The whizzing of the military jet kept everyone on edge. For one, the noise rattled them deeply. Another factor was simply being off the ground. If man was meant to fly, he would have grown wings. For the soldiers, it was just another ride. However, Naru was not a soldier, and she held on tightly to her seat. The only one from the Hinata dorms who seemed to be comfortable were Sarah and Su. Kitsune didn't want to go through another experience of riding under Nentou's care, and stayed home. Nentou sat in the pilot chair working the various knobs and switches. The bay was rather quiet. Naru noticed how Keitaro was more silent than the rest.
Since he exited his room wearing his uniform, the manager hadn't said a word. Keitaro's glasses never fell off even though his eyes remained on his feet. He looked depressed to Naru. "What is he thinking about", Naru wondered. Was he still shaken up by what happened between them? Did Viperous hurt him more than what his body was telling them? Naru wanted to ask the soldier sitting across from her. She wouldn't get the opportunity to...at least not yet.
"We're here", Nentou called over the jet sounds.
Nentou began to hover the military jet, before slowly lowering it to a platform. The girls of Hinata Sou looked out the window to see where they were. They expected another military base, or even a building somewhere. This place was not at all what they expected.
"A cemetary", Mutsumi asked as Nentou cut off the jet power.
"Yeah", Tokui answered.
The bay doors opened for the light to seep through, and the passengers to leave.
"Hey listen", Tokui began. "Why don't you all go ahead, we have some things to take care of."
"Where do we go", Shinobu asked.
"Just follow the trail right here until you reach the end", Shirai pointed to a cement pathway. "We'll catch up to you in a bit."
"Okey dokey", Mutsumi answered being the first to step foot outside.
One after another they left the ship. Naru looked back to Keitaro before she left. They both had a quick glance to each other, but immediately avoided gazes when they both noticed.
Despite what most horror movies portray as cemetaries, this one was rather pleasant. It wasn't dark or creepy like they were told about. The grass was green with no signs of any weeds or dandelions. The head stones were mostly stone with the names engraved with them. There were certain ones made of bronze, or the wording was carved from steel. The group continued down the trail not sure about how far they should go. It wasn't until the road stopped that they knew they had found their destination.
Ahead of them was a large black, roman pillar made of marble. It stood ten feet tall, and if one looked closely they could see names engraved within the stone, along with a picture of each person. Standing on the right side the pillar was Avianna. She was dressed in her best military uniform. There was also someone there they didn't recognize. It was a woman, maybe around her mid twenties. She had silky dark brown hair, and a five-year old girl with matching hair color. Avianna walked to the group just as they approached the pillar.
"You've come to give your blessings", Avianna asked under dark sun glasses.
The truth be told, they didn't know what they were there for. They certainly didn't want to cause any trouble for Keitaro or any of the other soldiers. Motoko agreed with Avianna with a strong, "Yes."
Very well", Avianna said before taking position near the pillar again.
This was something odd for all of them. Since they first met, Avianna had given the impression of being a hard ass. It was one of the characteristics that made her. Yet there was something odd about the way she was behaving. She didn't have that cold shoulder attitude, nor that icy stare that could freeze a lava chamber. It could have been that the glasses hid her stare, but they all knew that wasn't the case. The group turned their attention to the memorial stone. They all focused on the many names and faces of the lost soldiers. As Naru looked throughout the imprints, she felt a tug on her skirt. Naru's vision ran along the skirt, to the tiny hand that held the material.
"It's bad to stand in front of the rock before the boys do", The little girl told her.
Even though this girl was only five, she obviously knew something Naru didn't know. The mother pulled her daughter back to the edge of the path as Naru made the others stand-off to the side. They moved in a nick of time. From the path behind them came the sound of bag pipes. The tune being played was known as "Scotland the Brave". It was a popular musical amongst the military, the police, and the firefighters. Approaching them were the military boys, but they weren't in single file line like they were trained to. In the front was Tokui, while right behind him were Angel and Nentou side by side. The two of them carried red-lit candles. To the rear of Nentou and Angel was Keitaro holding a large flag of Japan. Shadowing him was Han with the bag pipes. Right behind Han, Shirai and Haitani stood side by side playing the drums.
The soldiers marched and played until they reached the marble memorial. Once infront of the stone, Nentou and Angel stood by Tokiui's sides. Keitaro placed the flag pole into a spot specifically designed for it. Hand, Shirai, and Haitani finished the song, then all fell silent.
"We gather here today in both sadness, and pride. For here lay the ashes of once good men and women.
Tokui began to read the names off of the pillar out loud.
"Amellia...Asuma...Borris...Carter...Chikai...Chuundar...Cinder...Esteban...Fuma...Ganshou...Gin...Goku...Inder...Irie..."
Han lowered his head, as the last name mentioned was his friend.
"Kasai...Kasidy...Kasumi...Keenai...Kikai...Koushoku...Leon...Lotus...Masuka..."
Naru noticed how Keitaro flinched when he heard the name Masuka.
"...Metaru..."
Once again, Keitaro flinched. It felt as if a dagger had been thrown into his heart cavities.
"Midas...Mizu...Mulan...Niiro...Raikou...Raphael...Rocky...Scott...Shane...Simon..."
Not only did Keitaro feel pain when Tokui mentioned Simon's name, the woman with the child felt the dagger too.
"Subeta...Taiyo...Tanya...Tokugawa...Tsuchi...Tsuki...and Yoroi. We honor their names on this day, to remember them for tomorrow. Let us not forget what they have taught us, the memories they have given us, what they have left behind for us. Their souls have all but passed through, so we can exist her. So long as we remember them, honor them, and always love them...They will never be truly gone."
Angel and Nentou placed their candles at the foot of the memorial. Their small flickers of flame continued to burn on...just like the sorrow that flickered within them.
After the ceremony, very little was spoken of. What could any of them say? Death has a hard thing to deal with, especially when it was someone you held dear. Nentou sat back in the pilot's seat waiting for everyone to enter. Keitaro and Tokui had yet to leave Avianna and the woman with a child. The five people seemed to be in deep conversation, and no one wanted to be the rude nuisance called interruption.
"Are you okay Yuuyake", Avianna asked the woman.
"Yes, I'm fine" she responded while wiping tears away from her eyes.
"How are you doing", Tokui questioned her. "Are you financially steady, do you need anything?"
"No I'm fine", She sniveled a little bit. "Simon, Simon made sure we were taken care of...incase...incase something like this happened."
Yuuyake put on a small smile. It was ment to hide her tears and her sorrow, but Keitaro knew this. It was the same strategy he used to play when he was sad.
"I'm...I'm sorry I couldn't save him Yuuyake", Keitaro apologized to her. "If only I was stronger."
"Please, don't apologize", Yuuyake told him. "You did nothing wrong, you weren't responsible. Simon knew the danger of being in the military, but he made sure everything was taken care of before he left. He wouldn't like to know that you were still upset about his death."
"Yeah, daddy would be sad if you were sad", The young innocent girl told him.
Keitaro couldn't help but sadly smile at her. She had that same effect the memories of his promise girl gave him. Looking at her, Keitaro felt good about himself. He knelt down to her eye level.
"You're right, I'm sorry for being sad Hinode", Keitaro said to her.
"It's okay", Hinode said as she poked his nose. "You just remember to be happy."
It was something he was having trouble doing lately. It wasn't a hard request, in fact it was rather simple. However, sometimes the simplest things were the hardest. For as long as he could remember, Keitaro could never break a promise to a little girl.
"Okay, I'll try to be happy", Keitaro said in a soft tone.
The four people said their good byes while Naru watched them exit the cemetary in their own ways. Avianna left in her military jeep. Yuuyake buckled Hinode in her seat before driving off. Keitaro said some words to Tokui that no one could hear due to the distance between them. The conversation ended with a hug between the two gentleman. The group became concerned when Tokui entered the ship without Keitaro.
"Where is Keitaro", Su asked the captain as he buckled himself in.
"He's not coming with us."
"What why, we can't just leave him here", Naru said as she tried to unbuckle herself.
Kanako seized Naru's hand. She stopped moving as she watched Kanako shake her head.
"Let him be, this day is especially hard on him."
"Why is that", Mutsumi said across the room.
It turns out the whole ship was listening in on the conversation, even with the sounds of the engine.
"Today is the day that most of the ERT were murdered. We lost some good people that day...But Keitaro didn't just lose his friends and his girlfriend on that day, he also lost...
Keitaro wandered around in the cemetary. No one else was around, which made him feel lonely. There was a difference between being alone, and being lonely. Right now, Keitaro was just lonely. He continued to follow the trail, finally stopping at a single head stones. The boy dropped to his knees as if he had been walking for days. A sorrowful smile slipped to Keitaro as he rubbed the two engraved names.
"Hi Mom...Hi Dad."
Keitaro pulled out a small white candle from his pocket before lighting it with a match.
"I know I haven't visit you in a while. It's just that...well...You know how I am with cemetaries."
Keitaro signed as he looked back to the gave. He felt as if his parents were right there in front of him.
"I uh, I joined the military", Keitaro had conversation with his long passed parents. "It's okay. It's not easy, but it works for me. It keeps me in shape, and it helps pay the bills. I was having some financial problems for a while. Not too surprising huh?"
Keitaro tried to chuckle off the last sentence, just in case they were listening to him from the other side.
"But I'm better now. I moved back in with Aunt Haruka. She let's me stay there so long as I do the manager stuff. Haruka is fine, she got married. I never thought I'd see the day. The guy's name is Seta, he's a pretty good guy. He has a daughter too, her name is Sarah. She can be a handful at some times, but she's not a bad girl. This guy Seta is an archeologist, and a teacher. He was a, he was Kitsune and Naru's teacher."
Keitaro trailed off when he mentioned Naru's name.
"Speaking of Naru...We've uh...We've been kinda having some problems."
Keitaro remained silent as if he was going to get an answer back from them. His response was most likely close to what his parents would have asked him.
"No I'm not dating her Mom! We're not together!...I guess it's mainly my fault...Yeah I know she pushed me away Dad!...Call me crazy but I gave her another chance...I know she used to hit me a lot, and I know she hurt me bad...But still..."
Keitaro stood on his feet as he looked back to the stone that read his parents' names.
"...When I'm with her, she makes me feel...I don't know how to describe it. Whatever it is, I haven't felt that way since I was with Masuka."
The boy looked off to some random tree, to avoid gazing at the invisible eyes of the stone.
"That's where things get complicated. I still think about Masuka from time to time."
He shook his head while digging his nails into his scalp.
"Aaaww, I don't know what's wrong with me Dad! I don't know why I can't let go of her. Maybe I'm just too attached to the women I meet...Especially you Mom. Ever since I was little, I couldn't break a promise to a girl. Just look at that girl I met from all those years ago. I never remembered her name, and I still kept that promise to her...No I uh, I haven't gotten into Tokyo University yet. With all the military business I never made time to take another exam."
Keitaro let his mind do the parent's talking, while his mouth made his own speech.
"In all honesty, I still do want to go to Tokyo University...It's a good school, and there's always the chance of meeting her again. I know my chances are slim, but a chance is a chance."
Keitaro looked to the tiny light flutter over the wax.
"I have to get going, I need to take care of some things...Yes Dad, I'll go check on the sweet shop for you...Okay Mom, I'll give Haruka a hug for you."
Keitaro leaned down to the top of the head stone as he placed two gentle kisses on it.
"I love you Mom, I love you Dad."
Keitaro slowly walked down the trail from which he came from. He looked back and waved to the spot, almost as if he could see them. No one was there, Keitaro knew that, but it was simple not easy for Keitaro to let go.
So the friends Nentou said they would meet, were the remainder of the ERT. It took me forever to come up with all those names on the pillar. Just to let you all know, I don't plan on writing about each and every one of them. But don't worry, I'll tell you more about the remainder ERT that are alive. I'm not sure how Japan honors their military, so I tried something from what I know about the U.S. military, and threw in some Japanese blend. (I hope I didn't offend anyone in the military. If I did, I'm very sorry). To clarify, Keitaro's parent's death wasn't involved with the military, it was just a coincidence that it all happened on the same day. I'll probably explain more of that later. As an end note, someone pointed out that I mentioned the dorms were still girls only. I apologize for the typo. Kanako DID change it back to a hotel. That was a mistake I made. I'll fix this when I finish the fic, and when I edit all the spelling. Oh but don't think this story is near the end. There is still much to happen.