I've decided to redo this fanfiction. Honestly, I didn't know what I was thinking for the two other chapters. The protagonist being the first Aragami? What?!
I'll keep the old three chapters, but I'm going to try this fanfic again. I do like the concept after all. Again, at the time that I thought of this concept, I was only at Difficulty 4, so I didn't know what happened afterwards.
Protagonist
Sex: Male
Rank: Vice-Captain
Code Name: Winter
Appearance: Irrelevant
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters in this narrative apart from the sister.
Chapter 1 - redo
At the start of the day, nobody expected there to be a red nimbus. However, towards mid-afternoon, it appeared from seemingly nowhere. Once it was discovered, the red nimbus warnings went off and the God Eaters from the Far East Branch, as well as my Blood Unit, were required to help evacuate all of the civilians in the Satellite Bases into shelters scattered around the area. The problem being that there are so much shelters, that only one or two God Eaters can cover each one. I am one of the lucky ones. My teammate, Nana being instructed to help me at North Eastern shelter. The rest of my teammates, Romeo, Gilbert, Ciel and Captain Julius, all have one of their own bases to cover.
"Get inside, quickly!" I shout waving my right arm at the civilians as they enter, using my left arm to direct them inside. The first drops of the red rain begins to fall and hits the civilians, however they, like us God Eaters, are protected by specialised rain coats designed to counteract the plague-carrying rain. Thankfully, there is no wind, otherwise there'd be greater risk of infection as the wind could blow the rain into people's exposed faces. The cloaks do not cover the face, this is to allow the person wearing it to be able to see where they are going.
"You don't want to be caught out in this rain!" I'm sure they already know that, but that doesn't stop Nana installing a bit of fear into their heads. I understand her logic to using fear against the straggling civilians, some of the teenagers who think it's cool to stroll towards the shelter, but that doesn't stop the fact that we should be calming the people instead of installing fear into them.
"Nana, I can cover up here, you follow everyone and make sure they're going the right way." I give out a command and she gives a little salute the way only Nana can do before running ahead of a pack of civilians. You see, these shelters dig quite far underground. This is so that they can all be linked with each other, as well as being linked with the main branch. Usually, the underground links is used for the God Eaters of the Far East to hop into vehicles and drive to certain places within the Satellite Bases; usually after Aragami sightings have been reported. Now though, they are for the protection of the civilians.
"You're making sure that everyone gets to the branch, right?" I hear Julius through my earpiece. We've been instructed to get everyone to the branch, following the shelters. This is just to prepare for the worst case scenario of the red nimbus lasting more than a few hours. If it does, then the Far East Branch will have to give food directly to the civilians, and this would be easier to do if they were closer to the branch.
"I've just sent Nana to guide them all down." I reply to Julius, keeping an eye out for any more stragglers since it looks like everyone who was closest to this shelter has now entered it. I don't get a response. I wasn't expecting one, really. He was just reminding me after all. He knows that I'm capable of following instructions, as well as going against them if need be, like the situation with Ciel being caught in the Red Rain a while ago during a mission to escort the God Arc Soldiers. I smile slightly at that. That was the first time I went against orders, I doubt it would be the last either. If any of my team mates were in trouble like that, I'd be the first to disobey orders; if it means saving the life of a friend, I'll gladly risk my job. Just like I did for Ciel.
I wait for about fifteen minutes as I look to see if there are any more people that are going to wander into my line of sight. Anyone that could possibly need help. However, it appears that there are none.
"Nana, is all the civilians at the branch?" I ask her through my earpiece. It's a good job that the branch had installed multiple levels underground to house people in in the event of a natural disaster such as this one. The Far East used to be the victim of many natural disasters in the past. They're much rarer now due to the Aragami threat, but they still do happen.
"Yeah, just about." She informs me, meaning that those stragglers are still in fact straggling.
"Okay, stay with them. I'm going to check on the others." I give her another command, being the Vice-Captain can have its benefits. The only person I'm required to follow orders from is Captain Julius. I, on the other hand, can instruct my fellows unit members, Gilbert, Romeo, Nana and Ciel. The Captain can too, but he's pretty much left everything to me. Thus, I'm pretty much the only one in charge of those four. That doesn't mean I abuse my power though. I get along well with everyone, and only give commands when necessary.
I wait for another five minutes before deciding that it's time to close the shelter's doors. Just because there isn't any wind at the moment, that doesn't mean that there won't be any at all. If the wind were to pick up, it could blow rain into the shelter where very little evaporation can take place, due to the fact that the shelters are quite far underground and thus, the sun can't evaporate any red rain puddles that may appear. I unhinge the doorstop on the right door and then proceed to unhinge the left door's doorstop and close them.
"Wait!" I hear someone shout from outside, and quickly open the doors, just as a teenage girl comes running up to the shelter.
"Get inside, quickly!" I repeat my first instruction, but she doesn't move out of the way of the door. She's out of the rain, but she won't move from her spot. "Come on, quickly!" I gesture towards the panting girl with her hands on her knees, hunched over as she pants.
"My friend is still out there!" She shouts in a panic, coming up to me and grabbing me by the scruff of my jacket. I can see the panic and fear in her face. She must care for her friend deeply. There's one thing I don't understand though,
"Why didn't you bring your friend with you?" I ask the girl calmly, taking her hands from off my jacket.
"She's stuck under some debris! Quick, you need to get her!" She shouts in her panic again, tears rolling down her face. I hope they're tears anyway, and not the rain working its way down her face. I grimace slightly at the thought of going out in the rain, despite the rain coat I've got on.
"Nana," I communicate with the teammate closest to my position, "I need you to come back here and guard the shelter. I've received information that there are still a few people out in the rain." I inform her, stretching the truth slightly so that she won't tell me to leave that one person stuck under the debris to die. I doubt that she would tell me that, but just in case.
"Oh? Okay, I'll be there soon." It took fifteen minutes for her to get to the Far East Branch while running, it'll probably take the same amount of time for her to get here. However, every minute is costly. It could be a matter of life or death. Thus, I can't waste any time.
"Where is your friend?" I ask the girl who I've noticed is sitting on the floor, leaning against a wall, and hugging her knees to her chest. She obviously cares very much about her friend.
"She's at the shopping district." She blubbers out through tears and wails. Making sure that my raincoat is secure, I run out of the shelter and head towards the nearest shopping district. The fact that the girl came to the shelter I was running means that her and her friend were at the shopping district nearest to this shelter. Thankfully, I had taken the liberty of exploring the area when Alisa Amiella first gave us the grand tour of the Satellite Bases, so I know where the closest shopping centre is.
As I reached the shopping centre, I realised something.
"Shit! I forget to ask her exactly where her friend is." I speak to myself, seeing two whole rows of shops in front of me. None of which seems like it has suffered any damage, whether it be internal or external. Therefore, my only course of action is to search each of them.
"Is anyone in here?" I ask as I open the door of the nearest shop. I don't hear a response, but that doesn't stop me from searching the shop anyway. As I step inside, I notice this shop to be some kind of laundry shop. However, unlike back at the Far East Branch and Friar, there are no machines in here. So, each individual article of clothing must be hand washed. I imagine that would be pretty embarrassing for the community as well as the workers. Seeing nothing on the shop floor, I decide to go further into the shop, slipping past the white curtains that keeps the shop floor and everything behind separate. I instantly wish I hadn't though, as the first thing I see makes my heart skip a beat. A frilly pink bra hanging from the ceiling.
"I guess this is where all the clothing is stored." I whisper to myself. I don't know why I whispered that, but maybe it is because if someone found me in this situation, I'd probably be labelled as a pervert. Regardless, I quickly look around every nook and cranny of the shop and see nobody in it. Thus, just as quickly as I searched, I leave the shop and enter the one directly opposite.
"Hello?" I prolong the last vowel sound as I enter the shop. Immediately, I notice how much glass there is within the shop. Not scattered along the floor or anything like that, just the glass that protects some artifacts. Walking through the shop, I see jewellery, ancient relics and the likes. Personally, I think it's a bit weird to have an antique shop next to a laundry shop, but I suppose you can't be picky in these circumstances. Anyway, this shop doesn't have a second floor or even a second part to it, and there is no one in here, so I must progress to another shop.
"If anyone can hear me, make some sort of sound?" As I had wandered out of the antique shop, I realised that the person may be unable to answer me directly. Thus, if the person can make a sound of any sort, I'll know that they are in that shop. So, I use this philosophy as I check the next few shops. Unfortunately, I don't get any response.
"Maybe there's an easier way t-" I hear rapid clangs in the back of this shop. I rush towards the back of the shop showing no regard for the items of food sprawled around the shop floor. At last, I may have found the person in the sixth shop I searched. I begin to feel relieved, that is until the banging stops.
"Hello?" I speak up and the banging picks up again. I narrow it down to the right hand side of the back of the shop and sprint over there. As I get closer to the sound, I can see that the ceiling has caved in at some places, with parts of it having already fallen to the ground. I'm definitely in the right place.
As I turn a corner I see a foot kicking against a metal pan that had fallen to the ground. The foot belongs to the girl trapped under a shelving unit of sorts that must have been placed in storage on the second floor of the shop.
"Help me." I hear the girl from under the shelving unit whisper a desperate plea of help.
"Don't worry. I'll get you out of here in a jiffy." I reassure her and run to the other side of the shelving unit. I struggle to push it up, and can immediately see why her friend ran to get help. If I, a God Eater, was having trouble lifting a shelving unit, there's almost no way that a girl of that frail stature could lift it. With a few audible grunts, I finally manage to tip the shelf onto its side when I hear,
"Micah?" The girl groans and I almost drop the shelving unit in surprise. Now, it may just have been the girl groaning, but that sounded a lot like she was calling out to someone called Micah. Which is a very strange coincidence, as my name is Micah. After making sure that the object wouldn't fall back down, I kneel at the girl's side. That's when I realise, that it wasn't a strange coincidence for her to be calling my name.
"Sis?" I utter in surprise as I get a look at her face. It's the face of my sister in pain. What is she doing here though? When I first became a God Eater, I was told that my family would be living in a Satellite Base, but not this one. The Satellite Base that houses my family is the one that Captain Julius is I charge of, so why is my sister here? "What are you doing here?" I ask in surprise, shock and many more emotions. I think one of the main ones was worry. As I look up and down her frame, I notice that she must have a broken leg at the very least.
"Does that matter right now?" She asks through grunts. She's right. It doesn't, I need to get her out of here. I take extra care as I scoop my arms under her. Thankfully, she has her raincoat on so she hasn't been hit by the rain, but she still needs medical help. After working my arms under her, I lift her up.
"AH!" She shouts in pain and anguish.
"I'm sorry, but I have to get you back to the Far East Branch." I inform my sister sympathetically. Seeing my sister in such a sorry state is heart-breaking for me. However, what about my parents? Did they make it out of the rain? I run out of the shop, finding a new-found energy in having to get my sister to the infirmary. However, the faster I run, the more pain she seems to be in. In the end, I have to settle with walking, although this will take more time to get to the infirmary.
A few minutes later, the shelter that I was guarding comes into eyesight. There, I can see two people in raincoats. I know one of them is Nana, but who is the other one? Did another member of my unit come by? As I approach them, I can see that it is the girl from earlier. The one who told me that her friend, my sister, was trapped under debris.
"You've found her, thank you!" The girl shouts in ecstasy.
"Lock the doors, Nana." I command as I walk into the shelter, bringing my sister in my arms.
"What about the others?" Nana asks as she makes her way towards the door.
"There was only this girl." I raise my voice slightly as I comment, continuing walking as Nana locks the door. She catches up though, the other girl already walking by my side.
"You risked your life for one girl?!" Nana speaks incredulously. I don't know why she seems so surprised at this though. I did the same thing for Ciel. One look towards Nana seems to make her remember that event.
"Nana, run ahead and tell the medical team that a person coming down from the North-Eastern Tunnel needs medical help." I give her another command. I've never been so commanding before, but in this instance, I need to be. She doesn't give me her comical salute as she sprints forward. With her energy, it shouldn't take her long to get there. As for the other one, however,
"You've saved my friend! I could kiss you!" The girl speaks as she walks a bit too close to my side. Clearly, she doesn't know that this is my sister that I'm carrying in my arms.
"What's your name?" I ask emotionlessly. Honestly, I don't really care about what her name is, or her in general. What I do care about, is how quickly I can get my sister to the Infirmary. But, I might as well make conversation with this girl while we walk. She doesn't seem like she'll be too much trouble.
"I'm Ivory." She speaks dramatically with a large smile on her face and a hand on her face. "And my friend that you're carrying is Tiara." Yeah, I know the name of my own sister, kid.
"How did you get to know each other?" I ask her, again with no interest.
"Huh? Why would you want to know?" Well, it seems like I've asked a weird question.
"I'm sorry, it's just that we're going to be walking for a while. I thought I'd ask a few questions. Don't feel obliged to answer them." I answer her question logically, again not really caring. Looking at Ivory, I see her realise that it's going to be a long walk and she decides to answer my question. Although, I don't really listen.
Eventually, as we reach the Far East Branch, there is a lot of noise from the evacuated residents. Thankfully, there are enough temporary houses here, it's just that, with this much noise, there are going to be more than a few complaints from the quieter residents, and possibly even some of the God Eaters. Hopefully, it will only last for a short amount of time.
"You should stay down here and find your family." I comment absentmindedly to the girl that accompanied me.
"Yeah, you're right. Well, I'll trust you with my friend then. Make sure she gets the treatment she deserves." She gives me a friendly smile before leaving me to ascend the stairs. With each step, my sister groans. She had fallen asleep a long time ago, long before we reached the shelter. Hence why she's been so quiet. Nevertheless, she needs to get to the infirmary. First of all though, we need to get up these stairs to reach the lift.
At the top of the stairs, I notice that only God Eaters stand on this floor, overlooking the residents below. My Unit immediately identify me, but I don't have time to talk to them.
"Micah!" They run over to me, but I've already entered the lift.
"We'll talk later." Is all I tell them before the lift moves to the infirmary floor.
Thanks to Nana, the medical team were already expecting me to carry Tiara to the infirmary and took her from me, placing her onto a bed.
"You'll need to wait outside while we run some tests." One of the doctors tells me and I take her words to heart and wait outside on the seats. Every minute feels like an hour as the painful silence of the area washes over me. I hadn't thought about my family very often since becoming a God Eater. I knew that they were safe in a Satellite Base and that was enough for me. I've heard from Captain Kota of the 1st Unit that we aren't supposed to visit our families very often. I remember that he was very regretful as he said that. He had told me about his family and it is clear to hear how much he cares about them. But I haven't done the same. I don't talk about my family to my friends. I don't even have any record of my family in the Norn Database. Then again, I don't even have much information about me in the Norn Database. Not even my name. Everyone knows me by my Codename, which is why it was such a surprise to hear my sister call my name.
An hour passes before I'm given any news.
"I'm sorry to say this," The doctor begins, a few specks of blood on her uniform. "it's worse than we originally thought." I feel my heart drop. I have to worry about more than my sister having a broken leg? Maybe she suffered some internal damage.
"What is it? Internal injuries?" I ask, wondering if I guessed right. I feel slightly relieved when the doctor shakes her head.
"No. It's more serious than that." Just as quickly as I felt relieved, I feel the fear creeping back up. Fear and worry.
"Well tell me then!" Either she was enjoying torturing me by making me keep guessing, or it was truly too horrible for her to say.
"The girl you brought in must have come into contact with the red rain," The doctor begins and every word makes the colour drain from my face even more, "because she's been infected with the Bubonic Plague…" I feel weak in the knees, unable to stand and flop onto the couch. "It's clear that you hold this girl close to your heart, but are there any others that care for her like you do?" The doctor asks me. I nod my head to answer the doctor, and she leaves me where I am, understanding that I get her indirect message. She wants me to tell everyone that cares about Tiara that she has been infected with the Black Death. Namely, her friend, Ivory, and her parents… our parents…