This was an unexpected burst of inspiration that came from no where just as I declared a break for myself. Maybe releasing the self-induced stress was the nudge I needed to get the creative process moving again. I'm not sure when I'll publish another chapter but don't give up on me. I hope you enjoy this.

The irony is not lost on me that it was Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor that brought the United States into World War II, and here I am writing a chapter about Japanese anime characters and placing them in the US during this war. Therefore, all actual circumstances that occurred are being completely suspended for creative purposes. To keep things from being confusing, I'm still using their character names. Come on people, it's fiction. Work with me here... :D

Kana stared at the wooden doors at the top of the stairs. She had promised her father, a Colonel stationed at the local army base, that she would do her part to help out with the war effort. Everyone was expected to help in one way or another. Since she was the daughter of an American soldier, there was no way for her escape this expectation of doing her share. Two soldiers walked past her, one brushing against her shoulder as he passed.

"Pardon me, ma'am," he said, turning briefly to look at her.

"I was standing in the way after all," she returned, feeling as if the breath had been stolen from her lungs when she looked at him. Her eyes gazed into a set of ebony eyes that were like that of a raven; dark, shiny, full intelligence, and holding a hint of mischievousness. She felt her lips turn upward into a big grin that she hoped did not border on creepy. Glancing at the insignia on the arm of his khaki uniform, she saw that he was a Sergeant. Had he seen active combat yet or was he still serving stateside?

"Are you coming inside?" he inquired, a small tight-lipped smile on his handsome face.

"Oh, of course," she murmured, rushing up the stairs to enter the door he held open for her. After uttering her thanks, she hurried to the kitchen.

"There you are!" the woman in charge exclaimed. She was a big breasted blonde in her early to mid-thirties, pretty but tough as nails. She did not care too much for Kana's lack of punctuality after her father had promised the woman she would be there promptly at seven. It was now five minutes past seven. The joy of the military mentality.

"I apologize, I - " Her words were cut off when the woman twirled her around, then threw a frilly pink apron over her head. She let out a small 'eek' sound when the woman tied it a little too tightly around her waist that was already cinched tight by the corset she was wearing. Although the corset was an old-fashioned garment, suffering for beauty never went out of style.

"First, I want you to help with serving the coffee and hot chocolate. Once you get accustomed to your surroundings and how things work here, I expect you to get your pretty little ass on the dance floor to help entertain these guys before they are shipped off to a war zone," the woman ground out like the finest drill sergeant. Slapping the new USO girl on the ass to shove her in the direction of the counter, she went on her way to make sure everything was running smoothly to make this the best night of these men's lives.

Dance floor? Entertain? Kana looked down at her navy blue high-heeled shoes that matched her navy blue dress with big white polka dots. High heels and hours of standing then dancing...dammit. Sighing deeply, she resigned herself to the exhaustion and sore feet and calves that would be coming her way. Surprisingly, she actually began to enjoy her job of serving the hot beverages because the soldiers were friendly and cute. There was something irresistible about a man in uniform. Even the geeky looking guys with the thick black rimmed government issued glasses were good-looking in uniform. The professional appearance, the air of importance, the way the damn things hugged a man's body made the biggest dork look inviting. Then there were men like him. Beautiful just because they were a god among men.

The man with the black eyes approached the counter where she stood. His hat had been removed and folded to be tucked into his waistband. His black hair was short but still long enough to be smoothed back. He gave her a wider, more friendly grin this time.

"What would you like?" she inquired, holding a cup and waiting for his request.

"The first dance with you," he replied, leaning across the counter to touch her hand.

Kana jumped when there was a sensation like electricity that stung her hand then rushed up her arm. She stared at him, blinking in astonishment. What the hell had just happened to her?

"Hey! Red!" the woman in charge bellowed to get her attention. She made a shooing motion with her hands. "You heard the man, go dance with him!"

Kana did not have to be told twice. She ripped off the apron, handing it to the blond woman as she walked past her. Red. She hated being called that. Yes, she was aware that she had hair such a deep red color it appeared to be brown, and she did not find it necessary to be reminded. Even strangers had the irritating need to call her Red. Her father told her it was because they thought her red hair was beautiful. He was the sweetest man on earth. Sometimes ridiculously peppy, positive, and just plain irksome, but she loved him because he was her Daddy no matter what. She never knew her mother who her father told her had died in childbirth. If she knew the truth of the whole matter, she would not believe him anyway. Not yet at least.

Kana held up her hands, allowing the handsome man to pull her into his arms as he fitted his hand into hers and his other hand on her waist. She stood stiff and unyielding, her body barely moving. Biting her lower lip, she looked up at the face of the man who seemed mildly amused by her awkwardness.

"Relax. I'll lead you," he assured her, sliding his arm around her waist to encompass it.

Kana nodded, taking a deep breath. Laying her head on his shoulder, she unwound the taut muscles of her body to permit him to move her around the dance floor. Her eyes closed so she could concentrate on every motion. The way he swayed her body, his confident grip and willingness to take care of her seemed to be an oddly familiar feeling. It was as if she had met him before...loved him before. Maybe she had loved him in another lifetime. But that was silly.

"What's your name?" she asked, feeling his grip on her tighten. She wondered why he hesitated and his whole body grew stiff with apprehension. Maybe it was better she did not know his name. She would never see him again anyway.

"Sasuke," he replied in a low voice.

A spark of recognition, like a twinge in her brain, fired off then was gone before a connection could be made. However, a pleasant but unexplainable feeling of warmth and contentment remained. When he stopped swaying her body, she looked up at him quizzically.

"The song is over. You'll have to go dance with someone else," he explained with a smile that held sadness. His fingers brushed her cheek intimately before he said, "Don't worry. The last dance is mine. I'll always come back to you."

By the end of the evening, Kana would remember him. And they would be together again.

~...~

Two weeks later...

Kana pulled away from him to catch her breath. He had been kissing her so deeply, so intently, so long that her lungs had begun to burn from lack of oxygen. After sucking in a noisy breath, she grabbed his face with both hands to pull him back to her for another suffocating but oh so fantastic kiss.

"Kana, Kana, listen...oh, god," he moaned as her lips burned a trail of passion down his neck. Although she had been reluctant to stop kissing his neck, he lured her away with the promise of his lips. Between the prolific smacking of their lips meeting and parting again and again, he tried to talk to her. "Honey...sweetheart...there's...something..." Finally he grabbed her by the shoulders to hold her at arm's length so he could get out the single sentence. "I'm leaving tomorrow."

"What?" she asked, hoping she had misunderstood him.

"Tonight is my last night here before I fly to Europe...to a combat Zone," he added, seeing the tears well up in her eyes.

"How do we spend our last night together?" she questioned him, unsuccessfully holding back her tears.

Sasuke reached into his pocket to retrieve a handkerchief and something else. After drying her tears, he handed her the white cotton handkerchief. He watched her as she carefully unfolded the cloth to find the two plain gold bands that he had purchased with his savings. They weren't much but it taken all he had. He wanted to give her all he had, all he was, everything he would be to her.

"Marry me," he murmured, folding her shaking fingers over the rings to hold both of her hands in his. He received a kiss for an answer because she was too overwhelmed to speak.

It took them hours to find someone willing and able to do the ceremony. A judge that they had woken up in the middle of the night at his home had taken pity on them and performed the ceremony in his own living room. His wife, still dressed in her fuzzy pink robe, stood in attendance for the wedding. After the quick ceremony, Sasuke and Kana found a hotel in which to spend their unexpected but anticipated honeymoon together. With no sleep, running on adrenaline, and feeling completely elated, they drove back to the base at four in the morning so he would not be late for his plane that would leave at exactly six. Sitting in the car at the edge of the base, they watched the sun rise together before they said good-bye.

~\.../~

Three years later...

Kana was happily going about her business, picking vegetables from their backyard garden. Despite being apart, she and Sasuke had created the American dream for themselves including a cozy two bedroom home complete with white picket fence. He had been able to come home only two times in the three years that they had been married. Each moment had been cherished, but still went by way too quickly. Everyday they spent apart, they hoped the war would be over. The next day would bring disappointment because it did not end. Picking one of the ripe tomatoes, red and round, she put it in her basket with the other vegetables. Humming contentedly to herself, she did not hear the car coming to a stop in front of the house.

"Kana! Kana!" her father yelled, walking around to let himself in through the back gate. He had seen her in the backyard before they pulled up. He felt sick because of what he was about to tell her. Even though it was the worst news he would ever give her, he insisted that he be the one to tell her. Through the ages, the inevitable death of either one of them never became any easier to deal with.

"Daddy! Oh, you should have told me you were coming over!" she exclaimed, running to him. She tried to ignore the sadness in his large blue eyes. No. He was here for a social call. That was all it was. That was all it could be. She began chattering a mile a minute, proudly showing him the lovely array of vegetables in her basket.

"Kana, you know why I am here," he said in a firm but gentle voice to stop her mindless flow of words. He took the basket from her hands before she dropped it. "He's..."

"Don't!" she yelled, covering her ears and closing her eyes tightly. "Don't say it."

"Baby," he mumbled, putting his arms around her.

Numb. All over. No feeling. No thoughts. Just...nothing. Dead. How could he be dead? It wasn't true. It just wasn't. Kana could not hear anything but the beating of her own heart. She did not comprehend why the men were closing around her wearing the profoundly sad expressions or why her father was holding her so tightly. Words were entering her ear from somewhere far away, from a reality she did not want to be part of.

"...died yesterday. He died a hero. He was leading the raid on an enemy camp. All of his men survived because he - "

"Why?" she asked, catching her father off guard. Something warm and wet was flowing down her face and dripping from her chin. She wasn't crying because this wasn't happening. Sometimes the human mind had a way of separating itself from a reality it could not deal with.

"Why what?"

"Why did he have to die and no one else?"

"Kana - "

"WHY?!" she screamed, hitting her father's broad chest with her fists. "Why? Why? Why?" She screamed the one word until her throat was sore and her voice was hoarse. Her body weakened, and she crumpled to her knees. She was caught by her father before she toppled over onto the ground face first. He knelt on the ground with her, holding her as she mourned and her brain slowly comprehended the information. The sorrow welled and overflowed in the form of tears and heart wrenching screams that eventually ceased when she lost her voice completely. It couldn't be true. He was NOT dead. Sasuke was alive - somewhere. He had to be or she could not bear to go on living. She had to believe.

~\.../~

For years, even beyond the end of the war, Kana searched for Sasuke. At first she spent most of her time between the USO hall and the military base. Due to her father's high rank, she was allowed to see every dead soldier for herself to make sure they were not her beloved. Day after day, she would watch the planes fly in as soldiers returned home, hoping against hope and reason itself that one of those planes was bringing her husband home. After the war was over, she made frequent phone calls to the military base, the morgue, the police department, any possible entity that might be able to assist her with finding her husband. No one would help. Day by day she was growing older and more tired, but somehow she never lost hope that he was still alive.

Twenty years later, at the age of forty and what would be their twentieth anniversary, Kana walked into a lovely Catholic church near their home. She had never been a religious person. Since this was where Sasuke's funeral had been held, she had made an exception and stopped by the church two times a year: once on the anniversary of their marriage and again on the anniversary of his 'death.' She lit a candle and went inside to pray for his safe return - just like she always had. Picking a seat near the front, she bowed her head to begin her meeting with God, to plead for her husband's return. Just as she was finishing her prayer, she heard a rhythmic noise that was something like kathunk, kathunk, kathunk. It sounded as if someone were walking with a cane and a wooden leg. Lifting her head and glancing around, she saw a man making his way down the wide main aisle with some difficulty. He was thin and weary from the horrors of war and time. He was using a cane to help him shuffle along. He had only one arm, the right arm of his uniform hung limp and flat. There was an eye patch over his left eye. His uniform was as old and as worn as him, but he wore it proudly. There was a large medal on his chest that he had apparently been awarded due to some act of incredible valor during the war many years ago.

Kana slowly rose from her seat to make her way to the aisle. Keeping her head down, she hoped to the avoid the battle worn man. Instead she bumped into his chest because she was not watching where she was going.

"Oh, excuse me, I'm terribly sorry, I-" The words froze in her throat when she looked up to gaze into the one good eye of the man. The eye was blacker than black, full of life, and full of...love. Her hands flew to her mouth to keep a startled scream from coming out when the lips she had kissed many times curled into a smile. The hair had become gray around the temples with age, but the rest was dark and silky as ever. "Oh...oh, my God...it's really you. I knew you weren't dead," she whispered, tears of joy wetting her cheeks. She carefully moved toward him, pressing her body against his as he wrapped his arm around her and balanced himself to stand without the help of his cane. Resisting the urge to fling herself into his arms...well, arm...had been necessary so she would not send them both sprawling onto the floor.

"I told you I'd always come back to you."