Final Despair

Makoto Naegi

The whirring of helicopters was all that could be heard for a while. We, the 14th division, consistent of myself, Kiri, Togami, Fukawa, and Hagakure, were off to rescue the hostages in Towa City. Hagakure was suited in an anti-Despair suit, and armed with some basic knockout rounds. I myself was in just a suit with a regular handgun. Kiri was pretty much the same. It was only Fukawa that was unarmed and in a normal sailor uniform. Of course, she had an alter ego that we had to keep under lock and key: Genocider Sho, a maniac killer with a signature of killing with unique scissors. The Future Foundation usually doesn't let Fukawa on official missions, but they decided that so long as Hagakure and/or Togami kept an eye on her and made sure nobody died, then she could come with. 

Maybe it was just me, but the ride was uncomfortable due to a mixture of worry over my little sister, and the fact that Fukawa kept making eyes at Togami. He seemed unaffected by it, but me with my history, those memories kept wanting to come back. It was mainly the times when I would lay down my life to protect Kiri, and all those nights wondering if I could ever work up the courage to tell her how I felt. Though, once I turned 18, I was officially ready to join the Future Foundation, and after my 19th birthday, I was assigned to the 14th division, with Kiri as the head. Though one thing I kept wondering was why Asahina wasn't assigned to our division as well. Perhaps she was of use elsewhere.

"I hope you're ready for what lies ahead, Naegi." Kiri said out of nowhere. I was a little shocked, but it was too late to turn back now. I nodded, not wanting to talk much in the hopes of keeping my emotions down.
"It seems that there will be a patrol of the Warriors near where the hostages were last sighted." Togami said, going over the mission details. Taking out my eHandbook, I looked over the plan myself: persons of interest were Komaru Naegi, my little sister, and a guy with long black hair called Izuru Kamakura. We were to get them, gather as much intel as possible on them, and return to base safely. No casualties on either side needed. It was a good plan. Still, I had my concerns.

Once we landed, we were a ways off from the point. Kiri and I took the lead, with Fukawa following behind Togami and Hagakure bringing up the rear. For some reason, Tengan was insistent that we bring extra ground soldiers for protection. There was nothing here except ruins. Even so, Hagakure seemed on edge. He kept his rifle up at all times, slowly turning every now and again to keep an eye on everything. Nothing stirred. Nothing jumped out. It was silent. 
"Man, who knew an old city would be this freaky, huh?" Hagakure said, breaking the eerie silence. He let out a chuckle, though we all knew what he was feeling.
"I guess so." I replied, too much on my mind to go any further.

Suddenly, a black streak darted from the corner of my eye. Looking, I saw nothing. But a white streak caught my other eye, but still, there was nothing! What the hell? 
"We got company, 6 o'clock!" one of the soldiers cried, letting out a storm of bullets. It was a giant bear! Well, more specifically, it was a swarm of black and white bears. The shape was familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I didn't have enough time to concentrate; they were taking out our escorts and we needed to act. Bringing my gun up in front of me, I aimed down the top and fired a couple shots, bouncing harmlessly against them. I slowly began to back up, before converting into a full-on dash away. They seemed unending. Maybe hundreds of them in hot pursuit. That's when something odd happened: an explosion was set off, causing an old building to topple and block the bears. Some were crushed, but that's where our luck ended.

We were too far away from our main objective, and the swarm of bears didn't look like it would let up any time soon. We had lost all but two of our support soldiers, and we were exhausted. Hagakure leaned against the building and slid down it, taking his helmet off. His wild hair exploded everywhere, and I couldn't help but smile at it. I sat down myself, taking a deep breath. Things had gone south fast. Did they know we were coming...? No, that couldn't be it. There must have been scouts or something. Maybe those bears had something to do with it. Before I could think any more on the subject, I heard a voice yell "Look out belooooww!"