I would like to thank everyone who took the time to read my story and would like to thank those who reviewed my story even more

Notes on the text: this chapter may push the "T" rating evelope, it gets very graphic, sad, dark, and bloody.

Enjoy

February 10, 1968; 1703 local time; Cholon district, Saigon, Vietnam

Ichigo's squad moved along the buildings. The area was deserted, except for the occasional rodent or bird. They came to an intersection, on their left and right were bombed out buildings, about one hundred feet ahead they could see what appeared to be a buddist temple. The temple was actually more like a rectangular building that enclosed a courtyard where a rock garden was located.

Ichigo didn't remember when the firing started, all he knew was that he needed to duck behind cover and get ready to provide suppresive fire. Everyone was behind cover of some sort. Ichigo, Kira, and Rusty were ducking behind a pile of rubble. Most of the others had taken shelter in the nearby buildings behind him and returning fire. Urahara and Renji were inside a large crater on his left, the antenna on Renji's radio swayed back and fourth as bullets whizzed past it. Urahara peered out from behind cover and glimpsed men with guns moving around inside the temple.

Urahara got on the radio and contacted the local fire support battery.

"Welcome to Kentucky Fried Charlies, can I take your order?" The voice crackled.

"Sandal-hat here, we need some willie peter at grid refrence hotel, echo, romeo, three. " Urahra said.

A few minutes later about three shells impacted inside the temple walls raising clouds of white smoke and raining white flakes down on the area. Almost immediately after the explosions, Ichigo heard sreams, then more explosions, and more screams as burning white snow rained down upon the unfortunate souls. Several men ran out from the temple coughing, gagging, and screaming as they tried to relieve the burning caused by the white flakes, these men were quickly gunned down.

"That's enough, good job." Urahra said into the radio.

After what seemed like hours, the firing stopped from the inside of the temple stopped.

Renji, Ichigo, Kira, Urahra and Ganju moved forward to check out the temple. The inside of the temple was covered with white residue. Ichigo looked to his right and saw Urahara gave one dying man the coup d' grace with his revolver. Complete and utter terror was frozen on what was left of the mans face as a pool of blood slowly spread out on the ground from the fatal wound. The scene sent chills down Ichigo's spine and would be burned into his memory forever. They found no other survivors and regrouped with the others.

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February 20, 1968; 1309 local time; Cholon district, Saigon, Vietnam

Ichigo and the rest of the men had now been in the Cholon district for almost two weeks. During that time Ichigo had seen the harsh brutal realities of urban combat. His knife, now sheathed at his right hip instead of his leg, had tasted blood numerous times. He had seen bodies horribly mangled by artillery and small arms. He had also, for the first time in his life, tasted alcohol. . . and liked it. The innocent young boy that had arrived in Rukongai only four months before was gone; replaced by a hardened killing machine. Ichigo's case was not an uncommon one; Ganju, Gin, and Renji experienced similar changes.

They walked along the dusty alleys of the city towards an intersection, the afternoon sun shining down from the partly cloudy sky. The man known as "Twitch" was on point about ten feet in front of the rest, his eyes darted this way and that as he walked along. He clutched his M-16 nervously. As he reached the intersection, Twitch saw something on his left move out of the corner of his eye. He quickly turned to see a man dressed in what could be described as black pajamas pointing a gun at him. Before Twitch could fire back, a bullet pierced his chest and he hit the ground... dead.

"AMBUSH!!" Gunz shouted.

Everyone ran for cover as bullets started flying from up ahead. Renji was running towards an open door when a bullet hit the radio on his back and jerked him sideways. He made it inside the door and saw Chad, Gin, and Ganju firing out of the windows.

"MEDIC!!" Kira shouted as he crawled toward cover. He had taken a hit in his right shin, splinters of bone stuck out of his injured leg. Ichigo and Urahra grabbed him and tried to drag him into another open door behind them, but as when they had gotten him about half way to the door, Kira was hit in the chest by a burst of automatic fire. They propped him up against the wall inside the building, his breathing was labored and heavy, the front of his uniform was drenched with blood.

"Ichigo... tell me the truth... is it bad?" Kira choked out.

"No, no, you're gonna' be all right." Ichigo said unbuttoning Kira's shirt and examining the wounds.

"No... I can... (cough) I can... see it in your eyes... I'm a goner." Kira said coughing out blood.

"No, you're not going to die. I will not let you die, do you hear me?" Ichigo said with genuine concern in his voice. "You're going to be fine, they'll send you home. You'll go on and get yourself a beautiful wife, maybe some children."

"Y-you... (cough) you really... think so?" Kira asked.

"I know so, you're gonna' be all right." Ichigo said, tears starting to well up in his eyes.

"Ichigo... (cough) you... you're a... great soldier... and a... a great friend... (cough) but a... a horrible... liar." Kira said, laughing weakly as he choked on the blood in his throat. He made one last cough and his body went limp.

Ichigo sobbed as took his blood soaked hands and closed Kira's eyes. Urahara stopped talking to Gunz and saw what had happened. He walked over to Ichigo and heard Ichigo mumbling

They'll pay for this... every single one... of those goddamed commies... they'll all pay...

Willie Peter: White Phosphorus, an incendiary compound first used during World War One and still used in the present day. Contact with skin causes severe burns sometimes eating all the way to the bone. Also produces fumes that can irritate the eyes and nose. Intense exposure to fumes can cause explosive coughing.

coup d' grace: literally: "blow of grace", in this context it means a mercy killing

Point: The person selected to go ahead of the squad and check for traps or ambushes. It was a very dangerous job.