Chapter 32 – Reminiscing
December 30, 2010 1138hrs, Oured, Osea
The city of Oured looked so peaceful from up here. We were eager to get on the ground, but we found out that a bunch of other squadrons hadcome in before us and there was no room left at CDAC for us to land. What's worse was that there were people there who wanted us dead, so we had to land somewhere where no one would find us.
"Kid, come in," hailed Harkin.
"I read you Colonel, go ahead," I replied.
"Listen, we can't have you land at the airport because all air traffic has been halted until the first of next month. However, we have a makeshift runway ready for you guys over near Archdale Freeway, but you need to come in from the north, how copy?"
"Solid copy, Colonel, we're inbound," I said and changed my heading towards our destination.
Our landing point was a Freeway I usually had to travel along in order to get to CDAC while I was still in college. It was a six mile straightaway that was elevated above the ground. It was wide enough for Pop's S-2 to land and had more than enough room for us to come to a complete stop. Anyways, I headed in first so that the others didn't miss it. It was great when we finally made it back onto the ground. Ground crews from CDAC were already waiting for us. Rico and Harkin were the first two people I saw when I parked my plane. I would've been happier to see them, but I was too tired. My legs felt like jelly and I almost collapsed when my feet finally touched the ground.
"You alright, Kid?" asked Harkin.
"I'm just tired, Sir. We've all had a long day. Why did you call us here anyways?" I asked.
"Well since the war just ended, the President wanted to see you," said Harkin, but then he looked at me and my team. It was obvious that we were tired and it looked like the others were going to keel over at any moment. "But that can wait until tomorrow. In the meantime, I got you all hooked up in a hotel just down the road. The buffet there is open to you for free because I know you guys must be hungry after today."
I knew the hotel Harkin was talking about and the buffet he was talking about was just as bad as the crap they served on Sand Island. Anyways, Rico had brought my car with him and he left me to drive us to the hotel. When we got there, Grimm and Snow went straight for the buffet while Kei and I got our room keys and headed upstairs. Part of me thought that Kei was going to get her own room, but she decided that she was going to share one with me. When we got there, I immediately headed for the shower and began to take off my flight suit while I let the water warm up. As soon as it was warm enough, I stepped in and let the water run down my back. It was like a tsunami of relief as I stood there. My worries that had accumulated over the past four months faded with each passing second.
When I got out of the shower, I saw that Kei had already passed out on the bed while she was only wearing her underwear and there I was wearing blue jeans. Kei hates it when I sleep in these. I laid myself down next to her so that we could spoon. Everything was right in the world once again and we spent the next hour like this. However, I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket and I saw that it was a text from an unfamiliar number, but I knew who it was.
I just heard you got back. Harkin told me what happened and I'd understand if you want to relax for tonight, but I'll be over at Armstrong's if you wanna visit. Don't forget I got your passes *wink*wink*.
I texted the number back and carefully got up so that I didn't wake Kei. She was still asleep as I got up to put on a white t-shirt and my black hoodie before I left the room. As I made my way outside, I noticed that the streets seemed more deserted than usual. At this hour, people would still be walking along the sidewalks and traffic would still be dense. I wasn't complaining though. The lack of distractions made it easier for me to be aware of my surroundings. The walk towards my destination brought back a lot of memories while I was in college. After Miranda died, I would usually go for walks around the city to clear my head. Sometimes, I'd be alone and other times, I'd be with someone. This city was where my new life began and I missed being here. I even missed some of the things I did in Wesson, but I hated that place overall. This city had something gentle about it and I was glad that it didn't change.
I continued to walk towards my destination and got there after about twenty minute. The place I arrived at was a Jazz Club called Armstrong's. I used to come here every weekend with my closest friend so that we could play music for everyone. As I headed towards the entrance of the building, the bouncer tried to make himself look bigger to try and scare off any thought of me trying to fight with him, but the thought never crossed my mind.
"Can I help you, sir?" he asked.
"I'm just here to meet a friend," I said as I looked at the guy.
"Isn't it a little late, to be coming to a Jazz Club?"
"If it's open, it's not too late."
The bouncer shrugged at what I said and he opened the door for me. This place hadn't changed much since I last came here about a year and a half ago. To the left of where I walked in was a long bar where only one other person was sitting. Opposite the bar were booths that ran along the parallel wall. To the right of where I walked in was a large dining room that had a music stage in the corner. A couple of people were there playing the piano and guitar on stage while four other people listened to them as they ate or drank. Anyways I took my seat at the bar. The other person that was sitting there was a girl who was hunched over the bar drinking a mug of coffee. She noticed me glance at her and she ordered another mug that she slid down the counter so that it stopped directly in front of me. I couldn't help but smile at this. I looked at the girl again to see her walking towards me as she held her mug. She was a beautiful Korean girl who was my age with natural white hair and hazel eyes. Based on her self-image, she took really good care of herself. She was wearing an azure blouse under a black parka and a white skirt that stopped at her mid-thigh and black knee high heel boots.
"Will you stop staring at me and give me a hug, Antonio?" she said.
My smile intensified as I stood up out of my seat and hugged my best friend. Her name was Naomi Kobayashi and she was my girlfriend throughout college. Besides how beautiful she looked, she had the voice of an angel.
"How've you been, Naomi?" I asked.
"I've been great. It hasn't been the same as it was when you left, but I'm used to it now. How've you been?"
"I just saved the world again, but everyone will know about that soon enough."
Naomi and I took our seats and began to catch up. It's been almost a year and a half since we last saw each other and it was fitting for us to meet up at the place we usually hung out. Naomi was a huge music idol throughout Strangereal, but everyone who wasn't her real friend knew her as Yue Gogulski. This was partially to hide the fact that she didn't want anyone to know her personal life other than the people closest to her, but mainly because she was another Project Pitbull subject. When I first met Naomi, she was the equivalence of a robot. With the help of me and Miranda, she eventually became the person everyone knew today. Naomi actually got her start in this music hall when we kept coming here every weekend to perform songs for everyone. Eventually a talent scout found us and the rest is history.
"I wish you could've seen it, Naomi. The way the Yuktobanians joined us was something to see. You probably could've found some inspiration for a song at that moment," I told her.
"I bet I could've, but that part of my life is over," she said.
"I know, but I can tell by the look of your hands that you still haven't completely let go." Naomi looked at me and blushed when I called her out on her fib.
"I'll admit I do get a little restless sometimes. Macon isn't as precarious as Wesson, but I do what I can to keep it that way."
"I know what you mean. Anyways, guess who I ran into this month," I said and Naomi asked. "I ran into Ghost again on Kirwin Island."
"His name is Specter, and he's still alive?!" she asked somewhat surprised.
"He was alive. He used a grappling hook to save himself last time."
"He's smarter than I thought. If he survived, why didn't he come after you again?"
"We went into hiding, remember?"
"Oh, well how did you find him?"
"He found me first, but I knew he was following me," I said.
"Did you notice that you were followed here?" asked Naomi and I nodded. I knew she was referring to Kei, but Naomi didn't know that Kei was my girlfriend, nor did she know what she looked like. "Do I need to stick my foot up her ass?"
"That's my current girlfriend," I said and Naomi shot a glance at Kei.
"She's beautiful, and you said she's one of us?" asked Naomi and I nodded again. Naomi cracked a smile and shot a glance over at the music stage when she noticed the people leave. "Do you think she recognizes me without my getup?"
"She probably doesn't. It's not every day you see yourself with your natural hair color. Do you want to give her a hint?"
Naomi's smile grew even bigger as she took my hand and led me towards the stage. When we got there, I took a seat at the piano and Naomi took up one of the acoustic guitars before she sat down. We never really decided on songs to play when we came here. We usually just played what came to us. Tonight, it was Fields of Gold. The few people that were still in the building took notice of what we were playing, but it wasn't until Naomi began singing that they really began to pay attention. Even after all this time that I hadn't heard her sing, Naomi still sounded as lovely as when the day I first heard her. I noticed that Kei had come out from her hiding spot and was now sitting at one of the tables in the dining room. The look on her face suggested that she knew who Naomi was and she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that I was playing a song with her. I thought it was rather funny, but I knew that she was thinking of something else when I first got here. When Naomi and I finished the song, we walked off stage together and sat at Kei's table.
"I was hoping I could surprise you with this," I said to Kei and she looked at Naomi in shock. I was expecting Kei to answer me, but she didn't say anything. "What's wrong, Kei?"
"Is something wrong, Nagase-san," asked Naomi in Japanese.
Kei suddenly snapped out of her stupor and began to blush like crazy. "I'm sorry, Yue-sama. I'm a huge fan of yours," Kei said suddenly in the same language as she lowered her head.
"Please, pick your head up, Nagase-san. I'm not used to this much attention. And please, call me Naomi."
Kei looked at me in confusion and I just smiled at her. "What are you doing here with Yue Gogulski?" Kei quietly exclaimed.
"Well you see, she's one of my closest friends and I called in a favor so that I could surprise you later," I said.
"Why didn't you ever tell me you knew her on a personal level?"
"If I told you that I was friends with Strangereal's 'Voice', would you have seriously believed me?" I asked and Kei thought about my question carefully.
"Well, no, but how did you two meet?" asked Kei.
"We flew together in the Usean Continental war," said Naomi to which Kei almost lost her mind.
"I thought you flew alone," said Kei to me before she turned to Naomi. "And how did you get mixed up in the war too?"
"Unlike Antonio, I was forced into the squadron. During my first combat sortie, I was almost shot down and I crash landed on the carrier I was assigned to. If it hadn't been for Antonio, I'd be dead. Hell, I'd probably still be dead inside," said Naomi and her voice began to trail off.
Kei was about to ask her what she meant, but I quickly put my hand on Kei's to stop her. Naomi never liked to talk about the past because hers was more painful than mine. The time that Naomi and I spent together during the war was what brought us closer together. After Miranda died, we only had each other and I thought we'd be together forever, but things don't always turn out the way people want them to.
"Here, look at this," said Naomi as she pulled out a picture from her purse to show Kei. It was a photo of me, Naomi, and Miranda on our senior prom night. "I wanted to burn this picture so many times, but it's the only one I have of me and the two most important people in my life. The other girl is Miranda Stinson. The three of us would've been great friends, Nagase-san."
"Just call me Kei."
Kei and Naomi spent the next ten minutes talking to each other and they both really seemed to hit it off. I, on the other hand, just sat and listened to what they had to say. Listening to a couple of women was almost as boring as being stuck on the Kestrel, but those two seemed like they were getting along rather well. They didn't even notice that I had left them to talk while I went back to the piano and began to play some lounge music. I couldn't hear what the girls were saying over my music. I figured that they were talking about me. My mom had a superstition where that if you randomly sneezed or the clasp of a person's necklace isn't behind your neck, someone was talking about you. When I sneezed midway through my song, I was able to hear Naomi mention my name for a brief second. I continued to play, but now I was listening more closely to what they were talking about.
"He hasn't been the same since when I first met him. Not many people are as sweet as him, nor are they as cruel or determined as he is. The one thing that he's dedicated to the most is protecting the people he cares for," said Naomi.
"Sometimes I really doubt that," said Kei. "I know that there are things that he's hiding from me and the others, and that's what worries me the most."
"We all have secrets, Kei. His aren't any less painful than the others around him. When we were together, I knew that he wanted to know about some of mine, but he never asked. Even though we're so close, we still don't know everything about each other."
"Can I ask you something without me sounding rude?"
"I'm an open book. Go ahead," said Naomi.
"If you two are so close, why aren't you both still together?" asked Kei.
I froze while I sat on the piano bench and stopped playing. Naomi lowered her head and smiled gently to cover up her despondency. The truth of the matter was that if I hadn't screwed up in the past, I would've been married by now. The only reason I didn't tell Kei was because I didn't want her to think that she was my rebound. I still loved Kei, but I still couldn't bring myself to tell her that Naomi was the one who I was referring to when I said that I had my heart broken once.
"Because, I couldn't follow him," said Naomi regretfully. "I had my own life to live and I Antonio had his. He's still trying to achieve his ultimate goal and he won't be satisfied until he completes it, or… until he dies."
"You couldn't bear to see him change for the worse," said Kei in realization and Naomi nodded.
The fact that we broke up for that reason was something that I couldn't understand. My ultimate goal was to get my revenge against Green and Kei was the first person to really notice the lengths to which I'd go to kill him. That's when I began to understand why Naomi couldn't follow me into the military. She didn't want to see me the way she did when Miranda died.
"I'll never love a man the same way I do Antonio, Kei, and I hope you don't think that I'll try to come between you two. But I just don't want him to hurt any more than he already has," said Naomi and Kei understood completely. Naomi then took Kei's hand and looked her square in the eye. "Promise me something, Kei. Promise me you won't let him become hateful again."
Naomi pleaded to Kei as sincerely as she could and Kei didn't know how to respond to Naomi at first. Kei had the most serious expression I had ever seen on her face when she nodded in agreement and I almost felt a little let down. Kei had suffered the same fate that I did, but she wasn't going to let me get my, our, revenge. I managed to get through this war without losing my humanity, but I felt like I deserved to throw it out the window if I ever fought Green again. I also couldn't help but think that it was the only way to beat him.
"Thank you so much," said Naomi as she bowed her head.
"Can I ask you something else?" asked Kei and Naomi nodded. "Is it true that you and Teresa Flemings are trying to get with Derrick Charles?"
Naomi laughed at the claim because she didn't think that Kei read celebrity gossip. According to what Kei heard, Naomi and a famous actress were involved in a love triangle with a very popular county singer. This was the first time I've ever heard about this, but I knew that the story was false. Thanks for the distraction, Kei. I went back to playing the piano and I couldn't help but smile when I already knew Naomi's answer.
"No, I haven't ever been in a relationship with anyone since Antonio and I went our separate ways," said Naomi.
"Really, why not?" asked Kei.
"I think it's pointless to chase after someone who isn't as important to you as someone else. I'll never meet another man like him," said Naomi as she shot a glance at me.
Both of them were looking at me as I continued to play the piano. I glanced over at them and returned the smile they gave me. There was something about all of this that gave me hope for the future. It made me feel like I could be happy again. When I finished the song I was playing, I went back to join Naomi and Kei so that we could finish our drinks. The three of us just shot the shit until Naomi decided that we should leave.
"Where are we going?" asked Kei.
"I know a place," I said.
Naomi grinned at me because she knew where I was referring to. We headed out to Naomi's car which was a red 2004 Mustang GT and I ended up sitting in the back seat. When we were all in, Naomi peeled out of the parking lot and sped down the street. The police weren't really active at night because the crime rate at night dropped for some reason. Anyways, Naomi was speeding down the streets and was drifting around the corners whenever she turned. Kei was starting to freak out and I was giggling to myself. The drive towards our destination took an average of fifteen minutes, but it only took five with the way Naomi was driving. We arrived in the parking lot of an amphitheater where Naomi was supposed to perform on New Year's Eve. She grabbed a bag from the trunk of her car before we began to walk towards one of the fences. The place was empty and Kei was kind of nervous about coming here.
"Let's go," said Naomi as she began to run towards the gate.
I followed her as she scaled up and over the fence, but Kei didn't know if she should follow us and it almost seemed like she was nervous about getting into serious trouble if we got caught.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Isn't this illegal?" she replied.
"If you're not Naomi, then I guess it is."
"Relax, Kei, we used to come here all the time. The security guards here don't have a problem with us being here unless we're doing something we shouldn't."
Kei was still uneasy about this but she followed us over the fence anyways. The three of us headed into the amphitheater and took a look around. Nothing had changed since the last time I was here. It looked a lot like the Los Angeles amphitheater. No one was patrolling the seating area and the stage was empty. The night sky lit the place nicely and the dim lights of the stage added even more light to the area. The first time I came here was when Naomi had her first concert. It seemed like forever since then, but it had only been two years. We sat on the steps and just took in the fresh air for a little bit until Naomi reached into her bag and pulled out a couple of boxes wrapped in cloth.
"Here," said Naomi as she handed me and Kei one. "I made these for dinner because I thought you'd be here sooner, but I figured that you both haven't eaten yet."
My mouth began to water when I realized that these were bento boxes. Naomi's cooking was superior to mine. Combine this with the fact that I hadn't eaten anything since this afternoon and that dinner box didn't stand a chance. Kei wanted to take her time eating, but she had the same idea that I did.
"This is delicious!" exclaimed Kei with a full mouth. "I didn't know that you knew how to cook!"
"I'm just full of surprises," shrugged Naomi. "Cooking was one of the few things that I really enjoy."
"Cosplay is her number one," I said as I l fell back on the steps.
"I told you not to tell anyone that!" said Naomi as she blushed.
"Relax, Kei likes it too," I said and Kei blushed as well.
"No I don't!" exclaimed Kei.
"So you managed to stumble upon that Sailor Mercury costume on Sand Island during Halloween?"
"It was Halloween. Everybody dresses up on that day!"
"And the pictures I saw on your dresser of you and your friends dressed as the idols from The Idol Master and some of the girls from Soul Caliber at a comic book convention was just an illusion?" I asked and Kei turned even redder.
"Alright," said Kei as she hung her head. "I used to cosplay with my friends in college."
"Do you watch anime?" asked Naomi.
Kei nodded and they both began to talk about some of their favorite anime while I just looked around the amphitheater. I was in my own little world again and I started to reflect on the past several months. It was hard to believe that I was already a Captain when I spent less than two years in the military. If killing people was the prerequisite for a promotion, then I didn't want my rank. There wasn't really anything I could do about it now. Besides, I don't think that was the whole reason I became an O-3 so quickly. When you have people under your command, Kid, your job changes drastically. I smiled when I remembered Harkin telling me this in OCS. It did make things more interesting while flying in a formation that didn't act independently from each other. My squadron and I actually looked out for each other. This was something that my squadron did while I was flying for ISAF, but it was different. It was rare that we actually worked as a team back then. We were only told our objective and told to complete it any way we could. It wasn't until our final sortie that we all began to work together.
Naomi was a different story, however. We watched each other's backs mainly because we knew each other better than the others of our squadron. We still operated independently of each other and we were never official wingmen, but it sure didn't seem like it when we were flying together. Kei would've scolded Naomi about protecting a flight lead in combat, but it was all in the past. Naomi never returned to the sky after the destruction of Megalith.
"This is the first time, I've seen the stars so clearly," said Naomi. I sat up and looked to see her and Kei gazing at the clear night sky. The stars were shining brightly and there wasn't a single cloud up there, but it still seemed empty. "What's it like up there, Antonio?"
"It's the ultimate feeling of freedom. No one can touch me. It's very peaceful," I said smiling to myself.
"I thought you used to fly too," said Kei to Naomi.
"I did, but it's been five years since the last time I flew a plane," said Naomi.
"That reminds me, what plane did you fly while you were with ISAF?" asked Kei.
"I flew several different planes while I was working for them, but I flew most of the war in a Eurofighter Typhoon."
"Wow, how does it handle?"
"It was the most fun I've had flying a plane and I kind of miss it," said Naomi shyly.
"Is that why you've taken a habit of driving like someone out of Ridge Racer?" I asked.
"Hey, if I weren't famous already, I'd join that circuit in a heartbeat instead of street racing!"
"Why not do both?" said Kei. "It'll make you even more popular."
"My popularity isn't something that I want to grow. I'll just draw more unwanted attention to myself," said Naomi.
"What she really means is that she's still very shy," I muttered.
"I'm not shy!" protested Naomi.
"Is that so?" I said sarcastically.
Naomi gritted her teeth at me and blushed again. She was about to say something, but the sudden brightness of a security guard's flashlight and him shouting 'hey!' made her focus on hauling ass out of the amphitheater. Kei didn't realize that we had nearly left her until I had to double back and grab her arm so that we could leave.
"I thought you said we could be here unless we were doing something we weren't supposed to!" she said.
"Yeah, well, we're not supposed to be here after hours," I said and Naomi began to laugh as she quickly hopped the fence.
Kei and I were right behind her and the security guard was running after us a quickly as he could. We were surprised that he was able to hop the fence as quickly as us, but Kei didn't wait to see him catch up to us. She ran past Naomi and I as we gawked at the dude and she even got into the driver's seat of Naomi's car. I had a bad feeling about this because Kei's driving was more frightening than her flying, but Naomi tossed her the keys anyways. I quickly climbed into the back seat and Naomi got into the passenger's seat while Kei started the car and quickly peeled out of the parking lot. She was speeding around every corner and flying down every straightaway to the point where even Naomi was starting to freak out. Even after we were about two miles away from the amphitheater, Kei was still driving like a maniac.
"I think we've lost them Kei. You can slow down now," I said, but she still kept flying down the road.
"Kei, stop!" shouted Naomi and this time she responded. Kei let off the gas and began to slow down once she ran her third red light. "Jeez, that's going to be my ninth citation this month. One more and I'll lose my license."
"I'm so sorry," said Kei. "Whenever, I get behind the wheel of a car, my sister's driving lessons just take over if I'm not careful," said Kei.
"Who's your sister?"
"Reiko Nagase," I said and Naomi's jaw hit the floor.
"Your sister is thee Reiko Nagase?!" asked Naomi and Kei nodded. "Oh my God, I've got to get her to host my next birthday in Ridge City!"
"That'll be so frigging awesome. I gotta get in on that too if it happens," I said.
"Kei, can you talk to your sister for us?" asked Naomi, but Kei just lowered her head like she was ashamed of something. Naomi was about to ask her what was wrong, but I quickly stopped her when I remembered that my teams' families thought that we were dead. I didn't know how I could tell my mother and sister how I was still alive and I guess Kei didn't know either. How would I react if I found out Chopper was still alive? "I'm sorry; I forgot that Harkin told me about what happened."
"It's alright," said Kei. "I just don't know how I'm going to tell my sister that I'm still alive."
"Does your sister know that you're alive, Antonio?"
"No, the last time she saw me was a couple hours before we were proclaimed KIA."
"I had no idea she was with you on Sand Island," said Naomi.
"Yeah, but now it's like I won't be able to protect her any longer," I said glumly. "What's worse is that I still haven't heard anything about her wellbeing."
"I'm sure Amanda's fine. Harkin wouldn't let anything happen to her or your mother."
"Even so, they're still the only family I have left and I can't help but worry" I said. I wanted to talk about it more, but I decided that I should try to lighten the mood again. "Anyways, where should we go next?"
"Let's go to a club," said Naomi.
"Think I've had enough excitement for one night," said Kei. "Where's somewhere quiet?"
"I know another spot," I said.
I asked Kei to let me drive while she got in the back seat. There were a number of places I would've liked to have gone, but we couldn't visit them all in one night. The one place that I did want to visit was the park. Naomi figured that we'd end up coming here, but she didn't have a problem with it. When we got there, we got out and began to follow the path that led to the lake. It was along the way that I remembered the day that Kei and I came here the day before the ball. We passed the spot where we did yoga and the swing set where we first began to talk about our futures after the war. It was kind of hard to believe that it had only been a month and a half since then. I could've sworn it was longer than that. Kei held my hand tightly as we continued our walk down memory lane. Naomi almost grabbed my other hand out of habit before she stopped herself. I almost wish Kei hadn't followed me.
We finally arrived at the spot I wanted to come to. It was a tree on a small hill that overlooked the park's lake. If the moon was out, the view would've been lovely. Kei was leaning on me while I sat against the tree and Naomi sat down next to me. We didn't say anything to each other and Kei soon fell asleep. I gently moved her so that she was resting her head on my lap.
"She looks cute when she's sleeping," whispered Naomi in German.
"Yeah, but this is actually the first time she looks peaceful," I said in the same language.
"You really love her, don't you?"
"I really do. You know, she tried killing me?"
"Why am I just now hearing about this?"
"Did you forget that we nearly killed each other too?"
Naomi chuckled at my response and looked off towards the lake as she reflected on that day. It was the same day that I realize that I didn't want to fight anymore, and the day that Naomi and I started to become friends. A lot of other things happened that day as well, but those two were significant to us.
"Hey, Antonio," asked Naomi and I looked at her. "If I had said 'yes' the day before you left for Heierlark, how different do you think our lives would be?"
I thought long and hard about her question, but I couldn't imagine it being any different other than Naomi going into hiding when we were accused of treason. Kei and I would've remained friends instead of being together like this. If that were the case, maybe Chopper would still be alive. No, I can't blame his death on something like that.
"I don't think it'd be all that different. I would've had to have been a lot crueler to some people and a lot kinder to others," I said and Naomi gave me a somewhat annoyed look. "If you had said 'yes', then we wouldn't be here like this right now."
"Are you happy?" she asked.
I thought about her question again and it didn't take me long to answer. "I could be happier, but I still have something I have to do," I said.
"You've already paid for your mistake, what more do they need from you?"
"Remember the reason I told you why I joined the military?" I asked Naomi and she nodded. "He's still out there and I know he's close. We've already crossed paths three times already and I know he's coming after me."
"Why would he come after you?"
"I don't know. Maybe because he knows I survived that day he tried to kill me when I was eight or maybe he's one of the people after my bounty. He knows who I am and what I've done in the past. That has to be the reason he wants me dead. He's the only pilot who's capable of killing me. He'll do whatever he can to make sure I'm dead," I said as I looked at Kei.
"She really means a lot to you, doesn't she?" asked Naomi and I nodded.
"Yeah, she does," I said as I began to stroke Kei's hair. "We might not have known each other as long as you and I have, but we've still been through a lot together."
"But you two did go through flight training together. You two must've gotten to know each other then."
"We didn't start talking to each other until we got to Sand Island. We didn't know anyone when we got there so we stuck with each other. One thing led to another and now we're here."
"I'm happy for you," said Naomi as she looked out towards the lake.
"That may be true, but what about you?" I asked, but she just continued to gaze out towards the lake. I knew what she really wanted to say and I knew what she was thinking. "You've been second guessing your decision ever since I left, haven't you?"
Naomi lowered her head and I knew that I was right. There wasn't a day that I didn't think about her ever since I last saw her. Now that we were with each other again, our feelings for each other came flooding back. I felt the exact same way she did and I wanted to spend one more day with her like we did before I left for flight training. But like I've already promised myself, I was going to stay faithful to Kei and I wasn't going to cheat on her to be with the woman who broke my heart.
"I didn't think that I'd regret that decision this much," whispered Naomi. "But I won't come between you and Kei like I did with you and Miranda."
I breathed a small sigh of relief, but I was a little upset at the same time. It was difficult for me to speak with my ex-girlfriend whom I loved so much. What made it even more difficult was that I was with Kei. If there was one thing I could count on from her, it was her jealousy. Since she found out that Naomi and I used to be an item, she was uneasy about us being alone together again. Unlike that incident with Michelle, Kei had a good reason to be suspicious of me now.
"You make it seem like this is the last time we'll see each other," I said finally.
"I don't mean to make it sound like that, but this'll probably be the last time we'll ever have a heart to heart though," said Naomi.
"I'm not going to lose you too, Naomi. You're still important to me along with the others, my current team included. The only time I'll ever tell any one of you 'goodbye' is when we're going to die."
Naomi gave me a gentle smile and leaned her head on my shoulder for the last time for the night. The sense of comfort I felt from Kei and Naomi was splendid as I felt myself drift off to sleep for a couple of hours. It might not have been for long, but it still felt great. It was around 0400hrs when I received an urgent text from Lt. Colonel Harkin. He needed me and my team to meet him on the Archdale Freeway where we landed. Our fight's not over yet….
I know this chapter was late, but my boss gave me some time off work that I wanted to use later this year, but I figured that I should use it to go on a short vacation to visit some family that I hadn't seen in the longest time and I for got to bring my laptop with me. I would've had this up sooner, but I had to get some sort of vacation in before the summer ended. Anyways, I'm sorry it took so long. the next chapter for The Ribbon should be up later this week. Stay awesome!