AN: The actual Chinese spelling of Syaoran's name is Xiaolang but I am too lazy to go and change it. Let's just pretend that Syaoran is the correct spelling. Since I need to reread and edit everything, my updates take time. Two chapters a day is the best I can do with exams coming up. But don't worry, I already have the Chapter 18 planned out and most of the story finalized. Just be patient a while longer.
Chapter Three
At the base, Kinomoto stepped off from the car and headed inside, her walk brisk and her head held high despite the broken nose. The men walked carefully behind her, keeping silent. They knew she was angry, with them as well as with herself.
Her day improved considerably, when she found, to her pleasant surprise, that General Kinomoto Touya was present at the base.
"Onii-chan!" She cried, instantly dropping her cold facade. This was her beloved brother; there was no need for a facade. They were family, bound by blood.
Touya paused in mid-stride and turned. He was tall, towering over Sakura. His normally expressionless eyes held worry as he took in the injuries on his sister. Standing side by side, the siblings shared almost no resemblance. Touya got his strong features from their father while Sakura took after their delicate mother.
"Ah, Sakura-chan." He greeted, a bit more neutrally. "What happened to you? You are hurt."
"It's nothing." Her mood instantly darkening again, she muttered, "It's that Chinese rat, Li Syaoran."
"Li Syaoran?" The elder Kinomoto blinked. "I have heard of the name. He has been aggravating the officials quite a bit. He did this to you?"
"And he won't get away with it." The younger Kinomoto declared vehemently. "I will skin him alive!"
"Now, don't let some Chinese punk get you so worked up." The brother gestured. "Come, change out of that uniform and go see the doctor. You've had a long day."
"Indeed." His sister huffed, but she complied. By the time she rejoined her brother, she had showed and changed into a traditional Japanese kimono. Her brother, also traditionally clad, was sitting a table, knees folded under him. She followed his example, and poured some tea. After some small talk, the young woman described what had happened earlier.
"They have the documents." She said grimly. "I have failed."
"All is not lost." Her brother comforted her. "The rebels have no clue what those are for. They may guess, but they do not know. Nor do they know the location of what the document represents."
"But with the plans they have yet another clue we do not wish them to have." She replied angrily. Her failure was unacceptable. She not only lost but lost to a Chinese brat. "And they will send members, of course, to investigate further."
"Then weed them out and get rid of them. Timing, of course, is always the key. Trust your instincts."
She smiled at her brother. "You always know what to say, Onii-chan."
"You are a silly, silly girl." He replied fondly. "Now drink your tea. You deserve a rest and some time to contemplate on how to execute your mission. When do you travel to Ningbo?"
"In a week." She said, with an ugly scowl marring her lovely features. "Why in that flea-infested town, I would never know. But I will not question orders." She hurriedly added, "I just dislike that place."
"You dislike all of China." Her brother replied knowingly. "But keep in mind, the great Empire of Japan will enrich the soils here with honest, Japanese spirit. With Japanese hands, these lands will flourish. It is only the Chinese filth that spoils these places."
"Hmph!" His sister made no reply. No matter how much the land might flourish in the future, it was nothing compared to their great homeland.
The siblings then talked of other things. Food was laid out, and conversation died down in favor of it.
Kinomoto Sakura deserved her position. She was beautiful and she knew it. To her, beauty was a weapon, and she often used it to her advantage. Men were infatuated with her, and gave her whatever she desired. Yet, perhaps more, she knew how to command. She could perceive motives; her senses were keen and sharp. She knew what to look for in a loyal servant, or in a potential traitor. It was why she was elevated to her position. Women of Japan were not often lieutenants.
Kinomoto Touya, as well, was an incredible man. He was twenty-seven, seven years his sister's senior. He was known, in the army, to be very loving of his sister. As a general, he could give his sister whatever she wanted—which made it incredible indeed, that his sister would choose to endure the hardships of the military as opposed to the luxuries of home. Kinomoto Sakura underwent all the training a soldier would require—slept on the same hard bunks, ate the same bland meals. When neither Kinomotos complained, the respect from their peers was fixed. The two Kinomotos were truly loyal subjects of the great Emperor of Japan.
How easy it was to be loyal to the Emperor! Back in the day, it was the Emperor who decided to adopt the ways of the West. This decision had saved Japan from the cruel fate that awaited its Asian neighbors. Even the great Qing Dynasty fell to the smoke of Western culture. And now all of Asia was ready for Japan to lead them to a new era of prosperity and wealth. They would convert all of these sad, sad people into true Japanese subjects.
Yet, for all their good intentions, these Koreans, Mongolians, and Chinese were being stubbornly thick. They refused to unlearn their native languages. How could they prefer those barbaric languages to the refined language of Japanese? And those peasants, persistently rebelling, always so reluctant to share their lodging, food, and earnings. Baka! How could they not see what Japan was doing it for them? If not for Japan, they would not even be able to harvest their wretched grains and wheat. They owed their very breath in their pathetic bodies to the Emperor of Japan! The ingrates! Ingrates must be destroyed. Just like those Communist rebels. Once every pathetic fool, who dared to disobey the much more evolved and developed Japanese, has been eliminated, they could start building their empire. They would conquer the Pacific!
"I shall miss you when you leave, Sakura-chan." The general said fondly. "When you go to Ningbo, I shall be unable to come with you. Mind you, stay safe. Those Communist rebels will seek every chance they get to harm you."
"That is nothing new." His sister replied.
"Iie, but this time, I will not be there to protect you."
Though not exasperated, she still retorted, "I do not need your constant protection. I am a full-grown woman. I can take care of myself."
"Hai." The general smiled. "But I shall never rest easy until I see you well, right in front of me. I am your onii-san, after all."
She took her brother's hand. "I will be careful." She promised. "And you be careful as well, Onii-chan. I will miss you dearly—nothing cheers me up as you do after a long day. And in that flea-infested town, I imagine there will be many of those."
He laughed heartily. "Ah, Sakura-san, you are the hikari—hurry and establish the base and come home for a while. Our old father waits in Tomoeda still. He inquires after you."
"One thing I do wish could change," she muttered nostalgically, "is to be able to talk to Otou-san directly, instead of always through you. How am I to receive any news of him in Ningbo?"
"I shall send messengers." The general promised. "I will not forget you, Sakura."
After the dishes were cleared away, the two rose from the table. They headed out the sliding door, and the general took his sister by the hand.
"What else has happened so far? Prior to today." He gave a slight tug. "Come, let us walk through the gardens."
The gardens were beautiful, with bridges stretched over a central koi pond. Japanese maples and peonies were arranged artfully to be displayed to their best advantage. Unlike the rest of the province, this land was luxurious and relaxing. The brother and sister strolled slowly through the paths. It was getting dark and chilly, but there was light still, to illuminate the calm visage.
The lieutenant began to describe everything to her brother since his last visit. Lots had occurred, and the general nodded his approval. The more Chinese rebels killed, the better. During times of war, it was always better to be safe than sorry. Naturally, they could not let children grow to be adults out for vengeance! The more children of rebels killed, the better. And of course, as time was of essence, it was possible the victims they killed were not actual rebels—but there was no time to find out for sure. Certainly, the deaths of Chinese people, with their inferior blood, were no great loss to the world, much to less Japan.
"It is good that you were able to retrieve Ito Daichi from the Communist rebels. With him your stay at Ningbo should be a lot shorter, and I can rest a lot easier." Kinomoto Touya remarked.
"Is he really that good?" His sister asked derisively.
"He was the one who helped bomb Ningbo in the first place, with the fleas."
"The ones carrying the bubonic plague?"
"Hai."
"Ah." The lieutenant smirked, her green eyes glittering. "This should be interesting then."
Her brother laughed.
"My one wish is to see the day Japan emerges victorious," said the lieutenant. "It does not matter much, how long I stay in Ningbo; if I could see Japan conquer this lands, I am content. The next best thing is to know, of course, that I contributed to helping us become one step closer to that day; then I have died with purpose!"
"It will happen," replied the general, with no trace of doubt. "You shall see that day."
"But I won't, necessarily."
"Iie." Her brother rested a hand on her shoulder. "You will. You will marry a fine Japanese man. You will have fine Japanese children. You will see them grow old in the Great Japan, the New Japan, and have children of their own. We will give our future line a paradise, a world in which they can be proud of who they are and what they will become. Japan will be great and you shall be great along with it."
Optimistic words, but his sister turned to him, smiling, all the same.
"I shall be glad to return to Tomoeda after Ningbo," she told to her brother. "I must visit Tomoyo-chan—have you heard from Oba-san?"
"She is doing well," he replied.
His sister lamented a little. "One of the things I had regretted—I wasn't able to take care of Tomoyo-chan. A curse, it is, for her to get sick at such a time."
"The doctors have hope."
"That is good then." Though she was not totally reassured, she could not afford to be distracted on her mission.
"Hn." Touya steered her back towards the building. "Let us go back. The night grows cold."
"I am hardly like my namesake, Onii-chan."
"Iie, but we are all human, and even I feel the chill. Come."
The two loyal servants of Japan went inside.