Disclaimer: *insert standard disclaimer here*
Comments: And chapter six I here. Now you can find out what happened in Willy's and if Ran and Ken get to have that heart to heart after all... Hmmm... my vote is no. Muwahahahaha. Suffer! But you do get to finally meet Nagi! (Only took six chapters sheesh.) Poor Nagi, *pats*, he's so precious, and yet... so creepy. Oh well, I am totally rambling here, I have no idea why. Just enjoy the chapter, there is some fun stuff, so enjoy. Oh, and the last bit I wrote at like two AM, so it isn't quite as well worked as my usual normal day time writing, but I read through it and it is good enough. I start writing really short sentences when I get tired. And starting them with 'And'. I don't know why. I should stop writing late at night then, ne? R&R!! If you don't then I'll make sure that Ran and Ken -never- have that heart to heart!! See, I have wrath, you simply haven't tasted it yet!!
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My hand had lingered for a moment on Fujimiya's arm, though my thoughts were suddenly occupied with what was going on in Willy Ng's. Both of our heads snapped around, focusing through the darkness on the lit windows of the seedy establishment. Funjimiya grumbled harshly in irritation and grabbed my wrist, pulling my hand from his arm and yanking me roughly from the hood of the Jeep.
"What the fuck is going on now?" he growled, lunging forward, dragging me after him. I don't think he was even aware that he was still holding my wrist as I stumbled along behind him confused by the roller coaster of my own thoughts. At one point in our dash across the dark, dirty street I felt my foot catch in a pothole, twisting painfully as I lost my balance and tipped forward. I thought I heard something pop. I felt the slack between our arms run out and a painful jerking as my fall halted his forward movement.
I must have screamed. As the ground began to close the distance with my body I must have opened my mouth and cried out in alarm. I'd always had a fear of falling. I expected Fujimiya to let go of my wrist and just let me fall, resuming his dash towards Willy Ng's. I was half right. Let go of my wrist he did, but then did the completely unexpected. He turned quickly and grabbed my shoulders, pushing me up, keeping me from eating the street. His hands felt like they had that day in the landing field, firm, but patient, not rough or angry. I felt his grip tighten slightly as he attempted to haul me back to my feet.
"Jesus, Hidaka, you scream like a girl," he grumbled. "What the fuck did you do?"
For some reason I felt my cheeks grow warmer as I righted myself and stood so close to the circle of his arms. I was thankful to whatever God there may have been that it was dark in the street. "I think I twisted my ankle. I'm fine, though, I just tripped."
I caught the raising of his eyebrow and then he turned away, releasing my shoulders, jogging off towards the bar. "C'mon."
I did the best I could to limp after him, little shoots of pain working their way up my leg with every step. It wasn't so bad, really.
The sight that greeted us when we re-entered Willy's bar is one that I will never forget. The table we had been sitting at was demolished, broken in on itself. Schu lay, spread eagle, in the center of the mess, mumbling something to himself, his wild red hair fanned out around his head like a massive, disturbing halo. Omi sat, Indian style, on the floor his back pressed up against a support beam. He had a neat little row of whiskey glasses in front of him, all lined up in a semi circle. There were at least five. I wondered briefly how he could possible have downed four more whiskeys in the short time I had been outside with Ran. The red glow in his cheeks and the glazed, glossy sheen to his eyes told me that nonetheless he must have. Farf was too busy cackling madly to himself at the bar to be doing much else, his odd yellow eyes rolling around in his head. Willy stood, fussing over the mess, clasping and unclasping his hands, tittering to himself in Vietnamese.
He stood over Schu and waved his finger at him angrily. "I told you! I told you, so! No, you cannot dance on table. Why you want ruin my furniture, eh? You GI, always make trouble me! If you not so good customer I throw you out right now! You cannot dance, no you cannot!" he yelled, his odd, greasy mustache bristling.
Schu groaned and began to get up slowly, feeling his body over slowly to make sure nothing was broken. By the looks of it he'd had at least as many whiskeys as Omi. I remember wondering what had happened to Phi-An, the whore.
Schu cast Ran and I a glance as he picked his way out of the wreckage of the table, and winked, grinning stupidly. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ran shake his head and clench his teeth. If this ever got back to base we were going to be in a world of hurt.
Then Shcu reached out and put his hand sloppily on Willy's shoulder. "You know, Willy, you're right. I can't dance. But I'll tell you one thing," he slurred taking a few steps towards Omi, turning around as he came to stand before the kid. Omi glanced up at his with his big, wide blue eyes. "I can juggle."
With that Schuldich stooped in a blur of motion, snatched three of Omi's empty glasses from the ground and tossed two into the air. It was like watching in slow motion. One went up on his left, one went up on his right. slowly. slowly. arcing through the air until they collided, shattering into a million tinkling bits.
The sound of glass breaking was clear and crisp, like the ringing of a million little bells coupled with canon fire. At least that's what it sounded like to me. The rain of glass shards shimmered through the air, falling over Omi and Schuldich, getting caught in their hair. Omi cried out in alarm and ducked his head, covering it with his arms. Schu dropped the third glass in surprise and then began to chuckle, shaking his obnoxious mane. A few bits of glass were shaken loose and hit the floor with a light tinkling sound.
There was a pause. A momentary silence as everyone in the bar looked on in morbid fascination at the one man train wreck that was Max Wolff. The spell was soon broken.
"Oops," Schu chuckled, grinning like an idiot. Jei burst into another fit of uncontrolled, maniacal cackling by the bar and Willy just about lost it.
"That it! No more! No more you stupid American GI drink here tonigh! Out!! Out out out!!" he screeched and then began to swear in Vietnamese. As he stood there swearing and shaking, so enraged that he was unable to move, Ran stalked purposefully over to Schu, grabbed his arm and propelled him towards the door. He then picked Omi up by the back of his shirt and deposited him at my feet where he looked up at me with those startled eyes of his. I held out my hand and pulled him up. When I tried to release his fingers he wouldn't let go, idly holding my hand and leaning against my arm. I glanced at him sidelong and put my free hand against his head.
"Kid, are you feeling alright? How much did you have to drink?" I asked, pulling him towards the door. I didn't like having Omi hang on my. My ankle was hurting and dragging him around wasn't helping.
"I dunno, Kenken. I had. a few, mebbe. Aww, but my leg really hurts, you know...." he trailed off, stumbling a little. I winced as I corrected for him, keeping him on his feet. Pausing I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Fujimiya was following us out. He was in the process of arguing with Farfarello. I wondered who was winning, but didn't stand there just holding Omi's hand long enough to find out.
A few minutes and one bout of Schuldich vomiting behind the Jeep later Ran came storming out of the bar, Farf walking after him slowly, his arms crossed across his chest. I still couldn't tell who'd won.
"Everybody get in the Jeep," Ran growled, pushing Schuldich away from the driver's side door. As he reached for the handle Schu lashed out and nearly decked him, but Fujimiya dodged him easily, Schu's actions slowed by the alcohol in his system.
"What the fuck are you doing, Ran? This is my sortie, and I'm driving. Get your fairy ass in the back seat with the pretty boys," he growled.
Ran made an angry sound in the back of his throat, clenching his fist, but he didn't move towards Schu. They just stood there glaring at each other.
I kept my eyes down and pretended to be preoccupied with Omi. Did Schu just call Fujimiya 'fairy'? If so... then that must mean Max knew Ran was homosexual, or at least that he'd had a male lover before. What did this mean about his relationship with Max..? I thought back to how Schu had strong armed Fujimiya into coming with us.
'You can't back out now Fujimiya... you owe me anyway.'
Was I reading too deep into Max's words, searching for significance where there was none? Or was he keeping Fujimiya's secret... and using it like blackmail?
Schu gave Ran a shove in the chest. Ran's hand lingered over the door handle for a moment and then he reluctantly let go and took a few steps back, shrugging coldly. "Fine, you drunk bastard. If you want to get us into a car accident, be my guest."
Schu snickered. "There isn't any traffic, Fujimiya. What's gonna happen? A tree gonna jump into the road?"
Ran narrowed his eyes. I watched the exchanged with ooded eyes and shook Omi's shoulders. He had collapsed against my chest and his breathing was a little to rhythmic for my comfort.
"Stranger things have happened," Ran mumbled.
"Would you two just shut up and get in. This place has ceased to amuse me. I detest it," Farfarello murmured softly as he hopped into the shotgun seat.
Schu had quickly lost interest in Fujimiya and turned towards Jei. "You really are a psycho, you know that?" he grumbled idly as he opened the door to the Jeep.
Jei only chuckled and licked his lips. "C'mon, Randy-boy, get in. Help the little ones they seem pre-occupied..." His yellow eyes swiveled towards Omi and I. Omi's face was buried in my chest and he mumbled against me softly. I realized, with a fresh burning sensation in my cheeks, that our hands were still clasped.
I shook the kid vigorously. "Omi! Get up, we have to get in the Jeep," I snapped.
"Wha? Hmm, no. I'm too... sleepy... Kenken," he murmured as I tried to push him away. What was with all the 'Kenken?' I began to become flustered and flushed as he nuzzled against my chest again and grasped at my shirt with his free hand. I knew it was just the alcohol that was making him act so strangely, but my thoughts over Max and Fujimiya had me in an odd frame of mind.
Ran walked up beside me, opened the back door of the Jeep and then paused, eyeing me strangely. I smiled weakly, all too aware that everyone was taking note of Omi's rather childish display of affection. I attempted to dislodge him one last time, but failed. Surprising how strong the little guy was. Ran eyed us a moment longer, and I wished momentarily that I wasn't so distracted by the awkwardness of the situation so that I might have been able to study his face.
He grumbled inarticulately and then reached out, grabbing hold of the back of Omi's jacket, hauling him up and into the back of the Jeep. "Ack! Izz cold!" Omi protested loudly.
Then he motioned for me to follow. I looked up at his face as I climbed into the back seat, scooting across until I bumped into Omi again, it was set and impassive. The kid mumbled something inarticulate and then curled into a ball next to me, his head tucked against my shoulder. I didn't have the heart to push him away. Somehow his warmth was comforting, because the Jeep suddenly felt a lot colder.
Ran hopped in beside me and shut the door, resting his arm on top of it. He gave me a sidelong glance and then poked Schu in the back of the head. "Drive."
"Oiu, mon capitaine!" Schu cried maniacally. And away we went.
The road was no less treacherous on the way back, and yet, despite Schu's inebriated state it actually seemed to me as if the ride were smoother. Or perhaps I simply wasn't paying attention. I was beginning to worry about Omi. Occasionally he would twitch against me and shudder, mumbling something to himself. Even though he lay perfectly still other than that I could see that his eyes were open in the darkness, staring straight ahead at nothing. Occasionally I would run my hand through his hair, hoping that I was comforting him in some way, but he never gave any indication that he noticed at all. I sighed despondently and muttered under my breath.
"What's the matter?" Ran asked flatly, not turning his head towards me.
I was surprised by the sound of his voice. I had been busy trying to drown out the asinine singing of Schu and Farf ever since we left Sang Cho-na. Their voices were grating and badly off key. And I didn't care for the lyrics either.
I turned towards Ran's voice, barely able to see him in the darkness. I kept my voice low, glad that the horrible singing would at least keep Max and Jei from overhearing whatever we had to say.
"Something's wrong with Omi, I think. He's just lying here, staring off into space. We should have left him at base," I said softly, touching the kid's head again.
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" he snapped violently and then went blank again, huddling against my side.
I looked over at Ran hastily as if to say, 'see what I mean?' Ran met my eyes and held them for a moment. In his eyes it seemed as if I found a darkness more than the Vietnam night. I wondered why I kept thinking things like that.
He shrugged slowly. "Don't worry. He's been in the infirmary, hopped up on morphine for weeks. This is probably the first day he hasn't had any in his system. He's hitting withdrawal. If he can hack it for a few days he'll be fine. If not, he'll most likely become a heroine addict," he said bluntly. I thought there was just the slightest edge of sick amusement in his voice and it made me shiver.
I looked down at the kid and slipped my arm around his thin shoulder. "Don't say that. He hacked it all the way back from the line to base. He can do this," I said quietly. It seems ironic now that I was the one to brush off the power of addiction.
"Holy shit, what the fuck is that?!" Schuldich cried suddenly. Jei grunted inarticulately. Ran leaned forward looking past Schuldich into the swath of light cut into the road by the Jeep's headlights.
"Someone's in the road," Ran said loudly.
"Ten points!" Farfarello cried gleefully and Schu revved the engine. I sat up in alarm and leaned over the front seat to better see.
"What do you mean?!" I cried. Ahead in the headlights I could see a figure quickly getting closer. It looked small, almost like a child, but I could make out the silhouette of a rifle slung across its shoulder.
"What are you doing, Max? Are you fucking insane?!" Ran cried, reaching around Schuldich and grabbing the wheel.
"What the hell, Fujimiya?!" Schu yelled, fighting with him for control of the wheel. "Don't be such an ass, I'm just gonna scare the little Gook bastard!"
But in their struggle both seemed to forget that we were closing on the figure in the road. I stared ahead in horror, unable to form words as the walker turned his head, suddenly aware that the car was bearing down on him. Large, deep, terrified eyes reflected in the light. He froze in his tracks, petrified like a deer on some backcountry road. Caught in the headlights.
"Shit, swerve already!" I screamed, lunging over the front seat and grabbing the wheel with all my strength. The Jeep lurched and I lost sight of the young man in the headlights as the vehicle began to swerve madly. I didn't even see the impact coming when suddenly there was an earsplitting crash, and a jarring sensation that threw me from my feet, free falling out into nothing. I met the damp earth with a less than pleasant thud, and a dull buzzing came into my ears. I lay still for a few moments and then I rolled over once and lay on my back, staring up at the sky. I could see all the stars. It was so dark in the jungle.
Somewhere I could hear cursing and the angry hiss of what sounded like a giant snake. I didn't want to move. All my joints and my ankle besides told me that lying still was the best measure. I closed my eyes.
A hand tentatively touched my face and my eyes snapped open. Fujimiya's larger than life face hung before me, and in my disoriented state I cried out in alarm, sitting bolt upright. Our foreheads collided and light burst behind my eyes.
"Argh! Fuck, Hidaka! What the fuck in wrong with you?" he grumbled in pain as he rocked back on his heels. "I thought you'd been knocked out."
I held my head and moaned. "No, I just closed my eyes. The sky was spinning. What happened?"
"We drove off the road and hit a tree. We weren't going all that fast in actuality, but fast enough for you and I to get thrown from the Jeep. I wanted to make sure you were ok before going back to the car."
I looked up at him and he at me, for a moment our eyes met awkwardly in the gloom and then I looked away. "Thanks."
He grunted and got to his feet. I scrambled after him. The Jeep was only a few feet away. A large tree had managed to crumple most of the hood in on itself. The hissing I had heard earlier was the sound of spilled radiator fluid evaporating off the engine. Jei and Max were nowhere in sight. I figured the swearing must have been them. I didn't see Omi either.
"I wonder where the hell they went so fast," I mused quietly to Fujimiya.
He shrugged. "I don't know and I don't care. We are in so much shit. Let's see if this thing as any supplies in it and then keep heading towards base. We might make it before they notice we're gone."
"What does it matter now? We might as well wait here until they come looking for us. Either way we're screwed," I mumbled. "What the hell was Schu thinking playing chicken with that guy in the road?!"
"What were you thinking grabbing the wheel like that?"
I stared at Fujimiya blankly and put my hands on my hips, unable to believe that he was trying to blame me for this fiasco. "We were going to kill that kid! We would have hit him, Fujimiya. Somebody had to do something," I protested.
"I had things under control. I would have made sure Schu swerved. You shouldn't have done anything."
"Bull shit!" I cried. "We were right on top of that guy, and Schuldich is just crazy enough to actually hit someone."
Ran didn't say anything, instead he shook his head and made his way to the derelict Jeep. I followed him, mumbling to myself. There was no way this was going to be pinned on me.
"Check in the backseat for flashlights and guns. For all we know this area could be riddled with Charlie," Fujimiya barked.
I complied, leaning into the backseat through the open door. I reached out to run my hand along the floor between the back and front seats, unable to see anything in the darkness there. I hoped I would be able to feel something anyway. My hand brushed up against something large and warm, fabric tickled my fingers and as I reached out now with both hands I realized almost instantly that it was a body.
"Shit, Omi's still in here!" I cried. "Omi, hey kiddo, can you hear me?" I felt around his body until I found his shoulder and then looped my hand beneath them, hauling him from the darkness. I cradled him in my arms, lowering him slowly to the ground, trying to see whether or not his eyes were open. I could hear and feel his breathing, but I didn't know if he was awake or unconscious. I hoped to God that he hadn't hit his head and had a concussion. I slapped at his face gently and shook him.
"Omi? Omi?! Come on wake up!" I cried.
After a few moments he murmured and shifted, opening his large, dark eyes. They glinted in the starlight and I sat back on my heels, sighing in relief. "Thank God you're awake. Did you hit your head?" I asked, leaning over him. I wondered if I could see his pupils.
"No," he breathed softly. "I rolled under the seat, I think. I was awake. Ken... you're, so nice to me."
I blinked and felt my cheeks flush again. I was getting tired of doing that. Before I realized what was happening I felt Omi's hand on my cheek and he leaned up, brushing his lips against my cheek... and then against my lips. It was the tiniest of kisses, so soft it was barely there, but so there it was undeniable. My heart raced and I put my hands out, pushing him away, not roughly but forcefully.
"Omi, don't do that," I said flatly.
"Why not?" he asked quietly.
"Because you don't know what you're doing," I answered and then stood up, pulling him up beside me.
He chuckled softly and then pushed on my arm roughly, turning and stumbling around the back of the Jeep. "Guess we gotta hike back to base then, huh boys?"
I watched him scramble up onto the road. I was rooted to the spot. My face was flushed and my mind was whirling a million miles a minute. Everything was suddenly so confused. Life... war...everything. It was then that I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Ran was watching me from the other side of the Jeep. He stood very still and had the strangest expression on his face. I realized that he must have seen and overheard what transpired.
Unable to think of anything else to say or do I just shook my head and smiled stupidly. "Strange kid," I mumbled and then followed Omi up onto the road.
I was just about to reach out and grab his shoulder when out of the darkness behind us a shot rang out. One single shot, crisp and loud and clear. It was followed by a high pitched keening sound, the sound of a wounded animal it seemed to me. I turned around frantically and saw Fujimiya coming towards us.
"Shit," I hissed. "Farf and Schu! That guy we almost hit had a gun."
Ran and I exchanged nods and we both sped off down the road the way we'd come. I didn't make as good of time as Fujimiya since my ankle was still tweaking the hell out of me, but I did my best. By the time I got to them Ran was already standing by idly, arms across his chest. He shot me a look I couldn't decipher.
Jei and Max were standing together, chuckling. Schu had the gun, which surprised me. I had expected to find them at the mercy of a group of VCs or at least one, if nothing else then under fire from a scared shitless Vietnamese farmer boy. A small form was huddled by the side of the road, breathing heavily and clutching at it's shoulder. I walked towards Farf and Schu, trying to figure out what was going on. It took me only a few moments to realize what had happened and that the figure was hyperventilating, his shoulder shot through.
Gasping is surprise and disgust and limped past Schu, shoving him roughly aside. "You shot him?!" I cried, going down on my knees before the distraught form in the road. I took his chin in my hand and pushed the locks of dark hair from his eyes. They were huge and startled, dark and deep. Even in the darkness of the jungle night I could tell that he was only a boy, no older than Omi and younger most likely. He stared at me, unseeing, and continued to breathe in spasmastic, sharp breathes. At this rate he was going to pass out. I blew on his face gently, trying to reinstate a normal breathing pattern. If I'd thought he could hear or understand me I would have told him to breathe between his knees.
As I huddled there, I wondered dimly why I was distraught over this boy. He was nothing to me, not a member of my unit or even my army, but I knew I couldn't let him sit there, breathing himself into a state of hysteria.
"Goddamned Gook, shit yeah I shot him. He was hiding in the ditch, ready to ambush us. VC, son of a bitch," Schuldich spat.
My outrage at my companions was quelled only by my concern for the entire situation. This was not the time to be picking fights with my comrades. We all had deep shit coming. But even so I could not stop the burning anger in my chest.
"I can't believe you stole his gun and shot him with it!" I cried, whipping my head around to glare at Schuldich. "You don't know that he's a VC. For the love of the lord he's only a boy!" I turned my head around again and continued to blow gently on the boy's face. His erratic, hiccuping breaths began to slow and even out.
"Of course he's a fucking VC," Schu spat. "He's Gook with a gun on the road to the base in the middle of the night. He's wearing the black pajamas. What the else is he going to fucking be?! "
"A civilian, maybe?!" I shot back. I was angry I wanted to rip Schu's throat out. I hadn't come to Vietnam to shoot innocent people. If I even had a reason for being there it was to help end the war as quickly as possible. "This road is used by the people who live in the farms around here, you fucker! And every single person in Vietnam has a God damned gun!"
The kid seemed to suddenly snap out of his daze and the next thing I knew I was being clocked in the head, any number of shrill, Vietnamese curses ringing in my ears. His small form scooted away from me across the dirt street and he tried to get to his feet, but fell back, unable to use his arm for support. His cry of pain motivated me to ignore the smack to the head I'd received. After all if I'd been almost run over and then shot by a bunch of foreigner idiot I'd probably sucker punch the first one I could too. I got up and moved towards him, holding my hands up.
"Hey, kiddo," I said softly, "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm really sorry about all this..." I stood over him and leaned down, extending my hand. I didn't see the unveiled hate in his eyes until it was too late. He kicked me in the face.
"Hidaka!" I heard Ran call out and thought it was funny that he'd care. Then my ears were filled with the sound of the kid's voice again. He was screaming at me and the only thing I could understand was, 'GI scum!'" But I think that about summed up his feelings.
Schu shouldered me aside, as I cradled my nose. He pointed the gun at the kid's face and sneered. "Shut your little Gook gob, and listen to me," he hissed.
The young boy seemed to understand the tone if not the words. He shut up and I heard his breathing begin to come short again. I saw him tremble violently, but the burning in his eyes never died down. I didn't have the heart or the patience to listen to the rest of whatever Schu had in mind so I limped away, back down the road a tiny ways until I bumped into Omi.
"Ken! Are you ok? What happened?" he asked coming to my side. I noticed that he was limping very badly. His face shone pale in the darkness.
I grunted and put my hand on his shoulder to try and steady myself. "I'm fine. I just got kicked in the face by a pubescent possible VC agent, but I'm fine."
"What?" Omi cried.
I shook my head and pointed over my shoulder. I could faintly hear Schu barking something. "It'll make sense in a moment. But what about you? You look like shit."
He glanced up at me warily and shook his head. "Oh... it's my leg. It really hurts and... and my stomach too. I feel all achy and shaky, I don't know what's wrong with me," he murmured.
"Are you gonna be ok, can you hack it back to base?" I asked.
I saw him bite his lip and the fear that flashed in his eyes. But then he nodded enthusiastically and then took a few steps down the road towards where Fujimiya, Schuldich, Farfarello, and our new 'friend' were standing in the road. I watched him sway slightly and then collapse.
"Omi!" I cried jogging towards him. As I knelt at his side he began to cry into the dirt, his fingers reflexively clutching handfuls of the parched earth.
"I can't... ugh, I can't. All the way back to base? I can't! It hurts too much. God I just want to curl up and die!"
I pulled him up, thinking idly that this better not be another ploy to try and kiss me, and held him against my chest. "It's ok. Oh, shit, Omi. I'm so sorry, this was such a stupid fucking idea. Here," I said and then propped him up, turning in the dirt and pulling him up onto my back. His arms tightened around my neck and shoulder and I wrapped my arms through his legs. His body was heavy and warm against my back, and he made a few small protestations, but did not try to pull away. We squatted there for a few moments as I readied myself to stand up, trying to steel my ankle against the pain. I felt him press his cheek against the flat of my back, the warm dampness of his silent tears soaking into the fabric of my jacket. Finally I got to my feet, feeling my ankle protest the burden. But I would rather have borne the pain for Omi than make him do it himself. I was always just that kind of person.
He sniffed and cried against my shoulder blades for a few moments. "No, Ken, you can't carry me all the way back," he whispered.
"I can sure as hell try," I answered, hitching him higher. He sighed and sobbed a few more times and then fell strangely quiet. By the time Schuldich et all. reached me Omi's breathing was soft and rhythmic, tell tale that he'd fallen asleep. Somehow it comforted me.
Fujimiya gave me a long look as I fell into pace with the rest of them. I could have sworn I saw admiration or at least amazement in his eyes. He walked close to me.
Schuldich had tied the Vietnamese boy's hands behind his back and was marching him along in front of us with the gun pointed at his back. The look of utter dismay and emptiness in the boy's eyes made me want to crack the gun over Schu's head. They hadn't even bound up his gunshot wound. Schuldich started saying something about having a POW to take back to camp, but his voice and reasoning disgusted me so I blocked him out.
"Are you sure you can to carry him all the way back to camp?" Ran asked me coldly.
"I don't have much of a choice. He can't hardly walk, and even if he could he couldn't keep pace. He's exhausted, and there is no way in hell I'm leaving him behind."
"You could stay behind with him. Someone would be along in the morning to pick you up," he answered.
I scoffed. "Without a weapon or anything? You said yourself that these jungles could be full of Charlie right now, and there is no way in hell I am going to jeopardize his life by staying out here."
Fujimiya was silent for a moment. "You really care about him," he said at length.
The comment caught me off guard and I stumbled slightly. I looked over at him and for a moment I too could not think of anything to say. "I guess so. He's the only person in the hellhole who I can are about, the only person who wants to be cared about, maybe. He reached out to me when he was still in the infirmary... I guess I couldn't help but reach back. It keeps me human."
Ran sniffed disdainfully. "Were not supposed to be human here."
"Thank you, oh wise sage," I answered sarcastically.
"Look, Hidaka, I'm not busting your balls because I think I'm so much smarter than you. In this place nothing is certain. You reach out and your hand will be ripped off. If you care too much the God's will punish you and you will lose. It doesn't pay to get attached to anything here, because tomorrow... it could all be gone. I'm just telling you what I know from experience. Don't open yourself up... you'll just end up going section eight."
"I guess that's a risk I'm willing to take. 'It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all,'" I quoted.
He snickered and looked at me blankly. "You say that like you know what you're talking about."
I fixed his eyes with mine and smiled dimly. "I do."
"Well so do I. And I say, that's bull shit. Look out for number one, Hidaka. Don't set yourself up for a fall you won't be able to handle."
I shook my head. "You are so... cold, Fujimiya. How can you stand to be in there with yourself? Blocking the world and everyone in it out just to keep yourself safe is such a cowardly thing to do. That's the easy way out. The hard thing is learning to love and lose and make that a part of life. Shit happens, but at the end of your life do you want to leave this world knowing that no one will be waiting for you in the next?"
The silence that hung between us was deep and unsettled and even I was startled by my words. I felt as if I was saying them to myself more than just to him. Hadn't I closed myself off once too? Didn't I still have a long way to go before I got to where I was talking about? I felt like telling Ran we could work on getting there together, but I knew I couldn't. Nothing felt right, none of the words that came to my mind seemed worthy to be spoken, so I turned my face away and let the silence be.
"C'mon, Gook, keep moving," Schu snapped. I watched him prod the young boy's back with the barrel of the rifle. He stumbled forward a few more steps and hissed at Schuldich over his shoulder. "Just keep movin'. You understand English, boy?"
The kid continued to glare over his shoulder but didn't say anything. He only narrowed his eyes.
Schuldich jabbed him in the back again. "I asked you a question, you little rice-nigger!"
"If he -doesn't- understand English, Max, he doesn't know that you're asking him a question," I snapped angrily.
"Keep out of this, Hidaka. Just like you slant-eyes to gang up together."
"Fuck you, Wolff," I spat angrily.
"Don't make me come over there a-"
"I speak," the Vietnamese boy interrupted sharply. He glanced at me with earnest eyes and then snarled at Schu again. It was obvious from the way he was walking that he was in a lot of pain. He kept stumbling and lagging in the pace. I was worried about the gunshot wound. The way his hands were tied it must have been very painful.
Schu immediately lost interest in arguing with me and turned to poke the boy in the back again. "Oh, good. Well then, you little VC shit-head, you got a name? Something we can call you, other than Gook, or is that good enough for you?"
"Nagi," he answered dully. "And I'm not VC."
"Suuure you aren't, Nagikins, sure you aren't. That name doesn't sound very Vietnamese," Schu went on.
Nagi didn't answer, his head bobbed slightly and his feet tangled with each other. He cried out in wordless alarm as he stumbled and hit the road, face first, unable to stop his fall with his hands. He whimpered in pain as the fall jarred his injury. Schu almost tripped over him.
"Argh! Get up, you little bastard," he shouted. The boy tried to pull himself up, but failed, his strength completely gone. Schu shot of a few rifle blasts into the sky. "I said up!"
"That's enough, Max!" I shouted, limping over to him and the boy as quickly as I could. "I've had enough of your shit, you ass-hole. Now put the fucking gun down. The kid's practically dead, thanks to you!"
He narrowed his eyes and began to lower the gun.
"Put it down!" I screamed.
The look in my eyes must have told him I was serious. Schu lowered the gun and stepped back. I seethed at him for a few seconds and then stooped, rolling Omi gently onto the road and then scrambled to Nagi's side. I untied the makeshift binding around his wrists, my hands shaking in fury, and then gently pulled him up. He grumbled angrily and made a half-hearted attempt to push me away, but his strength was not nearly enough. He snarled up at Schuldich an Jei, and then clutched my jacket the long fongers of his left hand covered in drying blood. He tried to drag himself up farther, using me for leverage, but in the end he only fell back again, his eyes wandering aimlessly in their sockets. His breathing became shallow again. I felt along his shoulder for the bullet wound, wanting to feel how bad it was. Warm, sticky, drying blood met my fingertips, the feel of blood-soaked fabric made me almost lightheaded. And the smell of it made my head spin.
"God, he's practically bled to death," I muttered, laying him back and roughly ripping off my army jacket. Lifting him up I used the sleeves to tie it around his shoulder, hoping it would act like some crude bandage. I propped him up and looked into his eyes. "Nagi, can you hear me?"
He mumbled something in Vietnamese and then closed his eyes. I shook him. "Shit no! Don't fall asleep!" His eyes sprang open again. I felt at a complete loss as to what I should do with him. The others were just looking on, offering no help, no sympathy, nothing. It made me sick. I glanced up, hoping for some diving inspiration, but all I saw was Fujimiya watching over me. "I don't know what to do," I said, ducking my head. I looked over at Omi, I still had to carry him.
"Leave him," Farfarello's cold voice cut in. "We don't need another dead Gook on our hands."
"I will not!" I spat. "This is all you and Schuldich's damn fault. I am not going to leave this poor boy who -you- willfully injured to die on the road to the base."
"Doesn't look like you have that much choice in the matter," Schu sing songed.
I looked down at the poor Vietnamese boy in my arms and bit my lip. I hated to admit it, but Schu was right. I was helpless to help him. Our Jeep was crashed, the base still miles away, and I had to carry Omi on my back. My options were zero. I growled in frustration and looked over at Omi again, knowing he came first no matter what.
"I'll carry Omi." The sound of the voice jolted me out of my reverie. Fujimiya stooped and knelt beside Omi, lifting him onto his back. The kid stirred for a moment and then nestled in between Ran's shoulder blades. A wave of something I can't even begin to describe washed over me. I felt like I might start to cry. But instead I only nodded and lifted the limp, yielding body of Nagi onto my back. I felt the warm wetness of his blood begin to soak into my white undershirt even before I got all the way onto my feet. He murmured inarticulately and clutched my shoulders.
We started off again. This time Ran and I took the lead while Farf and Schu trailed behind, in particularly foul moods. Not only had I told them off, but I'd robbed them of their POW.
The endless road passed by in dim monotony. The trees all seemed to look the same and every stone I stepped over seemed to just like the one before. My feet began to sweat and I recalled Jei's first words to me about extra socks. I shuddered at the thought of what the jungle could do to wet feet. Omi woke up once and babbled in utter confusion for a few seconds before realizing everything was fine and falling back a sleep. Every once in a while I would jostle the Vietnamese boy to make sure he wasn't falling asleep. Having lost as much blood as he had the last thing I needed was for him to go into shock.
Once he murmured. "Thank you. Thank you... I-I sorry I kick you." I'd chuckled and said I'd have done the same thing and then limped on, unable to feel my arms any longer.
Ran and I didn't talk anymore until we came within site of the base. The front gates stood out in the slowly lightening air. I felt so weary it was all I could do to keep from collapsing right there.
I turned to him finally and said, "Thank you, Ran. You didn't have to help me or Omi, and you did. Thank you."
"What happened tonight wasn't right. Part of this is my fault. You said something earlier about being a coward, and you're right. If I wasn't such a coward none of this would have happened," he said quietly.
"Because Schu couldn't have pulled it off without you, you mean?" I said, wondering if the deeper insinuation of my comment would register with him.
He didn't answer, only stared straight ahead. With that we passed through the gates of Pang Nuan base, each burdened by our charges and our thoughts.
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After thoughts: All for you... all for you. Hope you enjoyed it. Pwease be patient for the next update, I haven't really worked through the next part yet, so it may be a bit. *sweatdrops*
Comments: And chapter six I here. Now you can find out what happened in Willy's and if Ran and Ken get to have that heart to heart after all... Hmmm... my vote is no. Muwahahahaha. Suffer! But you do get to finally meet Nagi! (Only took six chapters sheesh.) Poor Nagi, *pats*, he's so precious, and yet... so creepy. Oh well, I am totally rambling here, I have no idea why. Just enjoy the chapter, there is some fun stuff, so enjoy. Oh, and the last bit I wrote at like two AM, so it isn't quite as well worked as my usual normal day time writing, but I read through it and it is good enough. I start writing really short sentences when I get tired. And starting them with 'And'. I don't know why. I should stop writing late at night then, ne? R&R!! If you don't then I'll make sure that Ran and Ken -never- have that heart to heart!! See, I have wrath, you simply haven't tasted it yet!!
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My hand had lingered for a moment on Fujimiya's arm, though my thoughts were suddenly occupied with what was going on in Willy Ng's. Both of our heads snapped around, focusing through the darkness on the lit windows of the seedy establishment. Funjimiya grumbled harshly in irritation and grabbed my wrist, pulling my hand from his arm and yanking me roughly from the hood of the Jeep.
"What the fuck is going on now?" he growled, lunging forward, dragging me after him. I don't think he was even aware that he was still holding my wrist as I stumbled along behind him confused by the roller coaster of my own thoughts. At one point in our dash across the dark, dirty street I felt my foot catch in a pothole, twisting painfully as I lost my balance and tipped forward. I thought I heard something pop. I felt the slack between our arms run out and a painful jerking as my fall halted his forward movement.
I must have screamed. As the ground began to close the distance with my body I must have opened my mouth and cried out in alarm. I'd always had a fear of falling. I expected Fujimiya to let go of my wrist and just let me fall, resuming his dash towards Willy Ng's. I was half right. Let go of my wrist he did, but then did the completely unexpected. He turned quickly and grabbed my shoulders, pushing me up, keeping me from eating the street. His hands felt like they had that day in the landing field, firm, but patient, not rough or angry. I felt his grip tighten slightly as he attempted to haul me back to my feet.
"Jesus, Hidaka, you scream like a girl," he grumbled. "What the fuck did you do?"
For some reason I felt my cheeks grow warmer as I righted myself and stood so close to the circle of his arms. I was thankful to whatever God there may have been that it was dark in the street. "I think I twisted my ankle. I'm fine, though, I just tripped."
I caught the raising of his eyebrow and then he turned away, releasing my shoulders, jogging off towards the bar. "C'mon."
I did the best I could to limp after him, little shoots of pain working their way up my leg with every step. It wasn't so bad, really.
The sight that greeted us when we re-entered Willy's bar is one that I will never forget. The table we had been sitting at was demolished, broken in on itself. Schu lay, spread eagle, in the center of the mess, mumbling something to himself, his wild red hair fanned out around his head like a massive, disturbing halo. Omi sat, Indian style, on the floor his back pressed up against a support beam. He had a neat little row of whiskey glasses in front of him, all lined up in a semi circle. There were at least five. I wondered briefly how he could possible have downed four more whiskeys in the short time I had been outside with Ran. The red glow in his cheeks and the glazed, glossy sheen to his eyes told me that nonetheless he must have. Farf was too busy cackling madly to himself at the bar to be doing much else, his odd yellow eyes rolling around in his head. Willy stood, fussing over the mess, clasping and unclasping his hands, tittering to himself in Vietnamese.
He stood over Schu and waved his finger at him angrily. "I told you! I told you, so! No, you cannot dance on table. Why you want ruin my furniture, eh? You GI, always make trouble me! If you not so good customer I throw you out right now! You cannot dance, no you cannot!" he yelled, his odd, greasy mustache bristling.
Schu groaned and began to get up slowly, feeling his body over slowly to make sure nothing was broken. By the looks of it he'd had at least as many whiskeys as Omi. I remember wondering what had happened to Phi-An, the whore.
Schu cast Ran and I a glance as he picked his way out of the wreckage of the table, and winked, grinning stupidly. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ran shake his head and clench his teeth. If this ever got back to base we were going to be in a world of hurt.
Then Shcu reached out and put his hand sloppily on Willy's shoulder. "You know, Willy, you're right. I can't dance. But I'll tell you one thing," he slurred taking a few steps towards Omi, turning around as he came to stand before the kid. Omi glanced up at his with his big, wide blue eyes. "I can juggle."
With that Schuldich stooped in a blur of motion, snatched three of Omi's empty glasses from the ground and tossed two into the air. It was like watching in slow motion. One went up on his left, one went up on his right. slowly. slowly. arcing through the air until they collided, shattering into a million tinkling bits.
The sound of glass breaking was clear and crisp, like the ringing of a million little bells coupled with canon fire. At least that's what it sounded like to me. The rain of glass shards shimmered through the air, falling over Omi and Schuldich, getting caught in their hair. Omi cried out in alarm and ducked his head, covering it with his arms. Schu dropped the third glass in surprise and then began to chuckle, shaking his obnoxious mane. A few bits of glass were shaken loose and hit the floor with a light tinkling sound.
There was a pause. A momentary silence as everyone in the bar looked on in morbid fascination at the one man train wreck that was Max Wolff. The spell was soon broken.
"Oops," Schu chuckled, grinning like an idiot. Jei burst into another fit of uncontrolled, maniacal cackling by the bar and Willy just about lost it.
"That it! No more! No more you stupid American GI drink here tonigh! Out!! Out out out!!" he screeched and then began to swear in Vietnamese. As he stood there swearing and shaking, so enraged that he was unable to move, Ran stalked purposefully over to Schu, grabbed his arm and propelled him towards the door. He then picked Omi up by the back of his shirt and deposited him at my feet where he looked up at me with those startled eyes of his. I held out my hand and pulled him up. When I tried to release his fingers he wouldn't let go, idly holding my hand and leaning against my arm. I glanced at him sidelong and put my free hand against his head.
"Kid, are you feeling alright? How much did you have to drink?" I asked, pulling him towards the door. I didn't like having Omi hang on my. My ankle was hurting and dragging him around wasn't helping.
"I dunno, Kenken. I had. a few, mebbe. Aww, but my leg really hurts, you know...." he trailed off, stumbling a little. I winced as I corrected for him, keeping him on his feet. Pausing I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Fujimiya was following us out. He was in the process of arguing with Farfarello. I wondered who was winning, but didn't stand there just holding Omi's hand long enough to find out.
A few minutes and one bout of Schuldich vomiting behind the Jeep later Ran came storming out of the bar, Farf walking after him slowly, his arms crossed across his chest. I still couldn't tell who'd won.
"Everybody get in the Jeep," Ran growled, pushing Schuldich away from the driver's side door. As he reached for the handle Schu lashed out and nearly decked him, but Fujimiya dodged him easily, Schu's actions slowed by the alcohol in his system.
"What the fuck are you doing, Ran? This is my sortie, and I'm driving. Get your fairy ass in the back seat with the pretty boys," he growled.
Ran made an angry sound in the back of his throat, clenching his fist, but he didn't move towards Schu. They just stood there glaring at each other.
I kept my eyes down and pretended to be preoccupied with Omi. Did Schu just call Fujimiya 'fairy'? If so... then that must mean Max knew Ran was homosexual, or at least that he'd had a male lover before. What did this mean about his relationship with Max..? I thought back to how Schu had strong armed Fujimiya into coming with us.
'You can't back out now Fujimiya... you owe me anyway.'
Was I reading too deep into Max's words, searching for significance where there was none? Or was he keeping Fujimiya's secret... and using it like blackmail?
Schu gave Ran a shove in the chest. Ran's hand lingered over the door handle for a moment and then he reluctantly let go and took a few steps back, shrugging coldly. "Fine, you drunk bastard. If you want to get us into a car accident, be my guest."
Schu snickered. "There isn't any traffic, Fujimiya. What's gonna happen? A tree gonna jump into the road?"
Ran narrowed his eyes. I watched the exchanged with ooded eyes and shook Omi's shoulders. He had collapsed against my chest and his breathing was a little to rhythmic for my comfort.
"Stranger things have happened," Ran mumbled.
"Would you two just shut up and get in. This place has ceased to amuse me. I detest it," Farfarello murmured softly as he hopped into the shotgun seat.
Schu had quickly lost interest in Fujimiya and turned towards Jei. "You really are a psycho, you know that?" he grumbled idly as he opened the door to the Jeep.
Jei only chuckled and licked his lips. "C'mon, Randy-boy, get in. Help the little ones they seem pre-occupied..." His yellow eyes swiveled towards Omi and I. Omi's face was buried in my chest and he mumbled against me softly. I realized, with a fresh burning sensation in my cheeks, that our hands were still clasped.
I shook the kid vigorously. "Omi! Get up, we have to get in the Jeep," I snapped.
"Wha? Hmm, no. I'm too... sleepy... Kenken," he murmured as I tried to push him away. What was with all the 'Kenken?' I began to become flustered and flushed as he nuzzled against my chest again and grasped at my shirt with his free hand. I knew it was just the alcohol that was making him act so strangely, but my thoughts over Max and Fujimiya had me in an odd frame of mind.
Ran walked up beside me, opened the back door of the Jeep and then paused, eyeing me strangely. I smiled weakly, all too aware that everyone was taking note of Omi's rather childish display of affection. I attempted to dislodge him one last time, but failed. Surprising how strong the little guy was. Ran eyed us a moment longer, and I wished momentarily that I wasn't so distracted by the awkwardness of the situation so that I might have been able to study his face.
He grumbled inarticulately and then reached out, grabbing hold of the back of Omi's jacket, hauling him up and into the back of the Jeep. "Ack! Izz cold!" Omi protested loudly.
Then he motioned for me to follow. I looked up at his face as I climbed into the back seat, scooting across until I bumped into Omi again, it was set and impassive. The kid mumbled something inarticulate and then curled into a ball next to me, his head tucked against my shoulder. I didn't have the heart to push him away. Somehow his warmth was comforting, because the Jeep suddenly felt a lot colder.
Ran hopped in beside me and shut the door, resting his arm on top of it. He gave me a sidelong glance and then poked Schu in the back of the head. "Drive."
"Oiu, mon capitaine!" Schu cried maniacally. And away we went.
The road was no less treacherous on the way back, and yet, despite Schu's inebriated state it actually seemed to me as if the ride were smoother. Or perhaps I simply wasn't paying attention. I was beginning to worry about Omi. Occasionally he would twitch against me and shudder, mumbling something to himself. Even though he lay perfectly still other than that I could see that his eyes were open in the darkness, staring straight ahead at nothing. Occasionally I would run my hand through his hair, hoping that I was comforting him in some way, but he never gave any indication that he noticed at all. I sighed despondently and muttered under my breath.
"What's the matter?" Ran asked flatly, not turning his head towards me.
I was surprised by the sound of his voice. I had been busy trying to drown out the asinine singing of Schu and Farf ever since we left Sang Cho-na. Their voices were grating and badly off key. And I didn't care for the lyrics either.
I turned towards Ran's voice, barely able to see him in the darkness. I kept my voice low, glad that the horrible singing would at least keep Max and Jei from overhearing whatever we had to say.
"Something's wrong with Omi, I think. He's just lying here, staring off into space. We should have left him at base," I said softly, touching the kid's head again.
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" he snapped violently and then went blank again, huddling against my side.
I looked over at Ran hastily as if to say, 'see what I mean?' Ran met my eyes and held them for a moment. In his eyes it seemed as if I found a darkness more than the Vietnam night. I wondered why I kept thinking things like that.
He shrugged slowly. "Don't worry. He's been in the infirmary, hopped up on morphine for weeks. This is probably the first day he hasn't had any in his system. He's hitting withdrawal. If he can hack it for a few days he'll be fine. If not, he'll most likely become a heroine addict," he said bluntly. I thought there was just the slightest edge of sick amusement in his voice and it made me shiver.
I looked down at the kid and slipped my arm around his thin shoulder. "Don't say that. He hacked it all the way back from the line to base. He can do this," I said quietly. It seems ironic now that I was the one to brush off the power of addiction.
"Holy shit, what the fuck is that?!" Schuldich cried suddenly. Jei grunted inarticulately. Ran leaned forward looking past Schuldich into the swath of light cut into the road by the Jeep's headlights.
"Someone's in the road," Ran said loudly.
"Ten points!" Farfarello cried gleefully and Schu revved the engine. I sat up in alarm and leaned over the front seat to better see.
"What do you mean?!" I cried. Ahead in the headlights I could see a figure quickly getting closer. It looked small, almost like a child, but I could make out the silhouette of a rifle slung across its shoulder.
"What are you doing, Max? Are you fucking insane?!" Ran cried, reaching around Schuldich and grabbing the wheel.
"What the hell, Fujimiya?!" Schu yelled, fighting with him for control of the wheel. "Don't be such an ass, I'm just gonna scare the little Gook bastard!"
But in their struggle both seemed to forget that we were closing on the figure in the road. I stared ahead in horror, unable to form words as the walker turned his head, suddenly aware that the car was bearing down on him. Large, deep, terrified eyes reflected in the light. He froze in his tracks, petrified like a deer on some backcountry road. Caught in the headlights.
"Shit, swerve already!" I screamed, lunging over the front seat and grabbing the wheel with all my strength. The Jeep lurched and I lost sight of the young man in the headlights as the vehicle began to swerve madly. I didn't even see the impact coming when suddenly there was an earsplitting crash, and a jarring sensation that threw me from my feet, free falling out into nothing. I met the damp earth with a less than pleasant thud, and a dull buzzing came into my ears. I lay still for a few moments and then I rolled over once and lay on my back, staring up at the sky. I could see all the stars. It was so dark in the jungle.
Somewhere I could hear cursing and the angry hiss of what sounded like a giant snake. I didn't want to move. All my joints and my ankle besides told me that lying still was the best measure. I closed my eyes.
A hand tentatively touched my face and my eyes snapped open. Fujimiya's larger than life face hung before me, and in my disoriented state I cried out in alarm, sitting bolt upright. Our foreheads collided and light burst behind my eyes.
"Argh! Fuck, Hidaka! What the fuck in wrong with you?" he grumbled in pain as he rocked back on his heels. "I thought you'd been knocked out."
I held my head and moaned. "No, I just closed my eyes. The sky was spinning. What happened?"
"We drove off the road and hit a tree. We weren't going all that fast in actuality, but fast enough for you and I to get thrown from the Jeep. I wanted to make sure you were ok before going back to the car."
I looked up at him and he at me, for a moment our eyes met awkwardly in the gloom and then I looked away. "Thanks."
He grunted and got to his feet. I scrambled after him. The Jeep was only a few feet away. A large tree had managed to crumple most of the hood in on itself. The hissing I had heard earlier was the sound of spilled radiator fluid evaporating off the engine. Jei and Max were nowhere in sight. I figured the swearing must have been them. I didn't see Omi either.
"I wonder where the hell they went so fast," I mused quietly to Fujimiya.
He shrugged. "I don't know and I don't care. We are in so much shit. Let's see if this thing as any supplies in it and then keep heading towards base. We might make it before they notice we're gone."
"What does it matter now? We might as well wait here until they come looking for us. Either way we're screwed," I mumbled. "What the hell was Schu thinking playing chicken with that guy in the road?!"
"What were you thinking grabbing the wheel like that?"
I stared at Fujimiya blankly and put my hands on my hips, unable to believe that he was trying to blame me for this fiasco. "We were going to kill that kid! We would have hit him, Fujimiya. Somebody had to do something," I protested.
"I had things under control. I would have made sure Schu swerved. You shouldn't have done anything."
"Bull shit!" I cried. "We were right on top of that guy, and Schuldich is just crazy enough to actually hit someone."
Ran didn't say anything, instead he shook his head and made his way to the derelict Jeep. I followed him, mumbling to myself. There was no way this was going to be pinned on me.
"Check in the backseat for flashlights and guns. For all we know this area could be riddled with Charlie," Fujimiya barked.
I complied, leaning into the backseat through the open door. I reached out to run my hand along the floor between the back and front seats, unable to see anything in the darkness there. I hoped I would be able to feel something anyway. My hand brushed up against something large and warm, fabric tickled my fingers and as I reached out now with both hands I realized almost instantly that it was a body.
"Shit, Omi's still in here!" I cried. "Omi, hey kiddo, can you hear me?" I felt around his body until I found his shoulder and then looped my hand beneath them, hauling him from the darkness. I cradled him in my arms, lowering him slowly to the ground, trying to see whether or not his eyes were open. I could hear and feel his breathing, but I didn't know if he was awake or unconscious. I hoped to God that he hadn't hit his head and had a concussion. I slapped at his face gently and shook him.
"Omi? Omi?! Come on wake up!" I cried.
After a few moments he murmured and shifted, opening his large, dark eyes. They glinted in the starlight and I sat back on my heels, sighing in relief. "Thank God you're awake. Did you hit your head?" I asked, leaning over him. I wondered if I could see his pupils.
"No," he breathed softly. "I rolled under the seat, I think. I was awake. Ken... you're, so nice to me."
I blinked and felt my cheeks flush again. I was getting tired of doing that. Before I realized what was happening I felt Omi's hand on my cheek and he leaned up, brushing his lips against my cheek... and then against my lips. It was the tiniest of kisses, so soft it was barely there, but so there it was undeniable. My heart raced and I put my hands out, pushing him away, not roughly but forcefully.
"Omi, don't do that," I said flatly.
"Why not?" he asked quietly.
"Because you don't know what you're doing," I answered and then stood up, pulling him up beside me.
He chuckled softly and then pushed on my arm roughly, turning and stumbling around the back of the Jeep. "Guess we gotta hike back to base then, huh boys?"
I watched him scramble up onto the road. I was rooted to the spot. My face was flushed and my mind was whirling a million miles a minute. Everything was suddenly so confused. Life... war...everything. It was then that I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Ran was watching me from the other side of the Jeep. He stood very still and had the strangest expression on his face. I realized that he must have seen and overheard what transpired.
Unable to think of anything else to say or do I just shook my head and smiled stupidly. "Strange kid," I mumbled and then followed Omi up onto the road.
I was just about to reach out and grab his shoulder when out of the darkness behind us a shot rang out. One single shot, crisp and loud and clear. It was followed by a high pitched keening sound, the sound of a wounded animal it seemed to me. I turned around frantically and saw Fujimiya coming towards us.
"Shit," I hissed. "Farf and Schu! That guy we almost hit had a gun."
Ran and I exchanged nods and we both sped off down the road the way we'd come. I didn't make as good of time as Fujimiya since my ankle was still tweaking the hell out of me, but I did my best. By the time I got to them Ran was already standing by idly, arms across his chest. He shot me a look I couldn't decipher.
Jei and Max were standing together, chuckling. Schu had the gun, which surprised me. I had expected to find them at the mercy of a group of VCs or at least one, if nothing else then under fire from a scared shitless Vietnamese farmer boy. A small form was huddled by the side of the road, breathing heavily and clutching at it's shoulder. I walked towards Farf and Schu, trying to figure out what was going on. It took me only a few moments to realize what had happened and that the figure was hyperventilating, his shoulder shot through.
Gasping is surprise and disgust and limped past Schu, shoving him roughly aside. "You shot him?!" I cried, going down on my knees before the distraught form in the road. I took his chin in my hand and pushed the locks of dark hair from his eyes. They were huge and startled, dark and deep. Even in the darkness of the jungle night I could tell that he was only a boy, no older than Omi and younger most likely. He stared at me, unseeing, and continued to breathe in spasmastic, sharp breathes. At this rate he was going to pass out. I blew on his face gently, trying to reinstate a normal breathing pattern. If I'd thought he could hear or understand me I would have told him to breathe between his knees.
As I huddled there, I wondered dimly why I was distraught over this boy. He was nothing to me, not a member of my unit or even my army, but I knew I couldn't let him sit there, breathing himself into a state of hysteria.
"Goddamned Gook, shit yeah I shot him. He was hiding in the ditch, ready to ambush us. VC, son of a bitch," Schuldich spat.
My outrage at my companions was quelled only by my concern for the entire situation. This was not the time to be picking fights with my comrades. We all had deep shit coming. But even so I could not stop the burning anger in my chest.
"I can't believe you stole his gun and shot him with it!" I cried, whipping my head around to glare at Schuldich. "You don't know that he's a VC. For the love of the lord he's only a boy!" I turned my head around again and continued to blow gently on the boy's face. His erratic, hiccuping breaths began to slow and even out.
"Of course he's a fucking VC," Schu spat. "He's Gook with a gun on the road to the base in the middle of the night. He's wearing the black pajamas. What the else is he going to fucking be?! "
"A civilian, maybe?!" I shot back. I was angry I wanted to rip Schu's throat out. I hadn't come to Vietnam to shoot innocent people. If I even had a reason for being there it was to help end the war as quickly as possible. "This road is used by the people who live in the farms around here, you fucker! And every single person in Vietnam has a God damned gun!"
The kid seemed to suddenly snap out of his daze and the next thing I knew I was being clocked in the head, any number of shrill, Vietnamese curses ringing in my ears. His small form scooted away from me across the dirt street and he tried to get to his feet, but fell back, unable to use his arm for support. His cry of pain motivated me to ignore the smack to the head I'd received. After all if I'd been almost run over and then shot by a bunch of foreigner idiot I'd probably sucker punch the first one I could too. I got up and moved towards him, holding my hands up.
"Hey, kiddo," I said softly, "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm really sorry about all this..." I stood over him and leaned down, extending my hand. I didn't see the unveiled hate in his eyes until it was too late. He kicked me in the face.
"Hidaka!" I heard Ran call out and thought it was funny that he'd care. Then my ears were filled with the sound of the kid's voice again. He was screaming at me and the only thing I could understand was, 'GI scum!'" But I think that about summed up his feelings.
Schu shouldered me aside, as I cradled my nose. He pointed the gun at the kid's face and sneered. "Shut your little Gook gob, and listen to me," he hissed.
The young boy seemed to understand the tone if not the words. He shut up and I heard his breathing begin to come short again. I saw him tremble violently, but the burning in his eyes never died down. I didn't have the heart or the patience to listen to the rest of whatever Schu had in mind so I limped away, back down the road a tiny ways until I bumped into Omi.
"Ken! Are you ok? What happened?" he asked coming to my side. I noticed that he was limping very badly. His face shone pale in the darkness.
I grunted and put my hand on his shoulder to try and steady myself. "I'm fine. I just got kicked in the face by a pubescent possible VC agent, but I'm fine."
"What?" Omi cried.
I shook my head and pointed over my shoulder. I could faintly hear Schu barking something. "It'll make sense in a moment. But what about you? You look like shit."
He glanced up at me warily and shook his head. "Oh... it's my leg. It really hurts and... and my stomach too. I feel all achy and shaky, I don't know what's wrong with me," he murmured.
"Are you gonna be ok, can you hack it back to base?" I asked.
I saw him bite his lip and the fear that flashed in his eyes. But then he nodded enthusiastically and then took a few steps down the road towards where Fujimiya, Schuldich, Farfarello, and our new 'friend' were standing in the road. I watched him sway slightly and then collapse.
"Omi!" I cried jogging towards him. As I knelt at his side he began to cry into the dirt, his fingers reflexively clutching handfuls of the parched earth.
"I can't... ugh, I can't. All the way back to base? I can't! It hurts too much. God I just want to curl up and die!"
I pulled him up, thinking idly that this better not be another ploy to try and kiss me, and held him against my chest. "It's ok. Oh, shit, Omi. I'm so sorry, this was such a stupid fucking idea. Here," I said and then propped him up, turning in the dirt and pulling him up onto my back. His arms tightened around my neck and shoulder and I wrapped my arms through his legs. His body was heavy and warm against my back, and he made a few small protestations, but did not try to pull away. We squatted there for a few moments as I readied myself to stand up, trying to steel my ankle against the pain. I felt him press his cheek against the flat of my back, the warm dampness of his silent tears soaking into the fabric of my jacket. Finally I got to my feet, feeling my ankle protest the burden. But I would rather have borne the pain for Omi than make him do it himself. I was always just that kind of person.
He sniffed and cried against my shoulder blades for a few moments. "No, Ken, you can't carry me all the way back," he whispered.
"I can sure as hell try," I answered, hitching him higher. He sighed and sobbed a few more times and then fell strangely quiet. By the time Schuldich et all. reached me Omi's breathing was soft and rhythmic, tell tale that he'd fallen asleep. Somehow it comforted me.
Fujimiya gave me a long look as I fell into pace with the rest of them. I could have sworn I saw admiration or at least amazement in his eyes. He walked close to me.
Schuldich had tied the Vietnamese boy's hands behind his back and was marching him along in front of us with the gun pointed at his back. The look of utter dismay and emptiness in the boy's eyes made me want to crack the gun over Schu's head. They hadn't even bound up his gunshot wound. Schuldich started saying something about having a POW to take back to camp, but his voice and reasoning disgusted me so I blocked him out.
"Are you sure you can to carry him all the way back to camp?" Ran asked me coldly.
"I don't have much of a choice. He can't hardly walk, and even if he could he couldn't keep pace. He's exhausted, and there is no way in hell I'm leaving him behind."
"You could stay behind with him. Someone would be along in the morning to pick you up," he answered.
I scoffed. "Without a weapon or anything? You said yourself that these jungles could be full of Charlie right now, and there is no way in hell I am going to jeopardize his life by staying out here."
Fujimiya was silent for a moment. "You really care about him," he said at length.
The comment caught me off guard and I stumbled slightly. I looked over at him and for a moment I too could not think of anything to say. "I guess so. He's the only person in the hellhole who I can are about, the only person who wants to be cared about, maybe. He reached out to me when he was still in the infirmary... I guess I couldn't help but reach back. It keeps me human."
Ran sniffed disdainfully. "Were not supposed to be human here."
"Thank you, oh wise sage," I answered sarcastically.
"Look, Hidaka, I'm not busting your balls because I think I'm so much smarter than you. In this place nothing is certain. You reach out and your hand will be ripped off. If you care too much the God's will punish you and you will lose. It doesn't pay to get attached to anything here, because tomorrow... it could all be gone. I'm just telling you what I know from experience. Don't open yourself up... you'll just end up going section eight."
"I guess that's a risk I'm willing to take. 'It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all,'" I quoted.
He snickered and looked at me blankly. "You say that like you know what you're talking about."
I fixed his eyes with mine and smiled dimly. "I do."
"Well so do I. And I say, that's bull shit. Look out for number one, Hidaka. Don't set yourself up for a fall you won't be able to handle."
I shook my head. "You are so... cold, Fujimiya. How can you stand to be in there with yourself? Blocking the world and everyone in it out just to keep yourself safe is such a cowardly thing to do. That's the easy way out. The hard thing is learning to love and lose and make that a part of life. Shit happens, but at the end of your life do you want to leave this world knowing that no one will be waiting for you in the next?"
The silence that hung between us was deep and unsettled and even I was startled by my words. I felt as if I was saying them to myself more than just to him. Hadn't I closed myself off once too? Didn't I still have a long way to go before I got to where I was talking about? I felt like telling Ran we could work on getting there together, but I knew I couldn't. Nothing felt right, none of the words that came to my mind seemed worthy to be spoken, so I turned my face away and let the silence be.
"C'mon, Gook, keep moving," Schu snapped. I watched him prod the young boy's back with the barrel of the rifle. He stumbled forward a few more steps and hissed at Schuldich over his shoulder. "Just keep movin'. You understand English, boy?"
The kid continued to glare over his shoulder but didn't say anything. He only narrowed his eyes.
Schuldich jabbed him in the back again. "I asked you a question, you little rice-nigger!"
"If he -doesn't- understand English, Max, he doesn't know that you're asking him a question," I snapped angrily.
"Keep out of this, Hidaka. Just like you slant-eyes to gang up together."
"Fuck you, Wolff," I spat angrily.
"Don't make me come over there a-"
"I speak," the Vietnamese boy interrupted sharply. He glanced at me with earnest eyes and then snarled at Schu again. It was obvious from the way he was walking that he was in a lot of pain. He kept stumbling and lagging in the pace. I was worried about the gunshot wound. The way his hands were tied it must have been very painful.
Schu immediately lost interest in arguing with me and turned to poke the boy in the back again. "Oh, good. Well then, you little VC shit-head, you got a name? Something we can call you, other than Gook, or is that good enough for you?"
"Nagi," he answered dully. "And I'm not VC."
"Suuure you aren't, Nagikins, sure you aren't. That name doesn't sound very Vietnamese," Schu went on.
Nagi didn't answer, his head bobbed slightly and his feet tangled with each other. He cried out in wordless alarm as he stumbled and hit the road, face first, unable to stop his fall with his hands. He whimpered in pain as the fall jarred his injury. Schu almost tripped over him.
"Argh! Get up, you little bastard," he shouted. The boy tried to pull himself up, but failed, his strength completely gone. Schu shot of a few rifle blasts into the sky. "I said up!"
"That's enough, Max!" I shouted, limping over to him and the boy as quickly as I could. "I've had enough of your shit, you ass-hole. Now put the fucking gun down. The kid's practically dead, thanks to you!"
He narrowed his eyes and began to lower the gun.
"Put it down!" I screamed.
The look in my eyes must have told him I was serious. Schu lowered the gun and stepped back. I seethed at him for a few seconds and then stooped, rolling Omi gently onto the road and then scrambled to Nagi's side. I untied the makeshift binding around his wrists, my hands shaking in fury, and then gently pulled him up. He grumbled angrily and made a half-hearted attempt to push me away, but his strength was not nearly enough. He snarled up at Schuldich an Jei, and then clutched my jacket the long fongers of his left hand covered in drying blood. He tried to drag himself up farther, using me for leverage, but in the end he only fell back again, his eyes wandering aimlessly in their sockets. His breathing became shallow again. I felt along his shoulder for the bullet wound, wanting to feel how bad it was. Warm, sticky, drying blood met my fingertips, the feel of blood-soaked fabric made me almost lightheaded. And the smell of it made my head spin.
"God, he's practically bled to death," I muttered, laying him back and roughly ripping off my army jacket. Lifting him up I used the sleeves to tie it around his shoulder, hoping it would act like some crude bandage. I propped him up and looked into his eyes. "Nagi, can you hear me?"
He mumbled something in Vietnamese and then closed his eyes. I shook him. "Shit no! Don't fall asleep!" His eyes sprang open again. I felt at a complete loss as to what I should do with him. The others were just looking on, offering no help, no sympathy, nothing. It made me sick. I glanced up, hoping for some diving inspiration, but all I saw was Fujimiya watching over me. "I don't know what to do," I said, ducking my head. I looked over at Omi, I still had to carry him.
"Leave him," Farfarello's cold voice cut in. "We don't need another dead Gook on our hands."
"I will not!" I spat. "This is all you and Schuldich's damn fault. I am not going to leave this poor boy who -you- willfully injured to die on the road to the base."
"Doesn't look like you have that much choice in the matter," Schu sing songed.
I looked down at the poor Vietnamese boy in my arms and bit my lip. I hated to admit it, but Schu was right. I was helpless to help him. Our Jeep was crashed, the base still miles away, and I had to carry Omi on my back. My options were zero. I growled in frustration and looked over at Omi again, knowing he came first no matter what.
"I'll carry Omi." The sound of the voice jolted me out of my reverie. Fujimiya stooped and knelt beside Omi, lifting him onto his back. The kid stirred for a moment and then nestled in between Ran's shoulder blades. A wave of something I can't even begin to describe washed over me. I felt like I might start to cry. But instead I only nodded and lifted the limp, yielding body of Nagi onto my back. I felt the warm wetness of his blood begin to soak into my white undershirt even before I got all the way onto my feet. He murmured inarticulately and clutched my shoulders.
We started off again. This time Ran and I took the lead while Farf and Schu trailed behind, in particularly foul moods. Not only had I told them off, but I'd robbed them of their POW.
The endless road passed by in dim monotony. The trees all seemed to look the same and every stone I stepped over seemed to just like the one before. My feet began to sweat and I recalled Jei's first words to me about extra socks. I shuddered at the thought of what the jungle could do to wet feet. Omi woke up once and babbled in utter confusion for a few seconds before realizing everything was fine and falling back a sleep. Every once in a while I would jostle the Vietnamese boy to make sure he wasn't falling asleep. Having lost as much blood as he had the last thing I needed was for him to go into shock.
Once he murmured. "Thank you. Thank you... I-I sorry I kick you." I'd chuckled and said I'd have done the same thing and then limped on, unable to feel my arms any longer.
Ran and I didn't talk anymore until we came within site of the base. The front gates stood out in the slowly lightening air. I felt so weary it was all I could do to keep from collapsing right there.
I turned to him finally and said, "Thank you, Ran. You didn't have to help me or Omi, and you did. Thank you."
"What happened tonight wasn't right. Part of this is my fault. You said something earlier about being a coward, and you're right. If I wasn't such a coward none of this would have happened," he said quietly.
"Because Schu couldn't have pulled it off without you, you mean?" I said, wondering if the deeper insinuation of my comment would register with him.
He didn't answer, only stared straight ahead. With that we passed through the gates of Pang Nuan base, each burdened by our charges and our thoughts.
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After thoughts: All for you... all for you. Hope you enjoyed it. Pwease be patient for the next update, I haven't really worked through the next part yet, so it may be a bit. *sweatdrops*