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4 chapters to the system, folks!!!
Don't forget to add to library
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Kisame, still trying to wrap his mind around the revelation, hesitated before taking a step closer to Tatsuya. "AX379… You—"
Tatsuya held up a hand, stopping him. His face was unreadable, a mask of old scars and the will to keep moving forward, no matter the pain. "We'll talk later," Tatsuya muttered, his voice low and strained.
Kisame watched as Tatsuya walked out of the hall, his mind flooded with questions.
The Colonel's voice echoed in Kisame's ears. "Yes, that AX379. The one who deserted his post, vanished without a trace, and left everything behind like a coward."
Kisame glanced down the hall, the tension still heavy in the air. "Ran away?" he muttered to himself, trying to piece everything together. "What is he talking about?"
The Colonel's laughter broke through Kisame's confusion. "You really don't know, do you?" He shot Kisame a look of contempt. "This 'warrior' next to you is AX379—the infamous operative responsible for the 'rampage.' Ever heard of it?"
Kisame's heart skipped a beat. "The rampage? You mean the massacre? I thought an entire unit—"
The Colonel cut him off with a dark chuckle. "No, not a unit. It was him. Just him. 13,000 militants, all dead in a single day. Because of one girl."
Kisame turned to Tatsuya, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Why… what happened?"
The Colonel's voice grew colder. "It was a mission for two. Simple extraction and termination. But his partner, the girl, died. And Tatsuya—AX379—snapped. He killed everyone. Militants, undercover agents. Even allies. All because of that one girl."
Kisame stared at Tatsuya, his mind struggling to process the story.
"And here's the kicker," the Colonel continued. "Many of those militants weren't enemies. They were operatives, planted there. But Tatsuya didn't stop. He acted on rage, on grief."
Tatsuya remained silent, each word tearing open a memory he could never forget. The Colonel's words were cold facts, but the pain behind them was something only Tatsuya truly understood.
The Colonel's gaze hardened. "After the massacre, I gave him two options: undergo training, or kill a civilian and vanish forever."
Kisame blinked, his heart racing. "And he chose the second?"
Tatsuya's silence was all Kisame needed to hear.
The Colonel scoffed. "He ran, like always. But no matter how far he goes, the truth always catches up."
Tatsuya's past was now laid bare. All Kisame could do was watch as Tatsuya walked away, his footsteps heavy with the weight of his past and his future uncertain. The silence hung in the air, thick and tense.
Just as he was about to leave the room, Tatsuya halted. His body stiffened, and he slowly turned back, his gaze locking onto the Colonel with a death glare so intense that Kisame could've sworn he saw Yama, the god of the afterlife, staring back at him.
"Everything that's been happening to me… Don't tell me you were behind it all." His voice was low, but it carried a deadly edge.
The Colonel said nothing, his expression unreadable.
Tatsuya's eyes burned with rage, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. "Just pray that I don't find any clue of your involvement in Miyuki's death." His voice wavered, though his fury remained unshaken.
"We both know the unit was compromised. If—no, only if—I find you had a hand in it…" He paused, his jaw tight. "Trust me, it won't end pretty. I don't mind a rampage again if it's for her."
With that, Tatsuya turned on his heel and left without another word, his presence leaving a trail of unresolved rage and sorrow in his wake.
Kisame, horrified by the sudden shift in the air, turned to the Colonel, his voice trembling. "Colonel, is it safe to let him go just like this?!"
The Colonel remained silent, his eyes narrowed as he watched Tatsuya disappear down the hall.
Tatsuya reached his allotted room, the weight of everything finally crashing down on him. As soon as the door closed behind him, the fury that had fueled him in front of the Colonel vanished, leaving only the raw, unbearable ache. His chest felt like it was caving in, as if an invisible hand was crushing him from the inside out.
He barely made it to the bed before his knees buckled beneath him. His hands shook as he buried his face in his palms, trying to hold back the storm of emotion that threatened to break free. But no matter how hard he tried, the dam was already cracking.
Memories of that day, the day he had spent years trying to forget, came rushing back. A flash of her smile, that radiant, carefree smile that had always lit up even the darkest corners of his world. Her voice, so soft, so full of life, now only an echo in the recesses of his mind.
"Miyuki…"
His voice broke as he whispered her name,
his body trembling as he tried to suppress the sobs rising in his chest. His vision blurred as tears spilled down his cheeks, falling freely now, despite his best efforts to keep it all inside.
"Miyuki…"
The tears came harder, faster, and the pain, sharp and relentless, twisted in his gut. He had held it together for so long, buried it deep, but here, alone in the silence, there was no one to hide from. No need to pretend. He cried, his sobs breaking through the walls he had so carefully built around his heart. His shoulders shook violently as he clutched the sheets beneath him, seeking something, anything, to anchor him to the present.
But all he could see was her face.
For what felt like hours, he wept, his heart shattering over and over again. The weight of her absence, of his failure to protect her, tore him apart. He would give anything to hear her laugh again, to see that spark of mischief in her eyes. But she was gone. Gone, and there was nothing he could do to bring her back.
His sobs quieted, but the pain didn't fade. It lingered, like a wound that refused to heal. And as the exhaustion finally took over, dragging him into a restless sleep, the last thing he heard was the echo of her name on his lips.
He found himself standing in the middle of a field, the sky overhead a mix of fading sunlight and darkening clouds. The air was cool, almost unnervingly still. He glanced around, feeling an eerie sense of familiarity wash over him, though he couldn't place where he was.
And then he saw her.
Miyuki stood a few feet away, her back to him, her long dark hair swaying gently in the breeze. She was wearing the same clothes she had worn that day—the last day he had seen her alive. His breath caught in his throat.
"Miyuki…"
She didn't turn, didn't acknowledge his voice. But he knew it was her. He could feel it in every fiber of his being.
"Miyuki!" he called again, louder this time, taking a step toward her.
Still, no response.
He started running, his heart pounding in his chest. The distance between them seemed to stretch endlessly, no matter how fast he moved. She remained just out of reach, always one step ahead.
"Miyuki, please!" His voice broke, desperation clawing at him as he reached out, his fingers aching to touch her, to pull her back, to hold her one more time.
But she was slipping away.
And then she turned. Her face was soft, gentle, and for a brief moment, he saw that same smile, the one that had always made everything seem okay. But as quickly as it appeared, it faded, and in its place was something else.
Blood.
Her body was drenched in it, her chest soaked red where the wound had been, the wound he hadn't been able to prevent. Her eyes, once filled with warmth and life, were now hollow, staring at him with a sadness so deep it shattered him all over again.
"Miyuki…" His voice was barely a whisper now, his legs giving out beneath him as he dropped to his knees.
Her lips parted, but no words came. Instead, a tear slipped down her cheek, mixing with the blood, and her hand reached out to him.
But before he could touch her, she faded, dissolving into nothingness, leaving him alone in the cold, empty field.
Tatsuya woke with a start, his body drenched in sweat, his heart racing as if it were about to burst from his chest. His breath came in ragged gasps, his hands shaking uncontrollably as he clutched the bedsheets, trying to ground himself.
For a moment, he wasn't sure where he was. The room was dark, shadows stretching across the walls. His heart still hammered in his chest, the remnants of the dream clinging to him like a suffocating blanket.
He wiped at his face, only to find his cheeks wet with tears. His hands trembled as he realized the dream hadn't been just a dream—it was a reminder. A reminder of the pain he had tried so hard to bury, of the loss he could never escape.
The weight of her absence pressed down on him, heavier than ever. The image of her bloodied form lingered in his mind, taunting him, reminding him of his failure.
"Miyuki…"
Her name left his lips in a broken whisper, his chest tightening with the weight of emotions he had long tried to suppress. Curling into himself, Tatsuya buried his face in his hands, trembling as the memory of her smile—the warmth in her eyes—flashed before him, only to be replaced by the cold, unyielding finality of her absence.
He had lost her, and there was nothing he could do. No matter how many battles he fought, how many enemies he eliminated, it was her memory that haunted him the most. A love he could never save. A guilt he could never escape.
Sleep wouldn't come. Not tonight. Not with the ghosts of his past lingering so heavily in his mind.