Chapter 4 – Fire Within
Once being admitted into the General's tent, Kaname followed Kashim's actions as he kneeled to await his superior's acknowledgement. Receiving a nod, both kneeled back on their heels to wait being addressed. "A wonderful morning Allah has blessed us with this day, hasn't he Kashim?"
"Yes sir." Turning to set aside what Kaname guessed might have been one of many different maps; he smiled back at her warmly.
"I trust you have had a restful night Miss Chidori?" Bowing slightly, Kaname smiled back at the man who had promised to do all he could in assisting her to return home.
"Yes sir, thank you for asking."
"As Kashim has probably told you, I believe we may have found a way to get you back home." Reaching back for the large paper map on the top of the pile, he brought it over to set it between them. Large red circles and long lines were drawn across the map, though all of them seemed to travel between only two specific points. "If memory serves, there is an American Military base located here," he pointed to the lower of the two circles. "This is the city of Kabul, and this marking over here is our current location. That's puts us approximately one hundred and eighty-six miles away from the city."
"One hundred eighty-six point ninety-two, to be exact. That's a long way to travel on foot sir. Considering the terrain once we leave the valley, things will only get more difficult once we ascend into the snowy tops of the Hindukush Mountain range." Nodding, Majid also pointed out the many provincial dividing lines, citing that they would also have to cross over points of the Nurestan, Laghman, and Kapisa provinces before entering the Kabul province and nearing the city. "Travelling over so many mountain tops will be a great hindrance sir; even with that being the fastest route, it would probably take almost fourteen days to reach the city."
"Unfortunately for us, Kabul is Miss Chidori's best option if she really wants to return home. The Americans are aware of our faction, and our country has their support should the Russians take more direct action in their attempt to take our land. Miss Chidori?" Still stunned at the long distance between where she was taken and where she would have to go, Kaname almost missed it when the general addressed her.
"Uh, yes sir?"
"Would I be correct in assuming you have some relation to Environmental High Commissioner Chidori?" Both men were able to see her expression fall slightly, her shoulders bunching up in response to the now obvious question. With a heavy sigh, she lifted her gaze back up to them.
"Yes sir. He's my Father."
"Then they should be able to see to it that you return safely to him in New York."
"I wasn't living in New York sir. I…I lived alone, in Tokyo." The two of them looked at her in surprise, though still noticing that she didn't seem particularly happy about the statement. It was unheard of to allow a young, un-married woman to live completely by herself in their society, and although it was more common in other parts of the world, for her age, it still felt strange. Disregarding things for now, Majid continued.
"Well, either way I am certain they will be of more help than we can be Miss Chidori. Kashim?"
"Sir?"
"Would you be willing to be Miss Chidori's guard and escort to the city? Since you two are already familiar with each other, things might move quicker that way." Nodding, he spared a quick peek to see if she was still somewhat sad from her earlier admission about her family. Not wanting to drag things out longer than necessary, he turned back to his general with a determined look.
"Sir, I'd be honored to be entrusted with her care on the journey to the city." Majid nodded, turning to look back at the girl sitting next to the young warrior.
"Then we will prepare for your journey Miss Chidori. You will be on your way home in three days time."
"Three days? Why so long Sir?"
"Because you must finish healing Kashim. I will not send the two of you to cross such treacherous roads when you still have open wounds on your back." For a moment, Kaname swore she could see him pouting, as if someone had told their child they had to wait a while before going swimming with friends. Her mood picking up a bit, she tried to contain her giggles as they were dismissed. Holding the curtain for her as they once again came out into the hot sun, Kaname smiled in thanks as she stood upright, stretching out her legs after having sat on them for a while.
"Miss Chidori, would you like to use the facilities showers? You might wish to wash up a bit after so much has happened." Kaname ran her fingers through her hair, cringing when she could feel how greasy the strands felt. Shaking her hand free of her dirtied tresses, she looked back at him with a thankful expression.
"That sounds wonderful actually. I haven't bathed since before they forced me into that pod. I can't imagine I smell very pleasant," she added with a nervous laugh. Glancing down, she kicked at the dirt a moment, trying to hide the blush that had sprung up at the thought that he would consider her physical cleanliness.
"Should I escort you?"
"Huh?"
"Uh! I-I only meant, if you wanted me too! If you were fine, I would volunteer for a short patrol duty and be back once you've finished. That is, if you'd prefer to do that. I-I could guard outside the baths…I guess…" His hand itched to rush to the back of his head in embarrassment, and it was only due to his training that it stayed immobile at his side. He could only hope that his long bangs helped to hide the blush spreading across his cheeks at the thought of standing guard outside the baths while she took care of herself…only around a tiled corner…completely nude…
Kaname seemed to have come up with the same ideas, as she suddenly found her face felt far warmer than it had been before. Not realizing that her nervous responses had taken over, her hand shot to the back of her head and she let out a long nervous laugh. "Um, n-no that's fine ahahahaha! Really, I should be able to manage! You go ahead and take care of your patrols, I-I wouldn't want you to get in trouble with any of the other men for not performing your duties."
Able to steel himself into a calm after the brazen thoughts had left his mind for the moment, he steadied his breathing and nodded. "Alright then Miss Chidori. I should return from patrols in about an hour, if you finish before then, just head back to the tent. I can pick up lunch for us after I get back."
"Okay. I'll see you when you get back then." Almost shyly, a small grin came to his face as he readjusted his rifle on his shoulder, hissing again when the sharp metal scraped against the wounds spread across his back. Waving as he turned, Kaname watched as he lightly jogged over to one of the small jeeps with three of the other men. As the jeep drove off, Kaname smiled to herself, whispering a quiet 'Be careful' as she saw the vehicle zoom through the main gate.
~~~~~***~~~~~
Kaname stood under the hot stream of water, large billows of steam building up around her from the heat. The bathing area was a large tiled room, with baths along the back wall. Smaller separated shower stalls ran along the walls, and each had a short curtain for added privacy. Taking hold of a bottle of shampoo, Kaname had just started scrubbing the grime from her hair when she heard some of the other women come in. They still had their chardis on, and Kaname was able to point out Fatin's from earlier that morning. She had come in with four other women, and from their mannerisms, she guessed they were probably friends. Hoping to stay out of their way and avoid making enemies due to misunderstanding, Kaname simply continued to wash her hair. Still, glancing over to them as they prepared for their baths, Kaname couldn't help but feel envious of them. 'I miss everyone so much! Kyoko, and Ren, Mizuki, Shinji…I miss them all! I wanna go home!' With that thought though, her mind sought to remind her that when she finally did make it home, she would most likely never see Kashim ever again. Surprising herself, that thought suddenly had her feeling very sad, despite the fact that she had met him only the day before.
'Why?' she thought as the hot water rinsed the last of the shampoo from her long azure locks. 'Why does the thought of never seeing him again hurt so much?'
From across the showers, Fatin and her friends glared at the foreign girl, knowing that if they kept their voices sounding happy, she wouldn't realize they were talking about her. "Such a strange girl, does she perhaps think herself better than us?"
"Who knows what she thinks, it doesn't matter to us anyway."
"Honestly, I can't believe we're even helping her. For all we know she could be a spy for those damned Russians!"
"At least the ones that were once here have been dealt with. I have been listening to the stories from the other men while washing the linens. Kashim had taken many of those filthy heathens down before discovering that strange girl."
"Fatin?"
"Yes Amal?"
"Tell me, why is it that you pursue Kashim when you could have any one of the young men? It makes no sense to me." Fatin smiled as she removed her charadi, her long black red hair falling down her shoulders. As her friends followed suit, she took hold of her towel once disrobed and turned to face them.
"It is simple Amal. He is strong, and he is the General's adopted son. When the time comes, he will lead us with the same ferocity as the General, and if I am at his side, we will never fall to those despicable Russians."
"But Fatin, really, you should just let your father choose a suitable man for you like we are. You know he would only choose the best for you." Fatin shook her head, her long hair swaying with each movement.
"My father would choose someone of a lower rank just to suit his tastes. I have my eyes on the one proven to be the strongest, and that man is Kashim." The other three took their towels and retreated to the baths, keeping their eye on the girl that had been found during the raid on the facility. Fatin kept her eyes trained on her, jealousy flowing through her veins at the thought of her sleeping in his tent. Finally settling in the soothing hot water, the girls watched the stranger carefully, making a few more snide remarks in low voices.
"Just look at how pale she is! Do you think she ever was in the sun before they found her?"
"Why doesn't she cover up like the rest of us? Who does she think she is anyway?"
"Just look at that dull and lifeless hair. It has no spirit to it at all."
"I've seen her when she speaks to Kashim and Mr. Andrei, and I swear she looks them right in the eyes!" The other three girls gasped as they heard what Fatin had told them. All their lives, they had been raised to never make direct eye contact with any male, and even inside the home, they weren't supposed to with any man except their fathers or future husband. Further still, those moments would be when they were alone.
"What a harlot!"
"Yes, first she parades around without a charadi, and then she has the audacity to make direct eye contact with unfamiliar men!" Each of the four girls glared at Kaname from across the bathing area, wondering at the audacity of her actions while interacting with the opposite sex. Her jealousy still flowing through her, Fatin began calculating an idea to put the rude foreigner in her proper place. Once finished, the four girls made their way back outside, leaving Kaname alone in the large, empty bath area.
She hadn't understood anything they had said, but Kaname had a feeling that some of it may have been about her, and none of it was probably good. She wasn't one to assume the worst of others, but from the feeling she had picked up from earlier that morning when Fatin had flashed her that less than friendly look, Kaname knew better than to assume that either of them could ever hope to get along. Grabbing a towel, Kaname wrapped up her hair before taking to drying off her body, taking care to not drip water everywhere and cause an accident later on. Unfortunately she noticed that the women's showers didn't seem to have any hair dryers, so after toweling her hair as best she could, she ran a comb through her long azure locks before dressing and putting away the bathing supplies she used.
Before she had even completely come out from the bathing area, Kaname felt a hand grab her wrist, pulling her forcibly around to a shadowy corner and slamming her into the brick wall. Looking up, she realized that there were two other males there as well, and a shiver ran up her spine at the devious looks on their faces. Kaname tried to edge her way back toward the camp, her fear growing as one of the men cut her off and pulled out a small knife. She was frozen against the cold of the brick wall, not able to understand what they were saying, but the looks they wore had her fear growing fast. Tears pricked the edges of her eyes, and when one of them sounded pleased by it she tried to dash through them, only to be caught and forced back up against the wall, the rough surface scratching uncomfortably against her cheek. One of them was pressing against her now, making sure she could see the knife as his hand roamed her torso. Just as his hand moved up under the loose shirt she wore, the tears spilled over her cheeks as she tried to imagine herself somewhere else. 'Somebody…please help me!'
Just as the hand under her shirt was almost under her breasts, she heard yelling and what sounded like a brief fight before the hand under her shirt was literally ripped away. Realizing she was no longer being pressed against the rough brick wall, she lifted her arms and slowly pushed away, turning to find out what was going on.
The two that had been awaiting their turns were now sprawled haphazardly on the ground, either curled up or hunched over as if in extreme abdominal pain. They were also speaking in long whining words, and though Kaname was far from understanding them, she supposed they would be something close to describing the pain in their stomachs. The sound of struggling a short distance to the side had her gaze turned, her eyes widening in shock at the sight of Kashim literally pounding the man who had touched her into the ground. Blood leaked from his mouth and nose, and though he did attempt to fight back, it was obvious who the superior fighter was.
Catching the man's fist in a vain attempt to punch him in the face, Kashim quickly twisted it behind him until he heard a loud pop, the sound only silenced by the painful yells of the man who had dared to lay such forceful hands on their guest. A red haze had filled his mind when he had come around to the building side, the sight of her tears as the three of them had begun taking their fill of her body filling him with a rage so powerful he wasn't even completely aware of his surroundings. A small crowd was beginning to form just outside of a fifteen foot radius, and a few people looked to be placing bets, others either shouted encouragement or voiced their distaste.
He never heard any of them. The rush of blood in his ears and the haze that had settled over his mind was blocking out everything except the desire to inflict excruciating justice on the three who had dared to forget Allah's divine law. Kaname turned when she noticed that a small boy had lead over Kalinin to see what was happening, Majid following by only a few steps. Once their eyes settled on the young man beating the life out of one of her assailants, both of them moved quickly to intervene. Hearing the rushed footsteps over the wines from his victim and the pounding blood in his ears, Kashim turned and held his rifle at the ready, the anger and hatred he held for the beaten young man in his grip blazed within his cold grey irises. "If you try to stop me, I will not hesitate to shoot you down."
Putting up their hands defensively, Andre slowly took another step toward his young friend, thanking his nerves of steel for not allowing him to twitch when he saw his grip on the trigger tighten. "Please calm yourself my friend; you know we mean you no harm. Why have you attacked Afzal and his comrades?" Andre's face remained chiseled as he saw the young man's eyes grow colder at the mention of the man whose collar he still held tightly within his fist. For a brief instant, he looked to the side, and as Andre followed it, he found Kaname leaning up against the wall, wrapping herself tightly within her own arms as hot tears made their way down her cheeks in rivers.
Noticing that the attention was no longer on him at the moment, Kashim threw the young man to the ground, pinning his arms down in the dirt with his knees. Reaching behind him, he slowly drew out his kukri, making sure that Afzal was able to see it clearly before leaning over and staring him right in the eye. The young man's fear grew tenfold at the sadistic look in the young warrior's eyes, and as the sweat on his hairline grew, a disturbing smile crept onto Kashim's face as he watched him. "Which hand dared to touch her?" There was a menacing tone in his voice that Afzal had never heard before, the very sound of it chilling him to the bone. His eye twitching slightly to the right for only a fraction of a second, Afzal never even saw the movement as the kukri came down swiftly and buried itself into his palm, staining the dirt beneath it to near blackness.
Afzal laid writhing on the dirt, screaming as the pain emanating from his hand burned more fiercely than the sand at midday, and as he saw the smirk on his tormentor widen, the kukri in his hand swiveled, ripping and cutting through more of his hands tender muscles and creating a small spray of blood. "Oh ye who believe, stand out firmly for Allah, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice." Slowly removing the kukri from the mangled flesh of the boy's hand, he held it steady, letting some of the blood drip back onto its owners face. Afzal cowered under the gaze of what could only be described as the devil himself, his hand still twitching with frayed nerves as more blood seeped out with every beat of his heart. Leaning over him, one by one Kashim slowly cut off each finger, articulating his words as he dropped each of them onto his victim's chest. "Be just, that is next to piety, and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do."
Kaname's body shook with fear under the tunic Andre had put over her shoulders, covering her ears against the loud screaming of pain as Afzal's hand, the one that had touched her, now lay mangled and separated from his arm.
~~~~~***~~~~~
Still wrapped tightly within the tunic she had been given, Kaname sat curled up in a corner of Andre's tent, still too afraid to try approaching the tent she had slept in, though more for a fear of not knowing what to say to the young man who had helped her than a fear of the young man himself. She understood perfectly that Kashim had been furious because of what the others had done, but the look on his face when he had held down Afzal, and the sound of his voice when he had declared that Allah was aware of the wrong Afzal had almost committed, she almost lost sight of the young man who had been so kind to her before, and that thought alone had her scared out of her wits.
Within moments of cutting off Afzal's hand, Andre had quickly ushered her over to his tent, advising her to stay calm and remain quiet until after everything had been sorted out. After that he had left without another word, and the crowd that had been silenced when Kashim had raised his rifle was starting to rise in volume again. She could hear the occasional shout of someone she guessed was either voicing his displeasure that no one had yet to beat Kashim for his actions, or defending him by citing his swift actions to deter the misguided young men from disobeying divine law. As it was, she couldn't decipher which voices said what, and she wondered for a moment if that was really such a bad thing. She didn't think that hearing what some of the men wanted as punishment would be a very good thing to hear after witnessing someone cut off a man's hand.
The breeze had kicked up again, ruffling the tents entrance behind her. Though Andre had secured the sheet before he had left, it was the first time within the presence of the unfamiliar group that she felt even the least bit safe. Even when she had first woken up in one of the holding rooms to find Kashim huddled in a corner across the room, the look on his face had been enough to tell that they would most likely not hurt her for fun. A familiar voice yelled over a few others, recognizing it as Haidar's, and Kaname flinched at the idea of what would happen should the horrid man get his way regarding the treatment of both attacker and attacked. Kaname knew enough about history to tell that every society had at least a few naturally violent people, and that it was unfortunate that the actions of those few often dictated how the others were treated, despite being far more apt to kindness.
"Miss Chidori?" She flinched when he spoke, never even hearing when it was that he had approached the tent, let alone coming inside to address her. Her heart tightened when she heard him sigh quietly from behind her. He must have noticed her reaction to his voice. "I…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that in front of you. It…it's just-"
"Have they decided what's going to happen?"
"What?"
"Are…are they going to beat you again?" Her hands shook as she awaited his answer, hoping that he had taken her request to stand up for himself seriously. He coughed a moment, clearing his throat so she would be able to hear him better.
"I have stated what I saw when I came to find you to Majid. He was also told very similar stories from Afzal's comrades. All three of them will face a firing squad in the morning." Kaname couldn't describe the myriad of feelings that flooded her when she heard that, almost relieved that no other girl would have the threat of such things happening to them.
"So Majid didn't let them get away with it then?" He nodded, though she couldn't see the action. Hands still placed firmly on his thighs as he kneeled behind her, his fists clenched at the words he knew he should say, though he wanted very much to not say them at all.
"Miss Chidori, I…I'll understand if you would rather have someone else escort you to Kabul." He watched as she sat still a moment, wondering if she was seriously contemplating letting someone else take her to the city. The thought alone put a heavy weight over his heart, its unfamiliarity disturbing him as he sat like a statue behind her, unable to move from the sudden feeling. It was both a surprise and a relief when she quickly turned and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
The action itself shocked him more than anything else. Being raised to not have any contact with the opposite sex, he had barely bothered to look at women at all, having found that due to his place within their unit, that no man would stoop low enough to introduce his daughter. Although, since meeting the strange girl he had found inside the laboratory, he realized that within the short time he'd known her, many things seems to change quickly. There was now someone who looked at him as a friend instead of a comrade, who spoke to him without fear of what others would think, who smiled at him…
Still feeling nervous at the close contact, a deep blush settled on his cheeks as he tried to speak without stammering. "Uh, I…M-Miss Chidori…?" His face only darkened when he felt her arms tighten around his shoulders, his heart pounding so fast and loud he was sure she was aware of it. Just as he thought he would go into shock with the myriad of feelings a single hug caused, he barely heard her whisper above the rushing of blood in his ears.
"I know this goes against what you believe. I'm sorry for putting you in this situation, but I'm just so relieved," he voice trembled as a few tears escaped from under her thick lashes.
"Miss Chidori?"
"I was so afraid they'd beat you again! I was so sure someone would try, it scared me half to death!" Her tears came down faster, wetting his shirts material on his shoulder. He was still blushing, and frozen in amazement that she would worry about someone she'd barley met the day before. She still hung onto him, though thankfully she wasn't shaking too badly, and after contemplating things a moment, he shifted his weight carefully and slowly lifted his arms from his sides. Moving carefully, he almost had them around her when the tents curtain opened, letting Andre enter his tent and alerting a now frantic young man that he and Kaname were no longer alone.
"Sorry to have interrupted you two, but this is my tent…" he smirked as his young friend practically radiated panic and dread at being caught in such a compromising position.
"Yes sir! I-I mean no sir! I mean, I-I didn't...uh…no wait, I …uh…" A light chuckle came from the older man, both confusing and relaxing the young man still wrapped in Kaname's arms as she cried out the last of her worries onto his shoulder. When she finally sat back up and wiped at her eyes, Kashim turned a nervous glance to the older man still standing at the entrance to his tent.
"Don't worry my friend, I won't say anything. But please consider moving to your own tent for the night." Still blushing quite brightly, Kashim now wore a defeated look, grateful that Andre would refrain from spreading any rumors, though wondering if he should worry about whether or not the older man would find it amusing to use the occurrence against him in jest later on.
"Y-yes sir…" Shaking himself free of the flood of new emotions he had been experiencing as of late, he stood and reached out a hand to help Kaname up. "Go ahead of me and head back to the tent. I need to see to something first."
"Alright, would you mind bringing dinner?" She had wiped away the tears that once stained her still pink face, but now as she smiled hopefully at him, he felt relieved that he had been the one to help stop her tears.
"Of course. I won't be long." Watching her as she slipped through the curtain, his gaze hardened at what he knew he had to do. He had purposely left out that it had been overheard rumors that had spurned on the lustful youths, and felt his anger rise once more when the memory of what they had said resurfaced. Slipping out of the tent, he stuck to the darkening shadows, grateful that the sun had already begun its decent a while ago.
Barely disturbing anything in his surroundings, he crept over toward the wash basins that had been set up on one of the far corners of the facility when they had all arrived. It didn't take long to locate his target, and he blessed his own fortune when he discovered that the shadows fell over the area in a most advantageous way. Thankfully, his target was alone, so confident in her victory she didn't even have a friend with her to act as a lookout. Slinking up behind her, she gasped when his hand came up to cover her mouth, almost struggling before she felt the cold sting of his favorite knife lightly pressed against her throat. "You disappoint me Fatin. I thought you an honorable woman once, now I see I was mistaken."
She didn't struggle in his hold, and it only confused him further that she had relaxed after finding that it was him. Intrigued by her actions, he adjusted the angle on his knife slightly, more than a little puzzled when her breath quickened at his movement, yet calmed as soon as he stopped. "I will give you one chance to speak Fatin, but should you attempt to continue lying about your innocence, you will feel the teeth of my blade in your throat. Am I understood?"
Letting go of her mouth once she had nodded, he waited for her to turn and face him, wanting to hear why she would dare to purposely spread rumors about someone she didn't even know. Instead, she twisted and lifted her charadi before crushing her lips onto his, his eyes going wide at her shocking display of brazenness. Pushing hard at her shoulders, she fell back near the small pile of laundry she had been washing, watching him as he wiped at his mouth as few times in disgust. "I want you Kashim, for myself. You are one of the strongest men I have ever seen. None of the others can see it as well as I can. I know how strong you are, even if you hide it from the others, and I want you for myself."
He watched her carefully from her place near the clothes, swaying her shoulders as she sat up to get closer to him, her hands beginning to trail up and down his legs in a gesture he guessed she thought would arouse and intrigue him. The action was as useless as if he was made of stone. He didn't move, didn't respond at all, in fact he was beginning to think he'd need a hot bath and to wash his clothes until the threads barely held together anymore. Moving his legs to fling her back to the ground, he looked at her with open hatred, angered even further when she still didn't appear to comprehend her fragile situation. "If you come near me, or Miss Chidori, I will kill you."
She looked up at him, her expression telling him clearly that she still didn't understand her situation. How could he not want her? Every other young man did, and Haidar had not found any of them worthy enough for her, so why not the strongest? What was it about her that made that foreign harlot so much more desirable? "You would not hurt me Kashim. You fear my Father's retribution. He would sooner kill you as look at you."
Leaning down glare right into her large black eyes, he kept his voice low as the edge of his knife caressed its way across her neck. "I never knew such a beautiful woman could be so truly hideous." He applied only a minimal amount of pressure as the blade continued its journey across her throat, her hiss bringing a sadistic smirk to his face. "If you do not believe the truth in my words Fatin, I would be more than happy to oblige you." The knife ended its slow trail over her throat, a thin line of blood seeping to the surface, and in an instant he was just gone, the only proof of his visitation being the short and swift breeze that carried his scent.