Blessing

Blessing

Sunlight sliced through the buildings that had once been the pride of humanity for 100 years of peace, only the light their eyes had once seen as golden now appeared as a scarlet hue, akin to the rivers of blood that had been shed in order to protect those very buildings.

The Recon Corps trudged through the town in a long, exhausted, dejected line, the sounds of weary boots and limping hooves thudding dully against the dry earth.

The disapproving mutterings of dozens of citizens could be heard, muffled curses and mocking comments they spat through grimaced lips. But those in the center ignored the biting words being shot at them from all sides, for their minds were too laden with grief and sorrow, their bodies numb from enervation.

Each was lost in his own thoughts as they continued their slow, defeated pace back through the walls they fought so mercilessly to defend.

Those lost in their suffocating grief did not exclude a certain man who bore the weight of many deaths on his shoulders. Corporal Rivaille was deathly silent as he trekked among the devastated rows of people, bearing significantly less numbers than when they had set out. As the faces of his beloved men flashed before his eyes, he recalled their broken bodies, their lifeless eyes, a sight he had witnessed so many times that it had caused his own eyes to grow just as hollow.

As the ranks continued to walk and the people continued to mutter, the Corporal was vaguely aware of a rushed pair of footsteps that were directed toward his path.

"Corporal Rivaille!" A deep voice called out to him as a face finally appeared within his line of sight. "My daughter is in your squad. I'm Petra's father." The man wore a warm smile, but Rivaille could see past this man's fake expression as clearly as he could see through rainwater. His eyebrows were furrowed with a nervousness he was attempting to keep hidden, and Rivaille tensed as he continued to speak. "Before she sees me, I wanted to talk to you. She sent me this letter... She mentioned that you respected her abilities enough to let her join your squad. That she was going to devote herself to you."

As the older man spoke, his tone was slightly embarrassed as he spoke of his beloved daughter. Rivaille continued forward unresponsively, drowning in his own thoughts. 'Yeah...she devoted herself to me alright. She's devoted everything to me...'

The older man continued to speak to the Corporal with a fondness in his voice. "Well, I guess she's too starry-eyed to consider how her father feels!" He laughed briefly before clearing his throat, taking a slightly more serious tone then. "Well, as her father, I think it's too early for her to marry. She's still so young, with so much to experience..."

As the words spilled forth before him, Rivaille's mind clung onto that one word in particular: marry.
No matter how hard he tried, he could not pull his mind away from that one word.

Just then, another pair of footsteps sounded as Rivaille felt a slight bump on his shoulder. He glanced sideways to see frazzled, honey-colored hair and blinked quickly as she took pace beside him.

"P-Papa!" Petra cried. "W-What are you doing, talking about such things to the Corporal?" She hissed, a pink blush shading her cheeks.

"Ah, Petra!" Her father pulled her into a swift embrace. "Sorry, I was just reading your letter and-"

"Yes, yes, I heard." She sighed hopelessly before turning back to the man at her side. "I'm sorry about that, Corporal. He can't help himself sometimes when it comes to me..." She muttered.

For the first time since the 57th Expedition had been declared terminated, Rivaille felt a shimmer of warmth within his chest.

"Yeah." He replied simply. "Me, too."

"What was that?" She quirked an eyebrow curiously.

"Nothing." He turned his head away from her, hiding the minuscule angle at which his lips curved upward. "It's nothing."

As they continued to walk, he felt a warmth in his hand as small fingers entwined with his own, and he allowed himself to feel relieved for the blessing at his side.

She had always been at his side, and he knew she always, always would be for the rest of eternity.

-END