A/N: Thank you to thefifthealice for being my beta reader! I hope you feel much better soon.
BOUNDARIES
Chapter One
...
Am I a bad person for being here? I told myself no, because I don't like to think of myself that way. The laughing soldiers before me, acting so carelessly and as if war didn't matter to them, haunt me. Am I really like them? I watched the tea in my cup ripple from the vibrations in the loud room.
"Ey man, you sure you don't want any beer? All that tea is gonna turn you into
a Jap!" Mikuo joked, nudging my side as the room burst into laughter. I ignored their comments, as usual.
"I'm underage," I simply stated. Mikuo gave me a look of distaste and slid the bottle of smelly alcohol over to me anyway.
"You're in the military now, it doesn't matter. C'mon, have some fun while you can." The strong smell of alcohol made me want to vomit but I smiled and thanked him anyway.
"I'm going outside for some fresh air." I announced. A few men nodded while
the others just continued telling their war jokes and "how many Japs I killed last time" stories. I felt sick.
I sat on a small wall of extra sandbags that happened to by lying around and
watched the green leaves rustle in the light breeze. It was so hot that even the breeze seemed to burn my skin.
I was stationed on a small island of Japan, which was barely large enough to be considered an island. It was our current camp ground, as tomorrow we'd be invading the Japanese military base of Hokkaidou. If the mission goes successfully, we'd have completely overrun the base and Team 5 would take out Northeast Honshu. By then, South Japan would have been completely defeated and Japan would surrender, the emperor being imprisoned in the US. I took a deep breath and cradled my head in my hands.
I never wanted to be here in the first place.
Just a few weeks ago I was fifteen year old Len Kagamine, an average high school student. Once I turned sixteen I'd been forced into the U.S. military, not having a single say in the decision. My mother couldn't do a single thing, just left with my little brothers at home to pray I'd come back. I never wanted to attack Japan, or any country for that matter. I never wanted to kill anyone or watch my companions die. And I most definitely never wanted to be here, on a deserted island in a hidden military camp with a bunch of experienced, racist solders. Dell and I are the youngest and least experienced, with us not even knowing how to hold a gun properly until three weeks ago. Dell quickly fit in with the others though, being the joking type with a relaxed aura. I can't joke around and call people "slant eyed rice eaters" like Dell. But he's always been kind to me, and he's an overall good guy.
I stilled and my breath stopped when I heard a rustle other than the wind. I subconsciously reached for the pistol in my holster and slowly stood. It was silent for a moment before the same sound echoed through the small jungle again. After pinpointing where the intruder was I quickly reached for what I
guessed would be an arm and pinned him- "Gomenasai!" her to the ground.
I was shocked to see a Japanese girl with blonde hair and oceanic blue eyes around my age under me with her hands in a defensive pose. As frightened as she probably was, she still looked amazingly beautiful, like an angel. Her hair was shoulder length and she had a large white bow in it along with small clips holding back her bangs. Her skin was pale, but in a healthy way and it looked stunning with the yellow and white kimono she was wearing. My mind raced as I debated whether to release her or use her for forced questioning as I was directed to in training.
...She was much too adorable for the latter.
I pushed myself off of her and placed my gun back into the holster before helping her to her feet. "Sorry..." I mumbled, temporarily forgetting she was Japanese. "What are you doing here?" I asked. She looked at me with an extremely confused expression and I racked my brain for some sort of phrase I'd learned in my short classes of basic Japanese.
"Uh, eigo ga wakarimasu ka?" (Do you understand English?) I asked, uncertainly, hoping I pronounced it at least half correctly.
My heart nearly stopped when she laughed, her bow twitching from the movement. It sort of reminded me of the bunnies my little brothers caught and begged to keep years ago. "Watashi wa sukoshi wakarimasu. Gomenasai." (I understand very little. Sorry.) She bowed
slightly in a really cute way and I felt my cheeks heat up.
"Nihongo ga... wakarimasen...?" (I don't understand Japanese) I more asked than announced.
She laughed again and grabbed onto my hands which nearly gave me a heart
attack. "You undastand a little if you speak, yes?" She said in English. I couldn't help but to smile and nod, enjoying the feel of how soft her hands felt on mine. The world seemed to fade into a distant memory while I was with her. However, the realization I was only a few short meters (yards) from a group of men that wouldn't hesitate to kill her, as innocent as she was, brought me back to reality. "What are you doing here? What's your name?" I asked.
She replied slower than when I spoke in Japanese. I guessed it took her a while to translate in her mind what I was saying then to try and remember what she knew in English and what it meant. "I live nearby and I decide to explore. My name is Kagamine Rin." I glanced from Rin to the campsite and back uneasily, a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
"You shouldn't be here, it's..." I paused, searching for what to say. I couldn't tell her the truth, could I? How would she react? She'd probably tell someone, and who wouldn't? "It's...not safe for you," I finally decided.
She tilted her head to the side. "Doushite?" (Why?)
"It's just not." I was about to push her towards where she'd come from when she grabbed the sleeve of my white T-shirt.
"Will you talk to me again someday?" She asked, her pleading eyes seeming to stare into my soul. I couldn't possibly deny that.
"Of course."
And she left.
A/N: Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Also, thanks again for helping me so much thefifthalice. ^ ^