CALAMITY CORE : FREE THE WORLD

CH.21 'BEYOND THE WORLD'

Andrei awoke on an old bench, covered by what at some point or another could be considered a bus stop, or something of the sort. Rain pattered down on the roof of the thing, and fell through a crack in the wall, soaking his calf and dripping down to his foot. He grumbled, sitting up with a pain in his back, then looked around. His neck popped, as did his spine, and as he set everything into place, he noticed the tents lined up against the wall of a large building which had been partially destroyed.

He had another of those familiar nightmares, but this time, something felt different. He had seen something in his dream which had stirred a memory from deep down in his amnesiac brain... a familiar song? As he looked away from the building out to the rain-soaked street, he hummed the tune, a slow, upbeat tune, and he smiled.

Within the hour, the rest of the group had awoken. Still sitting in their tents, it was Inoshishi and Hattori who invited Andrei to join them for breakfast. They cooked with canned goods and the tip of Inoshishi's flaming-hot spear. Andrei, while still hung-up on that song, couldn't help but enjoy what was perhaps one of the most fulfilling meals of his life. They ate, and Inoshishi opened his first drink, and by the time they had finished, the rain had stopped and the Akoto twins Saionji and Shimoda had come out to take in the sight of the fading Tokyo skyline.

Its distance was utterly appalling to them. They had never been so far in their lives, having simply made do with the ruins around the Guild before their leaving. There was something to it that was almost daunting, revealing the true scale of the world to everybody, though Saionji and Shimoda in particular found it quite honestly awe-inspiring. Andrei approached them, and Shimoda greeted him openly, but Saionji seemed hesitant. "Yo, 'Drei, what's up man! Why'd you sleep out in the open last night?" Shimoda questioned.

Andrei shook his head, then gave an awkward shrug and a scratch of his hair. He didn't honestly want to say why... because he thought they didn't trust him still, but he still had to say something. "Eh, the rain sounded nice on the roof of that bus stop. First time I've been able to sleep well in a while, I think."

That wasn't a lie either. He felt refreshed for some reason... and he could still feel Ra's warm claws on his shoulder, as though they were there. The song on the television was still playing in his head. He smiled, and so did Shimoda. "Huh? Cool, glad to see you're doing good!" Shimoda offered his friend a high-five, and Andrei reciprocated the gesture.

Shimoda turned to his sister after the show of friendship and questioned her next. With a smile still on his face, he asked mostly out of courtesy. "What about you, Sis? Did you sleep well too? Or was it just us?"

Saionji looked at Shimoda with a conflicted look, almost as though they had some sort of conversation before this. Looking away, off to the side and towards the ground, she gave a curt nod, and her emerald eyes caught in the light as she thought... there was really no reason to be acting how she had been, or so she began to think. "Yeah, I guess I did."

With a look at Andrei, both twins heard Inoshishi and Hattori finding their way out of their tents, taking it upon themselves to pack up the camp for the day. The trio looked over at the two men as they worked, and Shimoda turned back to Andrei. "You don't think you're gonna' carry everything another day, right? Especially with how we're finally getting outta' Tokyo, at least according to that map we saw yesterday!"

Saionji offered a slight smile at her brother's youthfulness, and she sighed. Locking eyes with Andrei, she held her smile. "I know I haven't offered a hand yet, but I will, if you want to enjoy the scenery when we get out of the dead zone."

Andrei shook his head, watching for a few moments as the last of the tents were packed. Once the bags were ready, he shouldered two on both of his sides, with one on his back. It was clear that he was straining himself, but he could still talk even with all the weight on his back... even after slipping the giant leather sheath which held his sword beneath the bags. "No, I'll do it. I've gotta'... Gotta' get stronger, you know? I'm the only one with my raw power."