034 - Tale of the Unknown Soldier


There was once an American soldier. The sort of person who didn't consider himself anything special and considered his limits a validation for his beliefs. The sort of person who pushed hard against the glass ceiling, only to grow disappointed with himself when he finally broke it just to find another ceiling beyond it.

The sort of person who makes it to the special forces and can't bring himself to be proud, because he struggled to reach an average score on the graduation class. The sort of person who is incredibly conceited, but incapable of feeling any pride in himself.

The sort of person that was in the right -wrong- position to be mobilized when news of an ancient alien spacecraft surfacing near Japan reached the military. Of course, the higher ups wanted to claim the alien technology and the strange artificial island it came with for themselves. He wasn't a marine or a pilot, his place would always be somewhere with solid ground under his boots. That's why he and the rest of his squad were assigned to the landing actions.

It wasn't until they were being debriefed that they received intel of a group of Japanese scientists having landed first and somehow gained access into the ship. That only caused the higher-ups to panic and mobilize everyone in a rush. The soldier was the sort of person to realize that was a bad idea, but he wasn't the sort of person to draw attention to himself by pointing out something like that.

So he boarded the supersonic craft that would take him to the closest naval base alongside the rest of his squad without protest and then one of the multiple fast transport crafts that would take them all the way to the newly-risen Kamikura Island.

It wasn't until they were halfway there that they received intel of an unknown group, different from the previously identified Japanese scientists and impossible to match to any known database, coming out of the ship. That only caused the higher-ups to panic even more and send more forces. The soldier was the sort of person to realize that was very bad news indeed. Unfortunately, he was no longer in a position to complain. The only way out was desertion and that didn't sound like a good idea at the time.

What came next was nothing more and nothing less than pure hell.

A military reclamation force outfitted with some of the most advanced weapons and technologies in the world, alongside some of the best trained soldiers humanity had to offer was… decimated by five individuals. The soldier bore witness to casual displays of superhuman combat prowess, alongside outright supernatural feats never seen outside movies and fairytales.

The earth and air seemed to dance at these five monsters, rocks exploding from the ground like teeth and spears, wind becoming scythes to cut down men, or cruelly pulling out to choke them to death. Meanwhile, swords danced against guns and grenades, impossible skill managing to push against superior technology against all logic or reason.

The soldier didn't take long to realize that a frontal assault wouldn't take them anywhere and somehow managed to convince his squad leader to break their group out of the engagement, lose themselves in the surrounding wilderness and adopt some less direct tactics against the bizarrely superior forces they were facing.

They were the only ones who survived the first engagement. A last command came through the comms before they inexplicably died out, to play keepaway with the monsters in the island, adopt guerilla tactics and deal as much damage as possible while waiting for reinforcements. Those weren't orders that the soldier liked very much -he would've rather been extracted or maybe tried his luck surrendering- but those were the orders they had.

They'd have to make do, somehow.


Karasuba's first encounter with the monkeys of the island was simple and direct business. She walked into the position Matsu had pointed out to her and started slashing, cackling gleefully as she parried bullets and cut down bodies. When morale broke and they tried to get away, she gave chase.

Much to her disappointment though, the monkeys scattered to the four winds. While she had no trouble catching up to them, by the time she finished off one group, the rest had disappeared into the wilderness.

Tsk, annoying.

Smart monkeys were annoying.


After repeating the same tactic a couple more times, the monkeys seemed to realize Matsu could track them by their electronics and tried to use them to lure her into a trap. It didn't work, of course, she was too fast and skilled to be caught off guard by their primitive weapons, even if they came out from behind without a warning.

Still… that bullet that she dodged by a hair's breadth was the closest she'd ever been to real danger before then. And the monkey who fired it managed to slip away before she could return the favor. By jumping into some rapids and disappearing into the distance faster than she could move through the dense vegetation of the area.

Karasuba would've called it suicidal stupidity, but it worked.

Tsk, annoying.

Stupid smart monkeys were annoying.


Somehow, the jungle monkeys nobody had really worried about at the start had managed to become a nuisance. After days of pitched combat, while various armies broke their teeth against Kamikura Island, trying and failing to beat the Disciplinary Squad to submission with numbers and 'superior' weapons, the small group of pests managed to survive extermination.

They weren't particularly dangerous, but they refused to be pinned down and die. And they were a stain upon Karasuba's pride, a source of constant frustration.

Annoying.

The persistently surviving monkeys were annoying.


Since the rest had the invasion attempts more or less under control, Karasuba took upon herself to chase after the jungle monkeys when there were no emergencies about. Little by little, one by one, she managed to find and take down the nuisances. Finding and catching up to them in the middle of the wilderness was a slow, gruelling job, but it was strangely rewarding.

She went from feeling nothing about spilling the blood of others to finding it… somewhat rewarding. Truly, one only appreciates that which one has to work for.

And still, the monkey who fired upon her during that first ambush managed to evade her. A nuisance bigger than any other, somehow always a step ahead of her, somehow always a bit too troublesome to chase after. Even as she cut down his comrades, the monkey managed to slip away.

Amusing.

The constantly escaping monkey was actually amusing.

Karasuba was starting to have fun.


As more of the monkeys were caught and killed, finding the remaining ones became harder. There were fewer tracks to follow, but the same amount of ground to cover. In all honesty, Karasuba had never been a tracker, she just wandered around, counting on her superior mobility to stumble into them and her superior senses to notice them when that happened.

Matsu was positive that only three jungle monkeys remained, the slippery one amongst them. It was a bit sad to think that the chase was about to end. Slaughtering the assaulting armies was like cutting wheat. Something that had to be done, but not something one did because it was enjoyable. She'd rather keep chasing jungle monkeys that got her blood pumping and made her feel alive.

As she was thinking this, a gunshot echoed through the silent wilderness, making Karasuba snap to the side. The reflexive motion almost costed her dearly, putting her head on the actual path of the bullet when remaining motionless would've been perfectly safe. Only her supernatural speed managed to turn a clean headshot into a glancing wound on her cheek.

Surprised by the sudden burning sensation in her face, she carefully touched the area with a hand, only to find it stained with blood. Her eyes snapped towards the direction the shot had come from, easily finding the monkey's hiding spot in the distance now that she knew where to look for it.

The two of them locked gazes for a moment before the monkey disappeared into the green foliage once again.

Cheeky monkey… he was learning.

Hmm… her own blood didn't taste too bad, either~


Karasuba's disappointment was immeasurable when she finally managed to catch one of the monkeys with their guards down… only to realize it wasn't her monkey. Her day was ruined and all her plans about drawing things out or maybe even capturing the monkey went down the drain.

She was going to end it with a simple stab when she was fired upon. In all honesty, the gunfire wouldn't have kept her from ending the cornered monkey if she had really wanted to, but that one immediately fled her mind as a chance of chasing after her monkey revealed itself.

Without sparing another look at the monkey she could've easily killed, she immediately dived in the direction the shoots came from. Karasuba smiled toothily when her sharp ears caught a muttered curse and the sound of leaves hurried shifting around. Her monkey clearly hadn't expected her to simply throw everything away just to chase after him!

That'd teach him to underestimate her! Let's see how he likes being the surprised one for once!


Turned out, the cheeky monkey wasn't very good at being the surprised one. And with that, Karasuba meant he was actually proficient at turning the tables on her. In the end, she was led into a merry chase all through the surroundings, triggering clever hidden traps at every turn that somehow managed to keep her monkey ahead of the game in spite of his inherent biological limitations.

Every time a hint of his back could be made out amongst the vegetation, it made Karasuba's heart beat faster. Every time a stake popped out of somewhere to try to skewer her, Karasuba's smile grew wider. Every time a boulder fell from above to try and crush her, Karasuba's eyes shone brigther. Every time a rope tried to grab and fling her around, Karasuba cackled with glee.

This was it, this was what it was all about! A good chase, a good fun! An enemy worth her time!

Unfortunately, all things come to an end and her monkey simply didn't have the endurance to keep running forever. As a last ditch effort, he tried to camouflage himself with some pretty decent improvised ghillie suit. Not decent enough to trick Karasuba, of course, but enough for her to acknowledge.

Stopping nearby, but making no sign of having spotted her human, Karasuba took a long look around before turning to leave. Oh, she was ready to snap back to attention if the monkey tried to shoot her in the back again, she wasn't stupid, but she was willing to let it go as long as he kept trying to hide.

The chase was fun.

Karasuba didn't want it to end just yet.


"Karasuba"

"Yes, Miya?"

"I hear you're having trouble with the last remnants of that infiltration group from the first day. Do you need help?"

"Ah… no, not really. No need to bother anyone else. They're almost gone, really. Just a couple moire and it'll all be— "

"One."

"Eh?"

"I found one earlier, there's only one more to find."

In spite of having just returned to base, Karasuba immediately set off for the field again.


This time, there was a nervous, desperate energy on Karasuba's actions as she scanned the jungle for the last surviving monkey. MIya had found one, but she had no idea which one it had been. Karasuba couldn't care less if it was the boring one, but if it has been her monkey she'd…

Well… she would do nothing, because Miya was Miya and Karasuba couldn't exactly complain that Number 01 had gone out of her way to help her. But she still didn't want any other Sekirei butting in with her human, damnit!

He was hers! She wanted to…

To…

To…

To… kill him herself?

Maybe.

Probably.

Surely.

What else could it be… right?


Her monkey was still alive!

She was so gleeful about it that she managed to take a bullet to the thigh, but she didn't care. The burning sensation deep inside her flesh only spurred her even further as she chased her monkey. One more time, one last time. Through known and unknown terrain, through old and new traps.

This time, she gave no rest, no break and no quarter. Her monkey had to die, and if her monkey had to die, then he would do so by her hand.

This time, there was no readied ghillie suit for another disappearing act, not that it would've worked. It all ended with her monkey leaning against a tree, panting for breath and aiming at her with a gun that had long since run out of bullets. For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Staring into her monkey's hard, determined eyes, Karasuba felt like something was wrong, like things couldn't end here. Like she had to say something, do something… but she didn't know what.
And then, the sound of footsteps getting closer snapped Karasuba out of it. Even, unhurried and self-assured, the steps of a fearless leader, of an invincible warrior, of a (mother) goddess. Miya was here.

Without anymore time to think, Karasuba swung her blade, ending his life and splashing blood everywhere.

"Karasuba, something wrong?" The (mother) goddess spoke. "You got blood in your face."

"It was nothing, Miya." Karasuba waved the question away. "I got a bit overexcited, is all."

"As long as that's everything." Miya frowned, a hint of chastisement in her usual aloof voice. "Keep your mind sharp, we're on a mission."

"Yeah, yeah… See you back at the base?"

"Hm."

Once Miya left, Kara swiped the blood from her face and took it to her lips without even thinking. Her monkey's blood tasted watery and salty.


High above the white beaches of a certain paradisiac island, in a hidden nook on the roof of the hotel the Disciplinary Squad is staying in, Karasuba starts awake.

"Fuck." She groans in frustration. "The hell am I even doing, dreaming about that?"


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