The Fortress Grounds

"What I can discern? What I can discern is that....." *sigh* "You're right. I am about to reveal a secret." Taking deep breaths Blake had to prepare himself since he had never said it outloud before, "I'm a girl. But my father raised me as a boy. Even named me Blake and put in the registry books that I'm male. the fact that I'm a girl exists only in physicality and in the part of me I locked away when I was little..." Blake had been looking away the whole time he spoke unable to look Chris in the eye. Blake has never felt so small.

Chris nodded.

"Well, in that case, you must come to terms not necessarily with the fact that you are a girl, but the fact that your gender doesn't control you. Instead of trying to assimilate to one or the other, form your own group. Be proud of what you are, and also who you are. That seems to be the most logical step to me."

"If I accept myself as a girl....what would that mean though? I can't just be nothing...." Blake looked at Chris hopefully.

"And why can't you just be nothing?" Chris thought. "That sounds like an assumption to me. I haven't even considered your gender yet."

"You need to define yourself as smething. It's part of what makes you who you are. I just be nothing..."

Chris looked at her.

"Well, what am I then?"

"I would only imagine that you could classify for ease of reference. Forced definition is enslavement."

"But you're a guy." sighing Blake took a step forward. "How can I just give up on everything I was raised with?"

"I have to do the same, you know. It's not giving up, it's restarting. We still have the chance to save ourselves, and we should not take conclusions that we know are incorrect. I don't care if you think of yourself as a girl, just don't think of yourself as a boy. At the same time, I will actually let myself become..."

He sighed.

"Weaker."

"How will you do that? How does one restart?" Blake took another step forward, truely curious and somewhat hopefull.

"We cast off everything from the people that told us what was right. That doesn't mean we can forget our old lives, just that we've learned from them and transcended." He smiled a genuine smile.

"I have something I have to do before we can leave here."

"What do you need to do?" Asked Blake, Ready for the plan.

He held up a finger, and disappeared into the complex of the fortress quickly. A couple minutes later, he came back, hurrying Blake away.

"This place must be desecrated."

Hurrying away with Chris, he asked slightly nervous, "What did you do?"

"Err, duck."

Gunlock smiled.

The entire fortress erupted into a massive ball of flames, scorching the ground around them and pelting it with concrete.

"Holy shit!!!!" Blake yelled as he ran for cover and dodged debris. As he ran Blake couldn't help but smile. The addrenaline was amazing. Reminded him of something...must be one of the many fights he's been in recently.

"Next, we head to your home."

Chris looked knowingly in her eyes. It wouldn't be easy to reject what she had known her whole life.

Blake's eyes grew wide at the mention of his home.
"My home...." Blake looked down. "You might not believe me. But I grew up ona small island called Kem' Pa. It's one of what you know as the uninhabital islands..." Blake looked up tp meet Chris's eyes.

"Then South we go." He smiled.

"Alright," said Blake with a small sigh and a smaller smile, "let's go."

[Exit: Bloodhound fortress, Enter: Deepwood forest]

Chris nodded, following her.

[Exit Bloodhounds, Enter Deepwood Forest.]

Kariti looked around at the unfamiliar territory, hoping she had made the right decision to come. But this.... this place was terrifying.

Luthier moved through the wreckage of concrete and flames.

"Seems like my dad has been here, alright..."

Ichiru looked around.

"Whoo, they really did a number on this place, huh?"

Kariti near flew closer to the two men.

"What happened here? Why is everything so... hurt and destroyed?" She looked around frantically. "Was Blake here?"

She knew Ichiru didn't know who she was talking about, but Luthier would. Suddenly something clicked in her brain, and she looked at Luthier, horrified.

"Wait.... your FATHER did this??"

Luthier nodded nonchalantly.

"I have no idea. I know she was headed this direction last I checked, but I would assume she's not here now. And yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if this was Dad's work."

She was quiet for a moment.

"Well he doesn't seem very nice." She looked up. "Why do you keep calling Blake 'she'? Blake's never told you to call him 'she' just because you happened to find out his gender."
She stepped away from Luthier, looking through the rubble, trying to keep from trembling.

Hopefully Blake hadn't come near here, or passed by at all. Kariti didn't like how unnatural this place felt.