A few words from the author: readers are appreciated, reviewers are appreciated even more.
Contains: profanity and Fullmetal Jacket refrences
Enjoy
December 9, 2009; 2120 local time; Chinese High Command Strategic Planning Facility, Shenyang China
General Qing (1) leaned on the planning table looking at the map in front of him. The map on the table was a gigantic map of the eastern parts of China, North Korea, South Korea, and Japan. There were twenty small red transport planes and fifty red fighter planes in the Northeastern part of China near the North Korean border. There were fourty small red transport ships at Shanghai. There was one blue aircraft carrier off the east coast of North Korea just barely outside of Japanese waters and another aircraft carrier in Yokosuka. There was one blue battleship offshore near Tokyo Harbor. There was a blue fighter plane near Tokyo and to the far North of the Japanese island of Honshu. There were blue fighter planes and infantry figures standing over Okinawa. All over Japan there were various white fighter planes and infantry figures. There were white ships in Tokyo, Kobe, Osaka and several other Japanese ports.
Each transport plane represented ten planes and nine hundred battle-ready paratroopers. . .
Each red fighter plane represented fifteen MiG fighters, armed and fueled. . .
Each transport ship represented five ships, fourteen hundred men ready for battle and sixty tanks ready for deployment. . .
The blue carriers represented the USS Ronald Regan and her battlegroup offshore of Japan and the USS George Washington and her battlegroup stationed in Yokosuka. . .
The blue battleship represented the USS Missouri and Iowa. . .
The blue infantry represented known US Marine Corps facilities. . .
The blue planes represented known USAF airbases. . .
The white fighter planes represented known JSDF airbases. . .
The white infantry represented known JSDF army bases. . .
The white ships represented known JSDF naval bases. . .
It was almost time for the General to make his move, there was just one piece missing. . .
The one piece that he believed could make or break this invasion. . .
December 10, 2009; 0600 local time; temporary JSDF training facility outside Kyoto
Keitaro and the rest of men lined up standing at attention in front of their bunks inside the long, green, canvas tent that was their barracks. Today was going to be different, they were now going to be training seven days a week by a new drill instructor, straight from the USMC training depot at Parris Island. The cloth door opened, revealing one of the most intimidating men Keitaro had ever seen.
He was dressed in olive green pants which had creases running down his legs at the front and back, he wore an olive green coat with pins and ribbons on his left breast, on top of his head he wore a stiff brimmed campaign hat (2) with a black USMC insignia. Every feature on his face shouted "discipline", from his chiseled jawline to his eyes that could bore right into a man and make even the toughest recruit curl up into a fetal position and beg for his mommy. He walked into the tent with a stride that would impress a nazi. Several recruits tried to stand up straighter as he opened his mouth. His voice seemed to reverberate on its own as he spoke.
"I am Gunnery Sergeant Granger your new drill instructor. From now on you will speak only when spoken to and the last words out of your filthy sewers will be 'DI-san'. Do you maggots understand that?"
"Yes! DI-san!" The recruits responded in unison.
"Bullshit! I can't hear you. Sound off like you got a pair!"
"YES! DI-SAN!" The recruits shouted.
"If you ladies leave this camp, if you survive recruit training, you will be lean. . .
you will be mean. . .
but most importaintly. . .
YOU WILL BE GREEN!!"
December 17, 2009; 1030 local time; temporary JSDF training facility outside Kyoto
Keitaro and his bunkmates were out on running in formation, two men abreast and ten men long. Keitaro was behind Shirai and Kentaro. In front of the lines of men ran Sgt. Granger, who started shouting an American running cadence, which some of the men repeated.
Up in the mornin' way too soon
Hungry as hell by noon
Went to the mess hall on my knees
Sayin' "Cow-killer, cow-killer feed me please"
He looked at me with a big ol' grin,
"If ya' wanna be a leatherneck (3) ya' gotta be thin!"
They ran all the way to the obstacle course, Granger moved to the side and shouted, "GO!"
The first man in the two lines ran towards the first obsacle. They climbed up and over the wall using the rope, jumping over the top.
"GO!" shouted Granger and the next set of men climbed over the wall while the first worked their way up and over an oversized ladder.
"COME ON! MY GRANNY CAN CLIMB OBSTACLES FASTER THAN YOU!" Granger shouted.
As Keitaro waited for his turn to do the course he couldn't help but wonder what kind of a grandma DI-san had; because no matter how fast they ran, no matter how high they jumped, no matter how many chin-ups they could do, DI-san's grandmother was always ten times better.
"What are you waiting for soldier, GO! GO! GO!" Granger shouted, shocking Keitaro back into reality. Keitaro ran forward and started climbing the obstacle. He jumped down and ran toward the next obstacle. He climbed the oversized ladder and made his way over to the next obstacle: a rope hung over a mud hole. He swung across the mud pit on the rope before running over to the chin-up bar. After three chin-ups he ran to "The Net". The Net was a huge grid of barbed wire that was strung across eighty square feet on sticks suspended about eighteen inches off the ground. Keitaro got down on his stomach an crawled under the sharp wires before running and joining Shirai and Kentaro at the end of the course.
"I don't know. . . if I can take. . . much more of this." Keitaro said breathing heavily.
"Come on ladies!" Shouted Granger. "Get those sushi-eating asses of yours over that obstacle!"
January 10, 2010; 1300 local time; firing range twenty miles outside Kyoto
Twenty men crouched in their places holding their recently issued Howa Type 89 assault rifles in ready position. In front of them there was a line of twenty pop-up targets set up against a hillside in front of a deep trench. There were people inside the trench who would set up the targets and take them down, protected from the bullets by the trench.
"Commence fire!" Granger shouted.
The air was soon filled with the sounds of gunfire as the men fired at the torso shaped targets. Keitaro finshed his group and waited for evaluation. He scored thirty nine points out of fifty, hitting center mass on several occasions.
"Not bad soldier, I think we finally found something you're good at." Granger said.
Keitaro smiled, remembering hand-to-hand training. That was not the most pleasant week in his life. He kept getting thrown into the air every time he was hit hard, eventually he learned not to get hit at all and became one of the best at dodging in his bunkhouse.
That night Keitaro and company stood next to their beds in the bunkhouse, rifles in hand. Sgt. Granger walked down the aisle.
"Tonight you will be sleeping with your rifles. You will give your rifle a girls name, because this is the only (exemplative deleted) you people are going to get. Your days of finger (exemplative deleted)-ing old Mary Jane Rottencrotch through her pretty pink panties are over! You are married to this piece, this weapon of metal and plastic and you will be faithful!"
The men layed on top of their beds with their rifles six inches from their chests.
"Pray!" Granger shouted.
The entire bunkhouse recited the creed taught to them by the DI.
This is my rifle. There are many like it. But this one is mine. . .
My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. . .
Without me, my rifle is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. . .
I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will. . .
Before Kami-sama I sware this creed. My rifle and I are defenders of my country. We are masters of our enemy. We are the saviours of my life. . .
So be it until there is no enemy, but peace!
Amen.
Granger exited the tent with a "Goodnight ladies."
February 1, 2010; 1805 local time; bus stop outside Hinata
Keitaro, Kentaro, and Shirai stepped off the bus as honorary marines. They wore their olive green uniforms with pride, they had even been given a small "eagle, globe and anchor" (marine corps insignia) pin to wear on their lapel and one month's leave.
Keitaro climbed the giant staircase of the Hinata Inn and walked into the front door. He smelled something, something that he had not smelled in a long time. . . something that made his mouth water. . .
He smelled pork, Shinobu's pork fried rice. . .
Keitaro unknowingly walked into the kitchen where saw Shinobu preparing dinner and the rest of the girls (except for Su) sitting around the table.
Shinobu looked up and screamed "Aaaaaaaaauuuuuuu! Sempaiiiiii you're back! I missed you so much!"
The other girls looked at Keitaro, he looked different. He had become leaner, stronger, more muscular, he also walked with an air of authority and self-confidence.
"Is that Urashima?" Motoko asked.
"Kei-kun looks different." Mutsumi said.
This look lasted until Su hit him in the back of the head with a flying kick, sending him down to the ground. He accidentally grabbed Shinobu's skirt on the way down.
"There's the Keitaro we know and love." Kitsune said before downing a glass of sake.
"Keitaro you pervert! Let go of Shinobu!" Naru shouted as she prepared a punch.
"It was an accident!" Keitaro said as he let go of Shinobu and stood up just in time to see Naru's fist. He leaned to his left as the punch sailed past his head. He spent the next five minutes frantically ducking, leaning, weaving, and jumping out of the way. Finally Keitaro caught Naru's fist in his hand, holding it in an iron grip.
"Don't touch me you pervert!" Naru said.
"It was an accident!" Keitaro said.
"Unhand her Urashima; you vile, lecherous, perverted, weakling!" Motoko said as she took a slash at him with her bokken.
Keitaro let go of Naru and ducked under the wooden blade. Naru and everyone else were shocked by what happened next.
Motoko raised the bokken above her head and brought it down, but before she could hit Keitaro he caught it in midair with his right hand. He wrenched the weapon from Motoko's grip and threw it away. He then assumed a fighting stance hands in front of his body one hand in a fist and another with his middle and index fingers extended. Motoko charged at him with several different attacks, but each time Keitaro easily dodged or blocked the blows.
Naru was suprised that Keitaro would be stupid enough to go up against Motoko.
Kitsune scratched her head, took a good look at her empty sake cup, put the cup down and took a big drink straight out of the bottle. Clearly she was either too drunk or not drunk enough, because it looked like Keitaro was actually holding his own against Motoko. What was more disturbing, Keitaro seemed to be enjoying it.
Shinobu was frozen in horror, afraid that Motoko would hurt Sempai, or that Sempai would hurt Motoko.
Koalla was excited, this new Keitaro was fun.
Mutsumi simply fainted.
Motoko swung her fist at Keitaro, but hit only air. She looked behind her expecting an attack, but there was nothing. She looked on the floor and saw Keitaro flat on his face. Keitaro quickly got up and brushed himself off.
"Whew, that was fun, wanna do it again sometime?" He said.
"BAKA!" Naru shouted, giving him a Naru punch to the back of his head sending him flying through the walls and into the sky.
"How did Urashima get so strong?" Motoko asked herself, looking at her fist.
"I wanna fight Keitaro next!" Su said, doing cartwheels around the kitchen.
February 10, 2010; 1404 local time; Shenyang China
It was time, General Qing looked at the map once again. The "Shu Long" (4) project was complete. All his pieces were in place.
"Commence operation: Black Lotus." The General ordered. "Tonight, China will take her rightful place as ruler of Asia."
(1) Qing (pronounced "ching"): chinese word meaning strong or violent
(2) Campaign hat: also known as a smokey bear due to its resemblance to the hat Smokey the bear wears
(3) Leatherneck: nickname for Marine, it originated from the leather collars Marines used to wear.
(4) Shu Long: literally "Iron Dragon"