Chapter 212 - They Are Not Forgotten
Chapter 212 – They Are Not Forgotten
"So this is your godson you're so fond of," Kado said in amusement.
"Most certainly," Anzai said chuckling patting Hiro on the head, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
"Anzai always talked about you since he became general" Kado said grinning.
Hiro blushed slightly.
"Say, what about Tori?"
"Oh he had to stay behind"
"Wow, I don't believe it, humanity's first base on the surface after 3 years… I never thought we would see this moment and now look at you guys… all heroes" he grinned, raising his glass of beer.
"It's not over yet… there's something out there causing all this… the thing that took my comrades," Hiro said faintly with a clenched fist.
At his words Kado drops his glass, his looks saddened.
"We have lost so much and yet we aren't still halfway done, we're still at war… how can we be celebrating"
"You haven't shown him yet huh?" Kado said.
"I haven't shown any of them," Anzai said scratching the back of his head.
"What are you guys talking about?" Hiro asked puzzled.
"Go round up the other's Hiro, there's something I wanna show you guys," Anzai said with a warm smile.
Hiro was puzzled, but he did as he was told, getting off his chair heading towards the other.
"Hey Commander Shino," Hiro said.
"Hmm" Shino made a sound, turning to him.
"General Anzai wanna see all of us"
***
Kazuya slurps her beer before dropping the glass on the table.
"You should take it easy… the effect on this is gonna hit like a bitch in the morning," Touka said with worried eyes speaking from experience.
"Yeah yeah I know it hurts so bad but it doesn't compare to my heart," she said hiccuping.
Touka's eyes grew wistful.
"You miss him?"
Kazuya sniffs pouring more beer into her cup.
"This war is no way over, so I guess the happy ending is overrated," she said giggling drunk.
"Kazuya" Touka began.
"I didn't tell him how I feel… I didn't tell him how much I love him" she began tearily.
"Now he's at the surface, miles away… I was so scared to hear him say it because I didn't want it to be the last thing he's gonna ever say to me" she cried.
Touka placed a hand on hers.
"I just don't get any of this… why would this stupid virus destroy the world to a point of no return.. look at us, hiding under a base for how long"
"We're not gonna stay here forever okay? Once we get the Queen Kaiju all this is gonna be over… she's the one who controls them, we end this by stopping her and then we end this war, we no longer have to hide" Touka assured her.
"I wanna see him again," Kazuya says sobbing.
"You will," Touka said as her hold tightens on her hand, for a brief second her gaze turned to Anzai discussing with someone.
"The truth is we all want this war to end so that we can be free to have a happy life… humanity has to get back what it has lost" she states turning back to Kazuya who has her eyes on her.
"When are you gonna tell him huh?"
Touka stiffens at her question.
"It's obvious the way you look at him, I use to too with Tori"
Touka turned her gaze back Anzai.
"There's this feeling he has… I can't really explain it but it's like something is holding him back… I heard he use to be married"
"So you think that's what's stopping him?"
Touka gave a slight nod.
"And more," she said with trembling eyes.
***
"A party in the crisis we're in," Mosu said huffing, slurping his soda.
"Yup a day we just have to forget all the hell we have been through, for a change," Raiden said.
Mosu rolled his eyes.
"Yeah well it won't change a thing"
"Yeah, it won't," Raiden said sighing.
"But today we party… tomorrow we think of war," Raiden said cheering.
"Hey guys, General Anzai wants to see us," Ren said walking up to them.
***
"Yumi are you okay?" Mirai asked sitting beside her seeing her down looks.
"You know seeing everyone on this base… I'm sought of seeing the meaning to why we fight" Yumi said with a smile against her lips.
"We're are given this opportunity to protect everyone on this base, despite how little we're… look at the smile on their faces, they look so happy after what they have been through for years" she adds for trembling eyes.
Mirai placed a hand on her shoulder with a smile against her lips.
"I wanna get stronger Mirai-chan so that I can protect them and you too," she said determined facing Mirai.
"Mirai, Yumi" Kaneki said walking up to them.
They faced him.
"General Anzai wanna see us".
***
The Bio-genetic walked the wide lobby headed to where they were called. They were still on level 12 but a different section altogether.
"What's with the smiley face Ten?" Himari asked giggling.
"Nothing just met someone special," Ten said blushing.
"Hmm… a girlfriend maybe" she teased making Ten blush more.
Haya's look turned downhearted.
"What's with the face Haya?" Mary asked noticing her look but she did poke her so that she would look at her, she repeated her words.
"Nothing," Haya said looking away.
"Why did General Anzai ask to see us?" Yuki asked.
"I don't know he just said we should meet him out here," Hiro said.
Up ahead they saw General Anzai.
"Well that's all of them," Anzai said turning to Kado beside him.
Kado nods leading the way, he leads them to a wide hall, at the end wall were pictures hung, as they got closer it got more defined.
"This is…" Usagi trailed off stunned.
The rest were in awe of what was before them.
About 74 pictures were well framed on the wall, arranged properly, along with dog tags against it to identify, below were a countless bunch of flowers, and offerings along with insects lighted.
"Our comrades we lost," Daiki said in recognition of the pictures.
"Prime Minister Kiyoshi made this place to honor the bio-genetics who fought honorably for humanity so that they would never be forgotten" Kado explained.
"It called The Wall Of The Fallen Heroes"
"I don't believe this" Ryu said stepping forward with tears in his eyes.
"San," Mosu said walking up to his picture against the wall, the tears falling on their own accord.
"Asano," Raiden said with trembled eyes seeing her picture.
"Rin" Ren said in tears.
The bio-genetics stared at the pictures with emotion.
Yuki's sad eyes were fixed on Asano's picture.
Sumi stood before Akira and Izumi's picture.
"They are not forgotten they never were… and they shall each live in the memory of every civilian and every one of us," Anzai said sternly.
They broke in tears, silent cries and sobs could be heard, filling the hall as the bio-genetics mourned the loss of their fallen comrades letting out their grief and pain.
Hiro stood at the center amidst others crying, his blind gaze upon the hung framed pictures, he could sense the contents in structures.
A tear fell from one of his eyes his lips quivering.
Uknown Narrator: 'Pain… how do you stop it…'
Yumi cried her heart out, Mirai hugging her tightly, Kaneki sobbed using the back of his hands to wipe his tears.
Uknown Narrator: 'There's no stopping pain because it lives within us…'
Ten sobbing, drying his tears but they kept falling.
Uknown Narrator: 'But we learn to live with it'
The silent cries continued.
Kado watches them with extremely sad eyes, seeing the kids have really been through a lot.
'They shall forever be in our hearts… we shall forever remember them, our fallen Heroes who risked everything for Humanity'
***
Level 17: Bio-genetics Level
Room Hall
That night no one slept, all turned to the side on their beds with stern looks.
Hiro lay facing the ceiling.
'Life is a mysterious mix of beautiful, challenging, and painful experiences. No one can predict how it will unfold and we don't always understand why it unfolds the way it does'
'No one escapes pain, fear, and suffering. Yet from pain can come wisdom, from fear can come courage, from suffering can come strength – if we have the virtue of resilience…'
Hiro's fist clenched hard, he got off the bed.
***
Level 12: Civilains Level
Hiro was back before the Wall Of Fallen Heroes, seated before it, his legs crossed.
'When we are caught in a struggle with psychological problems we often put life on hold, believing that our pain needs to lessen before we can begin to live again'
Yuki came from behind seating beside him.
'When you have the power to accept an emotion, no person or condition can reject you, unless you reject you'
Shino and Ten came along, seating also, staring at the pictures, the lighted insects bringing out faint steam.
'Even in the most difficult of times, there is always a hidden blessing that exists under all the superficial stuff that we so frequently see. There is always a rainbow waiting to burst forth after the rain'
Kaneki, Mirai, Yumi, Ren, Ryu, Sakura, Emiko, Daiki, Kaname, Homura, Fuijo, Saho, Mosu, Raiden, Sumi, Mizuki, Mary, Haya, Usagi and Fuijo. They all came also seating down on the metal floor, crossing their legs, watching the pictures of their fallen comrades.
'You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along'
'For We Are Bio-genetics! And we strive to reclaim the surface!'