xXx

The sun was just overhead as the ceremony began, it was a heartfelt one. Many people had shown up. This did include the man's entire team. The clouds were far and few in between, located in the center of the naval base. It had only been one night since they had learned the news yet there they were, standing beside at least a hundred other people all of which were there to see Derrick Clark Jr. off to a fitting end. He had passed away just two days ago peacefully. The young spotter had never woke up from that fateful coma. His body lay in the mahogany casket, still, but peaceful if nothing else.

"It is with my utmost regret to preside over such a ceremony, but we're here to honor our fallen brother today. He fought a hard battle against the power of fate, and was injured not long ago in an Afghanistan mission with his comrades and friends, sustaining many life threatening injuries that he was never able to recover from." Spirit began tears beginning to well up in his eyes, as he wiped them dry and tried to continue on as the sun beat down on the crowd gathering.

"I feel there are far better people than myself to speak for Clark Jr. but seeing as his father cannot be here it is left to me, He leaves this world with many people to remember his name. His courage and his ultimate sacrifice. His team will forever remember him as a great friend. Derrick Clark Jr, was survived by his father, Derrick Clark Sr." Emotions were high as Spirit scanned the crowd looking over all the faces of people who were here to remember and honor the young Navy SEAL. The sun shouldn't be shining so brightly on such a sad day, but it was probably for the best if it continued to do so.

"He will be honored with a three rank promotion upon death in service to this country. So please let us all remember Rear Admiral Derrick Clark Jr. for the man he was and the man he will always be in our minds and hearts. He was never once a selfish person and always put his team before himself." The speech continued on or rather eulogy...Soul didn't care..he had lost a friend, the twenty-one gun salute was coming up he could feel it in his bones. Aching is all Soul felt anymore, as he slowly slid away from the main crowd of people who had gathered.

"Soul, I'm glad we were able to serve together for so long, it's not fair how this chapter of our lives is to end but I couldn't be happier to see you leave this life." Mifune looked down at Soul who was just sitting in the shade away from the crowds of people, the defeat written all over the white haired man's face.

"Under your command we did many amazing things no ordinary team could have accomplished." Soul looked up with a faint smile, his shark toothed grin was seen for the first time in what seemed like years. "Do you think any of us will be able to lead a normal life after this? Considering the Navy views us as dead men?"

"I think you'll do just fine, just settle down and live a good life. That's all Derrick would have wanted you to do. Find someone and make her happy. Got it?" Mifune smiled down towards Soul who couldn't help but grin at that statement.

"Perhaps you're right, but I wouldn't know where to begin with just any normal girl, I'm battle scarred beyond belief. No woman would want that kind of baggage, and I wouldn't blame them in the slightest." Soul's eyes saddened a bit at the thought. "I wonder how Brandon is doing, he hasn't talked since we heard the news. He must be completely losing his mind by now."

"Well take care Soul, I don't know if we'll be seeing each other anytime soon, but I've got a lot of paperwork to fill out before I leave and I'm sure it's the same with you as well. Just remember take it easy from here on out." Mifune said walking away from Soul waving one last time at his friend.

The sun was still bright as it began falling down towards the horizon, it was late afternoon now, the ceremony had ended and Derrick Clark Jr. was laid to rest finally. The day seemed to go by quick, quicker than it should have at least. Soul walked mindlessly towards the officers' barracks that he would call home for the last two weeks of his career with the Navy. Brandon got stuck in the enlisted barracks where as Mifune was stuck in the high rank officers' quarters. They were all separated for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.

Last night kept playing in Soul's head however, he couldn't keep the thought of what Gauntlet said off his mind, he did want to know who that man truly was, but did it matter anymore? He would be gone anyhow, and the information seemed so meaningless. The young white haired man stood a few feet from the officers' barrack and looked towards the ocean, he was still going insane. Blackness was all that he felt, it was nothing new he thought but it wouldn't change how it felt to him on the inside.

"Hey Soul!" The rough looking man heard a familiar voice from behind him...he hadn't heard that voice in so long he nearly forgot the sound of it, and who it belonged to. He swung around on his heels to point in the direction of it and was met with ash blonde hair and two arms slung around him.

"Hey Maka...you know it doesn't look good for an ensign to be hugging a dead man." Soul tried to make a joke of the situation, which earned him a confused and slightly frustrated look.

"What do you mean dead man, you look pretty alive to me!" The blonde poked his chest with a grin and reattached herself to him.

"I'm being discharged, honorably of course, but it doesn't change how I feel.." Soul looked down at her trying to escape her grip, but ultimately giving up. Once Maka found something she wanted he knew damn well it was impossible to get away.

"You don't want to get out of this life?" Perplexed was the only emotion she could show, she thought he would be happy despite what happened earlier today.

"It isn't really that." Soul sighed as he started thinking back towards the past, faintly remembering his friends voice.

Soul sat on his cot looking down at his new jacket he had just received. Four months of training with the elites, he was now one of them, a Navy SEAL. He had yet to be assigned to a team, but he was hopeful. He was the top of his class in his specialty which was long range sharpshooting, otherwise known as a sniper. He took this path to make a difference in the word, he felt it was the right decision.

"Sullivan Evans?" a voice jolted him out of his thoughts and directed him towards a man the same age as himself, his hair was pitch black, except for three horizontal white stripes. His eyes were the color of pure gold.

"Yeah, hey." Soul looked at the man confused but extended his hand to him nonetheless.

"I'm Derrick Clark Jr, rank of Ensign. You'll be joining my team and I'm going to assume you're as good as the paperwork says you are?" Derrick took Soul's hand and shook it firmly smiling.

"Petty Officer 1st Class Sullivan Evans, call me Soul. Nice to meet you and I won't disappoint." Soul smirked as he patted his jacket with his free hand.

Soul smiled at the thought of first meeting Derrick, it wasn't any normal day that there would be a top class spotter that he would instantly become best friends with, he hated the idea of it at first. As they worked together though he wanted no one else to have his back and wanted to keep it that way as long as he could. Of course paradise had to end sometime, and it ended abruptly.

The former sniper's smile faded though just like the memory of his friend, all that was left was despair, all sense of hope was gone. He felt alone in the world and empty. Even though the sun was shining brightly still, painting the buildings a deep orange, he couldn't help but feel the depression set in, and it was just like he thought he would be a statistic.

"Hell if you're going to look so damn gloomy just find a dark place to crawl into then, you're making the entire base a gloomy place with that look." Star sighed as he sat down beside Soul on the dock.

"You're just as put out by this decision as I am...it sucks..it's so fucking stupid." The shark toothed man seethed while looking out towards the water.

"I will adapt, it does suck right now but I think we can push through it no problem. We're all strong guys, Mifune has already been in talks about getting a job for him and myself once we're discharged fully." The blue haired loud mouth yelled, or at least it seemed like yelling.

"Lucky you..I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. I feel like I'm just pushing myself towards the inevitable end of my life. There isn't anyone waiting for me, I have no one to go home to. My family pretty much disowned me..." Soul sighed, he felt he had come to a dead end, no where left for him in this fucked up miserable world.

"Here's to Kid! He lived a good life, a short one but a good one." Mifune raised his glass to the men sitting with him around a table at a bar close by off of base. Glasses clattering together, all of the men wanted to celebrate his life not mourn his death.

"He was one hell of a man, better than most of us." Star sighed as he slug the glass back emptying it in one quick, swift motion.

"He would have never condoned us drinking to his memory however, he was a big stiff." Mifune chuckled, There was no other way of putting it, he was probably rolling in his grave. The even bigger thing was his best friend didn't show up to the gathering. Soul had been out of sight and out of mind most of the day.

The small group of men continued talking loudly about their fallen friend, they tried to remember the good times and the hopeful good ahead of them as this stage of their lives closed. Mifune, Star, Spirit, Reaver, and Sid sat around the table, it was an eventful year they all shared. It was a tragic one as well, the men had grown close despite all of the conflict between them. It was a group of friends, but the hole would always remain. The distance seemed to grow between them as the night went on, Star had left earlier in the night, Spirit and Reaver were at the bar shouting towards the bartender, Mifune and Sid sat quietly at the same table as before and just enjoyed each others' company one last time.

"I wonder how Soul is taking all of this, he has always been the most soft hearted of us all.." Mifune finally broke the silence between Sid and himself, looking over to his long time enemy, now friend.

"That poor kid just hasn't been the same since the Brazil campaign..he's a tough one though, I have no doubt whatever he is doing or wherever he may be..he'll do just fine." Sid stated, sipping on a glass of caramel colored liquid, which has been diluted by ice that melted long ago.

"I suppose you're right, I just worry about those guys...they're family, they're honestly like sons to me...I've lost one I don't want to lose anymore..I trained Star and Soul into the men they've become." Mifune reminisced about his first experience of training with all three of his boys as he liked to call them.

"WAKE UP YOU LAZY ASSES!" Mifune barked at the three men who had overslept, strung out on their cots.

"Mifune, why...do you always have to be sooooooo loud..." Soul's crimson eyes slid open as he was met with the menacing glare of his commanding officer.

"He's done this as far back as I can remember. He's always quite punctual." Gold eyes flecked into existence as Kid awoke. Stretching stiffly and letting out a more than unnecessary groan.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to accomplish anything with kids like yourselves, you seriously couldn't wake up on time to save your lives." Mifune glared at the two who had woke up to his screaming and diverted his attention towards a certain blue haired lump on a cot "and this one will never wake up no matter what!" He screamed at the lump.

"Don't bother with him, whatever you do, don't mention the possibility of food. That would never work." Soul commented sarcastically, motioning towards the lifeless lump still in the cot.

"Well I mean...I guess it could be a buffet." Mifune deadpanned, he couldn't believe a tactic like this would wake that dumb ass up.

"DID SOMEONE MENTION FOOD!" The lifeless lump became very animated as sheets were flung every way possible and the young man known as Star woke up in the most outrageous way possible.

"Dumb ass" The other three men sighed in unison, the start of something great was happening with those four men, but they didn't realize the very tragic end it would have.

Soul sat secluded in his darkly lit room, he had been contemplating what his next move was going to be all day. The ceremony ripped him apart, this whole situation ripped him apart. Maka definitely was no help to him at this point, all he wanted to do was break down. He wasn't the man that everyone wanted him to be, he wasn't a man at all he told himself repeatedly. He was a coward and a killer. His hands stained with the blood of innocent people and that of people who he had no name for, staring at his hands he simply sighed.

The white haired, now former sniper sat on his cot as he moved his hand slowly over his bed sheets, feeling the silky touch of comfort for the first time in years it seemed. This comfort was fake however, he knew he didn't have much of a choice to make. He knew it would never be the same, Kid was gone, and his life was effectively over. He looked down at his normal Navy fatigues and the golden leaf that has been branded into his jacket. 'Lieutenant Commander Sullivan Evans, it had a good ring to it.' He thought silently as he knew the thought was in vein as he would never be addressed as such.

A shark tooth grin formed on his face as he let the jacket slide down to the floor, he had no other choice, he couldn't return to a normal life. Not after all of his decisions, most importantly after all the sins he had committed. The jacket falling had revealed his plan, Soul held his service sidearm, a SIG Sauer P226 pistol. Nine millimeter parabellum bullet, locked into the chamber, his finger caressed the trigger carefully. This would be his goodbye to the world that left him for good. He inhaled deeply, lifting the gun to his temple and pulling the hammer back. -Click-

AN: This is the final chapter of What We Must Endure, I hope you all have enjoyed this very short journey. As always, reviews are incredibly welcome constructive criticism helps me become the author you all what to read. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey, I do have some plans for a sequel, but I have no idea whether or not it would be worth continuing it.

Thanks everyone!

-Jett