Chapter eight: Maiden in the Castle
Maho stared at him, speechless. "That's...horrible," she sputtered out.
Hiroi nodded. "After that I've ran for days, all the while the fighting around me only increased. I had to sleep in abandoned cars, under tunnels and in destroyed houses. I managed to get on a refugee ship bound for Japan, and I finally escaped from that hell," He put the bottle of sake down. "Things have been easier since then. I joined the JSDF because I wanted to fight for something I've lost. What I lost, I don't really know." He poured Maho another glass. "Must been hard for you, to come all the way over here, away from your family," He told her.
Maho nodded her head. "Yeah, it was painful to leave," She said, "But I'm going to stay and fight, so Miho won't have to." She leaned on Hiroi's shoulder, her head slumping over.
Hiroi looked down at Maho and saw she was drunk. He rolled his eyes and got a bottle of water. "Here," He passed the bottle to Maho, who drank it slowly.
Hiroi picked her up, and carried her out the bar, where he bumped into Erika.
"What do you think you're doing?" Erika demanded.
Hiroi backed up. "I was just taking her back to the barracks," He explained, "She got a little bit drunk.
"I'm fin..fine," Maho slurred out.
"How much did she drink?" Erika asked as she grabbed Maho.
"Not that much," Hiroi answered quickly.
Erika glared at him before leaning Maho by her shoulder. "Come on, commander, let's go back," She whispered, leaving Hiroi disappointed, yet pleased at the same time.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Tokyo
Alice sat quietly in the suite that was created just for her, staring at the several Bokos she brought with her. Her mother had brought her here a few weeks ago, apparently for her own safety. What harm would come to me? She thought spitefully. This is basically a prison. She looked outside the window, which was on the thirtieth floor. Would it kill someone if I dropped a single yen from this window? If a missile does land here by chance, won't I just get crushed by the falling building? Such dark thoughts passed through her head through boredom. She had asked her mother if she could stay with Miho; her mother rejected it, saying it would hinder Miho's training, whatever that meant.
She jumped on her bed and turned on the TV. It was just news about the war, and especially in Okinawa. That's where Nishizumi Maho is, she thought as she flipped through the channels.
She caught wind of the Boko television show. She was elated, but it soon turned to disappointment when she realized what it was; Boko was portrayed as a JSDF soldier and the other characters were Chinese and North Koreans. Alice sighed and changed the channel once again. It was plain to her it was state propaganda; she was the star of the Selection University Senshadou team after all. It might trick other children, but it would not work on her. For a second Alice hoped Miho would not get deceived, but then remembered Miho was extremely smart and would not fall for a shallow trick such as the ones on screen.
"Alice-ojousama?" Alice turned to see a butler standing by the doorway.
"What?" Alice's voice clearly showed contempt for the man in front of her.
"There's someone here to visit you," He answered.
Alice jumped up. It's Miho! She thought hopefully. However, she became crestfallen when it wasn't Miho; It turned out to be a boy, around the age of sixteen. His light brown hair was covered by a black beret, and medals glittered brightly from his black military uniform.
"Shimada Alice, what an honor to meet you," The boy bowed and took Alice's hand, and gently kissed it.
Alice's face turned bright red and she pulled her hand away. "Wha-what do you want?" She demanded, jumping back on her head.
"I was already here when I heard you were staying here. I'm sorry to bother you at such a late hour, were you busy?" The boy asked back.
Alice shook her head. " No, I'm extremely bored, and I'm all alone here. My mother dumped me here and disappeared. Nobody visits me. You're the first one," She said sadly.
"At the least you have family that cares for you. I'm just a bastard nobody cares about." The boy sat down on the bed.
Alice turned the TV off. "What's that?" She asked.
The boy laughed. "It means my parents weren't married when I was born," He explained. "Because of that, I didn't have many friends. That's why I decided to dedicate my entire life to the nation and the emperor. I got rewarded for that, of course." He pointed to his chest. Alice noticed the golden Chrysanthemum medal pinned on his chest.
"His majesty the Emperor himself presented this seal to me, and I was put in charge of his personal regiment." The boy explained.
Alice stared at him, mouth open. "What are you-"
The boy smiled. "I have nothing to live for except to protect the nation," He stated proudly.
What is he saying? Alice thought. Who is he?
The boy picked up a Boko from off the floor. "You're a fan of these as well? I have a few myself," He chuckled.
Alice nodded, also smiling. "Don't you have parents yourself? What are they doing?" She asked.
"My dad is a politician, an important one mind you. He's the one that wanted to join the war all the way back in 2022. He cheated with my mom on his first wife, who kicked him out. She was the head of an important family, so she couldn't bear to stay with a cheater," The boy answered. "He's also the one that steered me into the life in the military."
"That's horrible…" Alice whispered.
The boy shrugged. "It sucks, but I don't really mind anyways. If I go into the fight, to keep children like you away from war, I'm happy to," He swept his hair through Alice's hair.
Alice blushed and leaned on the boy. "Don't say that…" She muttered.
The boy placed his hand on Alice's shoulder. "I'm just like you, a genius of this age. But unlike you, I'm not a public figure, I just live in the shadows, a nobody," He sighed.
"Does..that bother you?" Alice inquired.
The boy shrugged. "Nope, I'd rather be left alone," He stared into Alice. Alice stared back into the boy's eyes, captivated. His smile was real, though his eyes were like cold steel. She didn't understand why he had come here; was it to see her? But she was only twelve-and he was much older! She trembled as she thought what this boy would do to her. "Um.." She fidgeted.
"Yes?" The boy answered expectantly.
"Do, you love anybody?" She asked tentatively.
The boy whistled. "I did not expect that. No, my life has been a series of disappointments. You?" He cocked his head to the left.
"Um," Alice stared at the boy's chest. "You're the first boy i've really talked to."
"A sheltered girl, huh. I wonder if they were too…" The boy hummed.
"Who?" Alice asked.
"Oh, distant family." The boy replied quickly.
Alice looked away. "Sorry for asking a weird question. I don't know how to talk to boys.." She whimpered.
The boy laughed. "Well, this is a good start, I suppose. How does it feel?" He peered into Alice, his gaze staring right into Alice's soul.
"Nice, I guess.." Alice answered hesitantly. Is this how all boys talk? She screamed in her mind. It's like he's interrogating me! Seriously, what is with him? I wish he would go away! Her mind froze at that thought. No, maybe not. He is company, and company is what I need right now. And besides...Alice's mouth quivered, and a small whine came out. The boy had to stifle a laugh, and Alice glared at him with a piercing glare.
"Is it bedtime?" The boy asked sarcastically.
Alice turned away. "I'm a college student. I've had to stay up later to study," She retorted.
The boy smirked at her. "So I'm dealing with a grown-up woman, am I?" He jeered, and Alice's scowl deepened. "Sorry, sorry." He backed off. "You're a serious one aren't you." He commented. Alice turned away.
"Am I a woman?" She wondered out loud, accidentally.
The boy grinned. "Yes, you are," He jested.
"Then, then am I your type of woman?" She quietly breathed out. That took the boy back. His eyes widened and he looked away, and Alice put her head in between her hands, her head red and eyes tearing up. I can't believe I said that! My life is ruined! Her mind went wild.
"Don't worry, I'm sure there's someone out there that would be head over heels for you," Alice looked up to see the boy winking at her. She blushed even more and covered her head with a pillow.
"I, I was just joking.." Alice murmured.
"Oh, well, that's too bad," The boy shrugged his shoulders. He looked at his watch. "Oh no, almost time." He said. "Not enough time to spend with you!" He laughed. Alice shoved the pillow in his face. "Stop, I'm sorry!" He sputtered out.
"Kaito-sama, what are you doing? We're going to be late!" A woman ran through the door. She stared at the two on the bed, a look of confusion etched on her face. "Uh, Kaito-sama? What are you doing?"
The boy jumped off the bed. "I'm just visiting a lonely maiden, that's all," He winked at Alice, who blushed once again. "Oh, you know Nishizumi Miho, right?" He asked. Alice nodded.
The boy grinned. "Well then, tell her this: The Nishizumi family is protected by God and the Emperor, and will forge the path to victory," He stated.
The woman behind him rolled his eyes."Whatever, just take this heavy thing," The woman gave the boy a guntō.
Alice's eyes widened. "You're going to take that thing into battle?" She questioned.
"The sword is the vessel of the Yamato spirit," The boy replied. He turned around and started to walk out the door, following the woman.
"Wait!" Alice shouted. The boy turned back.
Alice ran up to him and gave him a Boko, to which the boy took with a slightly surprised look. She then got on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't die," She whispered.
"Of course." The boy answered. He waved and left the room, leaving Alice again.
I haven't asked him his name, Alice thought as the boy and the woman's voices faded away, and she felt sadness and loneliness fill her heart once again.
Chi-ha-Tan Academy Carrier
Nishi set down her paintbrush down, completing the naming of the new infantry battalion Chi-ha-Tan was forced to raise.
"Commander Nishi! What is the name you bestowed upon our new attack force?" Fukuda pounced on Nishi.
"I got the perfect name: Tokubetsu Totsugeki Tai! It is the embodiment of our Chi-ha-Tan spirit!" Nishi displayed the banner proudly.
A girl with braided hair jumped up. "Commander! That is upholding our great traditions!" She shouted.
"Thank you, Tamada! We will lead the charge in defeating the enemy!" Nishi shouted.
A girl got out a camera and snapped a picture of Nishi and the banner. "This will make a great anniversary photo!" She exclaimed.
"Teramoto, I wasn't ready! Take another one!" Nishi flustered, her face turning bright red.
Teramoto laughed. "This will go down in Chi-ha-Tan history!" She bellowed.
"Nooooo.." Nishi moaned.
"Commander!" A girl ran in, breathing heavily.
Nishi looked up. "What's wrong, Hamada?" She asked.
Hamada saluted. "The JSDF has successfully delivered the latest batch of tanks for our Senshadou team!" She reported.
Nishi jumped up. "Great job, Hamada!"
"And the JSDF has converted three dozen assault rifles to be able to fire paintballs instead of the regular bullets, so now realistic combat training will be possible!" Hamada added.
"Nice! Today is a great day! We must celebrate!" Nishi shouted, and the rest of the group shouted in unison.
A Transport Airplane, somewhere over the Pacific, 1:54 A.M. June 8th
"So, what was with that girl?" The woman asked, lighting up a cigarette.
The boy laughed. "What did I say earlier? Just a maiden stuck in a castle." He replied.
The woman rolled her eyes. "Could you not say things that could be taken out of context. We are the elite of the military after all," She pointed to the crysthanamum seal on her shoulder. There were nearly two hundred of these soldiers, packed into the transport plane. She glared at the boy. "Are you a lolicon?" She demanded.
The boy thought for a minute. "Um, well, oh this is a good bento!" He suddenly changed the subject.
"Kaito-sama!" The woman shouted. "Stop changing the subject! Just admit it, you like flipping the skirts of little girls."
Kaito's eyes twitched, and his face turned red. "What the hell is that statement? Take that back!" He shouted back.
The woman crossed her arms. "You need psychological help, Kaito-sama!" She scoffed.
Kaito groaned in frustration. "No, no. You need mental help," He said through gritted teeth.
"Kaito-sama. Seriously though. Why did you do that."
"Is there a problem? She seemed lonely, so I just had a conversation with her!" Kaito exclaimed, and a loud audible groan came out of the woman. "She seemed like an interesting person, that's all. She is the captain of the Selection University Senshadou team. If Nishizumi Maho's anything like her, it'll be an interesting time serving with her," He answered.
"Nishizumi Maho?" The woman asked.
Kaito nodded. "Yes. I'm excited to meet her. She's been showered by the public as a prodigy. I wonder how much she'll last long under fire," He grinned mischievously.
The woman sighed. "You are a sadist," She complained. "And she's been under fire longer than you have. So I'm wondering how long you'll last." She jested and poked him in the face, to which he pouted and turned his face away.
"We'll be landing in a fifteen minutes. Get ready." The pilot's voice crackled throughout the plane.
"C'mon. Let's get ready," kaito's expression instantly turned into a cold, unemotional state.
How does this person do that? The woman wondered to herself as the plane glided downwards.
Improvised Airstrip, Ogimi, Okinawa, 2:18 A.M.
Hiroi and Arai stood by the airstrip, waiting for the plane to land.
"So, what were you doing with Nishizumi?" Arai questioned, turning towards Hiroi.
"Just drinking and talking, that's all." He answered quickly.
"Just don't let it go any farther than that. I don't want any problems." Arai ordered.
"Yes, ma'am." Hiroi replied.
…..
"So, who's the special guest?" He asked a bit later.
"The new batch will be the Imperial guards of the Emperor himself. They're an elite regiment trained in all kinds of warfare, and this will be their debut in combat," Arai explained as a plane descended towards them.
The plane groaned to a halt, and the doors opened. A boy and a woman stepped out and saluted Arai and Hiroi. They both saluted back at the pair.
Airai looked down at the boy. "Long time no see, Nishizumi Kaito-kun,"
Terms:
Crysthanamum: A type of flower, it is also the official seal of the Emperor of Japan.
Guntō: A military sword produced and used by the IJA and IJN during WWII
Yamato Spirit: Basically means the Spiritual and Cultural values of the Japanese people.
Tokubetsu Totsugeki Tai: Special Attack Force, also known as the Kamikaze. They were suicide planes used by Japan in the last two years of the war, and they were named after the storms that destroyed the Mongol fleets that invaded japan.