"Morning leon..."Knuckles said starting to untie the trees and stuffing the rope in his bag..."We should reach the city today"he said. Rai was waking up and slapped her self to wake herself up better."If some of us wake up!"knuckles shouted,kicking shadow.he grunted
"Huh?oh...it's morning?"he said,getting up and realising his new bruise..."ow..."

'Morning...' Leon groaned, more directed at everyone rather than anyone in particular. He stood up, shook himself down and picked up his jacket which he was laying on. He shook it briefly then shrugged it onto his shoulders.

"Let's get going everyone..."Knuckles said,starting to walk in a northern direction. Raina and Carlos followed and Shadow followed soon after...

Leon followed behind, partly day-dreaming...

They walked for a few hours then finally came to the cty...
"Well...we're here..."Knuckles said,staring at the gate...

'Now what...?' Leon asked. Awaiting entrace to the city looming before them all...

"We go in..."Knuckles said walking up to the gate and pressing a button that communicated with the gate managers..."Hello...can we come in?"Knuckles said into the microphone...He tried again...no answer...Raina tapped him on the shoulder and pointed up to the box overlooking the gate...blood was on the window and noone was there..."Uh-oh..."Knuckles said...he tried pushing the gate,it fell to the groundrevealing a blood stained,desolate,city ofrubble and stone...They walked in and saw the devastation...
"It wasn't like this when I left..."Carlos said...Then he saw a body...a 5 year old girl...Shadow came over and looked...
"The blood...it's fresh...and she still has life...This only happened a few hours ago..."he said sadly...seeing the girl's eyes close,a tear falling from her face and into the rubble that was once her home...

'What happened...?' Leon asked. Then seeing the rubble brought his memories rushing back. The city...The burning...The screaming...The terrible cries for mercy and freedom that were incecently denied by his hand... He shivered uncontrollably. The memories had never been as vivid as this before...or as painful...

Raina was only ten...this was a big blow fo rher and she found it unbearable...as she passed the girl...she broke down into flood sof tears and fell to te floor sobbing.Knuckles rushed back to her...Carlos continued walking,a devastation written on his face.
"Raina...are you alright?2Knuckles asked sympathetically...raina shook her head...
"Who would ever do such a thing?To destroy a city...A city full of living families...the devastation...the ruin...I can't take it..."she said,tears cascading onto the rubble...
Knuckles knelt down beside and drew her into a comforting hug...a tear slid down his own face...

Leon just stood there in silence. Not daring to mention anything. He looked instinctively away from them, to the right, any direction in which would not be theres to fill with his shame. Then he saw another girl lying there. About 15 years of age and her hair a dark black colour. He was sure he saw her move the slightest inch and ran over to see. She was alive, but just barely. Many of the number of terrible wounds that covered her looked fatal. She opened her eyes, staring up at Leon. She recognised him...
'Leon...?' She asked weakly.
'Huh? How do you...' Then he realized. 'Tatsuki...? But...How? What happened...?' He asked.
'I'm sorry...' She coughed. 'I couldn't reach you in time...' She was pale from a loss of a lot of blood. Tears began to slide down Leon's face.
'You can't mean...'
'It's my time Leon...I can't...deny that...' Tatsuki replied.
'But you can't!' Leon cried in desperation.
'Take Harusame...Then I'll always be there for you...' She said, offering the blood covered blade in her hand and the battered sheath in the other. 'I tried to fight him off...I couldn't...But you can...Take it...I believe in you...' Then her eyes closed and she fell limp as her hand let go of the blade Leon now held in his hand.
'No! TATSUKI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' He cried, sorrow feeling his now empty heart. He clutched the blade in one hand, wiped his hand across the blood with the other. 'I swear...By the blood of yours and mine...All those who befall this blade shall be struck down by our hand together...' He said, closing her eyes slowly, then standing up, sheathing Harusame...

Raina couldn't take it any longe, and the sight of leon's loss only made things worse...She ran out of the gate,crying with dispair,then a scream and nothing...

'What was that scream...?' Leon asked, from hearing it. He withdrew Harusame, split into several astral projections of himself then ran toward where he thought he heard it. His eyes were glowing darkly with unsated rage... Harusme glinted with the relection of the darkness within him. He'd kill all in his way, but he would never see another comrade die before their time again...Never...

Rai was sprawled on the floor,blood pouring from her head...Knuckles rushed over and punched the man standing over her hard in the face,knocking him backwards...He didn't get a chance to attack knuckles...Knuckles knelt by Rai and a tear slid down his face...
"Rai...hold on...I'll bandage that up..."he brought out a bandage and wrapped in around rai's head..."don't leave me rai...I...I love you..."Knuckles said...

Leon ran at the man, not caring who he was. Two clones stood on his arms causing a harsh cracking sound, then the real Leon brought Harusame down upon him. Innocent or guilty, neither mattered to him. There was barely no chance of quenching his thirst for hate and rage at this moment in time...The beast he once kept locked within had broken from its binding and was now flying free...

Knuckles hugged Rai close"You'll be ok...I know it..."he said...praying he wasn't lying...