Interlude

Of What Akio Now Realizes

"General, we have assembled the troops!"

"General, how shall we execute the assault?"

"General, is this enough firearms?"

"General, how many vessels will be required?"

Honda Akio couldn't care less.

The only thought that occupied his sore mind now was to find his son and find him fast.

To put an end to these suspicions! He would often huff silently to himself every morning before work, as he drank his tea alone.

Drank alone, before Kiku's empty cup at the other side of the table, which, by the passing days, became a less and less satisfying replacement for his vanished son.

However, after days of pacing and planning, and restless nights aplenty, the unthinkable happened.

"General!"

He looked up to find that one of his underlings had bustled to the door. It was a habit he found very exasperating; although he could understand that westernization took a considerable amount of time, would it kill to have a bit of etiquette and not break in at the spur of the moment?

However, averting his attention away from his underlings' lack of etiquette, he noticed that, strange to say, the boy was in a most perplexing state of unmasked excitement and fidgeting.

It was a sight which struck general Honda as odd, considering the fact that the assault wasn't until a day after tomorrow.

"What is your business, Mizumi?" He sighed, not bothering to mask the annoyance from his facial expression.

"Come down to the docks immediately general!" the underling blurted, discerning his leader's irritated frown (another shocking revelation to the general), his words toppling over each other in an incomprehensible mess, "general, it's a miracle!

"It's a miracle!"


A thick crowd of civilians and officials alike had flooded the harbours when general Honda arrived at the scene.

However, at the sight of the general, the people hastily moved away, while those who weren't quick enough to get to their feet and scoot were shoved to either side of general Honda's path by the force of the impending mob.

Although he hated to admit it, general Honda had been feeling rather strange ever since he was practically pushed by his underling into a car to the harbour .

If his conscience was not playing tricks on him, the general could just barely identify the unfamiliar, odd feeling as…

Anxiety?

Mizumi's attitude has gotten into me… the general sighed inwardly as he was brought to the front of the docks.

"Mizumi, now can you properly explain to me just what's happening - ?"

"General, look! Look into the horizon!" His underline cried, jabbing his fingers out to sea.

Sure enough, amidst the vast expanse of blue waves, a dot was making its way closer to mainland.

As the dot rowed closer, it morphed into the figure of a boy in a ragged, torn uniform, the exact colour of the defiled garment now indiscernible under what the general could easily pinpoint to be dried vermillion. A malicious look framed the boy's sunken, garnet eyes. His sword, just as ravished-looking as the boy and tainted in a substance that can only be the essence of other humans, was held high in his hands.

When the boat, splattered in red as well, finally jolted against the harbour, the boy alighted in a flourish of crimson water, gleefully absorbing the gasps and cries of the now-apprehensive onlookers.

"It's the general's son! The general's son has returned!"

But in his heart, clenched in (now-admitted) fear, the general knew this… This thing,couldn't possibly be his own child.

Instead, before him stood a vile monster; a corrupted icon of evil and malignity which had taken possession of the young soul that was once so pure and beautiful.

"To the people of Japan! I, Honda Kiku, have returned! I bear with me bloodshed and vengeance for the enemy – behold, the magnificent middle kingdom!"

The boat was overturned by raggedy hands, and out rolled at least ten heads, all contorted into looks of agony and terror, as if time itself had stood still for the monster's miserable victims.

More screams and gasps could be heard, along with the hysterical sobbing of children.

"This is just a sample of what I – we – can accomplish!" The monster uttered a demented giggle, surveying the crowd with a twisted grin.

The monster now stood before him.

General Honda had to fight the urge to turn away from those horrible eyes; just the sight of them burned and stung the very core of his being.

"Hello, father… Did you miss me?"

To have to endure such an event was obviously too much for any parent to bear, not even one of a general's sort.

Poor Honda Akihito could only gape at the savage before him.

Repeating itself in his mind like a grim chant, growing all the more agitated at every incantation, was none but his own voice screaming:

Son, what have they done to you! What have you become!


The capital was surely no place for news to be skittish, but there was always that minor exception.

News that was too unexpected to occur.

News that heralded new perspectives to the civilians; gory and spine-chilling details that wailed fervently at the back of one's mind, making it futile to ignore.

More importantly, news that had been witnessed first-handedly by a majority of the populace.

Thus it was the ability to fulfill these requirements that enabled one of these 'minor exceptions' to reach the prime minister's ears in close to no time at all.

It was also in this manner that an hour later, general Honda was summoned to the prime minister's office.

The general was only too glad to be away from the sadist that had claimed to be his son, and arrived faster than the appointed time.

"General Honda", acknowledged the prime minister as the other entered into the vast room and took a seat before his leader, "so, how is the boy?"

"Safely home and well, thank you" – before quickly adding with a frown – "if not possessing a completely altered personality".

"I don't see any trouble in that, for war changes you for the best. Just look at what became of our nation! The boy will grow up to be one of the best soldiers ever granted to our glorious army, no?"

The general couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

The 'boy' would be more than enough… Perhaps too much…

"But! Placing that piece of trivial information aside", continued the prime minister, his tone of voice suggesting that he deemed that last disturbing subject the complete opposite of trivial, "let us discuss the preparations for your army in regards to the assault."

"The… Assault?"

For the first time in his life, he had completely forgotten about the war.

Amidst the recent turn of events, general Honda – straight-laced, cold-faced Honda Akio – had completely forgotten about the assault, which was to be commenced in less than a week's time!

"Do not be baffled general Honda", the prime minister ascertained from the general's blank reaction, "do not assume that simply because your son had been delivered safely back to his motherland, that the entire assault would be called off."

"But, prime minister, that was the entire goal of the assault, was it not?"

"Indeed general, but with this unanticipated turn of the tables, our goals, too, must be altered, such is the way of the survivors in this world", the prime minister said in such a manner to indicate that the discussion was closed, "now, let us discuss preparations… Shall we?"

The general was forced to comply with the prime minister's demanding tone.

However, inside the crevice that was his heart, a new rage seethed – and, although he would never dream of such a thing just a mere day ago, it was now boiling towards his leader.

He realized that it wouldn't have mattered to the prime minister whether they found Kiku – found his son – or not.

He realized that the assault had never been about retrieving anyone in the first place.


General Honda's fatherly side has surfaced! It's true that war changes you… But not always for the worse. That's just what I wanted to put in this little ol' thingy.

For a few chapters afterwards, telling time would be topsy-turvy as we clamber on towards the climax of the story, just in case anyone would like to be warned.

With hopes that everyone will change for the better

- without the war.

-Plumeria hi