Chapter 8
Disclaimer: I don't own Ace Combat (Starts to grind the ax.)
The following mourning… The nuggets were to report to Hangar A to begin their active duty. The first day was real simple; each officer took a band of nuggets up on patrol. Blaze was put with Bartlett's group, along with Nagase. Here it was his first flight as a member of the Osean Air Force. This was what Blaze was hoping for that took six years of training to do.
His squad was the first to take off. They each were given F-5 Tigers, while their Captain was piloting the F-4 Phantom. It looked more like some old relic from a museum than a formidable fighter. But with the world at peace and the dramatic cuts to the defense budget, ancient wonders like these had a larger part in the Osean military. The Captain went up first followed by each nugget in their fighter, one at a time. Soon, all the fighters in the group were airborne, wound tightly in formation behind the lead plane. "You think some bogeys are going to come out of nowhere and engage us, like back at Hierlarck?" said on of the nuggets over the radio.
"Not unless you want to go down in flames. Who said that back there by the way?" said Bartlett.
The nugget responded "Uh, that was me sir."
"Me who? I need a name hear you know."
"Wallace Fryman sir. Callsign Copperhead."
"Some good advice you should take to heart here nugget. Shut up! If there were real enemies around, they could hear you yammering and strike without you even noticing. This goes for the rest of you too. You talk when I say you can talk and shut up when I order you to shut up. Am I clear on that?"
All the nuggets in flight answered in unison "Yes sir."
"Right now, keep quite and stay in formation. We're going to start practicing in a minute, so listen for my instructions."
For the rest of the day, the pilots practiced maneuvers and strategies if the need arises. For the most part things went pretty smoothly. Blaze could still clearly remember his old instructor, back in training, making him do the same maneuver over and over again till it was perfect. He guessed all that was starting to pay off for everyone. Everyone returned to the lounge to relax, since they had nothing else to do for the rest of the day. Blaze himself even stopped in for awhile which made Chopper say a crack about that they were finally worthy to be in his presence. Blaze just smirked and joined most of the pilots for a movie that was playing on television. About half way through the film, Blaze noticed Nagase sitting on the couch alone, reading a book quietly to herself. And for some reason he couldn't explain, he walked over to her on his own free will.
"What are you reading there?"
Nagase was surprised to be bothered, thinking everyone would just watch the movie. But she was even more shocked to see that it was Blaze who came over. She thought it was so unlike him to do that, but she didn't mind it.
"Oh nothing, just something stupid. You wouldn't really be interested in it."
"The History Behind the Legend: The Tale of the Razgriz Demon. I think I did a report on that in high school."
"It's…Its really stupid to think that…" She looks down "It's just that I always had an interest in the myth. When I was…"
But she never finished. One of the nuggets had come over and asked what was going on. He noticed the book she was reading and said that the Razgriz legend was a baby story to scare kids and asked why she was reading such a ridiculous book. Nagase just froze there for a second, not moving. She then got up and ran out of the lounge. For a split second, Blaze thought he saw a tear fall from her eye.
"What was her problem?"
Blaze didn't say anything. He wanted to punch the guy standing there, but knew it would accomplish nothing. He left the lounge as well, leaving the other pilot alone with a bewildered look on his face. Blaze got down the stairs in time to see one of the doors slam close. He went over to the door and knocked.
"Kei its me, Kevin. Can I come in?" There was no noise.
"Please Kei, what's wrong? Talk to me here."
"Go away. Please, just leave." Answered Kei, yelling though the door with tears in her eyes.
Kevin then left in silence and returned to his room where he stayed for the rest of the day. He laid there on his bed wondering what he could possibly do to comfort Nagase. What was she going to say about the book? These thoughts made him feel sad for her. He wished he could just solve the problem and all this would just go away. But he didn't even know what caused her such pain. It had to have been more than the comments made by that blockhead pilot. He later got out his guitar and started to come up with a new song. He worked on it to relax his mind and soon new waves of ideas flooded into it. He kept working long into the night with new ideas still fresh in his head. But he finally gave into sleep, the only adversary he couldn't defeat and fell into dreamland while a young woman, on the other side of the building cried herself to sleep.
The next few days were basically the same with maneuver practicing and strategies. They eventually started to continue these practices at night with pretty much the same success. For those days, Blaze didn't say a word to Nagase. He was afraid that she would be upset again and thought it was best to avoid her for a while. He relayed this message to Chopper and told him to just give her space for the time being. Chopper also noticed some sort of sadness in her, and when he heard about the event in the lounge, he respected Blaze's wish. Both thought that this was the best for her. That she would come out when she was ready.
A few days later... It was evening and Blaze just arrived outside with his jacket on. Tonight, the nuggets were given a pass to go off base and have a little fun. They got on the plane and after a very short flight, touched down at the local airstrip, where the bus waited for them outside of the complex. Everyone went in side to freshen up and then packed into the bus for a night of pleasure. Blaze left a little late while the bus to take them had already left a minute ago, but Blaze didn't care. He was going out on his motorcycle which was parked and locked up at a nearby fence. He was able to talk Hamilton into letting him pack it onto the plane before it left. He really owed him for this. He got to his bike when the building doors flew open and out ran none other than Kei Nagase. She took a quick look around and shouted in anger; she had missed the only bus that would take them out. She then stood there with her head down, beating herself up for being late.
Blaze saw all this and couldn't let himself stand there and watch. He walked over to her and called out her name. "Hey Nagase."
She turned to his direction and stared. Blaze knew that this was a bit of a risk, but it was one worth taking.
She brushed the hair out of here eyes and said "What are you still doing here. I thought you were on the bus."
"I planned on going on my bike. Why are you still here?"
She didn't answer. She looked down on the ground again, making Blaze feel uncomfortable since the last time she did, she yelled at him.
"You need a ride. I've got a spare helmet you can use." This made Nagase look up. She then thought, "Why is he doing this? After what happened before, I don't deserve his kindness."
"Come on. There's nothing to worry about. I was doing jumps on this thing back at Hierlarck." It was true, Blaze earned a little extra cash, making bets with the other pilots on whether he could make that jump or not. And every time, Blaze walked away with someone else's money in his pocket. Nagase finally agreed to allow Blaze to give her a ride. She put on his spare helmet that he kept in a sack on the back of the bike. She was a little scared since she never been on one of these machines before. Blaze got on with Nagase sitting on the back, holding him tightly around the hips and they were off.
Nagase held tighter as they got up to speed and made to the city limits. They made their way through the busy streets which were filled with lights from the cities nightlife. A number of night clubs and bars were open for business with their neon signs glaring and music pumping, but the pilots were ordered to stay in a special area which already had a number of these places. It was located near the coast, a few miles south of the airstrip. When Blaze's bike finally got there, both noticed the bus leaving the curb with no one sitting inside but the driver. Kevin pulled into a parking lot across the street and parked his bike. "So where exactly were you going to go?" asked Blaze.
"I don't know. I planned on getting some drinks but, I didn't know that there were this many bars here."
"Well, why not just go inside one. A bar is nothing more but a place to get alcohol right? There isn't much difference between them."
Both went into a bar called Joey's. It wasn't a big place. There was a normal run-of-the-mill bar with stools, some tables around, with two pool tables and a big screen TV playing a preseason football game. It was also full of life inside as well, but there was no sign of any of the other pilots. People were drinking and shooting pool and having a good time. Both sat at two open stools at the bar and ordered a pair of beers. The barkeeper brought over two bottles Black Lightning and a bowl of nuts for them and left to care for the other customers. Nagase grabbed her bottle and took a quick gulp. She then put her bottle down and rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger. Blaze saw this and put his hand on her shoulder asking if she was okay.
"I am Kevin. I just haven't been getting much sleep lately."
Both then turned their attention over to the game which was between the Oured Tigers and the Dallas Bay Monarchs. Blaze watched the game, knowing a little secret. The Monarchs handed the ball off to their running back who broke through the line and gained a first down for his team. He wore number 38 on his jersey and was originally drafted by the November City Storm from Greendale University, but was traded last season to Dallas Bay for a quarterback. It was Quinton Hews, Kevin's old teammate from high school. He was obviously doing well for himself. Quinton actually made it to the Diamond Bowl game in November for the game between Jefferton and the Air Force Academy. He was in the stands cheering for Osea's future soldiers and for his old teammate who played his heart out in that game.
About an hour passed by, Kei was finishing her second beer while Blaze only got through about half of his first when some other company entered the bar. Blaze could tell that they might be trouble when the barkeeper whispered "Not these guys again." under his breathe when he passed by him. There were four of them and they sat at the only open table left and called for one of the waitresses. A waitress cautiously came over and took their orders with a disgusted face on her way to the barkeep. He gave her the beers and told her to be quick with them. She returned to their table a quickly left the tray there and bolted away before they got much of a chance to say anything to her. Kei noticed them and called them pigs while Kevin called the barkeep and asked who those gentlemen were.
"There some of the locals here. They come here from time to time, get drunk and hit on the waitress. We've had the cops come here about three times already this month. They even start fights with the customers here. My advise to you stranger is to just leave them alone."
Blaze thought to himself, "If they try something, I'm not going to leave them alone." He continued to enjoy himself, despite the rowdy noise from the four strangers who were ordering enough drinks to drown a horse. Unfortunately, nature called Kevin and he had to respond. He didn't want to leave Nagase alone with those hoodlums, but he had no say in the situation. He left to the restroom and did his business as quickly as possible. When he returned to the bar, his worse fear came true. The four jerks were around Nagase, hitting on her. When he got there, he heard one of them say "How about a kiss sweetheart from a real man." as he scratched himself. Blaze was fortunately able to get between them and Nagase before they completely surrounded her.
"Back off, I don't think she's your type.' said Blaze. He could see the barkeeper from the corner of his eye looking nervous and heading to the phone.
"Who are you, some little punk." said one of the drunks.
"You looking for a fight or something." said another.
All four of them were bigger than Kevin, but he was not intimidated by them. One of the men poked his finger at Kevin, laughing. "Look at this little man. I could probably break his neck like a bottle." They all laughed, including Blaze. These guys just made their last mistake. Blaze then punched the one who poked him in the face, sending him crashing to the ground. One of them then threw a punch of his own which Blaze dodged easily. He then grabbed him by the shirt and threw him over the counter, breaking some glasses. Another threw a punch at Kevin, who blocked it with his palm and grabbed his fist. At that moment, the last guy sent a punch his way, but Blaze moved his partner in front of him who took the blow. Kevin then threw another punch of his own at the guy's stomach causing him to lean over.
(Let's refer to these men in the order that they were beaten. No 1, No 2, No3 and No 4.)
No 1 then grabbed a bottle and broke it on the counter. He was planning on using it as a sort of knife. He went for a stab at Kevin who grabbed No 1's wrist with one hand, and with his free hand, he too grabbed a bottle and broke it against the side of No 1's head. Red blood started to gash from it. No 3 was on his feet, but not for long as Kevin delivered a roundhouse kick to his head, knocking him out cold. No 4 then received a hard uppercut and was knocked back onto a table that collapsed under his weight. No 2 threw a punch but that was blocked by a tray Kevin grabbed from the counter and used it as a shield. Kevin then grabbed No 2 by the shirt again and threw him over the counter again, onto the floor, where Blaze mounted on him, punching him in the face. A waitress then called out that on of them was getting away and sure enough, No 1 was running to the door while holding his hand to his head. Kevin took the tray and fired it like a frisbee at him, cutting his legs out from under him.
After the fight, there was broken glass and blood on the floor with pieces of a wooden table. The police arrived and demanded what was going on. The barkeeper explained everything to them, that the four men started the fight and that Kevin was just defending himself. The cops arrested the four and sent them to jail, with a wave of cheers coming from everyone at the bar. Blaze checked on Nagase to see if she was hurt or not. After she confirmed that she was unharmed, he went over to the barkeep with some cash and apologized for his actions and hoped this would pay for the damages.
"Forget the damages, these two are on the house." said the barkeep and pulled out to cold bottles of his finest beer. Kei was still shocked after what she witnessed, she never saw Blaze act that brutal ever. Yet he still acted so calm through it all. He didn't yell or curse, he was the same man then as he always was, but she couldn't shake off that he was still different in that fight. Like something inside of him was unleashed like a demon.
For the rest of the night, Blaze got a lot of gratitude from everyone. They hated those guys too and were glad that someone finally put them in their place. But Blaze was just his usual humble self, saying he just did what came natural to him. Kei was still deep in thought about, wondering how he could still be this way after everything that just happened. "Why? Why did he do that? Those pigs were around me and he came in and… He did it to protect me. So that I wouldn't be hurt or violated. That's why." She then looked at him and a smile formed on her face. She began to understand just how far he would go to protect those who needed protecting.
It was about the time the bus was to return to pick everybody up. The two pilots made their way out of the bar with a big "Good night" being heard as they left behind them. It was already an exciting night, but Blaze thought he had enough excitement for one night. He crossed the street to his bike with Nagase following right behind him.
"Don't you ant to take the bus back?"
"No, I thought I could get a ride back with you, unless you don't want to." said Nagase in her monotone voice.
"No, no I don't have a problem. Here." said Blaze as he handed her a helmet.
She got on the back of the bike and once again she held Kevin tightly as he rode into the moonlight. They returned to the airstrip right behind the bus and made their way to the plane, while an attendant took his bike and prepared to place it into the cargo bay. They returned to Sand Island and made their way back to the housing building. Blaze got as as far as the door to his room, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Nagase standing there.
"Can I have a word with you in my room?" asked Nagase.
"Sure." responded Blaze.
She followed her across the building to her room where they entered. Kei's room was decorated with a poster of an F-14 on her all and on her desk was the book on the Razgriz that she was reading in the lounge a few days ago. She sat down on the foot of her bed and patted the spot next to her for him to sit down. Blaze sat next to her, wondering what was about to happen.
"Kevin, first off, thank you for the ride. It was very sweet of you. Also, I'm sorry for the way I acted in the lounge. I was just emotional and what he said about my book, it hurt. It wasn't your fault; I had no reason to treat you like I did. I'm sorry."
"Before, you were going to say something about the book, but never finished it."
Nagase's eyebrows rose a little and remembered the words in her mind. "When I was little, I loved the Razgriz legend. About how he became a hero after all the evils he committed. I loved that story ever since I was a girl. Actually." She got up and went to her desk and pulled out a small, red book from one of the drawers. She sat herself back on the bed next to Blaze and continued. "This book tells the story of Razgriz. I remember reading this book a lot when I was little, but then it was taken from me and I never heard the words again. Not until after I completed my training. When I got back home, my mother gave me this book as a gift. It's pretty old, and some of the pages are gone, but this might have been the best present I ever received." She opened up the book to him, revealing what was inside. "I've been trying to write back in the missing pages from memory, but it's not easy. I guess trying to remember every word in a story from memory would be difficult for anyone." She put her head down and a tear was starting to form from her eye. Kevin put his arm around her to comfort her. He then whispered in her ear "Don't cry, please don't cry."
Nagase began to calm down. "You know when I said this book was taken away from me. It was my mother who took it from me, my birthmother. I was orphaned when I was eight. My dad died when I was still a baby, and my mom wasn't the best at raising me. I began to read this book when I was five and I used it as my escape from her. But one day, she came into my room and took me into the car. We drove off for many hours, miles away from home. We pulled into some parking lot and told me to get out. She then drove off, leaving me on the asphalt on that cold night. I was found by a cop and he took me over to the station. They asked me my name and where I lived. They later told me that my house was burned down. My own mother abandoned me and set my house on fire. I was adopted by a nice family, the Nagase's. They took care of me, they raised and protected me. They never knew the Razgriz story, but I kept it alive in my mind. But over the years, some parts of it began to fade from my memory. That's why I'm trying to keep it alive. It was my only source of happiness through those horrible years. I long ago dropped my original last name, no good to keep it with all the pain it brought me." She paused for a moment and then "I joined the air force because I knew my father did when he was alive, and for some reason, knowing that made me feel like doing the same. I know he died when I was only an infant, but deep inside, I feel that things would have been different for me. But I'll never know how that would be like. That's my life story, sounds hard doesn't it?"
"Sounds more like hell to me."
She blushed a little. "Thank you for everything again. For some reason, I couldn't help but tell someone this. I'm glad it was you." She then smiled.
"My life isn't that much different than yours. I never knew my parents; they died when I was only a baby as well. The rest of my family met their fates before I was born, so I have no blood relatives. I was put into the care of a family friend, Katie. She was like a mother to me, she raised me, much like your second mother did for you. But, that wouldn't last long, like I'm cursed. When I was 18, she died in a hospital. In her final hour, she made me give her a promise. A promise that I intend to keep even if it's the last thing I do. I promised that I would remain kind and try to open up more. It's taken some time, especially the latter. The problem is that I'm not much of an open guy, never have been. But, I guess what I'm doing now would count as open." This made Nagase blush even more. "As for my reasons to fight, I do it to protect. It's the only thing keeping me going." Nagase then put her arm around Kevin and they got close to each other. Nagase could feel the warmth coming from his body and it felt good.
Then a voice on the intercom came on, ordering the nuggets to go to bed. Both got up and hugged each other, feeling like a heavy weight was just taken off them. Kevin then said "Good night" and ran out the door. Nagase kept her smile, long after he left and turned in and for the first time in what felt like forever, she fell asleep with no tears in her eyes and dreamed peacefully.