Aftermath

"Guys!" Rin sprinted towards Rell, Elena, and Rena as they returned to the far outpost. "I was so..." Rin stopped herself upon seeing the smug look on Rena's face. 

"Go on." Rena smirked. 

"Never mind!" Rin pouted, turning away. 

"Everyone all right?" Mira asked.

"More or less." Elena replied. 

"Good." Mira nodded. "I can't believe you beat that thing, Rell." She said, turning towards him. 

"I can't believe it either to be honest." He said, clenching his fist. "I definitely couldn't do that before..." 

"Do what?" Hina asked.

"Rell pulled out this crazy fast attack!" Elena said. "It was kind hard to see cause I was on the ground in pain, but from what I saw it might even be faster than your Thousand Brine Thrust, Mira!" 

"Impossible!" Mira objected,  adjusting her glasses to look more dignified. "The Thousand Brine Thurst is the epitome of Nin based attack. It simply cannot be surpassed in speed or ferocity." 

"You really think highly about that move huh?" Rin sighed. 

"Of course! I made it myself after all." Mira bragged, hands on her hips. 

"Wow... I need to think of a cool attack. I've just been kinda swinging my swords around..." Elena shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. 

"It's not just about the motions. You're signature attack needs flare, and a little bit of Nin to help really bring out your full power." Mira instructed, wagging her finger. "I can help you find your way, but the attack must come to you. Also you need to do some serious research on really cool attack names." 

"I know what I'm doing when I get home." Elena grinned. 

"Is that really a worthwhile use of your time?" Rell sighed, scratching his head. 

"Better than learning stitching I suppose." She glared at him as he said this. 

"Why are you so mad about that?" He shook his fist at her. 

"Ahem." Hina coughed, drawing everyone's attention back to her. "We need to continue our mission. Let's gather intel from the Sisters stationed here and see what other reinforcements they may need." 

"Roger." They said in unison. 

Two rifle armed Sisters came out to meet them.

"Man you guys really kicked... Major Hina?!" They came to attention, greeting her with a rifle salute. "I wasn't expect you out here, Ma'am." 

"I like to take afternoon walks every once in a while." She joked. "Situation report?"

"Uh, right!" The second Sister flustered. "We've noticed an increase in Shadow activity over the past couple days. Our captain suspects they've been coming from the city. They've been attacking the outpost day and night."

"Just these smaller types?" Hina asked. "Or anything larger?"

"No." The Sister shook her head. "The strongest type was that behemoth class."

"I see." Hina nodded, taking internal notes. "How's your squad looking?"

"Honestly Ma'am..." The Sisters looked to each other, concern in their eyes. 

"I see." Hina noted. "We'll be pulling two or three relief squads from the Sanctuary. Can you hold out for another day?"

"Probably." The Sister answered. 

"Very well. I'll relay the message to HQ." She said. "You fought a good fight." 

"...Thank you Ma'am." She thanked, turning towards Alpha Squad. "You guys really saved us out there." 

"All in a days work." Rin grinned, hoisting her rifle over her shoulder. "That's my Alpha Squad for ya." 

"The Alpha squad??!" The Sisters clamored in excitement. 

"Mhm..." Rin nodded hesitantly. 

The two Sisters launched forward. 

"Is it true your the best sniper of our generation?" One asked. 

"By a close margin!" Rena protested.

"Wow! You must be the famous Mira. I'm wearing one of the outfits you designed for us!" The other Sister said, showing off the functional combat dress she was wearing. "It's one of my favorites! I really do appreciate all the pockets!" 

"I know right! What good is a fashionable combat dress without pockets!" Mira yelled, matching their excitement. 

"Oh great..." Rell pinched his nose as the two took notice of him. 

"So it is true!!" They screamed. "Alpha Squad has a real, honest to goodness human!" 

They swarmed him, grabbing onto him and caressing him. 

"Wow! Your body is really so different from us!"

"It's like... Alot more muscle than a normal Sister!" 

Rell squirmed, an uneasy look on his face. 

"Huh?" Elena gasped,  brow furrowing as an unfamiliar feeling swelled up inside her. 

She found herself marching forward, shoving the Sisters away from Rell and standing in between them and Rell. 

"Can you please not touch him? Can't you see you're making him uncomfortable?" She scowled. 

"You're the Star of the Seventh!" They fangirled, jumping on her. 

"Huh? Wait a minute!" She blushed as they bombarded her with questions. 

"Enough!!" Hina screamed, causing everyone in the vicinity, with the exception of Rell, to snap to attention. "You're on the mission right now! You two, return to your post and await relief!" She ordered. 

"Yes Ma'am!" They saluted, scurrying away back to the outpost. 

"Unbelievable..." Hina grinded her teeth. "I train them from such a young age and they still act like that..." She composed herself, taking a deep breath. "We'll rest up for a little bit, and try to return to the sanctuary before dark. Sound good?

The group made it back just as the sun set behind the horizon. Twilight set in, accompanied by the soft buzzing of insects and the sound of nocturnal animals scurrying about. The Sanctuary Tree gave off a soft light, its leaves glimmering even the darkness. They part for the night, each of the girl's returning to their homes.

Rell tailed after Elena, Rena following closely behind as his designated body guard.

Hina went off on her own, walking the long winding path that led up to the headquarters in order to brief the Commander of today's mission. She returned the salute of the guards as she strut past, her heels clicking against the staircase as she inched her way up to the Commander's office. 

"Almost there..." She panted, sweat dripping down her face.

She slammed her body against the door, opening it and stumbling in. 

"Oh? Hina you're back early..." Six-Seven chuckled, a glass of whiskey in her hand. "How was..." 

Hina wobbled in, managing to close the door behind her before finally collapsing. Six-Seven flicker-stepped, catching her just before she hit the floor. 

"Hina!" Six-Seven placed a hand to the woman's face. It was red hot. "You..." 

"Miracle Healing..." She muttered. 

"Hina..." Six-Seven shook her head. "You promised you wouldn't use it. So many of my Sisters died from using Light Nin." 

"I'm sorry..." She muttered. "I thought I would be okay... It was only a little bit... but..."

Six-Seven flared her Light Nin, a soft glow covering her whole body. 

"You're okay." Six-Seven sighed in relief. "Thankfully you just used a sustainable amount." 

"Why is it we Sisters suffer from using Miracle Healing?" Hina gasped. 

"We don't have souls." Six-Seven stated. "The thing that makes up our inner being in the place of it. Its..." 

"I know." Hina coughed. "He was out there. Watching Sir Rell." 

"Him?!?" Six-Seven's eyes widened in horror. 

"The Reaper..." Hina muttered. "What does the Reaper want with Sir Rell?" 

"I don't know." Six-Seven shook her head, free hand drifting towards her lips. 

"You know, when you're trying to hide something, you touch your lips right?" Hina chuckled. 

Six-Seven looked at her in shock. 

"I know because I do the same thing. Alot of other Sisters too." Hina noted. "I wonder why..." 

Six-Seven didn't answer, forcing her free hand away from her face. 

"I trust you, Big Sis." Hina said. "I won't pry. But tell me this, please. Will Rell really end the war? Can we trust him?"

Six-Seven opened her mouth to answer, but she saw that Hina was already asleep. She sighed, carrying the younger Sister towards her bedroom down the hall. After putting her to bed, Six-Seven returned to her office, pouring herself another glass of whiskey and taking a deep sip. 

An old memory came to her. It was of the before times, when she was still a very young Sister. 

"You drink?" The voice asked. A man's voice. 

"I...I don't..." Her voice answered. Back then she couldn't fake confidence, her meekness and shyness was more apparent. 

"It's good." The voice chuckled. 

"Oh...if only just a little..." She answered, taking a sip and immediately going into a coughing fit. 

"See?" The man laughed. 

The young Sister's cheeks were flush red, even after just one sip. 

"Huh?" She coughed. 

"I can't get drunk anymore." The man said. "I'm more Shadow than man now. I can hear it, eating away at me. Soon it's going to overtake me, I can feel it. It wants me to kill, to destroy." 

"I...I'm sorry..." She apologized. 

"Don't be." The voice answered. 

The man got up, walking over towards the other end of the abandoned building.  A mirror stood in the room, Sixty-Seven's reflection peering through the cracked glass. It was the image of a young looking girl in her late teens, her soft blonde hair was neatly cut short. She wore a little white rose headband that peeked out from her hair. Emerald-green eyes popped out above her booze reddened cheeks.  She wore a lacey, cream-colored combat dress, with a pair of low heels on her feet. Leaning on the wall beside her was a great sword.  

"I..." She stuttered. "Thank you." she managed. "I need to find my Big Sisters." 

"Yeah..." the man leaned against a window sill, staring out into the burning cityscape. 

He was dressed in military trousers with boots. His shirt was gray, a brown hooded cloak draped over it. To his side he carried a sheathed katana. Six-Seven remembered its crimson red blade from when this human saved her from a Behemoth that had killed four of her Sisters. They died trying to protect a family of humans. The family still died anyway. 

"Uhm..." Six-Seven fidgeted. "Here..." She tenderly offered the bottle of whiskey back to him. 

"I told you. I can't get drunk anymore. You keep it." He said, reaching down to something laying on the window sill. It was metal skull mask. 

The man brought it close to his face, before stopping. 

"There is a contingent of Holy Knights north of here. Just follow the main street. I think I saw a couple of you dolls with them." He said. "Good luck." The man said, channeling Shadow Nin. 

"Wait!" She reached out. 

The man stopped. 

"Please..." She fidgeted. 

"What?" He asked. 

"What's your name?" She managed. 

"I don't have one." He answered. 

The man turned the side of his face toward her, revealing a darkened socket of an eye, a single, burning coal like pupil at its center. 

"I'm just a Reaper now." 

Six-Seven awoke the next morning, shooting up and knocking over an empty bottle of whiskey. It clattered against the floor, creating a loud noise that rung in her ears and irritated her hangover. 

"Commander!" Hina busted down the door, sword at the ready. 

"Oh, Hina..." She noted, blocking her vision from the piercing sunlight. "You're okay." 

Hina sighed, lowering her blade and walking over to the Commander. She let her hug her, cradling the older Sister's head in her arms. 

Six-Seven cried again. And Hina was there for her big sister.