Scars of Battle and Betrayal (Rated T for Teen for Violence and Blood plus some mild language)

"Well, the world has changed I can tell you that, seems the old ways are dying and technology is popping up everywhere. I hate using the stuff being bought up as a samurai, but there are only limited things you can do without the aid of technology" Kyle said

Soon nothing but ocean became the view. Kyle had forgotten the last time he was over the ocean. Brings him back to his younger days when he use to accompany his father on cruises to make business calls and such, those days were over and how he craved to enjoy them again.

"So, how did you escape the Fal'Cie?" Kyle asked.

Natsume looked confused for a moment. "I...I don't remember...all I can recall from that day was the shock of seeing how the world had changed..." she said. She'd never thought on how she'd escaped but now she wondered how she couldn't remember it when asked.

"It's okay, it'll probably come back to you. I remember clearly how I escaped. It was right after they branded me. They were planning on putting something in me that would give them control, make it where I followed every command given no matter what it was, I was fifthteen when I managed to escape. Went underground and continued my training, even joined a group called the Elite" Kyle explained.

Kyle went into his pocket in pulled out a picture and handed it to Natsume.

"My parents before they were murdered by the Fal'Cie. My reason for fighting them is to avenge my parents murders" Kyle said.

"So they killed them and took you...how horrible..." Natsume said as she ran her fingers along the picture. Then vision of her parents giving her to the Fal'cie flashed through her head. "No!" she said losing herself in the vision clutching her head in tears.

"Maybe we should quit talking about bringing about too many painful memories" Kyle said.

The computer started beeping signaling they were close to their destination.

"Almost there" Kyle said.

"Sorry...j-just v-visions...they've haunted me since that day..." Natsume said as she handed the picture back to kyle. She neglected to tell him that these visions were relived with perfect clarity. This was what made them so painful to her.

Suddenly the Arwing shook as an alarm went off inside.

"What was that?" Kyle asked.

"Warning, left wing has been destroyed, warning left wing has been destroyed. Engaging emergency landing"

Kyle looked out to his left and saw a stub of what use to be the left wing.

"Hold on, this could get bumpy" Kyle warned.

Natsume took a firm grip of her seat and harness. 'God first time in something like this and it's gonna crash...why me?' she thought to herself.

Kyle did his best to safely crash the Arwing if though such a way didn't exist. The Arwing slammed into the water sking across it before shooting back into the air where it then crashed into the beach and started spinning before slamming into a tree.

"Damn it!" Kyle cursed. After a while he pressed the switch opening up the cockpit and jumping out.

"Natsume are you okay?" Kyle asked.

Natsume felt uneasy. "Yeah just feel like I'm gonna throw up is all..." she said. That landing was not fun for her by any means of the word.

Kyle looked around, they were on a beach and ahead of them nothing but forest. Kyle pulled out a device that displayed a map. The ruins of one of Japans villages was exactly in the center of the forest. While other villages and the main city rested around.

"Looks like were going in there" Kyle said as he pointed to the forest.

"Ok but we should be careful though." Natsume said keeping her sword close at hand. She didn't like having to crash and she never liked the looks of forests even when she was a child.

Kyle made his way into the trees and was keeping his guard up. If the Fal'Cie were indeed in the ruins of Japan then they would do anything in their power to make sure no one knew what they were up to. It wasn't long before they came to a sign. It was written in Japanese and Kyle had no idea what it meant.

"Well that's not very helpful, I have no idea what it says" Kyle said.

Natsume took one look at the sign and she knew. "It's telling all who trespass to beware the wrath of the Oni. Never travel at night....my father put it up as a warning to outsiders though they never heeded it." she said.

"Hmph...warnings, natures way of telling something bad is about to happen" Kyle said as he looked around.

Suddenly Ravanger started sparking with red electricity. Kyle took notice and started looking around abruptly.

"Something tells me we're not alone, Lucifer is getting edgy" Kyle said.

"Never any rest for us tortured souls eh Kyle..." Natsume said. She had her hand on her Himura Blade ready to unleash an attack in response to any hostile action.

Suddenly several creatures wielding giant scythes came out of nowhere. Kyle counted and they were faced with eleven of the lower class Fal'Cie pawns.

"Great, Reapers, my least favorite Fal'Cie flunkies" Kyle said as he jumped back and drew Ravanger.

One tried to attack Kyle but he sliced it's scythe in half before kicking it into the air and then jumping and slicing the thing in half. When he landed the rest circled him and Natsume.

"Be careful, this guys are tricky bastards. Never let your guard down, had to deal with some of these things when I escaped the Fal'Cie" Kyle said as he raised his blade.

"Right..." Natsume said. She saw something familiar in one of the Reapers though. His scythe was in the range of the time of her original life but it was when her eyes widened. 'It can't be! Those bastards!!!' her mind raged and she sliced through a Reaper that tried to assualt her from the side.

"Bastards....how dare they..." she said trembling anger in her tone.

"Huh?" Kyle said lowering his guard and getting smacked through several trees.

Kyle launched himself around before shooting into one and ramming Ravanger through before forcing his blade through and slicing it clean in half. Kyle then blocked an attack from another Reaper.

"Man I really hate these things!" Kyle said angrily.

'Forgive me...' Natsume thought to herself as the Reaper that had stirred her anger attacked. As she blocked move for move it showed that this reaper was skilled as a warrior in the past. Her eyes then went orange though tears rolled off her cheeks as she delivered a killing blow. As it fell it seemed to groan in a way that sounded like thank you.

Kyle knocked one into the air before shooting into the air.

"Here we go!" Kyle shouted.

He performed several blinding fast attacks before shooting down and slamming through the Reaper causing an explosion.

"No hard feelings" Kyle taunted as he landed.

Natsume finished her side of Reapers and then sunk a bit weeping as she held the scythe of the second Reaper she'd killed. She'd never had a harder kill to make.

Kyle finished off the last of the Reapers before turning to Natsume.

"What's wrong?" Kyle asked.

"They turned them into monsters...those bastards..." Natsume said indicating that the Reapers they fought had been from her village. "And this...this was my father's scythe..." she said clinging to the scythe. As much as she hated him for giving her to the Fal'cie she still loved her father.

Kyle looked around the slained Reapers.

"Great, now I feel worse for slaying what use to be innocent people. I knew you coming would be a bad idea, too many painful memories here" Kyle said as he picked up Ravanger and sheathed it.

Kyle sat down next to Natsume.

"Well look at it this way, at least you freed him from his curse as a Fal'Cie" Kyle said trying his best to comfort her.