Disclaimer:
I do not own anything from Love Hina or any copyrighted material. Any other characters used in this fic are mine, however.
Chapter 2 – Arrival
Kitsune sat in the car, fiddling with the neck strap of her camera. Despite her best efforts, it seemed that it caused her more discomfort after each time adjusting it. Gus and Sandy were sound asleep in the back while Jay followed the other cars to a 'safe zone' – a place where everyone can set up a temporary safe haven. Sighing, she places her camera back in her lap and stared out the window. The sunset lit up the sky with a soft glow of orange and reds as day was gradually turning into night. Jay takes a quick glance at her and breaks the dead silence that hung in the air.
"Enjoying the view?"
"Yeah," replies Kitsune. "Great view…beautiful countryside…unbelievable sunset…despite what's happening here, this place would be a great place to take a vacation."
Jay sighs. "Almost…"
Kitsune reclined in her chair, staring off into the distance. "Do you think we should even be here?"
" Well, it comes with the job," he replies. "But once the shit hits the fan…it'll be more about the people around you than anything else."
"I just want to do a good job," comments Kitsune. "That's all."
"Just keep a level head, and you'll be fine," said Jay. "Get some rest…we still have a long way to go."
Kitsune shifts in her chair, and rests her head on the side window. Closing her eyes, she slowly drifts off to sleep.
~~
"Kitsune," said Sandy. "Come one, wake up!"
Sandy shakes her for a brief moment but Kitsune waves her off. "Please…five more minutes," she mumbled. "Just five more minutes."
"You said five more minutes twenty minutes ago," comments Sandy.
Kitsune turns her body in the car seat, mumbling something yet again. Shaking her head, Sandy pulls a water bottle out from her bag and twists off the cap. Taking one last look, she proceeds to pour some of the contents onto the fox-girl's face. In an instant, Kitsune sits up, nearly striking her head on the car's ceiling. Putting the bottle away, Sandy flashes her a smile.
"Good morning to ya," said Sandy, smiling. "Enjoy the complementary shower?"
Kitsune wipes a few wet stands of hair from her face and flicks some water back at Sandy. Drying her face off with the sleeve of her coat, she picked up her camera and stuck it back in her rucksack. Getting out, she began to stretch her sore back to its full length.
"No continental breakfast today?" comments Kitsune.
Sandy laughs. "On the menu today is powdered milk, coffee, and some day-old bagles. Not really four star…but it's better than nothing."
Walking along side her, Kitsune began to survey her surroundings. The 'safe zone' turned out to be a small village with several bombed out buildings. The ground was rough and littered with debris, making it difficult to walk; mud and dirt began to soil Kitsune's dark jeans and her boots. Reaching a large building on the east side of town, the two girls entered it. Among the dozens of the journalists were Jay and Gus, eating the food provisions the convoy brought.
"Well if it isn't sleeping beauty herself," commented Gus.
Kitsune gave her trademark grin. "Just hours after I came here and already I have some admirers."
All four of them couldn't help but laugh at that comment. Jay picked up a tray of food and handed it to Kitsune. Taking it in her hands, she and the others ate breakfast. After an hour or so, Jay pulled out a map of the area as well as some papers.
"Now that we're done with breakfast, let's get down to business," said Jay. "Every other group already has their assignments. Circled on the map is the area where we're going – it's about ten miles northeast from here."
"Is there still fighting there?" asked Sandy.
"No, but be prepared for skirmishes between both sides," answered Gus. "Once we finish taking shots of what we need, we head straight back to the safe zone."
Kitsune began to feel nervous about today's assignment. She didn't know what to expect once she's entered the field or how bad the war in Kosovo really was. Jay turned his gaze at her and moved to her side.
"You alright Kitsune?"
"Fine…never better," she answered. "I just have a bit of the jitters…in a good way."
"Listen…just do your job and use your head," said Jay. "We'll be fine. Both sides should know that we pose no real threat to them."
Working out the rest of the details, they packed their things and headed back to their car. Gus opened the back and handed everyone a flak jacket with the word 'PRESS' on it. Taking it in hands, Kitsune slips it on over her old coat.
"Just in case," said Gus.
Getting the car, they and along with their fellow journalists disperse from the safe zone, heading in several different directions. Bouncing around in the car, Kitsune pocketed several rolls of film for her camera. The car was silent as they sped to their destination.
~~
The fifteen-minute drive ended as the car came to several small houses that sat around the crossroads. All around the homes was the aftermath of yesterday's fighting – a half dozen bodies and a couple of burnt cars lay around the crossroads. Jay steered the car off of the road and motioned everyone to get out. Stepping outside Kitsune caught a whiff of the smell of death, causing her to feel a bit nauseated.
"We better hurry and get the shots we need," said Gus.
"Uh…right," said Kitsune.
The small group pulled out their equipment and the sounds of shutters began. Kitsune slowly began to make her way around the road, taking pictures of the carnage before her. She did her best to stay clear of the bodies, but curiosity got the better of her. Walking to one of the corpses, she brought the viewfinder to her face.
Through the lens of her camera Kitsune could clearly see that the body was that of a small boy, probably no older than Su, lying in a pool of dried blood. The back of his head was caved in, exposing what's left of the brain. Flies had already begun to circle the area, buzzing about around the fresh corpse. The face was still contorted, reflecting the pain that the child had endured in the last hours of his short life. Almost immediately, Kitsune put her camera to her side and turned away. The sight was too intense for her as she brought her hand to her mouth and took a few steps back. Sandy noticed this and walked over to Kitsune, placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Are you going to be okay Kitsune?" she asked.
"Oh man," said Kitsune. "I had no idea it would be like this."
Sandy sighed. "Don't worry about it. The first time I did something like this, I puked my guts up for the rest of the day."
"Okay we're finished," announced Jay. "Get in your last shots, because it's time for us to head back."
Sandy waved to Jay, and then turned back to Kitsune. "You sure you're going to be fine?"
"I'll be okay Sandy," replied Kitsune. "Really."
Just then the sound of a helicopter began to grow louder and louder. Before any of then could react, a military chopper flew overhead. Its door gun immediately trained on them as it circled the crossroads.
"Oh shit!" cried Gus.
"Everyone raise your hands with camera's in hand!" shouted Jay.
Kitsune immediately did so, not knowing what to expect. Her instincts told her to run, but her body couldn't move. Jay, Sandy, and Gus waved their hands in the air, showing that she and they were noncombatants.
"Don't shoot!" Jay shouted to the helicopter. "We're journalists!"
"Press! Press!" said Sandy. "Don't shoot!"
After what seemed like eternity, the helicopter began to ascend into the air. Keeping their door gun trained on them, it finally flew off into the distance. Kitsune exhaled and fell to her knees. She began to breathe heavily as did the others after coming face to face with certain death.
"Jesus Christ that was close," said Jay. "We better head back – now!"
"You don't need to tell me twice!" commented Kitsune.
Making their way back to the car, the four of them sped off back to the village leaving behind the destruction the war had produced.
~~
Later that evening, everyone back in the village was trying to get some rest from the day's events. Several were busy filling out reports and sending rolls of film and videotapes with the relief truck that came earlier that evening. All seemed calm as the group began to prepare for another say in the field.
Kitsune sat near the doorway, jotting down what happened today on her notepad. As she wrote, her action of keeping her hand moving seem to take more effort than ever before. Setting her pencil down, she ran her hands through her hair and took a deep breath. Ever since she saw that poor boy lying in the street, she wondered if coming here was a mistake. Just a few days earlier she was confident in her skills as a freelance writer and photographer – now it seemed that this assignment wasn't really agreeing with her nerves.
"Mind if I joined you?"
Kitsune looked up to see Gus standing over her. Moving her bag over, she motioned for him to sit.
"Talk about one hell of a first day," he commented.
"You really have a thing for understatements," replied Kitsune.
They both laughed softly as Gus pulled out a flask from his back pocket. Unscrewing the top, he takes a swig from it. Placing the cap back on, he offered it to Kitsune.
"Thanks," she said, taking the flask.
Flipping off the cap, she takes a gulp of he liquid. Her eyes go wide as she pulls the flask away from her mouth. Coughing, she hands it back to Gus.
"Holy shit that stuff is strong," said Kitsune, still coughing. "What's in it?"
Gus flashes her a grin. "It's a mix of two parts vodka and rum, with one part bourbon…my own special blend."
"And I thought I was a strong drinker," adds Kitsune.
Just then an explosion rocked the building, causing loose dust from the ceiling to fall upon their heads. Everyone began to scramble as another explosion shattered the windows.
"Goddamn! What the hell was that!" cried Sandy.
"Sounds like artillery," shouted Jay. "We gotta get out of here! Get outside now!"
Kitsune grabbed her bag and dashed outside as the sound of more artillery streaked in. Several more explosions shook the ground beneath her, causing her to fall behind a broken brick wall near the road. Looking all around her, she bore witness to an awesome display of firepower she had ever seen. Defying all common sense, Kitsune pulling out her camera and began to take pictures of this event. The explosions caused nearby structures to shatter into stone and dust. A couple of shells land in a cluster of trees, causing a shower of splintered wood to fly in all directions. Just then, Kitsune's camera began to wind up the roll of film, causing her to come back to the reality of her situation. Turning her head every which way, she finally spots the others in her group. Sandy spots her and calls to her.
"Kitsune! This is no time to start admiring the show!" she shouted.
"I'm coming!" Kitsune shouted back.
Two more shells impacted the ground, and then there was a slight pause in the shelling. Sensing the opportunity, Kitsune got up and made a mad dash to the car. She was only about forty or so yards away when another shell streaked in.
"Kitsune hit the dirt!" screamed Gus.
Hearing his warning, Kitsune rolled into a crater as the round struck the ground in front of her. Dirt and rock rain upon her covering her almost completely from head to toe. An intense ringing echoed in her head as she closed her eyes. She heard a voice that sounded distant, and felt strong hand pull her up. Gradually the voices became more and more clear as her senses kicked back in.
"Are you hurt Kitsune?!" asked Jay.
Kitsune looked straight at him with a dazed expression on her face.
"I'm okay…I can hear bells ringing, but I'm still in one piece."
Jay was relieved. "You're one lucky young lady!"
Jay helped Kitsune get to her feet and ran toward the others. Getting into the back of the car, Kitsune looked back to see the other journalists scrambling to get out of the village. One of the cars blew into a twisted mass of metal as the occupants dove for the nearest car. It was utter chaos – there was no sense of direction that anyone was taking. They were no exception either; all that Jay did was floored it all the way out of the village. At that moment, it didn't matter where they were going…they just needed to get the hell out.
***
A/N – I hope everyone is enjoying my story so far…looks as though I'm gonna be focusing my efforts more on this one for the time being.
Special thanks go out to the following reviewers:
i won't tell – My first reviewer for this fic! I'm glad you think I'm doing a good job so far. And yes, the reason why I picked Kitsune is because she's a freelance writer and I thought it'd be interesting to see how her personality may be affected by something like this.
Baka-Alaskan – You've always supported my fics the most. I'm glad that you express an interest in all of them!
Well, that's it from me. Please by all means, send me your reviews/comments and I'll have chapter three up soon! ^_^
