Author Notes: I would like to welcome you all to the pilot chapter of my new story. This is the first new story I've published in two years, and this has been a story that I've been considering to write for a while. I decided to publish this story today in honor of the localization for God Eater Resurrection in the West. I would like to think that similar to how the localizations for Tales of the Abyss 3DS and Tales of Graces in 2012 was a new spark of life for the Tales Series in the West that God Eater Resurrection and God Eater 2 Rage Burst's localizations would mark a new beginning for the God Eater franchise.
While I've been aware of the God Eater franchise for a while, I never invested time in it due to not having a PSP. Not to mention, when it appeared the series would not receive more localizations, it killed the interest I did have for it. However, I did watch the anime, and the beautiful animation did rejuvenate my interest, and I have read some of the related God Eater manga. I would definitely want that manga to be localized, and I'd be interested in reading the light novels because I'm all for expanding upon various characters. Needless to say, I was excited that God Eater and God Eater 2 would receive localizations for the PS4, and I will be supporting the series.
After watching the anime and reading the manga, I can definitely see why people would be disappointed about Yu not being the main character of it since he is the canonical protagonist of the first game. However, it is possible having Lenka as the protagonist was meant to establish the anime and game of being two different continuities rather than the anime being a faithful adaptation. I decided that Yu would be a major character of this story while leaving the option of Lenka appearing in this story later on being a valid option. However, whether or not I will do that is another matter entirely.
In addition to the anime, manga, and video game localizations catching my interest, reading certain fanfiction of God Eater inspired me to write my own story as well. It is a shame that there aren't more God Eater stories, but I can understand why due to how the series wasn't receiving localizations. Hopefully, between the anime and the recent localization, we will see an increase in God Eater stories in the near future. There is a great deal of potential for fanfiction, and I can only hope we will see that potential be reached.
As a side note, the names in this story will be done in Japanese order for the Japanese names. For example, while it would be Yu Kannagi in the West, it would be Kannagi Yu due to how Japan has family names come before personal names. However, I think if there are any characters with Western names, I might keep the name order the same.
Depending on the reception of this story, I may produce more chapters of it in the future. This first chapter has been a lot of fun. I was able to produce a rough draft within three days due to being highly motivated. Additionally, I have been making some plans to produce more along with chapters for my other stories. This is more than a plot bunny. I can feel it. In the meantime, I hope you will enjoy the first chapter and leave a review because I greatly appreciate written feedback.
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Past is Prologue
Story Arc One – Surviving in the Wild – Part I
Chapter One – Just Another Day
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A world without hope
Without hope there is no life
Hope needs to survive
/
Location: Japan
Date: June 28, 2068 – Early Afternoon
'What's past is prologue.' It was a wise saying written by a man long ago whose name was lost to history after the world's destruction. Regardless of the circumstances, it is a saying that remains true. The actions that take place in the past are what dictate the state of the present regardless of whether or not it was within a person's control to affect it. What became of this world was the case of the latter.
The world had become a decaying, desolate place. A majority of the world had become a barren wasteland with little to no nature to reclaim the world. The cities did not fare any better. The buildings that remained standing could be seen crumbling to dust. If this kept up, it was likely that one day there would be no buildings left and only rubble on the ground. In the outside world, besides the crumbling buildings and the occasional rusting piece of technology that worked, the only proof that human society truly existed at all were the small number of humans who were still alive to remember it which was dwindling by the day.
As the older generation could attest, the world did not always look like this. A long time ago or rather a lifetime ago, this desolate world used to be filled with life and beauty. Even the places that were already wastelands did not look as bleak as this world had become. Most importantly, humanity was on top of the food chain. However, when the Aragami came into existence, that all changed.
The Aragami were strange creatures that suddenly came into existence seemingly out of nowhere. They came in numerous shapes and sizes, but the most common Aragami was known as the 'Ogretail' which was considered one of the smaller ones, but it was still larger than a human by far. This particular Aragami had three appendages, two legs and a tail, but it did not make it any less deadly. Some Aragami had similar characteristics while others were completely different. Unfortunately, one thing they had in common was a desire for human flesh.
At this point, it was difficult to remember when exactly the Aragami came into existence. People had been attempting to survive these monsters for so long, it seemed as if they always existed. The number of people who lived in a world before they existed dwindled every day, so there were fewer witnesses. However, most people agree that it was around 2052 or 2053 that the first Aragami came into existence. Due to a lack of written records, it was difficult to be more specific than that or even know how or why they came into existence in the first place.
When the Aragami came into existence, it became a worldwide Armageddon. They devoured any and every one in their path. Their taste for human flesh could not be saturated. They may have been animals wishing to satisfy their hunger obeying the law 'survival of the fittest,' but most humans would only see them as monsters regardless of what logic was used.
Humanity attempted to fight back against the monsters, but human weapons proved to be ineffective. The best they could do was annoy, distract, or escape the monsters. Nothing more. Nothing less. Apparently, experiments discovered that only weapons made of the Aragami's cells had a chance of harming them. These weapons were known as 'God Arcs,' and the ones capable of wielding them were known as 'God Eaters.'
Despite how some people may feel that such a name was blasphemous, God Eater was a befitting name. Even with the weapons on hand, it was still a battle between David and Goliath. Because these creatures could not be harmed by normal human weapons, it was not unheard of for people to refer to these creatures as living gods hence why their name translates to 'violent god.' It was only fitting that the ones to wield weapons that could destroy them be known as 'God Eaters.'
Unfortunately, not everyone was capable of becoming a God Eater. Many people had to survive on their own. In this world, scavenging was not just an activity. It was a way of life. A means of survival. The chances of finding anything intact was slim to none, but finding anything that could be used as material to forge into something else could be the difference between someone living or dying down the road.
/
A pair of scavengers were quietly moving through the remnants of the city. As the two scavengers made their way through the decaying city's ruins, they both wore half masks to cover the lower half of their faces and googles to protect themselves from the harsh winds as well as any other elements that were produced by this wasteland of a planet. The two also made sure to wear gloves and thick hiking boots while they explored the area.
The scavengers were a brother-sister team, Kannagi Azumi and Kannagi Yu, who were scouting ahead for their group and hoped to find additional supplies to bring back. Both of them remained vigilante with each step they took. For all they knew, one noise could be enough to attract the attention of a nearby enemy that could be lurking around the corner. They kept their eyes open, and they did their best to cover the other's blind spots. However, like most things, despite their best efforts nothing was foolproof.
Azumi was twenty-two years old and was in charge of their little expedition as she had always been. Despite her young age, she had the appearance of a battle hardened warrior. She had a small diagonal scar that cut through her left eyebrow that barely missed her eye. If it had been an inch lower, her eye would have been torn from its socket. She had another scar that moved straight down her right cheek that was exceedingly wide and jagged. It looked as if someone created a fault line on her face. She did not care for her scars. Beauty was not on her priority list. Staying alive was.
In addition to her scars, she had short brown hair that would make someone seeing her from the back mistake her for a boy along with matching dark brown eyes. She was also far more muscular than most girls would be. Azumi was equipped with one handgun and a couple of knives. Both knives were placed on her left and right thighs while her gun holster was on her belt. Being the child of a former police officer afforded certain advantages, especially in this desolate world. She also made sure to always wear her gloves on her expeditions.
Yu, Azumi's her younger brother, was thirteen. He shared the same brown hair and eyes of his sister. Aside from a couple of small scrapes, he was relatively unscathed by comparison. Yu was less well equipped, but he did carry his own knife and his sister had been teaching him how to survive by utilizing what was around him to his advantage.
As they moved through the areas, Azumi's hand was never far from her gun or knives. Guns and knives may not be useful against those monsters, but that's not what they were for. Despite the apocalyptical state of the world or possibly because of it, there were more problems they had to worry about besides the Aragami. It was not a pleasant thought, but both Azumi and Yu knew that was the reality of the world they lived in now and accepted it long ago. Unfortunately, for all they knew, this would be the reality they would live in for the rest of their days.
The world before was a world that Azumi could barely remember, and it was a world that Yu had never known. However, they knew enough about it from their family and friends to know that the world was not always like that. 'What's past is prologue' were words that Azumi and Yu lived by. Their pasts made them who they were, and they would do what they could to affect their present and stay alive.
/
Azumi and Yu's group with was comprised of their mother, father, and several other families. They had been traveling together for some time, and their numbers grew over the first few years following the apocalypse, and they grew to know each well with their father as the leader. Various members of the group took on different roles, such as providing medical attention, lookout duty, as well as scouting and scavenging. Scouting and scavenging was usually what Azumi and Yu were entrusted with out of 'necessity.'
Over the course of their travels, they saw for themselves that there were still several areas in the world that had some plant life. There were areas that happened to be far away from human cities and settlements. As a result, they were fortunate enough not to share the same fate. Unfortunately, they were few and far between. The rest of the world was wasteland and desolate cities. In the end, it most likely wouldn't matter. Aragami would eventually show up in areas like that, and they would be its destruction. That was the current state of this world.
There was no safe haven once the Aragami set their sights on it. That's why unless something could be done about the Aragami, people were better off being nomads rather than creating a settlement. At the very least, a person who was moving would be readily able to run for their lives when the time came. Fenrir was one of the few exceptions to this rule.
Azumi and Yu's group were one of many human groups that attempted to migrate towards these God Eater bases in hopes they may be able to seek refuge and see some semblance of the former human world. However, it had been rumored that Fenrir was 'picky' about who they accepted and turned away, but they did not know any specifics outside of the rumors they heard from other random humans they happened to come across during their travels. Unfortunately, they were not high on options.
Despite their best efforts, there were still times when members of their group became victims due to Aragami attacks. As much as they didn't want to, they were forced to leave someone behind for the sake of the greater number. It was only a matter of time before all of them died unless they managed to find a true safe haven or some miracle purged the Aragami from existence. Death or a miracle were the only options.
/
After observing several different buildings, Azumi and Yu finally settled on one. It appeared to be the most together, and the chances of obtaining something useful were substantially higher. However, just like any other building they had been to, this one was crumbling apart. Broken piece of cement and stone littered the ground. They had to watch their step. They knew that even minor injuries could become fatal without immediate assistance. Even though they had a person with some medical knowledge, their supplies weren't exactly unlimited. They had to do their best to conserve what they had for as long as possible.
When they entered the building, they pulled down on their half masks and placed their googles on their foreheads. Without the googles on, they could see the interior of the build much easier. Azumi looked throughout the area before turning to her brother and ordering, "Okay Yu. Same plan as usual. You keep a lookout while I pick up what I can find."
"Right sis." Yu nodded, "You can count on me."
"If you see anything, and I mean anything," Azumi emphasized, "you call out for me."
Yu replied, "Yes sis."
Azumi demanded. "You got that?"
"Yes sis." Yu insisted, "I know the drill."
"Good. I'll try to be back as quickly as I can." A shiver ran up Azumi's spine as she said, "I got a feeling we probably shouldn't stay too long."
"You always have that feeling sis." Yu replied.
"And it's usually right." Azumi ordered, "Get in position." Seeing Yu follow her order, Azumi walked out of the room and began her search.
While Yu kept watch as usual, Azumi looked through the rooms of the decaying building. With each step she took, she could hear the building creak. It sounded as if she put any more weight it would cause the entire building to collapse. Given how much the world decayed, it was a distinct possibility.
Despite the unfortunate possibilities, Azumi knew she could not let that stop her. She pressed onward keeping an eye open for any supplies that could be salvaged and brought back to the camp. Azumi looked through every room she could and opened the remains of various draws and shelves. It was the normal routine when it came to scavenging. By checking every corner, she did find some things worth taking.
When it came to scavenging, anything that might have some use was fair game, especially metal. Anytime she found something that could be used, Azumi could not help but smile. "This could come in handy." Azumi said to herself as she placed it in the bag.
/
To describe lookout duty as being a dull activity would be putting it lightly. However, Yu understood he needed to do it just in case if anyone or anything came by. The last thing they needed was for someone to get them while both their backs were turned.
Yu preferred it when they brought at least one other guy with them which allowed him to pass the lookout duty to someone else. However, no one else wished to accompany this time either because they were preoccupied with other tasks or not wanting to. Their father was leading a group of his own, and Yu was glad they didn't have to babysit the 'scavengers' that went with him. As a result, Azumi and Yu had to make do with their limited options.
"Yawn." Yu opened his mouth as he yawned out of boredom. "Man. I hope sis doesn't take too long here." While Yu attempted to keep his guard up, it was very easy for him to let it down.
Creak.
Suddenly, Yu heard something behind him. He looked behind him to see whatever it was, was not his sister. Yu did not have a chance to wield his knife before he was tackled to the ground. However, he was able to shout, "Sis! We got company!"
Yu's knife was knocked to the ground, and a large muscular man lifted the boy from behind. That did little to render Yu docile as he brought his head down and then slammed it backwards to smash right into the man's chest. He did it again and again. He was not going to go down without a fight.
"Hah." The man laughed in amusement at Yu's resistance.
Unfortunately for Yu, his efforts were doing little against his captor. The man was far bigger and stronger than him. There was nothing that could be done to break free, but that did not stop Yu from trying as he kept attempting to squirm and kick his way out. However, his resistance came to an end the moment the man who was holding him held a knife to his throat.
"I'd stop if I were you." The man told him. "I don't really want to do this, but I will." His voice was saying one thing, but the smile while he held the knife said another.
When Yu came to a stop, Yu looked to see the man holding him captive was accompanied by three others. While Yu stopped resisting, it didn't stop him from giving this warning, "You better let me go if you know what's good for you."
"Oh really?" A dark haired man mockingly replied, "Why's that?"
"My sister will kill you all." From the tone of Yu's voice, it sounded like he was stating a fact, but it did little to unnerve his captives.
"Oh so the other person was your sister?" The man holding him captive smirked as he said, "This ought to be fun."
/
The moment Azumi heard her brother call out, she dropped her backpack and pulled her gun out of its holster. She moved quickly, but she didn't run. She remained vigilant until she rounded a corner to see four large men with one of them holding her brother hostage. There didn't appear to be any more than them. It seemed like they were all attempting to intimidate her into doing what they wanted.
"You might as well show yourself." The one holding her brother called out.
"I didn't plan on hiding." Azumi stepped out holding her gun.
As soon as the group holding her brother hostage saw her pointing a gun in their direction, two of them looked as if they were in need of a clean pair of pants as their arrogance was quickly replaced with terror and sweat. It was a sight Azumi normally found amusing. However, this time Azumi was all business. Her face remained sharp as she pointed her gun towards the man holding her brother. He responded by lifting her brother higher and putting the knife closer to his throat.
A shorter man with lighter hair shouted, "Holy shit! She has a gun!"
"Oh man!" A man with dark hair that went past his shoulders replied in horror, "I didn't see this coming!"
"Relax you two." The hostage taker remarked, "It probably doesn't have any bullets."
The hostage taker's right-hand man added, "Yeah it's not like bullets were ever easy to come by before the apocalypse."
As the four men talked among themselves, Azumi did a quick analysis of them. None of them appeared to have a gun of their own. Only the one who was holding her brother hostage had a knife, who appeared to be the ringleader. They were all muscular men, but they were 'underequipped.' Based on their reactions, none of them were particularly experienced dealing with survivors who fought back, which was just fine with her.
Azumi glared at the hostage taker as she continued pointing her gun right at him. "Well aren't you guys brave for taking a thirteen year old hostage."
The leader was undeterred by that comment as he continued to hold her brother captive with a knife inches from his throat. "A lot of nasty things are necessary to survive. Doesn't mean we like them." It was hard for Azumi to tell if he was being sincere or not, but she could care less.
Despite the circumstances, Azumi attempted to reason, "We don't exactly have much to steal. Pulling something like this is pointless."
"Anything is better than nothing." The leader replied, "I'm sure you can agree."
Azumi fixated on her target as she replied, "Almost, but not quite." He was not about to make her let her guard.
"Hmph. Anyway, so you're this kid's sister huh?" As soon as he got a good look at her face, he remarked, "Have to say you're kind of a letdown."
"You have other things to worry about." Azumi stated, "I'm sure I don't need to tell you what this is."
"It's a gun scar face, but I bet it's a fake or doesn't have any bullets." The leader was rather 'suicidality' confident to say the least. The smirk on his face was one Azumi wanted to erase.
"Are you sure you guys want to take that bet?" Azumi replied, "You might just regret it."
The man with darker hair replied, "Maybe we should listen to her. She looks really serious."
"Shut up!" The right-hand man replied, "That's enough out of you."
"I'm only going to say this once." Azumi steadied herself by holding the handle with both hands as she coldly threatened her brother's captor, "If you don't want a hole between your eyes, let my brother go, drop your weapon, and walk away. No one dies."
"Hah." The man raised his head in laughter at Azumi's threat. "I don't think so. Even if you did have bullets, you wouldn't shoot me! Not wit –"
Bang!
The man could not finish his sentence as a hole formed in the middle of his forehead. Azumi did not hesitate to pull the trigger after he failed to head her warning. If they did not listen to the first, she saw no point in giving another. Her finger began pressing on the trigger after he laughed, and she was sure she had a clean shot. The man moving his head was all she needed.
After she pulled the trigger, the gunshot roared throughout the remains of the building and echoed to the outside. The man's head jerked back as the bullet entered between his eyes and exited through the other side. He did not have time to process what happened to him before his mind went blank and his blood and brains became a decoration for the wall behind him. His body went limp as he fell down, and he could no longer grip the boy. Both he and the boy fell to the ground with a loud 'thud.' The man's eyes remained opened as they continued to stare blankly and lifelessly at the ceiling while a pool of blood formed underneath him.
The tip of the gun was hot from the bullet. Despite having more bullets, Azumi quickly holstered her weapon, and she pulled out her signature knife on her right thigh instead. It was a gift from a friend that was forged from material Azumi had gathered. The reach of the blade was slightly longer than any other knives she could choose for her arsenal, and the sharpness of the edges allowed her to cut through flesh easier. Needless to say, Azumi preferred to keep this one on hand.
It took a moment for the three remaining men to process what exactly happened. However, all it took was to see the lifeless look on their leader's face and the blood on the wall and floor for it to click. They all turned to the girl who had delivered this fate to their leader.
A reasonable person would most likely runaway from a dangerous person like Azumi after she demonstrated the capacity to utilize lethal force. However, they let anger and hatred overshadow that. Even the two that were originally fearful of her let their anger replace their terror as they barred their fangs at their new target.
"You bitch!" In that moment, the three remaining men paid no head to the boy on the ground. The girl who stood in front of them was all that mattered. She had to die. Nothing else mattered.
Two of the men ran at Azumi and attempted to hit Azumi at the same time. However, their lack of coordination did not do them any favors. Their fists hit nothing but air as Azumi ducked down. The two of them ended up crashing into each other.
Azumi wasted no time to conduct a counterattack on both of them. While Azumi was kneeling on the ground, she raised up her knife and stuck it through the light haired man's kneecap. Azumi could feel the knife break through the support structure of the man's leg as she her heard him scream out, "Gaah!" The man was forced onto his left knee while Azumi had her knife embedded in his right knee like it was Excalibur.
While keeping her knife in the light haired man's kneecap, Azumi punched the dark haired man right in his groin. It caused the man to bow over in pain as if he was paying respect or apologizing. From where Azumi was standing, he might as well as been apologizing for wasting his life. Azumi then jumped up pulling the knife from the first man's kneecap and delivered a crushing blow to the man's lower jaw with her right knee which sent him flying in the air.
Before the light haired man behind Azumi could attempt to recover from the wound, Azumi spun around with her knife in hand. She felt the blade cut through the tender flesh of the man's throat. She could feel the blade cut deep enough to sever his windpipe. She could literally feel his lifeline be severed. It was done in a swift motion that was finished before her victim could realize what happened before it was too late.
"Glurgh!" That was all the man could say as blood began pouring from his mouth and throat as he fell to the ground.
Azumi did not have time to admire her work as she turned to the last member of the group. However, she was unable to react as he tackled her to the ground which caused her to drop her knife. Before Azumi could recover, the man was on top of her and she could feel the fingers of the large man's hands encircle around her neck as they began to press into her.
"Gah!" She could feel his fingers and palms constricting around her trachea attempting to crush her windpipe like a straw.
As Azumi gasped for breath, she could see into the man's eyes. They were filled with nothing but rage that desired nothing more than to see her die right then and there. With each passing second, the man's fingers continued to squeeze air out of Azumi's body, and her face became as red as a tomato and tears were forming in the corners of her sockets.
However, despite feeling life drain from her body, Azumi's face did not become one of terror. Instead, she gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes as she stared at her enemy with defiance. She was not going to call for help or beg for mercy. She was not going to give him the satisfaction.
That look only made the man want to kill her more. Azumi attempted to pry the man's hands off with her right hand while attempting to grab her left thigh knife with the other. It was times like these she was glad she equipped herself with two knives. The man's attention was so fixated on Azumi's face, he did not pay attention to what her other arm was doing.
Azumi was successful in pulling out her other blade and she quickly stabbed him in the side of his stomach. She could feel knife break through the man's flesh. It was as if she was about to gut him like a fish when she began twisting the knife.
"Gah!" The large man definitely felt that, especially as Azumi twisted the knife. However, he did not try to do anything about it. His eyes remained fixated on Azumi's face. He was going to give it everything he had to finish the job. His grip slacked for a moment only for him to force himself to maintain his hold. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing that was going to stop him from making sure that this girl died. Even if it meant going down with her.
The man said to her, "You'll have to do better than that …"
Thud!
Before that man could finish his sentence, a rock collided into the right side of his face. Azumi could see the rock caused a couple of her attacker's teeth to become dislodged, and they went flying across the room. They could hear the teeth roll around like marbles when they hit the ground. Both his mouth and nose began to bleed, and the man's grip on her throat slackened considerably.
Azumi could hear Yu cry out, "Don't touch my sister!"
"Son of a …" The man began to curse.
The moment the man's grip loosened around Azumi's neck, she withdrew her knife from his gut and belted him with her right hand which caused him to roll over. Despite his superior size, Azumi's strength, his lack of readiness, and his blood loss weakened him considerably. Azumi quickly punched him a second time. Her fist managed to finish the job the rock started. When her fist smashed into the man's face, a loud cracking sound could be heard before his nose began bleeding like a faucet as he was knocked on his back.
Before the man had a chance to recover, Azumi was on top of him, and she wasted no time. Azumi held the knife above her head and plunged it down towards her enemy. He did not have a chance to cry out. She could feel her knife cut through the man's windpipe as if it was butter, and she twisted it. Then blood began emerging from the wound like a fountain.
"Glurgh!" The man began to cough as blood began emerging from his mouth as well as his throat. The man was not only dying from the blade in his throat. He was choking on his own blood. It was not a quick nor painless death by any means. However, Azumi did not care, especially after what happened.
This man was going to die. It did not matter how strong he was. No man could survive an injury like that. Azumi had seen it before. While the man was dying, Azumi got off him and noticed the other man she knocked to the side was getting up. However, he had no chance of recovery.
Yu held a rock over his head and brought it down on the dark haired man's head as hard as he could. Yu could feel the bone in the man's head shatter like glass underneath his attack which left a visible indentation in his forehead. The man's skull was utterly smashed by the blunt force trauma. He would not be getting up again. With the last man next to her about to die, all four of their enemies had been neutralized.
As the fire of life in the would-be strangler's eyes began to extinguish, the man continued to glare at Azumi. "Grarh!" The main continued to choke on his own blood as he attempted to raise his hands at her. However, he lacked the strength to do anything as the life began to drain from his body and he became limp. Within a matter of moments, the man's fire was snuffed out as he laid in a pool of his own blood that was ever expanding. Azumi paid him no mind as she attempted to wipe the tears that formed in her eyes as well the blood off herself. Shen then checked herself for injuries besides what he did to her throat.
Azumi placed her hand on her throat to feel that the man definitely left an injury on her neck. With her neck free and her enemies defeated, Azumi took a long deep breath. Luckily for her, she was sure that the man didn't do any permanent damage to her throat before Yu was able to conduct interference. It was a relief to feel the air enter her nose, move through her lungs and exit through her mouth with little trouble besides feeling sore as the air moved through her throat. Considering how she was nearly suffocated, a little sourness was the best she could hope for.
As Azumi put her hand on her neck and did her best to breath, her brother rushed to her side and knelt down beside her. "I'm sorry sis. I'm so sorry. I tried to keep a lookout, but they got me from behind, and …"
"Don't worry about it Yu." Azumi interrupted her brother. She then placed her hand on her brother's shoulder and asked, "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"
"I'm fine. He didn't cut me, but what about you?" Yu could see the marks on her neck the man left behind. "That guy … He …"
While Azumi could not see the red marks, she could feel them. They would serve as a nice reminder for Azumi's latest brush with death until they finally went away. Her only response was to bluntly tell her brother, "He tried to strangle me, but he didn't thanks to you."
"Um …" Clearly her brother was not as okay with that response which Azumi was quick to pick up on.
"I'll be fine." Azumi did her best to assure her brother, "Just another day Yu. Just another day."
"…" Yu did not have much to say other than, "I'm sorry. That shouldn't have happened to you. I … I …"
"You let your guard down, and you didn't have your knife ready did you?" Azumi rhetorically asked.
"… I … I didn't." Yu reluctantly and shamefully admitted.
"Ahem." Azumi attempted to clear her throat. "It's okay Yu." Azumi placed her hand on her brother's shoulder again. "Just try to make sure to learn a lesson from this." Yu was listening intently to his sister's words as she told him, "Make sure to always have your guard up and be ready to pull out your weapon. You got me?"
"Yes Azumi." Yu nodded, "I'll be sure to remember that."
"Good." Azumi replied, "Be sure to always remember." Suddenly Azumi winced, "Grh." The pain on her neck was not going to be going away anytime soon.
"Sis … Your neck …" While Yu was concerned, he was not entirely sure how to finish the question, "Are you sure it's going to be …?"
"Don't … Don't worry." Azumi answered, "I'll get the doc to look it over after we get back. I'll be fine. I promise."
"… Okay sis." Yu wanted to believe his sister.
"All right. That's enough of that." Azumi stood up and cleared her throat again before ordering her brother, "Take anything useful from them and put it in your bag while I get mine. Be quick because I'll be back in a minute, and we should get going right away."
Yu did not say a word of rebuttal and did as he was told. He was quick to grab the knife from the man who took him hostage. Now he had two knives just like his sister.
Likewise, Azumi walked over to retrieve her own knife that was knocked to the side in the earlier struggle. As Azumi walked pass the corpse of the man who attempted to strangle her, she gave him one glance. Not only did she see that his eyes were still open, but she could see that despite the fire of life being snuffed out, his hatred of her remained undying. She could see in his eyes that his final regret was not bringing her down with him. Unfortunately for him, death did not call for her number, but it called his.
"…" Azumi took a moment before sighing and kneeling down to close his eyes.
Azumi cleaned the blood and sheathed her knife. She looked back at the corpses left in her wake and how she decorated the room with a new color which caused her to silent muse, "Father is not going to be happy about this." As Azumi walked away she warned her brother, "Make sure to have your weapon ready this time."
"I will." Yu replied as he continued to loot the bodies.
True to her word Azumi reclaimed her backpack and after ensuring nothing was taken she headed back to her brother who seemed to have more luck than she thought with taking supplies and material from the bodies. Between what she collected and what he retrieved, their village will have a fair amount of supplies to keep them going. Despite the circumstances, it did make Azumi pleased to know they had a lot to bring back to the group.
Azumi sighed in relief as she muttered, "One less thing to worry about." She told her brother, "All right good job Yu." Azumi then ordered, "Now let's get out of here before any more of them show up."
"There's more of them?" Yu replied fearfully.
"They were probably scouts like us, so I'm sure they got a group or something nearby." Azumi reminded her brother, "Don't forget Yu. It'd be more dangerous to assume they were alone."
"Yeah … right." Yu reflexively moved his hand to his neck.
"We got to warn the camp about another group that could be a problem for us." Azumi stated, "If they really are part of a group, they won't take kindly to four of their own getting killed. If they spot us, they might put two and two together."
"Right." Yu nodded.
After putting their half masks and goggles back on, Azumi ordered, "All right. Let's go." Azumi headed out of the building with Yu following closely behind.
/
As soon as they exited the building, they could hear an all too familiar sound. It was the sound of loud footsteps that echoed in the air. It was a sound that Azumi could never get used to no matter how much she heard it. She could feel a shiver crawl up her spin and the hairs on her back stand up. Both Azumi and Yu knew exactly what this was. It was the Aragami.
"Shit! The gunfire must've attracted them!" Azumi rushed back to the ruined building as she repeated, "Get to cover! Get to cover!"
As they thought, it was the Aragami, specifically the Ogretail type, and there was a herd of them. The monsters had unforgettable golden eyes with slit pupils that resembled a cat, and they had an ogre-like face. Their mouths were gigantic with razor sharp teeth that resembled a sharks along with two extremely long piercing teeth attached to the bottom jaw that were similar to a sabretooth. Its body appeared to be covered in fur while its legs and lower body resembled that of a mini-tyrannosaurus rex. Its tail appeared to be silver with an end that looked like it could be used as a spear. While they generally devoured the corpses of other Aragami, they still had plenty of room in their appetite for humans.
With each step the Aragami took, the two survivors could feel the ground shake. Despite being one of the 'smaller' types of Aragami, it didn't stop them causing an impact. The only good thing was that they were walking. If the Aragami had sensed them, they would not be moving at this pace. The two of them did their best not to make a sound to attract their attention.
Yu nervously whispered to his sister, "Wha … What do we do sis?"
Azumi could feel sweat pouring down her pores as she slowly took a breath and answered, "Keep hiding."
Yu silently nodded in response. The two remained perfectly still and did not share anymore words out of fear that even the slightest bit of noise might attract the predators to their location. At first it looked as if the Aragami might pass by the area only for them to suddenly come to a stop. The Aragami suddenly began looking around the area as if they were looking for something. They had sensed something, but they didn't appear to know what it was.
When Azumi witnessed this development, her eyes were wide open as a million thoughts went through her mind, "Crap! Did they hear us or something? I thought we were being quiet! They shouldn't have heard us! Did they smell us? Can they smell us? Doesn't matter! This isn't good!"
Azumi glanced towards her brother who was shaking in his boots. If the monsters attacked now, he had no chance of escape. She grabbed her brother's shoulder and tried to remain quiet as she told him, "Yu. Get ahold of yourself."
"Ah huff … Ah huff …" Yu breathed heavily as he nodded.
"Yu. If those monsters come this way, I want you to run like hell." Azumi ordered.
"O … Okay." Yu slowly replied.
Azumi asked, "You know where the camp is right?"
"Y … Yeah." Yu was not liking where Azumi was going with this.
"Good. Run right there. Don't stop until you get to mom and dad." Azumi shook his shoulder as she emphasized, "You got that?"
"Yes, but … but what about you?" Yu nervously asked.
"I'll draw their attention away." Azumi replied.
Yu's eyes were wide open in horror. "But … But they'll eat you."
"I've been surviving out here longer than you kid." Azumi did her best to grin at her brother even as the sweat continued to creep down her face. "If either of us has a shot at getting away from those things, it's me."
"But … But sis …" Yu weakly protested.
"I'm your big sister." Even with her throat hurting, she was not about to let that stop her from getting her point across. "I'm in charge, and you already promised to listen to me when we're out here. I'm telling you to run like hell while I lead them away. If you don't, I'm going to be seriously pissed. You got that?"
"Y … Yeah." Yu reluctantly replied.
"Good." Azami looked to see the Aragami were combing the rumble nearby as she told her brother. "If I give you the signal, you run and don't look back."
Azumi's eyes remained fixed on the Aragami. She didn't dare to take her eyes off them as pulled out her gun from its holster. Even if a gun couldn't hurt an Aragami, it could at the very least cause a distraction. That would be all Azumi would need.
The young girl's eyes continued to gaze upon the Aragami as she took off her backpack and gently handed it to her brother, "Make sure to take this bag too."
"But sis …" Yu attempted to protest again.
Azumi kept her eyes on the Aragami as she interrupted and instructed her brother, "The camp needs any supplies they can get and it'll just slow me down so take it. Your job is to make sure they get it." While instructing her brother, she did her best to remain as stealthy as possible which was proving to be difficulty. Luckily, her injured throat already made her voice low.
As reluctant as Yu washed could not argue with his sister's points. He took the backpack and held onto it. Azumi held onto her gun and Yu could see that his sister's arms were shaking. It was ever so slightly, but they were shaking. He could see for himself his sister was just trying to make him feel better.
"Ah huff! Ah huff!" Azumi's heavy breathing was noticeable while wearing the half mask. She continued to breathe in through her nose and uncomfortably out her mouth as she watched the Aragami continue to scour the area. It was only a matter of time before they were spotted.
Azumi could feel herself sweating profusely with every step they took, and her shaking was becoming far more noticeable.
'Thump!' 'Thump!' 'Thump!' 'Thump!'
Even though Yu could not hear it, Azumi could feel her heart beating faster and faster with each passing second. She was feeling both dread and adrenaline pumping through her veins. The Aragami would be coming any moment. It was almost time.
"Get ready." Azumi instructed her brother.
Suddenly, the Aragami began running to what they sensed, but it was not in their direction. It was toward another building, and Azumi heard someone shout, "Holy crap! The Aragami found us! Run! Run!"
"Aaahh!" Azumi and Yu could hear people screaming as the Aragami gave chase. A few moments later, the only trace left of the Aragami were the footsteps. Azumi and Yu could hear them in the distance, but the Aragami were too preoccupied with their current meals to hear or notice them.
Azumi could feel her heart finally slowing down and her breathing becoming steady. "Hmph. Looks like the gunshot also attracted them too. Lucky us." She placed her gun back in its holster and wiped the sweat from her brow before looking back to where the Aragami had run off to.
"Shouldn't we do something about them?" Yu asked.
"Hell no." Azumi replied, "Those guys were probably with those assholes who just tried to kill us. Its better them than us. If anything, this might've killed two birds with one stone."
"Oh …" Yu replied in a low tone.
"We should get out of here before anymore come. We got to warn the camp." Azumi quickly checked to make sure she still had her gun and both her knives before reminding her brother, "Don't let your guard down Yu. Even if it looks like the coast is clear don't let it down, you got that?"
"Yes." Yu replied.
"I asked, 'You got that'?" Azumi repeated.
Yu answered, "I do sis. I really do."
"Good." Azumi stated, "Keep your eyes open and follow my lead."
Even with the reprieve, they were not safe. Nowhere was safe as long as the Aragami remained on the top of the food chain. Azumi took her bag back from her brother and ordered, "Come on. Let's go before anymore show up." Azumi began sprinting toward their camp. Followed closely by her brother.
Azumi could have moved even faster, but she didn't since her brother was having a hard enough time keeping up as it was. Azumi did not say a word other than occasionally glancing over her shoulder to make sure her brother was keeping up the pace. She made sure to pay attention to her surroundings. Luckily for them, there did not appear to be anymore Aragami nor humans nearby.
Today was just another day for the Kannagi siblings. Danger existed around every corner regardless of whether it was human or monster. This was the way of the world. It was back to 'survival of the fittest.' These two had done what they could to survive and they would continue to do so. What's past is prologue and this was theirs.
/
Author Notes: Just to be clear, "What's past is prologue" is a quote from William Shakespeare in his play the Tempest. I decided to have it written that his name was lost to history to represent people are starting to lose touch with history and literature due to the decay of the world. It would be great symbolism to show how both intellectually and physically the world had fallen.
While it is likely some of the older generation might still remember Shakespeare specifically wrote that, the number of that generation is dwindling. As a result, people of the younger generation would be unware who wrote that quote if they happened to hear someone say it. Case in point, Azumi and Yu would have no idea of that quotes origins. They happened to hear their father say it, and they didn't bother asking him about it since they agreed the quote seemed self-explanatory.
When I was considering whether or not to write this, I had a lot of motivation to strongly consider various ideas, especially in regards to Kannagi Yu. TV Tropes and some other fans of the God Eater franchise think of Kannagi Yu as being a 'protagonist without a past.' While it is true we really don't know anything about him before him becoming a God Eater, I would strongly disagree with that. Everyone has a past. It all shapes us into who we are. As you can see the past Azumi and Yu experienced has shaped them into who they are at the beginning of this story, and it will continue to shape them as they move forward. What they will become will be another matter entirely.
Unlike the anime which has Lenka and his family not be blood related, Azumi and Yu are blood related. As indicated by their ages and narration, Azumi was born a few years before the apocalypse while Yu was born a couple of years after. While Azumi might not remember much about the world before, she remembers enough to know that life was not always about fighting every day to survive. As a result, Azumi considered her brother's birth to be one of the few good things about the apocalypse. It was proof that not everything had to be dark and bleak.
According to the Japanese name website that I got the inspiration for Azumi's name, her name apparently means 'safe residence.' It is a fitting name because she wants her brother and family to be safe. She will do what she can to make sure of that as shown in her handling of the people holding her brother hostage. She did try to reason and threaten them into backing down, but when that wasn't going to work, she became violent.
I feel rather proud of how I depicted Azumi's use of violence in this story. She has capabilities in gunplay, knives, and physical ability. Additionally, I feel Azumi is by far the darkest protagonist I've developed so far. While Narukami Rei is a vigilante in "Into the Fog" that beats up lots of gang members and punks, she never used lethal force like Azumi. Azumi on the other hand was able to kill those men without considering mercy, and she did not bat an eyelash because they were her enemies. This chapter alone puts her on a different level than previous protagonists in my stories.
Some of these survival scenes were inspired by the awesome video game, "The Last of Us." I remember how while Ellie would occasionally face difficulties with enemies, she proved to be very useful. For example, there were times when she would occasionally grab something, such as a brick and throw it at the enemy which would give Joel/player a chance to take him down. Additionally, Ellie was good for other saves thanks to that knife of hers. I wanted Azumi and Yu to be like that in this story more or less.
Between the Walking Dead and the Last of Us, I've seen enough post-apocalyptic stories to know that other humans are just as likely to be the enemy as the monsters. In the anime, we have seen there are plenty of human groups that formed communities who worked and looked out for each other. However, I'm pretty sure there would be just as many humans that would probably do the exact opposite. This isn't the first time Azumi and Yu have encountered such issues which is partly why neither are too troubled at killing the people, especially since it was self-defense, but not everyone shares the sentiment.
Not only was this story my first attempt to write a post-apocalyptic story, but it marked the first time I actually attempted to write a brother-sister team. I think I'm off to a good start. I wanted to emphasize how much Azumi and Yu mean to each other. Azumi is fiercely protective of her brother and acts as his mentor while Yu wants to do what he can to protect his sister in turn. What do you think of how I portrayed their brother sister relationship in the first chapter? I hope I did well.
I hope everyone enjoyed reading this first chapter, and I hope you will provide a review for the work I've done. I would definitely be interested in writing more chapters and more reviews would definitely help me feel motivated for continuing it. Hope you all enjoy playing God Eater Resurrection and God Eater 2 Rage Burst.