A/N: New story! Unlike the rest of my stories, this won't be drabbles, but a conventional narrative.

Prologue: Shot


When asked how the war started, depending on whom you ask, you get a different answer. The only thing that the respective governments knew for certain was the death toll on their own side - the lives given up for the sake of their country.

Lives given up for their country? Or lives ripped apart from families for the sake of the privileged, greedy elitists who sat safely on their greased seats, miles and miles away from the battlefield?

Lives wasted for a cause no one believed anymore.

But the government had bred enough hatred amongst its people; they had started the cries of shock and terror, which now the people echoed independently. They sneezed first, thereby germinating the contagious poison in their countries. Five years of war later, and no cure or remedy was yet to be found: the symptoms had simply gotten worse - they all wished for the deaths of their enemies.

Not peace, but only death.

The Alicean all thought the Z-Nation were rapist monsters, blood-thirsty and deranged. The Z-Nation thought the Aliceans were backward-thinking devil-worshippers.

When asked how the war started, depending on whom you ask, you get a different answer. Well, it went something like this: political debates meant friction between Z-Nation and Alicea, which culminated into the halting of trading goods. Goods included oil, and oil is energy, which meant money, which equals control. Propaganda spread, then, a bullet shot! A rebel Alicean fired at Z's President's only child. Talk of war spread, then the racist persecutions started … people fled to their countries, scared and distrusting of foreigners. Z then moved its troops on the borders and silenced protesting Aliceans. This all happened in the span of three months.

And then –

"I am speaking to you, my nation, my people, Zs from my office in the Red House. This morning, on the 14th of May, Year of the Rabbit, the Z Ambassador in Alicea was given a final notice stating that unless we remove our troops from our borders that a state of war would exist between us. This afternoon, as the President of Z, I personally have refused this Alicean demand. The audacity to force our troops to move is unacceptable, given the volatile state of our two nations. Up to the very last minute, I tried to negotiate peace, but the Alicean ruler would not have it. I am therefore speaking to my nation on the radio, to tell you all, as consequence, this proud country is at war with Alicea."

War!

"—I know that our women will play their part with calmness and courage. I know that our men will win our battles, so to win and finish this war with Alicea—"

Fast forward to now: the Year of the Monkey. The young, and old men were gathered like matchsticks in a box, shipped off to war. The young, and old women were told to sit at home.

A bullet shot!

"Abort! I repeat: abort!" yelled Major General Hyuuga. His men were falling like flies – he will be next. "Abort! Fall back, fall back!"

Goddamit, goddamit – he was a Major General, he wasn't supposed to be here, he wasn't supposed to die here—

The bullet shot! And another! And more!

Major General Hyuuga fell to Alicean ground, shot and wounded. This couldn't be happening—he couldn't just die here, be left on enemy lines, on the turf like an animal. His body tumbled down the hill, ripping the grass as he rolled down to a halt.

Goddammit! Goddammit! His men! His honour!

He instinctively clutched at the openings of his wounds and screamed in anguish: thick, gushing blood confirmed his mortality. "Fuck! Fuck!" he yelled, tormented, furious, in shock and in pain. "Fuck this all!"

Was death knocking on his door so soon? Was death touching his face, caressing him, seducing him to follow into its shadowy realm?

All was fading to black: the last he saw was his bleeding abdomen and leg; the last he smelt was blood and dirt; the last he felt was the warm stickiness of his blood; the last he tasted was the dirt in his mouth; the last he heard were continuing shouts and bullets punctuating the early evening.

All turned to black.


A/N: Please bear with this story! This is only the Prologue. Of course, the true nature of this war will be revealed as time goes on. But to summarise very briefly, in this fiction, you will encounter two countries: Z and Alicea. You will learn more about these countries as the story develops.

The President's war speech is based on Neville Chamberlain's declaration of war speech against Nazi Germany.

This story is set in an alternate universe.