KANAN'S POV

After the awards ceremony, I sat down right beside the gate of Otonokizaka. It is about 4:00 PM. I wanted to rest and stop thinking about what the Government did to us.

Everything that happened, the Expedition, my father and numerous others getting killed, encountering monstrous Alpacas, our humiliating defeat, and finally the embarassing awards ceremony, has made my mind exhausted. I can't feel anything anymore besides distress. Nothing around me could make me smile even a bit. Also, I think I have already let out all my tears so I almost cannot even cry properly.

Furthermore, I can't help but obsessively think over what will happen to me. My dad is gone, which means I have no more mom or family relative to go to. Nor do I have a home. I have no idea if I might continue living after all this. Besides probably enrolling myself into an orphanage, there is little for me to do.

God, I just wanted to release my stress by relaxing. Slowly, I laid down my body into the floor, planning to sleep there. But.....my nap failed to continue when a man approached me.

"Sir!?", I said with shock on my face. I am stunned when I saw this man. Suddenly, I felt like a butterfly is in my stomach.

"Kanan....I am glad you are alright!"

It is Mori Yazawa!? He is alive!? He looked tired, but he is still okay at the very least! I find it so hard to believe this! It's him for real - a man with green cloak covered with a lot of bandage over his lower body. He walked up to me to ask if I am fine.

But.....I am not happy when I see him. Quite frankly, I am scared when I found that he is alive.

"...oh no.....what have I...."

I uttered those words out of fear. Both for him and his daughter. A while ago, I told his daughter, Nico, that he is dead. I dunno what to think. I feel guilty for giving the wrong information, even though I never expected that he would live after all that we went through.

"Hey, what's wrong?", he looked at me with concern. I looked at him back with embarassment and despair.

"....I...I am sorry...."

"Sorry....for what?"

As I replied to him, I slowly lost control of myself. The memories of Nico's reaction, her face, and her despair when I told her about it raced through my mind.

"....Mr. Yazawa....you said you have a daughter, right?"

"....wait, why would you ask...."

I ended up feeling and showing the same despair Nico had. I suddenly screamed at him and spoke quickly.

"Does your daughter have black hair? Red eyes? Someone with the name "Nico"!!?"

"Wait a minute...I never told you that! How did you know?!", he clearly looked puzzled.

"I.....she.....it's because.......gasp....I AM SO SORRY!!"

"Huh?!!"

"I am so sorry, sir!! I met your daughter a while ago!! She looked for you! When I recognised her to be your child after she said your name, I told her you died saving my life! I am sorry!! I made your daughter cry and feel despair because I gave the wrong info - "

"That's enough, Kanan!!"

He calmed me down. He wiped a small tear from my face.

"What you said is the right and logical thing. No one would actually say otherwise if you think about it."

"B-but....I still....."

"Calm down....it is never your fault! Come on, get back to your senses, little girl!!"

He grabbed my hand and pulled me up again.

"Thank you for telling me that. I will tell you how I survived after I look for my daughter. Bye and take care!"

He turned back and walked away. I could see he did not walk properly as he touched his bandaged wound at his abdomen. He struggles to walk - I felt an urge to assist him.

"Sir...wait!!! Uhh.....let me...."

"Huh?"

I ran to him to offer aid in his search, considering I have nothing else to do.

"Let me help you find your daughter! I still have my horse with me! I will ride you on it!"

"Uggh....thanks, but.....are you sure? Are you not busy or tired to - "

"Well....you see.......my dad is dead......my home is gone.....I have nowhere to go now...."

"Thank you."

After Mori said that, we rode on my horse. We swiftly turned to the direction which leads us out of this city. We began our search for Nico and his family.

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MORI'S POV

We travelled to my second house at Aki Acre. We got there at about 5:00 PM. I expected that my family is there waiting for me. However, we got there to find that three UTX Military Policemen are there conducting investigations.

"Excuse me officers. I would like to know what is going on?"

"What's your name?"

"Mori Yazawa, sir."

"Hmmm....according to my report, you're the father of four kids, right?"

"Yes. Their names are Nico, Cocoro, Cotaro, and Cocoa. I also have a wife named Noriko."

"Oh....that's not good...."

"Why? Something wrong?"

"Where were you days ago?"

"I am with the Expedition."

"Huh, no wonder you wear that cloak....and I guess you have only one arm left. You're a Legionnaire. Well, are you aware that your children have been kidnapped?"

"What?!!", I am stunned with what I heard.

"More than three days ago, your wife reported that she found your home raided and your children were missing. Two of our policemen reported to us that they investigated this house and confirmed that your children were kidnapped. As far as we know, your wife is looking for your children."

"Thank you, sirs. I need to go."

I quickly returned to my horse. I told Kanan to hang on as I rode away quickly. I told her what happened and she too looked worried.

Damn it!! I never thought leaving my family for a day would lead to their disappearance!! What should I do?!! I have to find Nico, Noriko, or even my other children!! I dunno exactly where to go to yet, but I need to search for them!! Maybe I should head for my comrades in Love Live Corps to ask for help?! Do I even know where they are though?

As we rode on horseback, I saw a little girl walking towards the road we are taking. I did not recognise her because her back is the only thing we got to see.

However, as we passed by the girl, I suddenly heard a scream:

"Wait.....d-dad!!!?"

I turned my head. I saw a little girl wearing a blouse and vest. She looked tired and confused. She looked at me and started crying.

".....p-papa.....Papa!!!"

Thank God. It's Nico!! My little girl probably wanted to go to our house at Aki Acre.

"Nico!!!", I screamed as I swiftly dropped down from Kanan's horse and hugged my crying daughter. Finally....Nico is with me again!!

"...dad....I dunno where mom is....I cannot remember.....but...my siblings...."

Nico shivered as she tried to explain everything to me emotionally.

"...our home was attacked by thugs, dad....they took them away....I am the only one who managed to escape...."

How horrible....to think I came back alive to find that my family is either missing or dead. It is more dangerous outside the Walls yet it's here that my beloved suffered and disappeared. I...I felt so frustrated.

"....my god....those scumbags are morons to think that selling people for money is gonna help them! Nico, stay with Kanan!! I am gonna call the Military Police to help me search - "

"...dad....I think they are dead already....we will never get them back..."

"Don't say that. I have not even tried it yet! I will find them no matter - "

"....dad, be honest with me....can we actually find them?!!"

Nico is actually horrifyingly calm when she asked me that.

"Sir....I agree with her. Not to burst your bubbles but, this world is a big place. It is easy for people to get lost or taken away.....", Kanan intervened.

"I know it full well....my mom disappeared when I was a little girl. That's what my dad said. Until now I don't know where she is so I gave up looking for her at all."

I did not expect her to have been that unlucky. After Kanan spoke, Nico furthereon resumed her conversation.

"Dad, as much as I want to find them....I want something more important....."

"....my mom, my siblings.....they were not taken away by those thugs.....they....they were taken away by those Alpacas!!"

Before long, I looked at Nico as she slowly enlarged her eyes - her sorrow slowly turned into hate.

"Dad, those Alpacas took them away from us!! They turned those people into thugs that enslave people for the sake of survival!! Those Alpacas broke the Wall and took away our home!! Those Alpacas made people afraid!! Those Alpacas are the reason why we lack food and all we need to survive!! I blame them for all of our suffering!!!"

"Nico....."

"....I hate them so much dad....I want to kill them right now....I want to kill all of them right now!!"

To think that I left the Walls and then things turned out like this.

"I will become a Legionnaire just like you dad! Someday, I will exterminate them all!!"

No longer do I have a happy or even complete family to go back to. Everything had changed so suddenly - which meant I should change the dreams that I have until now.

"Alright....I will give you what you want..."

I made up my mind: I will help Nico acheive her dream. I will live long enough until I see her acheive it.

"I will help you become a Legionnaire. I will assist you in killing them. I now know why I survived - to help you with those things!"

I mentioned before how proud I am to have a patriotic family. Now, I am even more proud of my daughter's patriotism. She is old enough to pledge a mission for herself.

However, as much as I am proud for what she pledged, I am also very much worried and concerned for her.

"...thank you....father...."

Once again, she reminded me of my colleagues. I know a lot of people in the Love Live Corps who joined because they also want to kill Alpacas.

Behind me, I did not hear Kanan's comment on our talk.

"....become...a Legionnaire, huh?", whispered Kanan as she thought over what Nico pledged herself to do.

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A/N: I came up with this passage via a dream I had just last night. How unexpected, right? My original draft supposedly should have killed Nico's dad but I came up with an even better plot/twist so I kept him alive.

Read the epilouge and lastly the announcement page after this page.