Adopted Soldier

Alex and the others tried their best, but no matter what they did, they just couldn't stop the countdown for the missile launch. It was like Hektor said they couldn't do anything at all. There were only ten minutes left before the timer went down to zero. 

"Sorry, guys I guess this is it... I know it might sound bad but how about we say what we wanted to say to each other, you know, no more secrets. This might be our final group talk after all." Niel was smiling when he said this, but it didn't have his usual flare and radiance. 

Everyone then looked at Niel confused as to what to say. They didn't really know what to say in this kind of situation. Seeing everyone confused and full of hesitation, Oliver was the first one to speak. 

"As the leader of the Mercenary Club, I guess I should be the first to speak. Since we don't have much time, and everyone needs to speak I'll keep it brief. SAYAKA I've missed you!" Oliver then suddenly rushed at Sayaka and hugged her. 

This surprised everyone since the sudden shift from the angry Oliver to this lovesick Oliver was too great. Sayaka who was being hugged was shocked at first as well, but then she reciprocated Oliver's feelings by hugging back. 

"I've missed you too Oliver." Sayaka softly caressed Oliver's face as she looked at him with a gentle smile. While the two were heating up, somebody suddenly coughed. 

"Ahem!" Oliver who heard Kei coughing looked at him and smiled. 

"Oh, right I also missed you guys," Oliver said a bit dryly, as he continued to hug and dote on Sayaka. 

"Fine then, since it seems like you guys aren't going to stop doing that, I'll talk next," Kei spoke with a bit of irritation in his voice. This surprised everyone a little bit since, among the members of the Mercenary Club, Kei was usually the least outspoken person in the group. Now that he was being a bit more assertive was really a surprise.

"Before I say my piece, I just want to announce to those of you who don't know." Kei then pulled Emily towards him, and held her waist as he spoke, "Emily and I are dating." The very second those words came out of Kei's mouth alongside his action of holding Emily, both Oliver and Sayaka who were hugging each other almost had their eyes pop out of their sockets. 

Even Alex who was recently always stoic, and knew how to control his emotions well, was shocked by this news. 

"WHAT!" Both Oliver and Sayaka screamed at the same time. Seeing their reaction made everyone else giggle. Rachel, on the other hand, noticed something weird and touched Alex's arm. "Alex, everything alright?"

"Huh?... Oh, yeah I was just surprised. Congratulations Kei, Emily." Alex who was in a daze was jolted awake by Rachel and smiled at Emily and Kei while congratulating them. When everyone saw this, aside from Rachel everyone showed the exact same expression of surprise. Though they already saw Alex smiling sometime ago, they all thought that was part of the act when they did that fake fight. 

Yet here he was smiling so naturally. When they saw Alex express his emotions in such a natural way the other members couldn't help but feel a bit sad. The Alex they knew was no longer with them, this was a different Alex. Though it was a good thing that Alex could finally express himself, seeing him without that iconic stoic look of his felt a bit weird. 

"Thanks, Alex... Oh, damn I wasn't expecting Alex of all people to congratulate us, this is making me feel weird..." Kei covered up his face for a moment, no one knew what expression he was showing at this moment. After a few more seconds he looked at each member of the Mercenary Club. 

"Truthfully, I'm not sure if we're going to make it, so like Niel said it's better to confess whatever we want at this time. So with that thought in mind, I want to thank you, guys. The moment I met you guys my life changed... Not just that, because I met you guys, I myself have changed... For that, I will forever be grateful. If there really is a next life, and Valhalla exists then I truly wish to be able to continue this journey with you guys... I..." Kei wasn't able to continue what he wanted to say, as tears fell down his cheeks. 

Emily patted his back and whispered words of encouragement in Kei's ears. It doesn't seem like Kei could continue talking, so this time, Evangeline stepped forward. She looked at Rachel for a moment, and the two seemed to have communicated somehow as they nodded their heads at each other. Evangeline then looked at Alex with a serious gaze. 

"It's my turn to confess something, I've been keeping these feelings of mine for three years now. ALEXANDER SAMARITA! I Evangeline Kain am utterly, hopelessly, beyond any doubt, in love with you! From the moment you saved my life all those years ago, I have always loved you. I have never felt more strongly for anyone else. I've been wanting to say these words for such a long time, it feels so freeing to say them. I love you! I love you! I love you! I love you! I love you!" 

Evangeline kept saying I love you to Alex with such passion that it made Alex back away a little. The others already knew of Evangeline's feelings for Alex, and the only one who didn't know about it was Alex himself. Niel who finally heard Evangeline confess couldn't help but do a quick guts pose. 

After she was done saying I love you repeatedly Evangeline stared at Alex while waiting for him to give his answer. She already knew what was to come, but she still looked on with anticipation. Alex looked at Evangeline then at Rachel who was smiling at him, he then sighed. "Eva," this was the first time Alex has ever called Evangeline with her nickname, which made her heart beat a little bit faster. "I truly appreciate your feelings for me... But I'm sorry that I can't-" Evangeline blocked Alex's lips with her finger and bravely smiled at him. She already knew what Alex answer would be like.

"I know what you're going to say, but I don't really care. It doesn't matter to me if you reciprocate my feelings or not. Still, I hope you allow me to continue loving you. It doesn't matter if it's only one-sided, and I know I might not be a match for Rachel in your heart, but I'll never give up. I know I'm acting pretty selfish right now, but at least allow me this much." 

Evangeline's hands were shaking a bit, but then Niel stood beside her and held her hand so that it would stop shaking. Evangeline looked at Alex full of conviction, which made Alex sigh. "Eva I," Rachel then held onto Alex's hands and shook her head. 

"I see..." Alex changed what he was about to say, and that's when Evangeline was finally able to calm down and looked at Rachel. The two girls smiled at each other and nodded. 

"That was great Eva, now you're finally at the starting line." Niel happily congratulated Evangeline as he let go of her hand.

"Thanks, Niel... This is where it truly starts." Evangeline had a look of pure determination. Even though death was practically touching them, she wasn't bothered by it at all, as her adrenaline was at an all-time high right now.

The others didn't have much to say since everyone basically had already said what they wanted to say. The others simply gave their thanks in being a part of the Mercenary Club and being able to be friends with one another. Once everyone was done talking, Alex stepped forward as he was the only one left who hasn't spoken. He stood in front of everyone and bowed his head. 

"Thank you guys for coming to my rescue. Thank you guys for being my friends... Thank you guys for everything..." Alex then raised his head and then the members of the Mercenary Club saw him cry. Actual tears fell down Alex's face, this was a more shocking scene than him smiling. 

"Even though this all started because of a mission, even though this all started because of a misunderstanding... I'm happy with how it ended up... Thank you guys for teaching me friendship... Thank you for teaching me about love... Thank you for teaching me how to be true to myself..." Alex then turned towards Rachel.

"I'm truly glad that it was you who bumped into me that day." Alex then faced Oliver. 

"Thank for being my friend... No, for being my best friend. It was fun being a part of the Mercenary Club." 

With that, the countdown ended, and the roaring of the missiles launching could be heard.