Back again for another update. My co-writer was out of town this week, so I wrote and edited this all by myself. This is quite a short chapter though. The reason why I took longer than a week to update was because I was too lazy to write anything only until a few days ago. Anyway, do enjoy the read.
Retaliation: Relay
Shino unlocked the door to her barrack room and entered, and was immediately greeted by the sight of one beautiful woman with dark hair and deep-sea blue eyes lying down on the top bunk bed of the room. The woman looked up from the book she was reading and her eyes widened.
"Shino, you're back!" A smile that was both gentle and inviting formed on Mari Kurokawa's face.
Shino returned the smile to the Third Recon Team's combat medic, giving a small nod. "Hey there, Mari. You doing alright?"
"Better now that you're back. At least now I have someone female to talk to on the team."
Shino laughed, then threw her travel bag onto the bottom bed of the bunk and began unpacking. Her civilian clothes were taken out and then kept in the room's closet, the snacks she bought on the way here were stored in a drawer, while the framed picture of Taki she had brought from home was placed on her desk.
Mari stared at the picture and her smile faded away. "Shino, I'm sorry for your loss."
Shino stopped unpacking for a moment, then said softly, "Thank you."
"How are you handling it?"
"I'm doing alright." Her voice was hesitant.
"You sure?"
A slow nod. "Just wished I had a bit more time off."
"Hey, if it were up to me, you would have gotten all the time in the world." Mari sat up on her bed. "Do you want me to talk to the company CO about giving you another week off?"
Shino shook her head. "No, it's fine, Mari. I'm back here already and I'm fine."
The look of concern didn't disappear from Mari's face, but she decided it was best to give Shino some more space. "Alright then." She glanced at the wooden clock hanging by the wall. "By the way, have you reported to our new lieutenant yet?"
"No, I went to look for him earlier at headquarters, but he wasn't there. So, I thought to come here and drop off my things first before finding him later. By the way, is he the same Itami Yoji at Ginza?"
Mari nodded, but did not say anything.
Shino sighed, looking out the window of the room, her suspicion confirmed. "I saw him on TV when he received his medal and promotion from the Minister of Defense." She paused. "What kind of person is he?"
"He seems like a well-meaning person. He doesn't really look like a real confident guy, but maybe he's just unused to the team yet. Kuwahara says he's a good man, he's just inexperienced."
That was something she didn't expect to hear about a man called the Hero of Ginza, a title that she was indifferent to, especially since the one person she wanted to be saved wasn't.
"I see." She checked her watch. "It's almost lunch time. You coming to the mess hall?"
Mari shook her head. "No, you go ahead. I already had a light snack earlier so I'm good for lunch."
"Alright then, see you in a bit."
"See you, Shino. Take care."
† † † † † † †
"What the hell is this?" Kurata read a second time the gear list he was handed to by Kurahawa, making sure that he wasn't just seeing things.
"It's the gear list," Tomita said.
"No shit it's the gear list." Kurata turned towards Kurahawa, waving the list at the sergeant major. "I thought Itami said we were getting new equipment? Why are we getting Type 64s? That's Cold War stuff. You're not punking us, are you?"
The sergeant major chuckled. "No, I'm not. This came straight from the higher ups."
"Tomita, any idea why we getting old stuff?"
The tall sergeant first class shrugged. "Beats me."
Kuwahara leaned against the door of the barrack room. "My guess is that they deemed the Special Region to be of low-threat, given that most of the investigation so far has proved that the Empire are using pre-gunpowder era weaponry. So that's why we're getting issued some outdated equipment."
"That makes some sense." Kurata sat back down on his bed. "But we're not just going to go up against legionnaires, they got dragons and minotaurs as well."
"Nothing our bullets can't penetrate."
"From what we've seen so far, at least," Tomita said, to which Kuwahara nodded.
"Anyway, you two are coming with me to the armoury to collect the gears. So get off your bed, Kurata."
The team's driver sighed. "You really like picking on us two to do all the work, huh, sarge?"
"Yes, I do." Kurahawa grinned. "Especially since you, Kurata, always look like you could use something to do. Right, Tomita?"
"Agreed."
"Hey! You're turning against me now, Tomita?" Kurata sat up on his bed and pointed an accusatory finger at the sergeant first class.
Tomita merely smirked in response.
Kuwahara couldn't help but chuckled. "Well, you do read that manga of yours too much."
"And what's wrong with that? I'm sure Itami does it as well in his free time. He's as much an otaku as me! I don't see you getting up in his ass about it?"
"What the lieutenant does in his free time is no business of mine."
Kurata threw his arms up in exasperation. "Double standards! I'm done with you two."
And at that, the three occupants of the room started laughing, enjoying the presence and humour of each other. Eventually the laughter died down and Kuwahara looked towards the wall clock.
"Well, I think we better make a move now. Everyone has to get their gears by the end of the day."
"Sure thing, sarge." Kurata hopped off his bed, while Tomita stood up from his seat.
As the three made their way out of the barracks, Kurata said, "Hey, by the way, I heard Shino is back."
"I heard the same thing," Tomita said.
"She is back," Kuwahara said. "Ran into her while I was on the way to pick the two of you up."
"How is she?" Kurata had a caring expression.
"Can't tell. But you know her, she's good at hiding her true feelings. And no, by that I don't mean she's secretly having the hots for you."
Tomita burst out laughing at that, while Kurata's face grew slightly red. "Why you got to be so savage, sarge? I just wanted to know if she's alright."
Kuwahara turned to look at the suddenly-humbled driver, a smile on his face. "Don't worry, Kurata, she'll be fine. I've lost someone before as well, and that taught me that eventually we all learn how to move on. Just a matter of time."
"Alright, that's good."
"But thread lightly around her for the next few weeks. You know her temper."
"Got it, sarge."
Kuwahara suddenly remembered something else. "Oh yeah, by the way, did you guys hear about the Americans?"
Tomita nodded, while Kurata seemed confused. "Americans? What about them?"
"Mutual Defense Treaty," Tomita answered. "They're deploying the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force along with us to the Special Region."
"Yeah, word is that they're sending some platoons over here to Hokkaido as well to train with us for deployment," Kuwahara added. "So don't be surprise if we end up training with some Marines in the coming weeks."
Kurata's face brightened. "That's pretty damn cool. We're going to be training and fighting alongside killing machines."
"We're in war, Kurata. Ain't nothing cool about that."
† † † † † † †
It was starting to get packed inside the enlisted men's mess hall and as Itami entered, he heard the routine, "At ease," calling for the men to do as they were. A short line of men and women were queuing, chatting with each other as they waited to be served food from the cafeteria stall. Those who were early enough and had gotten their food already were sitting down on the many tables and benches in the hall.
Itami spotted a member of his team, Leading Private Hitoshi Furuta, working behind the counter serving the food. He headed towards the prospective chef.
"Hitoshi."
"Sir." The tall, thin male saluted Itami. He wore a white apron over his fatigues, and despite having short spiky hair he also wore a hairnet. "How can I help you, sir?"
"I was told Sergeant First Class Kuribayashi was looking for me earlier, but couldn't find me. So I came here to see if I can find her here. Did you see her?"
"I did, sir. I think she headed for one of the tables near that corner over there."
Itami nodded. "Thanks. As you were."
"Aye, sir." The leading private continued his job, while Itami strode over to where Furuta had pointed. At first he didn't spot Shino, and he bit his lips in slight apprehension. He was in a hurry; Captain Saza was expecting him back at headquarters immediately after lunch, so he would have to make his briefing with Shino as quick as possible. But so far he couldn't find her, and he contemplated meeting with her later in the evening. However, then he saw her; she was sitting alone on a table, far from anyone else, and Itami quickly hurried towards her.
"Sergeant First Class Kuribayashi."
Shino seemed to have not heard him for she didn't respond and continued eating her meal. Desperately hurried, he called a second time, "Sergeant First Class Kuribayashi."
The second time failed as well.
He opened his mouth to call a third time when she turned suddenly towards him, heavy annoyance knitted in her eyebrows. "What the fuck do you want?"
Itami was so surprised by her tone that he didn't say anything for a moment, and in that moment, the look of annoyance on Shino's face turned to one of realization then embarrassment. She quickly stood up and saluted. "I'm sorry, sir, sorry. I thought you were someone else. I didn't mean to shout at you."
Itami realized he could punish her for her insolence, but he knew that would have made a bad impression and frankly he wasn't that type of person. "It's alright, Kuribayashi, stand at ease. I'm Lieutenant Itami Yoji, your direct superior officer."
"Shino Kuribayashi, sir. Sorry again for the outburst."
"It's fine, Kuribayashi. You seemed like you weren't paying much attention to your surroundings." Itami smiled.
To his surprise, what he intended to be disarming words, the female sergeant seemed to have taken them as insults. Her annoyance returned and her apologetic tone disappeared. "I just didn't notice you, sir."
"I see," Itami said uneasily, unsure on how to proceed. Then he remembered why he was here. "So, I heard you were looking for me earlier."
Shino nodded, a frown on her face. "I came to report to you, sir, to rejoin the team after my leave, but I couldn't find you."
"Sorry about that, I was at a meeting with the company's CO."
"I see, sir."
"Well, I'm due back at headquarters soon, so let's get this briefing over. You may seat down, Kuribayashi."
Shino did as she was told, and Itami watched the young petite woman who suddenly didn't look as fierce as she was earlier. He wondered why she had been sitting alone in the first place and why she had such a hostile reaction to anyone trying to approach her. Something was clearly bothering her and he searched his mind to find the words to say to her.
"I'm sorry for your loss, by the way, Kuribayashi. I heard you lost your brother at Ginza. I was there that day as well and—"
"Sir." Shino's voice was cold and flat, and it made Itami stopped right in his tracks. "With all due respect, sir, please do not talk about my brother."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"It's fine, sir. I just don't to hear about it anymore."
The somber tone the conversation took convinced Itami that maybe it was best to conduct the briefing later. He looked around and saw that the mess hall was almost filled now.
"I think it's better if we talk later, Kuribayashi. You can carry on with your meal. Come and find me at headquarters again in the evening, I'll be free then, and I'll brief you on what we have done so far during your absences."
"Yes, sir." Shino nodded and went back to eating her meal, not bothering to wait to see Itami leaving her presence.
As he walked away, Itami sighed. Looks like he found the tough egg to crack in the team. He made a mental note to go ask Kuwahara on how to deal with her.
But first he must return to headquarters, and meet the Americans who Captain Saza was going to introduce.
† † † † † † †
A tall, tan-skinned man greeted Itami, extending his right hand for a handshake. He was perhaps one of the most imposing person Itami had ever seen and he wore a brown fatigue with the US Marine Corps badge.
"I'm First Lieutenant Nathan Bowman, Deep Reconnaissance Platoon, 3rd Recon Battalion. How do you do?"
Itami was stunned. It was not the question that stunned him, but it was the fact that the American had asked in fluent Japanese. It took him a moment before he recovered and shook the man's hand.
"I'm Second Lieutenant Itami Yoji, sir. I'm doing good. And you?"
The man laughed. "Yeah, I'm doing swell. You're surprised, aren't you? I can see it in your face."
"I didn't expect you to be able to speak Japanese, sir."
"I learnt to pick it up after spending several years now on Camp Schwab at Okinawa. The locals seem to treat me nicer knowing that I was trying to speak their language."
"I see, sir."
"So I hear that you were the guy up at Ginza, am I correct?"
"Yes, sir."
Lieutenant Bowman grinned. "Good job there, man. An honor to meet you."
"Thank you, sir."
"Anyway, we have lots of work to do together, Itami. We have to be ready when the day comes to go through that Gate and make those sonsofbitches pay for what they've done to your people."
Itami nodded, his back straightening. "Yes, sir."
Captain Saza, who was an aging short man, cut in, "As I said earlier, Lieutenant Bowman and his platoon will be training with the 5th Reconnaissance Company for the next few weeks."
Itami and the other five recon team leaders nodded.
"Aye," Lieutenant Bowman said. "Your Lieutenant General Hazama is keen on all of you being in the best shape possible for deployment day. That's why he has given me the go ahead for the training for the recon teams here to be under my direct supervision."
The first lieutenant paced in front of the six team leaders at attention, his eyes meeting theirs straight on. "For the next two months, all teams will undergo three phrases of training. Phase 1; physical fitness, mobility, and live fire drills. Phase 2; unit tactics, communication, and planning. Phase 3; survival skills, medical, evasion, and resistance. Even though these things are just basics, I can assure you that they are no walk in the park."
Itami keep his expression neutral at Bowman's announcement, and at out of the corner of his eyes he could see his colleagues doing the same, and he wondered what they thought about the chance to train with US Marines.
"Training starts tomorrow. I want all of your teams in PT kit on the field at 0400. Anyone who is a second too late must repeat the entire morning course twice. War does not wait for the slowest of us."
† † † † † † †
It was just Shino's second day back and already she had get up early before sunrise, along with the rest of the Third Recon Team, for training. She shook her head in attempt to push away the lulling lure of resting her eyelids, but it had little effect and she ended up nearly dozing on her feet.
Mari nudged her in the ribs with a quick elbow. "Stay sharp, Shino. The lieutenant will be here soon."
Eyes now snapped open, she nodded. "Thanks."
She risked a glance to the side of her and saw that the other members of the team seemed to be equally struggling to stay awake. Kurata, she noted, was the worst, and looked as if he had just crawled out of his bed—actually, given his character, he probably did just crawl out of his bed. She hoped that he would snap of his daze soon if they were to do vehicle maneuvering exercises later in the day.
"Attention!" Kuwahara called out.
The whole team snapped to attention and saluted as Itami and an American sergeant came forward.
"At ease." Itami gestured towards the sergeant to his left. "This is Staff Sergeant Miller of the Deep Reconnaissance Platoon, US Marine Force Recon. He'll be supervising over the training today. Take it away, staff sergeant."
Shino straightened her back, finally able to shake off the tiredness she felt. This was a Marine she was listening to, someone who probably have seen combat before.
Miller spoke out in broken Japanese haltingly, "I want no slacking. We ran up that hill." He pointed to a distant hill. "Two runs. Up and down. Five miles. Understood?"
"Yes, staff sergeant!" the team responded.
"Go!"
At first no one moved, but then Miller called out again, his face cringing with annoyance, "I said: GO!"
Not willing to be told a third time, the team immediately ran.
† † † † † † †
Itami joined the other officers and watched his recon team ran up the hill and down, all of them sweating heavily by the time they were done. Sergeant First Class Tomita had been the fastest, taking around four minutes, while the others had taken a minute or two longer.
"They'll need to be in better shape if they're going to be deployed," Lieutenant Bowman said.
"I thought they did a good job," Itami said optimistically.
"Well I don't think so. But don't worry I'm sure Miller can soon whip them up into something representing what recon soldiers are supposed to be."
"I see, sir."
The first lieutenant watched from the distance as Miller briefed the Third Recon on what they were going to do next. "They're all green. Too damn green. It's going to be trouble when you all see the true face of war for the first time."
"I've already got a glimpse of it, sir. At Ginza." The countless loss of lives, blood, and death.
Bowman nodded. "And what do you think of it?"
Itami found that he couldn't answer. "I don't know what to think of it, sir."
"You'll find that answer pretty common in the days to come, Itami. By the way, how long have you been this team's leader?"
"Oh, I just got promoted, sir. So, I only received this commission only last week."
"Do you know what you're doing?"
Itami shook his head. "To be completely honest with you sir, no I don't. I've never lead a team before. I plan on letting my NCO handle the team for now as I get used to the men."
"That's good. Always trust your NCOs. I always say they are the backbone of any armed force. Anyway, I got some more advice for you, if you're willing to listen."
"I am, sir."
The first lieutenant took his time before speaking again, "When faced with a dangerous situation, remember that a bad decision is better than no decision. An indecisive leader is a death sentence to any unit. Your team will always look to you for orders, and your job is to better make sure that you give them those orders or else you all are going to die."
Itami nodded, taking in the lieutenant's words with comprehension. "Yes, sir. I understand."
"Now repeat that to yourself. So that you don't ever forget that when you're out there in the field."
"A bad decision is better than no decision."
Bowman chuckled. "Don't forget that. I'll tell you this though, if you can remain calm and have faith in your team, however green they may be, most of the time you'll be making the right decision rather than a bad one."
"Thanks for the advice, sir." Itami knew that, despite having seen combat once before, in the Marine's eyes he was still as green as the rest of his team. And so, he reasoned that since the first lieutenant knew more than he did it would be best to listen to the man. "It's good advice, sir."
Another chuckle, and Itami felt the lieutenant's hand patting his shoulder. "You know, you Japs might actually become something after all of this. War changes people. You Japs just don't know that, especially after all these decades of peace."
"Peace is good, sir."
"It is. But there comes a time, like now, where men like us have to take up arms, and stare at an enemy right in the eye, and shoot them. For Country."
† † † † † † †
"The arrival of the US Marine Corps at Camp Obihiro signaled an upheaval in the order of things. At first, we were in awed at the sight of the seasoned veterans with fearsome reputation who were now staying with us in the same camp. But the awe was soon supplanted by the strict training regime they employed on us.
Getting up hours before sunrise had now become a common occurrence, as did training until late evening, sometimes even passed midnight. The sores and bruises and sheer exhaustion I've gained in just the last month since the Marines's arrival have taken its toll on my body. But for a strange reason, I find myself grateful for them. The mental and physical toughness seemed to have strengthened in resolve and endurance. Speaking to many of my colleagues, they seem to share the same thoughts as I do. It was then I realized that Japan, in its many decades of peace, has lulled itself into a strong sense of security, and as a result we have become complacent.
And complacency, as the Marines have been hammering into our mindset, has no place in war."
Excerpt from Private Isui Takanashi's Journal, Fifth Recon Team, 5th Reconnaisance Company, JGSDF, October 15th, 2016.
Well, I have nothing much to say about this chapter. It's rather slow paced and I didn't really like that but it was necessary. Next chapter we'll be jumping right to the Gate and finally some action can start. My co-writer will be back as well, so I don't need to slog through the editing process. The next update will possibly take longer than usual though because I will be out of town next weekend visiting some old friends and family.
Anyway, Happy Halloween, hope you people out there get pissed drunk at any parties you going to!
