erika. She smiled as she saw Izumi. “Izumi,” she smiled, “Come in. Do you want some bread?”

Izumi nodded, “Yes, please.”

“So polite,” Erika replied, running off towards the front counter. “I’ll be right back. Make yourself comfortable.”

Izumi smiled and plopped down on the small couch Erika left in the back room. There wasn’t much there, but it was a comfortable space, anything was, really, compared to the tarp.

She turned around to the small shelf behind the couch where Erika liked to keep a small collection of toys and books. After sorting through them, Izumi found one she’d never seen before, a small metal puzzle in which the goal seemed to pull the pieces apart. She started at it.

Before long, Erika returning with a slice of warm, buttered bread with an egg on top. Izumi stared at it longingly. “It’s all yours,” Erika chuckled.

“But there’s a whole egg on it!” Izumi cried. “Are you sure?”

“Of course,” Erika smiled. “Now, eat up.”

Izumi smiled wide, wiping the drool from her mouth. “Thanks,” she said, accepting the slice and digging in.

After she finished, she tried to repay Erika by doing a few chores, like cleaning the places she could easily reach and organizing the displays out front. Then, Erika taught her how to count and sort the money from the day and sent her back into her house to shower with a new change of clothes. Izumi gladly accepted.

Once she was done, she said goodbye and started for home. The sun was setting, and the air was cool. Izumi took a bit of time to bathe in the last rays of light before starting down the road back towards the place she called home.

Like every day, Izumi leaned back against the wall and waited for Lily. But as the sunset and the night grew darker, she didn’t come.

It was only after hours of waiting, worried and cold, Izumi finally saw a form appear in the alleyway. “Lily!” she called, jumping to her feet, still clutching her bear, and running towards her sister, “I was so-”

She froze as she looked up at Lily. “Lily… what…”

“I’m fine,” Lily said, reaching out and patting Izumi’s head. She began to cough, and with her bloodied arm, wiped the blood from her lips. She fell forward.

Izumi barely managed to catch her, tumbling to the ground herself. “Lily…” Izumi said, looking at her sister’s bruised and broken body. “What happened?”

“I’m sorry,” Lily said, smiling at Izumi. “I’m so sorry,” she said, tears forming at the edges of her eyes as they began to flutter closed.

Izumi looked up as she heard footsteps approaching from the road. Heavy footsteps and the grunts of multiple men. Out of the darkness, they approached— drunk, burly men. “There you are,” one of the men said, starting towards Izumi and Lily. “Who’s this girl?” he asked, adjusting the grip on his bottle.

Izumi felt her insides grow cold. “Who, who are you?” she stuttered. “What do you want from us?”

The man smiled. “We just want our toy back,” he said. “Though it looks like we’ve got another now.”

The other men laughed, starting forward.

Izumi looked down at Lily and closed her eyes. Please, she prayed. Somebody. Please.

Suddenly, there was a loud crack, and something hit the ground.

“Who the hell are you?” one of the men said.

Izumi opened her eyes. In front of her stood a man with a long bat. In front of him, lying on the ground, was the leader of men. The man turned and looked back at her. “You okay?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Good,” he said, turning back to the men.

“Answer the question,” one of them demanded.

“I’m just a passerby,” he replied.

“Then get out of here,” the man replied. “This is our business.”

“Is that so?” the man replied. “Cus’ it looks to me like you guys are picking on two girls, children at that. Is that really something men like you should do?”

“Mind your business,” another of the men said. “Or we’ll make you.”

The man in front of Izumi chuckled. “You four morons? I’d like to see you try.”

He charged forward cracking his bat across the head of one of the men before they could react. In the same movement, he swept out the leg of another. Then, spinning the bat around, jabbed another in the throat.

The last man reacted slowly, trying to punch his assailant, but the man was too fast. He sidestepped the attack then grabbed the man by the neck, throwing him down into the ground.

He turned to the one whose legs he’d swept as the man scrambled to his feet. The man barely stepped into a fighting stance before the other was there. He kicked the man in the side then brought his bat down on his neck. The man collapsed.

Dropping his bat, the man turned back to Izumi. “Sorry,” he said. “I just can’t stand to see filth like them. Is your sister okay?”

Izumi shook herself from her shocked silence and looked down at Lily. Her body had gone limp. “I don’t know,” she replied.

The man knelt down, looking over Lily carefully. “Her injuries aren’t too bad,” he muttered, “Yet, she’s…”

“We need to get her to a doctor,” he said suddenly, scooping Lily up gently in her arms. “Follow me.”

Izumi nodded, glancing at the bodies of the drunken men, then followed.

Izumi held her bear close as she waited. The man stood beside her, arms crossed, eyes closed.

Across the hall, the door opened, and the doctor walked out. Izumi’s rescuer snapped open his eyes. And stepped forward. A few words were exchanged quickly between them, words that Izumi didn’t catch. Her rescuer turned back to her. “I’m sorry,” he said solemnly as he approached.

Izumi’s heart froze. She couldn’t say anything. Do anything. The man knelt in front of her. “I lost someone recently too,” he said.

Izumi looked up at his face and realized that he wasn’t much older than Lily. “I’m sorry,” he said.

Izumi looked down at the bear in her hands. “It’s my fault,” she whispered. “If I hadn’t been… if she didn’t have to care for me…”

“You can’t think like that,” the boy said. “Trust me. It won’t get you anywhere.”

“What do I do,” Izumi cried, grabbing the boy. Tears rushed from her eyes, like a dam bursting. She sobbed. “I don’t… I want…”

“I know,” the boy said. “I know.”

After that, Erika took her in, and Izumi resolved herself. She’d become a protector. She would save the weak. She would do what she couldn’t do then.

***

Izumi raised her weapon to Tez as the fire raged above and around her and Tez. It was him, she thought. Why am I remembering this now?

She shook her head and steadied herself. The soldiers that had come to reinforce her were gaining ground and were starting to restrain the Revived soldiers Tez had brought. Still, the battle was far from over.

“I remember now,” she said. “You.”

“Good,” Tez said.

I made a promise, she thought. I will protect them. She summoned her remaining strength and rushed forward. I will end this here, she thought, sweeping her weapon at Tez in an upward strike.

He jumped back, countering with a sideways blow. She ducked under it and stabbed at him, barely missing. Instead, Tez pushed her arm aside and rushed forward, bringing his blade around for another blow.

Unsure what to do, Izumi rushed forward as well, getting within Tez’s reach and headbutted him as hard as she could. Both of them stumbled backward. Tez recovered first spinning on Izumi, but she was ready and charged forward first.

In response, he tried to counter with a thrust which Izumi sidestepped before dropping into a slide across the marble. With her blade, she cut through Tez’s leg.

The man collapsed to the ground but remained on guard. “Are you curious as to why?” he asked.

“No,” Izumi said, stepping towards him cautiously.

***

The building was about to collapse, Mire knew it. He felt the panic in his chest drawing closer and closer to his throat, tendrils of fear wrapping around him, choking him. Please, he thought as he rushed through the burning hallways. Please. Where are they?

As Mire rounded the corner, the ceiling above him collapsed. He jumped backward, out of the wall, as rumble crashed to the floor where he’d been standing. In the rubble, he saw a hand.

No, he thought, scrambling up the burning wood. No. No, no, no, no…

The hand was blackened, burnt, dead. On it, there was a ring. A ring he’d given away eight years ago. “Please, no,” he whispered, as he pulled back the log, revealing three familiar forms, one covering the other two with her body.

Mire pulled the group close, holding them close, despite the searing pain of the fire drawing close.

“Let’s get out of here,” a voice said from the hall beyond the rubble. “We’re done here.”

Mire felt something deep within him snap, like a chain being pulled too hard, suddenly and harshly. He jumped up from the bodies of his loved ones and charged up the pile in front of him.

On the other side, he saw three soldiers. The two closest, he didn’t recognize. The far one, however, he did. “Mirus, you BASTARD!” he screamed.

As the men turned to face him, Mire grabbed a length of wood that was still burning from the pile and screamed a bloodcurdling cry, charging, leaping, down the hill.

One of the soldiers raised his weapon to fire, but as soon as he did, Mire was there. He knocked the man to the floor, hitting him across the head. He turned to the next man, swinging with the same rage. The man fell instantly.

Turning to Mirus, he found the man peering at him, gun raised. Mire’s body froze, but his blood still boiled. “I gave you your chance to escape, Mire. Why have you come back?”

“You know damn well,” Mire shouted, charging.

Mirus fired, hitting Mire in the shoulder, but he didn’t stop. He kept going. He hit Mirus to the ground, then hit him again. And again… and again, until there was nothing left.

Once he was done, he tossed aside the bloodied length of wood and returned the way he came, making sure to kill the other Revived soldiers again as they got up. On them, he discovered two grenades.

Taking both, he tossed them into the hallway, onto the bodies. Let’s see you survive that, he thought as they exploded behind him.

I’ll kill all of them, Mire thought as the building fell around him. All of them. All of the Revived. This is their fault. All of them must die.

***

The building was ready to fall. Izumi knew it. Most of the Named were out by now, but many were still inside. Tez was slowly rising to his feet. He smiled and Izumi frowned. He healed quickly, even for a Revived. “Are you sure?” he asked. “It was all for you.”

“I told you,” Izumi said, charging forward. “I don’t care!”

Tez parried her blow with ease, knocking the weapon from her hands. “Fine,” he replied.

Izumi dove for her weapon, expecting Tez to attack, but he didn’t. “I prefer fair fights,” he replied, seeing her puzzled look.

“Sure,” Izumi said.

Above them, the wooden beam holding the structure snapped, tumbling downward. Izumi dove out of the way, towards the nearest window as the structure came down.

At the same time, she saw Tez dive for the other window. Through the rubble and flames, she could see him looking towards her. “The end is almost here, Izumi. I hope you’re ready.”

The rest of the building fell, hiding him in the smoke. Once it cleared, he was gone.

Izumi coughed, clearing the smoke from her lungs, then fell to her knees. She was bleeding from multiple places. She didn’t doubt the fact that she had probably taken at least one stray bullet. Before darkness consumed her sight, she saw a pair of paramedics dashing towards her. I did my best, she thought. But it wasn’t enough.