Archive 1: The start of the war

Chapter 2



It was worse than he thought it would be.

Not knowing how to combat, they were sent like helpless sheep to the front line. He had only one thought in his mind: Stay alive.

As he and the rest were sent running towards the enemy, he found himself desperately dodging bullets and trying to get a clear shot. Many a times, he flinched in shock as the man in front of him collapsed, spurting blood all over the place.

Knowing that turning around would mean definite death, he continued on, hiding behind others when he could, and finally crawling on the ground.

Suddenly, the attack stopped. He froze, unsure of what to do next. He lifted his head up slightly. All around him were dead bodies and in the distance, he could see some people moving towards him. The enemy.

Desperate, he crawled under a couple of dead bodies and lay still, not daring to move.



It was the silence that woke him up later. At first, he could not remember where he was, and why he was under something heavy.

Something cold was dripping down his neck. He touched his fingers to it and tried to see what it was, but it was too dark. Then he smelled the copper tinge of it and horrified, he remembered everything.

Cursing, he gingerly crawled out from under the bodies. Seeing the coast was clear, he got to his feet.

All around him were bodies, lots of dead bodies. Many of them were boys barely out of their teens, many of them he had seen or talked to in the past weeks.

Tears he had been repressing welled up. Looking at the massacre, he covered his mouth with his hand and started sobbing. Was this what they had joined the army for? Was this the glory they had been looking for? They did not become real men; they died not knowing what hit them.

"Hey, look! Here's another one like us."

He jumped at the voice and turned around, clutching his rifle to him.

"Sakuragi!"

"Hanagata!"

The taller boy rushed forward and grabbed him in a bear hug. "You're all right!"

Trembling, Sakuragi held onto the older boy and choked back his sobs.

"Hey, I hate to interrupt this touching reunion, but we have to get our ass out of here."

Hanagata nodded. "Let's go, Sakuragi. Hold on to your rifle."



They trekked silently, as far away from the border as they could.

Deep down, Sakuragi wondered how far they could run before anyone mistook them for deserters. The punishment for deserters in the Shinyuu army was death. He did not want to escape death once at the battlefield, only to be shot to death while mistaken for desertion.

"Erm." He voiced out, breaking the silence. "Should we get these," He tugged at his standard army camouflage, "off?"

"And do what? Freeze in the cold?" The other boy replied, not looking back.

"Our uniforms will hide us better in the forest." Hanagata said softly.

Sakuragi swallowed hard and nodded. Then after a while, "Where are we going?"

Hanagata shrugged. The other boy did not even bother to look back.

He sighed and fell silent.





They must have walked for at least three hours when they finally reached a cave of some sort.

"Get in." The boy said, looking around rapidly.

Hanagata nodded and disappeared into the cave. Sakuragi squirmed inwardly.

"What's the matter with you? Do you want to stay out and either get shot or freeze?"

Sakuragi grimaced, too tired to argue and gingerly entered the cave.

The cave was surprisingly spacious. The floor of it was covered a dry sand and there was a slightly murky smell in the air. The boy entered the cave, pulling some rocks across the entrance to block it from view.

Sakuragi sunk down to the floor, staring at the dark surroundings.

"Are you two hungry?" The boy disappeared into the back of the cave and appeared with packs of ration. "Eat these."

"Thanks." Sakuragi caught the one the boy threw in his direction.

"I haven't introduced myself. The name's Hisashi Mitsui."

"Toru Hanagata."

"Hanamichi Sakuragi." He mumbled in between bites.

"How did you know about this cave?" Hanagata asked.

"I've lived here before, I stored the rations in the cave, knowing that someday soon I'll need them."

"You knew?" Sakuragi couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice.

"Hell, yes. It's always like this."

"Always? You sound like you've been through a lot."

"Yeah. I've been through a lot. I'm older than you two, I'll bet."

Now that his eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness, Sakuragi could roughly make out Mitsui's profile. "You don't look that old."

"I don't?" He laughed. "How old are you guys?"

"I'm nineteen." Hanagata volunteered.

"Seventeen."

Mitsui laughed. "I'm twenty five. Don't I look it?"

"No." The two replied in unison.

"It's always like this. War is dirty. It never changes."

"How many have you been through?" There was a hint of challenge in Hanagata's voice.

"Me? I've been involved in every single siege there was against Heiwa these past seven years. How many do you think I've been through? Warfare is always dirty. All you can do is just do your best to survive."

"Like you?"

"Me? Hell, I'm a mercenary. I go wherever there's food and lodgings. Every time the camps open for enlistment, I go there. It's the way I am."

"Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"I used to be. After the first few times, I realized that if I die, I would be better off than I am now, so I didn't care anymore. I used to think that the army would make me a real man, but now," He laughed bitterly, "I know better."

"But we want to be real men too." Sakuragi whispered, closing his eyes.

"Well, you're not going to be one in the army. You know why they don't even bother to train you? It's because they think of you as sheep, stupid, helpless sheep. They send you in, platoon after platoon, to tire out the enemy and use up their ammunition. Then they send in the trained soldiers to trash the enemy. You're the lowest rank. To them, you are nothing. You're worth nothing."

Hanagata spoke up. "You're lying. They can't do that. All men are equal."

"Yeah, all men are born equal right? You think they give a damn?"

"But. what about the glory? What about the honor of fighting for your country?"

"I used to believe in them, kid. Not anymore. Not ever. Now get some sleep, we still have a long way to go tomorrow."

"We do?" Sakuragi asked, feeling confused and lost. "Where are we going?"

"I'm going back to Camp Tuzak. You two can follow me if you want."

"But why are you going back there?"

"Didn't I tell you I'm a mercenary? I'll go wherever there's food and lodgings. Now get to sleep."