Chapter 7: December 13, 1937

Today was the takedown of Nanjing. I put on my gear and checked my gun inside the tent. I tried to get that girl out of my thoughts. Katsumi was right…there was no way we could rescue that girl. She was just like the other Chinese women they came across and she would be treated no different.

For a brief moment I closed my eyes and pictured my father and reminded myself why I was here. This is war. I am a soldier. I have a duty to my Emperor and my country.

Once I stepped outside of my tent I was approached by my superior. Immediately I stood at attention, giving him all the necessary respect. My heart was pounding in my chest. Thoughts drifted again to Katsumi and me sneaking around that barn and talking to the girl. What if she told them something, what if they were caught, what if…

"Akio Tanaka, you have a special assignment. Soldiers captured a girl yesterday from the Safety Zone. She needs to be cleaned and ready for transport to Japan. Don't you dare lay a hand on this one...she's a present for the Emperor. Touch her and I will personally remove your hands. Are we clear? Planes will arrive in a few hours."

I relaxed once he left and couldn't believe my fortune. Perhaps there was a way to save this girl, but doing so would cause shame to myself and my family. It was a big risk to take and I wasn't sure this girl was worth it. A gift to the Emperor….that wasn't such a bad thing. I imagined he'd treat her like any of his other slaves.

As I walked towards the barn I felt Katsumi join me.

"You ready to go out there and kick some Chinese ass? I'm pumped! One of my roommates gave me something that really loosened me up."

I raised a brow at him and shook my head, "you know that stuff isn't healthy, right?"

"Awww, relax! Don't worry, you worry too much you know that? Can't you see it? China is ours! We've won. All that's left to do is make our mark and show the people whose boss."

"You mean rape and murder the women and children," I corrected.

He shifted his weight uneasily, "Well, yeah. This is war! This is what it's about. We are their rulers and they're disobedient dogs. Sometimes you have to put them down. China belongs to us! Asians! Not those British bastards that use her resources for their morning tea time."

He punched me playfully in the arm. It was obvious he was amped up and on more substances than one. If I was leaving with him I probably would have done the same to numb the guilt.

"I've been put in charge of the girl...from last night. Can you believe that? I have to get her ready and get her on a plane to Japan. Knew she was special. She's a gift to the Emperor."

"Ahhhhhh! You lucky dog!" he pinched my ear and tapped my cheek.

I pushed him away, "stop it! You think I wanna do this? I was hoping I wouldn't have to see her again. I can't get her face out of my mind."

"Oh," he put a hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes, "you've been a very good friend to me. I'll miss you buddy. You've had my back lots of times and I'll never forget you for it."

It was like I was leaving him and never coming back. Did he know something I didn't? I was speechless as he said this and looked into my e yes. Did he seriously think I was going to do something stupid and try to save this girl?

"I'm not dying!" I pushed him away from me and he started laughing.

"Right, right. Just don't get yourself into trouble."

He waved bye before running off to join the others in their march into the city.

What he said bothered me, but I had things to do so I pushed it out of my mind. I got to the barn and took all of my traveling gear off and placed the gun close to it. I took my helmet off and placed it on top of the pile. I couldn't wash the girl down if I had this stuff on.

As I was about to go into the barn, another soldier came over with a package. I took it from him and unwrapped it. It was a kimono, a beautiful red and gold kimono and there were other jewels along with it to adorn her.

I put the package aside and opened the barn to get her ready. Before she could get cleaned up I had to feed her.

"Eat," I said to her and handed her a bowl and sat down to watch her.

She tried to talk to me but I would look away and pretend I wasn't listening. She just kept asking questions...about her friend, her mother, the war, and what was going to happen to her. None of these were questions I wanted to answer.

"Are you even listening to me?" her soft voice was barely audible. "Probably not. You wouldn't listen to a girl like me. I must be an animal compared to the Japanese girl you have waiting for you at home. I cried all night and by morning I came to accept it. I accept what you're going to do to me and I know that it's not your fault. You are only following orders and I can't expect you to risk your own life to not obey them."

Finally I looked down at her and sighed, "Not just my life. My family's life and those not even born yet would suffer. Sometimes, Japanese families will try to change their name to get rid of the shame. You are not an animal…the men out there raping, killing, and stealing in your city, those are the real animals."

She finished her food and offered me a smile, "I understand now. Perhaps if you didn't hold so much value in your pride and image, no one else would have to die today."

I grabbed her by the throat. Part of me couldn't believe she had just said that. "You are walking a thin line. Don't think I won't kill you and replace you with someone else. They'd never know it!" I let go of her throat and she started coughing.

Yue rubbed her throat and seemed to remember her place again with a silent nod. That was the last time she spoke for a while.

I got her washed and helped her dress. It wasn't custom for me, but there was no one else to do it. As I did so, I touched the gentle symbol around her neck. It was intriguing how it rested on her chest, slightly to her left. I couldn't take it from her. I left there, hidden beneath the more traditional Japanese necklace.

Once she was ready I placed a blindfold around her eyes.

"This is for the best…you will not wish to see where we are about to go..." I didn't have to do this but the last thing she needed to see were the mutilated bodies of her people. What I could not shield from her were cries, the screams, the bloody agony of torture.

I also tried not to look at the soldiers running around like possessed dragons. I kept a tight grip on Yue until we got to the clearing outside of the city. I was told that two planes would be coming to pick us up. I had no training on flying, so it was left to the professionals.

I took the blindfold off of her and carefully explained what was happening. She was very quiet and accepting, but obviously scared. We would be flying to Hiroshima where we would then be picked up by car and driven to the Emperor's palace. I had no idea what would happen to her from there.