A few days after Black Continent...

Odd walked quietly down the dusty, empty street.

A gentle breeze picked up a paper or two, and lifted them aloft, twirling them as they floated through the air for a moment.

The young, blonde man, almost 22, kept an eye out as he stepped along the sidewalk, poking around the occasional ruined car and ducking under a fallen streetlamp, propped diagonally against a building.

The street, one of many in Paris, was once full of life and character - And within a few years, the whole city, like the rest of Europe, lost its vigor and beauty to war, revolution, and the same enemy he and his friends had fought for years.

Someday soon though, that enemy will cease to exist. Destroyed by the last two warriors that it hadn't killed.

Pure revenge. No matter what it takes.

Odd stepped up to a wrecked delivery truck, and looked it over for a moment.

On its side, was the faded logo of some business that existed before all the hell that started only a few years before.

The door on the cab, on its last legs, hung loose on the one lone hinge.

He kicked the door shut for a moment, and it swung back open, only to fall off completely with a momentary clang as it fell to the ground.

Something in the distance moved across the street, and Odd instantly dove into the cab of the truck.

He sat in silence, and waited for a further sound, withdrawing the particularly powerful Desert Eagle handgun from its holster on his belt, and clicking the safety off.

Sure enough, the patter of little legs grew audible, and he quickly scooted further into the truck cab, drawing his arm out to full length, waiting for whatever was coming closer.

Then, a lone Kankrelat crawled along, and as if on cue, stopped next to the fallen door on the ground.

Odd's hand gripped the huge pistol tightly, his finger itching to pull the trigger.

The little monster assessed the broken hinges on the door, and then, curiously looked up into the cab.

*POW*

In an instant, the Kankrelat tumbled over backwards after an enormous .44 caliber bullet ripped through its head, coming to rest a few feet further away, dead.

Odd smiled and peeked out of the open doorway, only to quickly hide his head again, seeing another kankrelat skittering over, alerted by the report of the pistol.

He pushed the door behind him open, which, unlike the other, swung open without fuss, and dropped down onto the street, tiptoeing towards the back of the truck.

Peeping around the corner, he caught just a momentary glimpse of the other kankrelat, before rounding the tail of the truck, and watching as the monster looked at its fallen comrade, confused.

A momentary held breath, and Odd stepped around the corner, ran up, and punted the monster quite hard, sending it reeling, and then crashing to a tumbling halt on its side a few feet away.

He stepped up to it as it helplessly moved its little legs around, and just like the other, sent a bullet through its head, ending it.

He released a breath, and then stepped over and leaned against the brick wall of a storefront.

The canvas on the rounded shade above was battered, but still provided a spot to rest for a moment.

Then, the radio on his shoulder crackled to life.

"...Sounds like someone's up to no good down there."

He grinned, knowing just the voice.

"You know I'm always up to no good sweetheart."

A moment's silence followed.

"...That's for sure. What did you find?"

"Two little kankrelats. Neither knew what hit them."

"Good."

Odd watched as another sheet of paper slid along the sidewalk in front of him. The cool breeze caressed his face, being the only skin exposed to the elements.

"Keep an eye out for me. I'm gonna keep looking around down here."

"...You got it."

Odd's eyes then rose up, and he looked up and down the street, and with a sigh, he continued walking along the sidewalk, holstering his Desert Eagle.

He walked along, until his boot came in contact with a pile of bricks, and bits of shattered glass scattered all over.

To his left, was a blown out two story building, with most of its front missing, and in a pile of debris below.

Quite reminiscent of old photos of the second world war.

He continued walking along, but a the distant rumble of an explosion made his feet instantly halt.

"Aelita... What was that."

"I don't know... There's a big cloud of dust not too far from you. Have you seen anything?"

Odd backpedaled, hopping up onto the roof of a ruined yellow car, and peered up over the destroyed building next to him.

Sure enough, an ominous cloud of unsettled dust and smoke was fading into the sky.

"I see the cloud... You haven't seen any activity?"

"I may have a good view up here, but I can't always see whats in every street..."

Odd swallowed. Something wasn't right.

Suddenly, gunfire erupted from not very far away.

He instinctively ducked his head, and jumped off the car as numerous reports of small arms fire went off, a street or two beyond.

The shots silenced, and then, distinctive laser fire erupted instead.

"...Odd, somebody's shooting at something. You'd better not stay put."

The blonde quickly brought the AK47 strapped to his back into his hands, and stepped up onto the pile of debris, bricks shifting under his footfall.

He paused, hearing another round of gunfire, and peered his head back to look down the street.

Suddenly, there was an enormous crash - A Krabe, just as big as he remembered, smashed completely through another storefront just down the street, sending a display booth and several chairs flying as it stopping its backpedaling in the middle of the street, and resumed shooting at something - or someone - repeatedly, bullets ricocheting around it.

Odd, quite startled at the scene that just erupted, scrambled up the pile of bricks and debris, and pulled himself up onto the second story, quickly diving into a room that at least had some of its walls remaining.

He caught his breath during the following silence, and then, realized that a porcelain lamp was slowly rolling toward the hole in the floor.

He quickly reached for it, but then cringed when it fell into the hole and broke with a lovely, clearly audible smash below.

Just as he expected, the silence vanished when the menacing, four legged machine tromped over towards him, intent on finding the source of the noise.

His skin crawled with each further pound of the pointed feet on the street as it came closer, but to his slight disbeleif, the steps continued past, and he released his held breath.

"Odd, what's going on down there?"

"A krabe." He whispered in reply.

"...Just saw it. I don't have a clear shot of it though. Can you bring it closer to that two story building with the destroyed front?"

Odd put his hand to his head, peeked out through the doorway, and waved his hand at the top of the Eiffel tower in the distance.

"...Oh. There you are."

"Yeah... You want me to bring it closer to myself?"

"...Yes."

Sensing the regret in her voice, he stood to his feet anyway and peered around the ruined wall, spotted the Krabe again as it searched the store fronts around itself carefully.

Odd set the AK47 down behind him, and slid it back through the doorway, and then picked up one of the bricks lying on the floor of the second story.

After holding it with both hands, Odd leaned back, and chucked the brick -

- Watching then as it sailed through the air, and smacked into the top of the Krabe, busting into several pieces.

He grinned at his accuracy - Until the Krabe turned, and looked right up at him.

"Ohhhhh Shit."

He quickly turned and dropped to his hands, diving back into the room out of view, just seconds before an expected burst of laser fire struck one of the walls nearby, sending another couple of bricks flying, and dust from the old mortar and ash sprinkling down on top of him.

He clutched the assault rifle and waited, wide eyed and warily, as the Krabe approached the building, peered up at the second floor, and then, intent on finding him, stepped awkwardly onto the pile of debris in an attempt to reach the second floor.

Bricks, and chunks of wood tumbled down to the ground amongst the whirring of the machine, trying to get a better, higher foothold so it could find the target.

Suddenly, Odd heard the familiar report of a certain, very large rifle going off through the radio, and just a second afterward...

A piercing shriek of an impact, the crumble of bricks, and a loud clang, followed by silence.

Odd peeked around the wall, and seeing nothing, crawled along the floor, peered over the edge -

- And spotted the same Krabe, now laying in a crumpled, dead heap, with bits of debris lying upon it, and a very large bullet hole in the middle of its head.

"...Got it."

Odd sighed in relief, after hearing the sweet sound of her voice again over the radio.

He stood to his feet, and looked up at the Eiffel tower again, up at the little observation deck at the top, and couldn't help to smile.

"...You're welcome." She spoke again.

He slowly nodded in response.

"Where would I be without my Guardian Angel..."

"...You'd be dead."

Odd then grinned from her following silence, and leaned against the wall next to him.

"You're blushing."

"...Shut up."

"Thank you for saving my life again."

"Anytime."

"...I'll be back up there by sunset."

The next moment of silence suddenly hurt. A lot.

"...Stay safe." She whispered.

"I will be... As long as you're watching out for me."

He peeped back up at the top of the Eiffel tower, and listened mournfully as she choked up over the radio.

"I love you."

He touched his hand to his heart, and then pointed up at her.

"...My hearts' in your hands, princess."

He tried hard to keep a straight face as she quietly wept through the radio, and stepped down onto the Krabe below, eying the bullet hole before stepping off and away from the building, and then continuing down the street...

The blonde came across the building where the earlier, sudden battle took place, and peered through the gaping hole that the Krabe created.

Out of curiosity, he stepped over, and peeked inside the building, which used to be a cafe of some sort, with the occasional booth and, a single stool still standing up by the counter.

He moved inside and looked over the interior for a moment, before continuing out through the opposite side of the building, onto a new street just beyond.

Only a few steps further, something on the ground caught his eye.

He stooped down and picked up the object, which turned out to be a SPAS 12 - A shotgun he was quite familiar with.

He looked it over, pumped it, and pulled the trigger, only to hear an internal click.

Empty, but it still worked.

He strapped the shotgun to his back where the AK47 normally sat, and continued on his way with a new mission in mind:

Find some ammunition.

After a minute or so of walking, he crossed the street, heading towards a building that caught his eye with several blast marks on it and broken glass everywhere on the ground below.

Peeping inside, he found that there were several metal tables turned onto their sides for protection - One of which was molten from a blast of laser fire.

Bullet casings littered the floor, and to Odd's pleasant surprise, red shotgun casings were among them.

He kicked a few aside with his boot, and continued inward, finding his way into a hallway, and then, at the top of a stairwell.

"...Odd."

"Yeah?"

"Where are you?"

"Checking something out. Give me a minute or so."

"Be careful..."

He walked down the concrete steps, and poked into a dark room, which was a mess of fallen shelves, half of a wooden table, and chairs, some broken, scattered everywhere.

A hole to the outside was blasted through the far corner, and shafts of light lit up the room just enough to see several small objects on the floor reflecting the light.

He stepped over, kicking a chair aside, and after kneeling down onto the floor, he picked up one of the objects, which to his own slight disbelief, turned out to be the brass casing of a 12 gauge shotgun shell.

Below, were plenty more, with two boxes nearby, and a third, empty, with its contents spread out on the floor.

He quickly picked up several of the shells and tucked them into one of the numerous pockets on his gear, until his curious eyes fell upon another SPAS 12, laying just beyond.

Too perfect.

He plucked the shotgun off the floor, and after slowly pumping it, the sound of a shell entering the chamber brought a smile to his face.

Loaded.

He grabbed both of the boxes, tucked them tightly into a satchel on his belt, brought the first shotgun off his back, and loaded it full of ammunition.

After putting it on his back again, he tucked the last shell he saw on the floor into the second SPAS 12, clicked the safety on, and tied it awkwardly onto his leg.

He stepped back out of the room, his trusty AK47 in his hands, and tromped up the stairs, feeling considerably weighted down, but also feeling quite excited.

One of the shotguns had Aelita's name written all over it, and he couldn't wait to show it to her.

Odd stepped back out into the open air, and looked up into the sky, which was growing grey with clouds.

"I've got a surprise for you." He spoke into the radio.

"If you mean the weather on its way, I'm setting up the tent as we speak..."

He touched his hand to his side.

"I'm starting to wonder if there's anything you don't have up there..."

"Yes... There is right now." She drawled.

"Oh yeah?" Odd smiled, "...And what's that?"

A momentary giggle from her surprised him.

"You, silly."

Odd's face blossomed into a grin - For a moment, he felt much younger.

"You know Aelita... Even after years of being apart because of all this, you haven't changed one bit."

"That's a good thing, right?"

He exhaled happily.

"You'd better believe it."

After a momentary pause, and another glance at the darkening clouds, Odd sighed.

"I'm gonna come back now and try to beat the weather."

"Please do... I'd be miserable by myself if it started raining."

"...Then I'll be there as soon as I can."

"What's your surprise for me anyway...?"

Odd still grinned.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, would it?"

"I suppose... Hurry up and come back here."

"Working on it, Princess."

Odd quickened his pace as he headed back towards the building the Krabe smashed through, and after another quick glance at the interior, he poked back out the other side, and headed back down the same street again.

After passing the fallen light post, Odd peered up at the Eiffel tower looming in the distance ahead, and a smile returned to his face.

Suddenly, he bumped into something he didn't expect -

- A Blok!

He quickly recoiled back, and in an instant, pulled the SPAS 12 from his leg, clicked off the safety, and blasted a shell of buckshot at point blank into one of its four faces.

Just as soon as it began, it ended, when the Blok fell over, most of its innards blasted out.

Odd touched his hand to his forehead, and rubbed his eyes.

Too close for comfort. Again.

He looked down at the lengthy, grey shotgun in his hands, the stock folded over on top of itself, and with a comforting, strong pull back on the pump grip, the spent, smoking shell ejected out of it, and dropped to the ground.

He pushed it forward, loading the next shell into the chamber, and continued walking forward, still a bit alarmed from the close encounter, but now much more confident about the two shotguns he had just acquired.

Passing through the protective wreath of trees below, Odd stepped out onto the grassy strip of land, and looked up at the towering monument of steel that still stood guard over Paris, with a young woman up high, still standing guard for his safe return.

He approached one of the feet, and found his way up inside the structure, and began his ascent upward.

After a long period of time of walking continuously up the stairs, Odd took a momentary rest, and peered out at the ghostly towers of downtown Paris, still standing tall, but no doubt just as decrepit as the rest of the city.

In the opposite direction, was the Montparnasse tower, also still standing, but with a good portion of the top five stories missing.

He looked up at the lattice structure that served as home base for him and Aelita, and wondered how on earth that such a familiar landmark to the world, has only been graced by the occasional spot of rust, while the rest of Europe lay in dissarray, and in some places, utter ruin.

After catching his breath, he continued his ascent up the stairs - The elevators would be considerably more convenient, but weren't exactly usable right then...

Finally, Odd reached the top, and quite literally collapsed onto his hands and knees after stepping up onto the observation deck, breathing heavily.

As if to mock him, a raindrop found its way through the fencing around the deck, and hit him right on his face.

He pushed himself up, glanced upward at the still-darkening sky, and continued around the corner, his eyes falling upon the tent she had set up earlier.

Walking up to it, he knelt down, and rapped his hand onto the metal floor, as if he were knocking on a door.

The flap of the tent opened, and after peeking out, Aelita's face instantly lit up.

"Odd!"

She reached out, clutched his arms, and tugged him inside, falling backwards onto the blanket below with him ending up on top of her.

"...Hello to you too." He remarked, smiling as she wrapped her arms around him tightly, and looked him over, before locking him into a sweet gaze.

"I missed you..." She cooed, keeping his heavy weight tight against herself in a squeezing hug.

"I wasn't even gone that long today... Only five hours or so."

She shut her eyes.

"That's still a long time..."

"...And then I come back, and you're even happier to see me."

She nodded, and then released a sigh.

"Make sure you always come back to me..."

Odd smiled warmly.

"I'll try."

He relaxed his head, and settled into a sweet, overdue kiss, causing her eyes to flutter, before closing.

Just what she needed...

Odd then rolled onto his side with her, and then reached back, closing the flap of the tent.

Remembering what he had found for her earlier, he grinned.

"You ready for the surprise?"

Aelita, suddenly remembering, nodded, curious as to what he found.

She watched as he reached down, pulled the shotgun out of the straps on his leg, and then gingerly placed it upon her side.

He then plucked one of the two boxes of shells out of the satchel, and set it beside her head.

"Surprise."

She reached up, plucked the gun off herself, and then sat up, causing Odd to sit up, and grab the shotgun strapped to his back as well.

He watched patiently as she looked it over in her hands, setting it side to side, and then looking through the sights on it momentarily.

Her eyes then fell upon the second box of shells, and the same style of shotgun in Odd's hands too, and she smiled in delight.

"Where did you find these?"

"Somewhere out there... In one of those buildings while I was exploring."

Setting his aside, he moved over next to Aelita as she ran her fingers along the side of the shotgun.

He reached over, and unfolded the stock, and watched as she squinted down through the sights again.

She then opened the tent flap again, and stuck the barrel of the gun outside, into the light rainfall they both discovered.

"Can I?"

"Go ahead." He nodded, with a smirk.

*BANG*

Used to the intense recoil of her rifle, Aelita kept a steady hold on the shotgun, and then grinned with sudden glee after bringing it back inside.

"I like it." She nodded, and then eyed Odd with a sweet, grateful smile.

He eyed her curiously, and then watched as she tugged the pump grip back.

The spent shell popped out of it, and Odd caught it against himself, causing her to giggle joyously as he eyed it in slight surprise.

Aelita switched the safety on, and set it alongside both of Odd's weapons. She then reached her arm out, got a hold of his hand, and tugged him back over onto herself, releasing a delighted breath as he settled, somewhat comfortably, upon her.

Despite the rain outside, the firearms inside, and the gear they both were wearing, the tent was quite cozy.

Aelita watched his eyes as he looked over her face.

Just like he said, even after years apart, she still looked the same.

"...I should have told you how beautiful you were, years ago."

She blushed.

"Maybe... But it still means just as much today."

Odd beamed, and after grasping her fingers, he brought her into another kiss, just as sweet as the first.

Aelita nudged Odd, and undid two of the straps on the gear, causing him to quickly unfasten his belt, and the rest, and set aside the heavy weight he carried around, that was ammunition, kevlar armor, his sidearm, and a few other things.

He kicked off his boots, and for the first time in a long while, was devoid of the clothing that kept him protected.

Aelita too, quickly shrugged off her own similar attire, and with everything heavy and awkward gone, all that was left was light underclothing.

The two of them came back together, and for a few moments, they tossed and turned around, quietly laughing, and murmuring quiet whispers of words to each other.

Eventually, they ended up tightly together, with Aelita's legs around his, and his arms keeping a secure hold around her.

Their comfort, and security, in that day and age of Europe, seemed otherworldly.

"Aelita... Earlier, I heard gunfire... From people like you and me."

Her eyes lazily studied his.

"I'm not surprised..."

Odd hesitated, and then smiled.

"People are out there, fighting like us."

She hung her hand on the back of his neck, and squeezed his palm with the other.

"Paris isn't as empty as it seems."

Odd then rested his chin just below her neck, and an endearing smile appeared on his tired, handsome face.

"We're starting to win this war, you know."

Her eyes closed for a moment, and then reopened, curious, and hopeful.

"We'd better be..."

She watched patiently as the blonde's eyes wandered around the tent, before he set his head down sideways onto her collarbone.

"...I hope all of this was worth it, Xana... We're still going to defeat you, just like before."

He peeked back at Aelita, and for a moment, both of them silently thought back to days past... Having to skip classes to fight Xana, tumultuous relationships... The outbreak of war, chaos on the streets, their group hiding away in the factory... And then, their separation.

Heartbreaking years of being apart, only to rediscover each other so suddenly.

Odd lifted his head, and listened closely to the pattering of pouring ran on the tent, and on the metal girders of the tower they were perched upon.

Aelita then touched his cheek with her finger.

"Do you think... That everybody we lost... Is up somewhere, watching us?"

His eyes rose up , and he peered up at the peak of the tent, imagining faces they knew, up in the sky beyond their reach.

"Yeah."

She looked up as well, only for him to press a momentary kiss into her neck as she did.

"They're keeping an eye on us as we dish out revenge, so they know their deaths weren't in vain."

Aelita's eyes instantly welled up.

Everybody she knew, and too many she would never know, were gone from the world.

She knew it wasn't her fault, but it was still awfully hard to shrug the heavy weight off her shoulders...

Odd reached up, and brushed aside a lock of her pinkish hair, which was still just as soft as it always was.

She turned her head slightly, and the pool of tears in her eye lazily drifted down along her cheek.

"...Odd."

His attention quickly diverted to her, his hand still caressing her hair.

"I don't know where I'd be, without you..."

She looked back up to him, and her hands came together behind his back.

"...You're only always been there for me. Wherever I was, whatever happened..."

A blush crept across Odd's face.

"...And now you're here, still by my side."

He grinned.

"Anything to keep my Princess safe..."

Her eyes fluttered - She always loved that name...

"You know... I really do owe you my life, Odd."

He shook his head.

"Just doing my duty. You don't owe me anything."

The smirk that appeared on her face afterward, caught the blonde off guard.

"Mmmm... I think I know just what I could do for you, actually."

She reached up behind herself, tugged over another rolled up blanket, and opened it, dragging it over both of them until Odd plucked it from her grasp, and finished the job, laying it out evenly.

He settled back down atop her, only to watch helplessly as she tugged her undershirt up, and off of herself.

She dropped it behind her head, and stretched her arms out in a subtle groan, only to burst into a delighted giggle from Odd's rather... surprised expression.

"What's the matter Odd... Never seen a woman like this?"

"Never thought I'd ever see you do... that."

Her arms relaxed, and she shifted her legs in another stretch, a confident smile on her face.

"Feels good to be out of all that stuff for once."

She then eyed his shirt, and touched two fingers to his chest.

"You should take this off for me."

Her smile then grew as he quickly tugged the T shirt off, and propped himself up on his arms.

"Better?"

"Lots." She purred, caressing him lightly with her fingers.

After a quiet moment or two, she reached up, and tugged him back down upon herself, and his face helplessly turned redder.

"No need to be shy... It's just me." She whispered.

She watched as he drug a finger along her side, down to her hip, before lifting it away, and eyed him with approval.

Their hands found their way together, their fingers meddling innocently between each other.

"Who would've thought... That under all those protective layers, is a delightful little flower like you..." Odd whispered, a slight shade of red still present upon his face as Aelita touched his nose with her own.

"...The rising light of Paris, keeping our hopes bright."

She quickly pressed him into a kiss, blushing, and shifted her legs restlessly.

She was about to give him what he deserved...

~ END ~ For now...