A New Beginning

It had been four days.

The med bay was quiet, the dim glow of the overhead lights casting soft shadows along the walls. The rhythmic beeping of Kai's heart monitor echoed through the silence, steady but weak.

Rose was still there.

She sat beside his bed, her head resting gently against his chest, fast asleep. Her breathing was slow, her tail draped lazily over her lap, rising and falling with each breath.

Kai's fingers twitched.

His body ached, his limbs felt heavy, but the warmth against him was the first thing he noticed.

Slowly, his eyelids fluttered open.

The blurry ceiling above came into focus, but his gaze drifted downward—to the weight against him.

Rose.

Her face was relaxed, peaceful, though there was a tiredness lingering in her expression, even in sleep.

Kai exhaled softly, his voice hoarse.

"...Rose?"

Rose woke up with a sharp inhale. Her ears twitched, and for a second, she looked disoriented, her sleepy gaze meeting Kai's tired, half-lidded eyes.

Then—her breath caught.

Her body tensed.

"Kai!!!"

Before he could even process what was happening, Rose lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Thank goodness! You made it!" Her voice was shaky, filled with relief that had been bottled up for days.

Kai grunted, his entire body flaring with sharp pain. His wounds may have healed, but the soreness ran deep—and Rose was crushing him.

"R-Rose—" he coughed, his voice strained. "You're—crushing—me!"

She immediately pulled back, ears flattening as she realized what she was doing.

"Oh, crap—sorry!" She let go, but not before giving him one last, firm squeeze.

Kai groaned, his head hitting the pillow again. "You sure? Didn't seem like you were gonna let go anytime soon…"

Rose huffed, crossing her arms. "Well, maybe I wouldn't have if you just died on me!"

Kai blinked. "That's a weird way to say 'I'm glad you're alive.'"

Rose's tail flicked, but she looked away, rubbing at her eyes. "...Shut up."

Kai let out a weak chuckle, his voice still hoarse. "This is out of character for you, Rose…"

She stiffened slightly, her tail flicking behind her.

"Did you stay here the whole time?"

Her ears twitched, and for the first time in a while, Rose looked embarrassed.

She turned her head away, crossing her arms defensively. "O-Of course I did!"

Kai raised an eyebrow.

"You know! I still owed you for saving me," she blurted out, her voice rising slightly. "So this makes us even!"

Kai blinked. "How does this make us even? You just took a nap and watched me sleep."

Slap.

A sharp smack landed on his arm—not enough to hurt, but enough to get his attention.

"Jeez!" Rose huffed, cheeks red. "Having a cute demi-cat cuddle you while you sleep wasn't enough?!"

Kai opened his mouth to respond.

Then—

"PERVERT!!" Rose screamed, her voice echoing through the med bay.

Kai's face twisted in confusion. "Huh?! What—"

Outside, footsteps rushed toward the room.

The door slammed open.

Aika and Arnik stood in the doorway, eyes wide.

Aika rubbed her eyes groggily as she shuffled toward the med bay, still half-asleep. Arnik, on the other hand, was already on his way, wondering what the hell all the commotion was about.

Then they saw it.

Kai.

Sitting up. Awake.

Their eyes widened.

"Kai!!!"

Before he could react, both of them rushed forward.

"Wait—no, no—"

Crunch.

Aika and Arnik tackled him full force, sending him crashing back onto the bed. The air rushed out of his lungs as he wheezed under the weight of his overenthusiastic friends.

"Ow—OW! I literally just woke up!" Kai groaned, pain shooting through his still-healing body.

Aika clung to him, sobbing into his chest. "You idiot! You almost died!!"

Arnik had an arm around him, his grip tight, but his face was turned away. "Tch. Took you long enough to wake up."

Kai gasped for breath. "I—I think you just put me back into a coma—"

Aika clung to Kai even tighter, her shoulders shaking as soft sobs escaped her. She buried her face into his chest, gripping his uniform like she was afraid he would slip away again.

"I'm so glad…" she choked out between shaky breaths. "I couldn't lose you too."

Kai's breath caught in his throat.

His arms, though weak, instinctively moved to hold her. There was something in her voice that sent a cold feeling creeping up his spine.

"What do you mean…" he asked slowly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Lose me too…?"

His eyes drifted around the room.

Aika didn't answer.

Neither did Arnik.

Or Rose.

Their faces—the silence.

Kai's heart began to pound.

His chest tightened as realization slowly crept in.

His throat was dry when he finally asked—

"Where is Markus…?"

Kai…

Arnik's voice was quieter than usual, almost hesitant.

"He… didn't make it."

Kai looked up and let out a short, breathy laugh.

"Oh, that's funny… But you seriously shouldn't joke like that."

No one laughed.

Rose and Arnik stood still, their fists clenched so tightly their knuckles had turned white. Aika wiped at her face, but the fresh tears kept coming.

Kai's smile faltered.

"You expect me to believe that…? Come on, guys…"

His voice wavered.

His hands gripped the sheets, his heart pounding against his ribs.

"Come on… say sike."

No one said anything.

"We're serious," Rose muttered, looking away.

Kai stared at them. His mind refused to accept it, refused to process the words being spoken to him.

Slowly, he leaned back against the bed, his head resting on the pillow. His chest felt hollow, his breathing slow.

"I… I see."

Aika turned first, sniffling as she wiped her sleeve across her face.

"Let's give Kai some space," Arnik murmured, his voice heavy.

Rose lingered for a moment longer, her tail flicking once before she finally turned and followed them out.

The door slid shut behind them.

Kai let out a quiet chuckle, but his eyes burned.

"I told you to be careful… You liar…"

His fingers curled into the blanket. His breath was uneven, a tear slipping down the side of his face.

"Now I'm gonna have to pick up the slack…"

His voice was quiet, but determined.

"Guess I'm gonna have to get twice as strong."

They heard muffled cries beyond the door.

Rose's tail flicked behind her as she stared at the floor, her voice quieter than usual.

"They were best friends."

Aika sniffled, wiping her sleeve across her eyes. "Yeah…"

Arnik exhaled through his nose, crossing his arms. His expression was tense, unreadable.

Out of all of us… he must have it the worst.

None of them spoke after that.

The only sound was Kai's muffled cries behind the door.

Footsteps echoed down the hall.

Andrew Handerfall approached, his expression unreadable. He stopped in front of them, glancing at each of them before speaking.

"Come with me."

His voice was steady, leaving no room for argument.

Aika hesitated, glancing back at the med bay door. Rose's tail flicked, and Arnik gave a slow nod.

Without a word, they followed him.

As they walked, Andrew spoke, his tone firm yet unwavering.

"I know you're all upset about losing a valuable team member… but right now, it's time for us to deal with the main issue."

No one responded. Their footsteps echoed through the metallic hallways, tension thick between them.

When they reached the bridge, the vast panoramic windows displayed Mercury in all its technological glory.

A world of steel and neon, its sprawling megacities stretched endlessly across the planet's surface, pulsing with circuits of energy that connected every building, every transport, every sector. Skyscrapers of metal and glass pierced the sky, their towering forms glowing with synchronized data streams running across their surfaces. Hovering trains and high-speed transports wove between them like arteries of a living machine.

But it wasn't the city's architecture that held their attention.

It was the fleet guarding it.

Massive warships hovered in formation, their sleek, black hulls lined with glowing red insignias. Orbital defense stations pulsed with stored energy, primed to release devastating planetary artillery if anything unauthorized tried to pass.

Dozens of patrolling fighter squadrons zipped through the air, their thrusters leaving streaks of blue light in perfect, disciplined flight patterns. Gunships stood docked at towering platforms, their weapons primed and ready for immediate deployment.

At the city's perimeter, mechanized sentries patrolled every sector, scanning every movement. Bipedal combat mechs stood like silent titans near military installations, each one outfitted with enough firepower to level entire districts. Automated drones darted through the air, feeding data back to command centers with an eerie, mechanical precision.

The entire planet pulsed with control, efficiency, and unyielding military dominance.

Breaking through that?

It wouldn't be a fight.

It would be suicide.

"It's... amazing," Arnik muttered, staring out at the vast, impenetrable defenses of Mercury.

"Of course it is," Andrew said, arms crossed. His gaze remained locked on the fortified city below, unreadable.

He turned to them, his expression firm. "Boys… Mars will not be in vain. All the information we gathered from our fights with Lionel has made our defenses even stronger."

He placed a hand on Arnik's shoulder. There was weight behind the gesture—not just authority, but expectation.

"Listen…"

The room was silent.

"You guys must get stronger. Way stronger."

Arnik clenched his fists. "How strong?"

Andrew exhaled, his grip tightening slightly. "Well… at minimum? As strong as your teachers."

The air grew heavy.

Aika's shoulders dropped. Rose's tail flicked sharply. Arnik's lips pressed into a thin line.

And just like that, any hope they had left felt like it vanished.

"If you guys want to keep being Angel Squad… you better get stronger," Andrew continued. His tone was final, unshakable. "Because if you don't, we're disbanding it completely."

He looked them over, his voice steady but weighted.

"That was our Sovereign's last order."

"Consider it done," Kai muttered as he limped into the room.

Andrew turned sharply. "You need to be resting."

Kai waved him off, his movements stiff but full of purpose. "As soon as possible… put me in the lab with Takashima. I'm going to build a weapon that will vaporize Lionel's forces."

Clapping sounds filled the room.

The sound echoed, slow and deliberate.

Crowne walked in, his usual smirk in place. Behind him, the rest of the teachers followed, their presence commanding without a single word spoken.

Vayne adjusted his gloves, looking at the scene before him with an amused expression.

"Elegant," he mused.

Takashima stood at the front, arms crossed, eyes sharp.

His smirk deepened.

"Now that," he said, "is what I like to hear."

Andrew smiled, then yelled loud enough to shake the room.

"Right! Now let's get started!"

He pointed at Vayne. "Get all the evacuees figured out."

Vayne gave a small nod, adjusting his cuffs. "Consider it done."

Andrew turned next. "Crowne, Miu, and Blitz—prepare a new training course immediately!"

Crowne smirked, Miu stretched her arms with a grin, and Blitz cracked his knuckles.

"As you wish!" they said in unison.

Finally, Andrew looked at Takashima.

"And Takashima… get to work!"

Takashima grinned, already turning toward the lab. "Right!"

Angel Squad gathered together in a tight huddle, the weight of everything that had happened still pressing heavy on their shoulders.

Arnik looked at each of them, his jaw clenched. "We're not letting Markus's fight be in vain."

Aika wiped at her eyes, her voice quiet but firm. "Not after everything he did for us."

Rose's tail flicked sharply. "Damn right. If he were here, he'd be laughing at us for getting all emotional."

Kai, still aching but unwilling to show it, managed a smirk. "Then let's make sure we give him something worth watching."

They all looked at one another, no more words needed.

Markus was gone. But his fight—their fight—was far from over.