Archive 1: The start of the war
Chapter 3
That night, he dreamt of sheep being herded into packs of wolves, of them being torn apart by the hungry wolves. Those sheep that turned around to try to escape were cruelly killed by the shepherd boy.
He woke up with a start and took a moment to figure out where he was. Memories of yesterday came flooding back to him, and fearful, he started trembling.
"Hey, you're awake?"
He turned. "Mitsui."
The man stood up and stretched. "Wake your friend up. We should leave, that is if you two want to go back to Tuzak with me."
Sakuragi sat there, silently thinking.
Mitsui frowned and reached out a hand to shake him. "Hey. Did you hear what I said?"
He nodded stiffly. "I'll go back with you. There's no place else I can go."
Camp Tuzak was deserted. Looking at the empty barracks, Sakuragi couldn't help but remember the enthusiastic, optimistic faces he had seen a few days ago, and the contrasting scene at the battlefield. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions down. Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it.
"Why are we back here when no one else is here?"
He turned around at Hanagata's voice.
Mitsui shrugged and continued walking towards the barracks.
Hanagata leapt forward and grabbed hold of the back of the older man's shirt. "Why did you bring us back here?"
"Let go."
"Why?"
"I told you two I was coming back here. I let you choose whether you wanted to follow me back."
"But."
Sakuragi stepped forward. "Let go of him, Hanagata. We have no place else to go."
"And besides," Mitsui added. "This may currently be the safest place for you two. Who knows?"
Hanagata loosened his grip. "Is there no way out?"
"We're like sheep, Hanagata." Sakuragi said softly, not sure whether he was telling himself or his friend. "Either way, we'll face death eventually. Either the wolves will kill us, or the shepherd boy will. Why did we fall in this trap?"
"You're right." Mitsui sounded amused. "It's a trap. And the only way out is to play by their rules."
He suddenly felt angry. "There's no way out. There's no way out at all. We're trapped forever, until we die."
"Death is the way out, kiddo. Death is the answer."
"If that's the case, why don't you kill yourself?"
Mitsui fell silent and looked at the ground. After a long while, he answered. "Because I don't dare to."
With that, he turned and strode to the barracks, not giving their calls a single backward glance.
After that, he seemed a little embarrassed to see them. Sakuragi noticed that Mitsui didn't quite look at them in their eyes.
And Hanagata was getting more and more pessimistic. He would always sit by himself and do nothing. When Sakuragi asked, he either got no answer or just a simple 'I'm thinking.'
He thought a lot too. He wondered about the glory and the honor he had wanted, he thought about his village, he wished for everything to end so he could go back.
They had a lot of free time to spare. Camp Tuzak was still deserted, though there was enough supplies for them to get on by. By now, he was very familiar with the rifle he was issued with, he even found more bullets and secreted them all over him, just in case.
But they still had nothing to do, and no where to go.
A week must have passed, Sakuragi thought, as he faced the prospect of another long lonely day. In truth, the days were beginning to blend with each other. He had no idea how many days had passed. But then, he didn't see the necessity of counting the days. They were just going to sit here, waiting. Waiting for death.
He sat up and looked carefully around the barrack. Without human occupation, the insects and mice population seemed to have multiplied, and even with him here, they, as if sensing he was the minority, continued with their ways, ignoring him at best, attacking him while he slept at worst.
"Sakuragi! Come out here!" Hanagata burst in at the door, his face a reflection of optimism.
"What?"
"Just come out and look."
He shuffled to the door, and was pushed impatiently out by Hanagata.
Then he realized what had gotten his friend so excited. In the distance, he could see cars moving towards Camp Tuzak.
"Where's Mitsui?"
Hanagata shrugged. "I've no idea."
"Shouldn't we tell him?"
"No need. I already know." Mitsui walked out of another barrack and stared at the cars. "Finally, we have company."
They waited by the gate, half-eager, half-afraid to know who was approaching the camp. Sakuragi still clutched the rifle tightly to him, not willing to put it down.
As they watched, two cars pulled up to the gate of the camp, and six men alighted from them.
He could tell that the men were surprised to see them there.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" The man standing on the extreme right asked, his voice stern.
"We." Hanagata started, stepping forward.
"Probably deserters?" The man standing in the middle said.
Sakuragi turned a little to study him. He was obviously the leader of the group, a tall, well-built man whose every movement radiated authority.
"No sir!" Mitsui interrupted before Hanagata could say more. "We were sent with the rest of our troop to the border, and we survived. We didn't know where to go, so we came back to Camp Tuzak."
The leader narrowed his eyes. "Survived? Impossible. You must have ran off before the troops reached the battlefield. You do know what the punishment for desertion is?"
"Death." Sakuragi whispered softly.
"Yes, sir."
"And you still deserted your troop?"
"But we didn't!" Sakuragi protested loudly. "We just didn't die there."
The leader waved his protest off, one hand reaching for his pistol. Sakuragi's grip on the rifle tightened.
"General." One of the other men spoke.
"What?" The general checked his pistol. Sakuragi could feel his panic escalating, and a look at Hanagata and Mitsui told him they were feeling the same.
"We need more men, General."
The general frowned. "I guess so. Take them back to Kapan with us. We'll just take it that they survived miraculously."
Chapter 3
That night, he dreamt of sheep being herded into packs of wolves, of them being torn apart by the hungry wolves. Those sheep that turned around to try to escape were cruelly killed by the shepherd boy.
He woke up with a start and took a moment to figure out where he was. Memories of yesterday came flooding back to him, and fearful, he started trembling.
"Hey, you're awake?"
He turned. "Mitsui."
The man stood up and stretched. "Wake your friend up. We should leave, that is if you two want to go back to Tuzak with me."
Sakuragi sat there, silently thinking.
Mitsui frowned and reached out a hand to shake him. "Hey. Did you hear what I said?"
He nodded stiffly. "I'll go back with you. There's no place else I can go."
Camp Tuzak was deserted. Looking at the empty barracks, Sakuragi couldn't help but remember the enthusiastic, optimistic faces he had seen a few days ago, and the contrasting scene at the battlefield. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions down. Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it.
"Why are we back here when no one else is here?"
He turned around at Hanagata's voice.
Mitsui shrugged and continued walking towards the barracks.
Hanagata leapt forward and grabbed hold of the back of the older man's shirt. "Why did you bring us back here?"
"Let go."
"Why?"
"I told you two I was coming back here. I let you choose whether you wanted to follow me back."
"But."
Sakuragi stepped forward. "Let go of him, Hanagata. We have no place else to go."
"And besides," Mitsui added. "This may currently be the safest place for you two. Who knows?"
Hanagata loosened his grip. "Is there no way out?"
"We're like sheep, Hanagata." Sakuragi said softly, not sure whether he was telling himself or his friend. "Either way, we'll face death eventually. Either the wolves will kill us, or the shepherd boy will. Why did we fall in this trap?"
"You're right." Mitsui sounded amused. "It's a trap. And the only way out is to play by their rules."
He suddenly felt angry. "There's no way out. There's no way out at all. We're trapped forever, until we die."
"Death is the way out, kiddo. Death is the answer."
"If that's the case, why don't you kill yourself?"
Mitsui fell silent and looked at the ground. After a long while, he answered. "Because I don't dare to."
With that, he turned and strode to the barracks, not giving their calls a single backward glance.
After that, he seemed a little embarrassed to see them. Sakuragi noticed that Mitsui didn't quite look at them in their eyes.
And Hanagata was getting more and more pessimistic. He would always sit by himself and do nothing. When Sakuragi asked, he either got no answer or just a simple 'I'm thinking.'
He thought a lot too. He wondered about the glory and the honor he had wanted, he thought about his village, he wished for everything to end so he could go back.
They had a lot of free time to spare. Camp Tuzak was still deserted, though there was enough supplies for them to get on by. By now, he was very familiar with the rifle he was issued with, he even found more bullets and secreted them all over him, just in case.
But they still had nothing to do, and no where to go.
A week must have passed, Sakuragi thought, as he faced the prospect of another long lonely day. In truth, the days were beginning to blend with each other. He had no idea how many days had passed. But then, he didn't see the necessity of counting the days. They were just going to sit here, waiting. Waiting for death.
He sat up and looked carefully around the barrack. Without human occupation, the insects and mice population seemed to have multiplied, and even with him here, they, as if sensing he was the minority, continued with their ways, ignoring him at best, attacking him while he slept at worst.
"Sakuragi! Come out here!" Hanagata burst in at the door, his face a reflection of optimism.
"What?"
"Just come out and look."
He shuffled to the door, and was pushed impatiently out by Hanagata.
Then he realized what had gotten his friend so excited. In the distance, he could see cars moving towards Camp Tuzak.
"Where's Mitsui?"
Hanagata shrugged. "I've no idea."
"Shouldn't we tell him?"
"No need. I already know." Mitsui walked out of another barrack and stared at the cars. "Finally, we have company."
They waited by the gate, half-eager, half-afraid to know who was approaching the camp. Sakuragi still clutched the rifle tightly to him, not willing to put it down.
As they watched, two cars pulled up to the gate of the camp, and six men alighted from them.
He could tell that the men were surprised to see them there.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" The man standing on the extreme right asked, his voice stern.
"We." Hanagata started, stepping forward.
"Probably deserters?" The man standing in the middle said.
Sakuragi turned a little to study him. He was obviously the leader of the group, a tall, well-built man whose every movement radiated authority.
"No sir!" Mitsui interrupted before Hanagata could say more. "We were sent with the rest of our troop to the border, and we survived. We didn't know where to go, so we came back to Camp Tuzak."
The leader narrowed his eyes. "Survived? Impossible. You must have ran off before the troops reached the battlefield. You do know what the punishment for desertion is?"
"Death." Sakuragi whispered softly.
"Yes, sir."
"And you still deserted your troop?"
"But we didn't!" Sakuragi protested loudly. "We just didn't die there."
The leader waved his protest off, one hand reaching for his pistol. Sakuragi's grip on the rifle tightened.
"General." One of the other men spoke.
"What?" The general checked his pistol. Sakuragi could feel his panic escalating, and a look at Hanagata and Mitsui told him they were feeling the same.
"We need more men, General."
The general frowned. "I guess so. Take them back to Kapan with us. We'll just take it that they survived miraculously."
