I knew it would be the last time I would see him. I can still remember the last few words he had whispered in my ear, "I'll be back before you know it". What lies, he had no intention of ever coming back that was why he left. Mother was right, there is no such thing as love. After he left everything was wrong, the tea was bitter, the music painful to hear and the books we would read together seemed pitiful and boring. I decided I'd had enough of drinking cheap green tea and stewing in my own misery; I closed my eyes and allowed the soothing lull of the sea to calm my tangled nerves. A rustle in the bushes awoke me from my trance like state and my eyes fell on a nearby hydrangea that seemed to be lacking in life after the gardener had left to fight off the remaining Americans.
A small fox jumped out searching for food, even with the lanterns unlit I could see how skinny she was, her ribs were protruding alarmingly from her small stomach. I disappeared inside and hurried to the kitchen where cook was preparing a lavish meal of chicken and noodle ramen and quickly stole a chicken bone, pretending I was looking for sugar for my (now cold) green tea. When I reappeared in the garden, the fox was still there taking great gulps from the pond underneath the sakura tree. "Here you go little Kitsune" I said as I threw the chicken bone at her "chef sends his regards". There was no hesitation with the animal, as she pounced on the chicken bone tearing it apart with her pearly jaws, the bone was nothing but a chewed husk by the time she had finished and she stared at me with hunger in her eyes for more. Suddenly I felt a sudden need to talk to someone, anyone! Even a small starving fox, I reached forward whispering to the fox, "You know little kitsune," I said with tears in my eyes "I really do miss him".
~][~
Screams, blood, hatred, desperation. These were all the feelings swirling around in the air doing a dance with the ever enclosing sound of repeated gunfire; I lowered my helmet further down my head clutching my rifle closer to my chest and prayed my platoon was not the next unlucky 12 men that would be sent out to fight. I heard Sargent Takahashi yelling at Tochigi earlier for telling some of the nearest recruits they would certainly die here. Tochigi had good reason though; his children and his wife had been killed in the fires of past air raids and he was in constant depression. I reached into my breast pocket and felt for my keepsake, a small photo of my sweetheart Haruhi Tanaka; I knew how mad she was with me for leaving to fight after she had worked so hard for me to get a job at the okiya she worked at to stop me from being called up, but I hated the work, and I signed up regardless.
I remember when the truck came to collect me and she clutched me so tight I thought she would never let me go. The day she told me she was heavy with child was the happiest day of my life, it comforts me that when I return home a little girl or boy will welcome me home and Haruhi will be there with tears in her eyes and welcome me home with a big slap up meal from chef. With my wages and after she has paid off her debt we can move into a small house near Fukushima and maybe start a local holiday inn, with radios and long lasting electric lights. That's my dream for me and Haruhi, as I gaze up at the night sky I can see the Kitsune constellation twinkling up above at me.
BOOM!
~][~
The letter came 3 weeks later. I remember exactly where I was when I received it, checking my kimonos for any moth holes. Onee-san came in a letter in her hands; she looked miserable and her hands were shaking. As I gased up at her tears were dripping down off her cheeks and she bent down to hug me and whisper in my ear "oh Haruhi, im so sorry" I took the letter in my hands and tried to open it but I realised my hands were shaking too much that if i continued I would eventually rip the leter in two. Onee-san gently removed the letter and opened it for me, and passing it over as she stared down at the floor nibbling on her bottom lip, Somthing was wrong.
"On behalf of the Officers and men of my Company I wish to offer you my sincere sympathy in the bereavement you have sustained in the death of your husband. I feel that you would like to know that your husband had the goodwill & esteem of all his comrades & his loss was felt with general sorrow by the Company."
"Your husband was mortally wounded on 16th Sept by a bomb from an enemy aeroplane. He received immediate medical attention but died almost immediately and as he was unconscious I am sure that he suffered no pain. Sincerely, Sergeant Takahashi."
The End