Into the Light
That's so cute!
Oh, this? It's a good-luck charm.
That's so cute!
Oh, this? It's a good-luck charm.
The eyes of the world were on Uddiyana today as the cease-fire...
...signing ceremony was held today in Subasci, Uddiyana's capital.
As was laid out in the UN's initial roadmap,
...the ceremony was held during Uddiyana's traditional Kufura Jayanti festival...
...under the watchful eye of their living goddess, the Kufura.
If only for a fleeting moment, peace had come to Uddiyana.
But there was no sign of Shirasu there that day.
It was about a week afterwards that I finally managed to get in touch with Shirasu.
Here! Right here!
Right in front of you.
Weird, you're looking a lot better than I expected.
Have you been worrying about me, Senpai?
You bet. I even lost 5 kilos.
No way.
What can I get you?
- Hm... Butter tea. - Coffee.
What the hell?
That day, Shirasu had been taken into custody by the UNF.
It was five days after that that Shirasu was informed...
...that she would not be returning to the SDC.
These are the personal effects that were sent from the frontline base.
Is this everything?
Yes.
Also... We will be keeping all of the material that you shot.
It might contain certain material that would prove inconvenient to the UN.
I expect they'll be returned to you once the UNF finishes redacting the material,
...so there is no cause for concern.
I suppose not.
I was asked by Lt. Chris to give this to you personally.
Um... Does this mean that I won't be able to see any of those people again?
No. Never.
And with that, Shirasu was released.
This is the hotel I stayed at when I first I came to Subasci.
It still smells as musty as it did back then.
So, this is what it's like to be back at square one?
That month I spent... What was it all for?
Lt. Chris...
"You dropped your good-luck charm in the helicopter."
"It's sure gotten frayed, hasn't it?"
Is that all?
Frayed? It doesn't look very...
A memory card!
Lt. Beroqui!
Hey!
Lt. Beroqui.
Miss Shirasu, if you're watching this,
...it means that this memory card has been safely delivered to you.
I guess you're surprised that things have turned out this way.
This is a copy I made of your card before it was confiscated.
It contains all of the footage that you shot.
All this footage is yours, Miss Shirasu. It is your property.
They are pictures that you took while you were here,
...photos that you risked your life for and poured your soul into.
No one has the right to take that from you, not even the UN.
They are proof that you lived life to the fullest in the time you spent with us.
Hey, Beroqui! What's the holdup?
Quick! Come here!
Everything is ready!
Also, I'm gonna throw a shot I took of you from your best angle as a special bonus...
- Beroqui, grow up! - Lunch break is almost over!
Line up! Line up!
All together, now!
Take care of yourself, Shirasu!
Take care!
Keep taking your wonderful pictures!
And watch out for strange men!
Nobody's stranger than you, Lieutenant.
Don't start binge eating!
And brush your teeth!
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I'll ne
I'll neve
I'll never
I'll never,
I'll never, ev
I'll never, eve
I'll never, ever
I'll never, ever fo
I'll never, ever for
I'll never, ever forg
I'll never, ever forge
I'll never, ever forget
I'll never, ever forget y
I'll never, ever forget you
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I'll never, ever forget you gu
I'll never, ever forget you guys
I'll never, ever forget you guys.
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Thank you so very much.
I... I'll do my best.
Guess I shouldn't have hung around and waited...
...for things to settle down after the ceremony was over.
So, what are your plans now?
I thought I'd stick around for a while. There are lots of shots that I want to get.
Listen, you can run around if you want, but you should still be careful.
The insurgent attacks haven't completely stopped yet.
Even yesterday, there was... Hey! Are you listening to me?
Hello? Hello?
Hello? Is that you, Sis?
Takashi?
So, I hear you called a while ago? You'll be able to come home soon?
Yeah. How are things back home?
You remember that it's Dad's birthday on Monday, right?
Come home soon, okay? He won't let up about it.
Yeah, yeah, I remember. I'll see you then.
Monday? No way, that's the day after tomorrow!
Hey, you're leaving already?
Yeah, there's lots of places where people are shooting at each other.
You don't think you can make a living if you stay here, huh?
Relax, we'll run into each other again.
What, you're still here?
Sorry to disappoint you.
Whatever else you say, it's been a week since the signing ceremony.
I'd say your work here is done, don't you?
There aren't any big terrorist bombings this week,
...and the insurgent groups are staying put, too.
What 's next for you, big guy?
I don't really know.
Details on the UNF headquarters takeover and the whole Pou situation are still fuzzy.
It's hard to imagine things staying as-is.
You're going to stay here for the time being, then?
Yeah, I'm staying.
So, I hear you're leaving tomorrow?
Yeah.
It's gonna be awfully quiet around here...
Big guy! You have a visitor!
You're a real player, you know that?
Thanks to all of your efforts, peace has finally returned to my country.
I always had faith that this day would eventually come.
Unadulterated faith and love...
As I looked at her back, I thought to myself,
..."There probably isn't a power on Earth that can hold those two things back."
At the same time, though, I was scared when it occurred to me...
...that tomorrow also implied there would be a different future.
But I want to believe that there are ten million kufuras in the world.
Shirasu, I know you're one of them.
Is that... the airport?
This can't be happening... It isn't right.
Keiichi?
I know it's sudden, but I'm going back to Tokyo.
I wanted to say hello before I left,
...but I've been running around like crazy trying to get on a flight.
Sorry.
I'll leave this for you at the front desk.
At that photo exhibition I first met you at,
...there was one picture that really captivated me.
It's stayed in my mind ever since.
When I came to Uddiyana, I figured it out.
What's in that picture is prayer, isn't it?
A prayer directed at tomorrow. A prayer expressing belief in tomorrow.
Life and death always go hand in hand here...
It came as a shock because I'd never seen so many deaths before.
Every time I saw it, it made me think to myself, "I'm alive!"
But I met even more prayers than deaths.
No matter how deep their despair, I'd see people praying with all their heart, and...
It's hard to put into words, but it's like the light of hope inside you never goes out.
Even if it doesn't always work, I think that prayer is an act of courage.
It's a sort of declaration that says,
..."No matter what happens, I believe in tomorrow!"
I guess it's just like the significance that the Flag carries.
I finally realized what sort of pictures I wanted to take...
...after I got to know this country.
After I got to know the people of the SDC unit.
And I have you to thank for everything, Akagi-senpai.
Thank you so much.
Since coming to Uddiyana,
...I think I finally understand what you've been telling me all these years.
"The instant you click the shutter, it becomes the past."
"But we photographers always have our cameras at the ready,"
"...believing in the future that will come next."
I guess we do.
Anyway, there are tons of pictures that I want to take now.
Well, I'll be heading back to Tokyo ahead of you.
Hi, Keiichi.
Lisa?
I'm sorry, would you mind taking a picture of us?
Of course.
Okay, say cheese.
What's it been, three months?
I couldn't bear to look at you that day, Keiichi.
Then you shouldn't have taken pictures of me.
What do you suppose it was?
What was?
The UNF's goal.
They had Saeko document the Flag recovery, but they confiscated the pictures.
...and never disclosed that the Flag had been stolen in the first place.
At first, it was probably a reinforcement plan meant to boost the Flag's value.
No, maybe it was more like an insurance policy.
In any case, they probably hoped to create a new legend...
...using the photographer who took the Flag picture.
But then the authorities found out that Pou was the mastermind,
...and that there were some surprising players operating behind the scenes.
With the Flag back, they tried to pretend the whole thing never happened.
They determined that was the best way to move the roadmap forward.
The powers that be did it on a whim.
On a whim?
Yeah. If Shirasu had died in an explosion the instant the Flag was recovered,
...the story probably would have taken a different turn.
Keiichi!
If I hadn't given her that airplane ticket, none of this would have happened...
I hear that you're editing the footage and pictures she left for you.
It's unfinished business I need to see to.
Will you release them?
I don't care about that anymore. I'm just looking for closure.
I'd love to see them.
Sure, you will. I promise.
- Well, I'm off. - Leaving so soon?
I'm going back to Uddiyana on the first flight tomorrow.
Wait a minute...
That country is just getting started. They have a lot to work through.
What I can do is keep watching and keep taking pictures.
And take her share of pictures, too.
You have things that you have to do, Lisa,
...and I have my own things that I have to do.
Shirasu!
We bore witness to a conflict in a far-off country.
Every once in a while, a single picture will bring peace back.
And that's what yours did.
There are ten million kufuras in the world.
And if all those kufuras raise up the Flag at once in the hope of peace...
I have faith that that day will come, Shirasu.
That's why people like us keep taking pictures.
You remember that it's Dad's birthday on Monday, right?
Come home soon, okay? He won't let up about it.
Yeah, yeah, I remember. I'll see you then.
Ju_
Jun
June
June_
June 2_
June 28_
June 28t
June 28th
June 28th_
June 28th
Just one time, just one is enough.
I want to see a beautiful light.
No matter long the night that comes,
...even if darkness should fall,
...if I know that light will shine down on everything,
...I don't need anything else.
"Please don't let me be swallowed up by sadness."
"Please let me have some purpose in my stride."
We just need to wish a little harder for it,
...wish for a light to erase the shadows that have come upon us.
Every time I lose my way, I'm pierced by the pain...
...of losing a little bit of myself.
And every time I set out again,
...I realize and relish that I have the strength to crush the darkness underfoot,
...and I'm able to wait for the stars once again.
Presented by Gray_Phantom #Gray_Phantom @ rizon