Fragments

Ch.33 - Your Creator Wants You Back

Though it didn't rain, the scenery was despondent enough regardless…

Next to a small tower with a stone cross built on its rooftop, which acted as a religious, protective ward against Reapers from the Zenshin, a fenced-off cemetery vast in size was located.

A group of men and women stood around an open grave, clothed in grievous shades of white.

The tears of the parents soil the ground…

Cold winds of autumn carried warmly coloured leaves through the vicinity, softly accompanying a priest's eulogy.

Reuel, regardless of disrespectful appearance, hid his tattooed hand in a pocket…

And a coffin slowly descended into the earth, marking another deceased Guardian in a graveyard made specifically for them.

Upon conclusion, everyone scattered… Or so they wanted to.
The sight of Rosea standing face to face with Reuel, glaring up into his eyes with tearful fury, turned heads and spelled nothing good.

"What is it," the man asked with a raised brow, maintaining his wide, intimidating stance and displaying a neutral expression, disinterested in the idea of attempting to understand his teammate's emotions, as he had no lack of his own.

"If you weren't so… Goddamn selfish…"
Within a moment, hard, chitin armor covered the girl's fist, and she unleashed a hook so powerful, so wide, she stumbled and nearly fell after executing it, a small spray of blood forcing its way out from between the teeth of her scapegoat.
"He could've still been alive!!"

To everyone's shock, Reuel refrained from diverting the blow in any way…

It twisted his head to the side, forcing his vision to bleakly point downwards, while fresh blood trickled from his mouth, staining a few stalks of grass.

From Asuma to Ku's parents, nobody attempted to interrupt their conflict, either from shock or feeling it was a just action to take.

Rosea rushed off immediately after, leaving the man as the center of attention, yet simultaneously secluded from everyone…

"Yeah," he thought, wiping his lip while watching the girl's silhouette grow distant amidst shrubbery, "I guess he could have…"

A few hours after the burial of one of her subordinates concluded, Asuma quietly entered her office, setting a freshly bought pack of beer cans on her table.
Like everyone else, she wished to be alone and deal with a hexing influx of emotions in her own, personal way…
However, she'd first delve into a small, taped-on note she had found hanging from her light gray door.

With a heavy sigh, she leaned back in a cushioned armchair, cracking open a foamy can of concentrated escapism and unfurling the piece of paper.

She had some assumptions about its contents, but they didn't make reading it any less heartrending…

"Dear Miss Asuma, I'm leaving this letter as a final goodbye to you and the team, as I've already announced my resignation to Aegis.
First I want to say that despite my bad blood with Reuel, I don't mean to come off as hateful… Actually, I wish to apologize. In the end, I know everyone just tried their best – but I can't live as a Guardian anymore.
Although I entered full of conviction, determined to overcome my lacking talent for combat, I ended up only dragging down others… I wanted to help humanity, protect it as a means of gratitude to my parents for providing me with a good childhood, but I very quickly found my limits when faced with crises. Now that Ku, a man I've loved, has passed away, I can't bear staying inside the Station any longer. I'll move on, possibly finding work in charities, or something… Nevertheless, I'm thankful to you, Miss, for always being honest, and having a relaxed, though unconventional approach that allowed me to feel like I'm at home.
Please, tell the others I wish them success on their missions, and I'm grateful for the innumerable offers for help I've received.
I hope my departure won't be too big of an inconvenience, and I pray you'll find better, valiant replacements for us both."