Chapter 16: "The Day is Yours to Take"
Our squad was down to a group of 8. All were men. And because we were men, that meant that we were humans. And as we were humans, we were vaguely familiar with the process known as 'childbirth.' But we were also men, so we never really needed to worry about it, unless our significant other were to carry our offspring.
Even then, men never experienced the struggle that is childbirth: the pain, the exhaustion, the sheer force of life finding its way.
It was nearly midnight.
Probably.
It was hard to tell exact times, the only person sophisticated enough to have a watch was the resident Brit, Corporal Benson. Unfortunately, the made-in-China Rolex knockoff was shattered to pieces when Benson fell trying to avoid a sniper.
5 of us were huddled around a small fire. The atmosphere was tense, you could see it in their eyes.
"You find anything good, Sarge?" Takuya asked.
I snapped the book in my hands shut. It was a small thing, about 4 centimeters in width and 5 in height. It was a thick paperback with tiny English text. In this country, this was the only source of literature that I came across. From what I was told, everything else was either burned for censorship, or used as kindling to keep the fires going in poor villages.
"Well, this Christian Bible isn't exactly giving me a step by step guide to obstetrics. I would hazard that it's a poor substitute for a medical textbook," I sarcastically said.
I had read this book nearly a hundred and ten times. The charcoal marks on the back cover kept track of each front to back complete read. It also kept me sane by keeping me aware of the passage of days. I'm starting to be able to recall entire passages in English as well. So that's another plus, I guess.
"Although it does make for great drama." I added in edgewise.
"Of course." Benson agreed, nodding his head slowly. "How can we forget about the greatest performers of Western civilization? The Father, the Son, and the Holy MacGuffin."
"Uhh…" Danny, who was sitting off to my side looked nervous. "Lets tone it down a bit. We need all the luck we can get. Don't want to gamble it, should Mr. Lord-Up-High exist. Not that I'm religious, or superstitious, or anything…"
"So, you're just stupid then? Good to know you're learning some self-awareness, Danny." I quipped, the joke causing chuckles to erupt among the group.
We went silent as we heard a shriek. It wasn't loud, but it was clear.
"Gosh." Whispered Danny as he wiped the sweat off his brow, despite it being rather cool this evening. "I feel like my stomach's doin backflips. And it's not even mine!"
"Where's the husband?" Asked one of our rifleman, Abid, a soldier from Bangladesh who had been on a tour of duty with the UN Peacekeeping forces.
"With the mother, and the Doc," I said and tilted my head in the direction of a small thatched hut. It had slim windows that let out an orange light from the few chemical lights we had. No expense was spared for the ordeal at hand.
"Really makes you think." Benson drawled as he shoved another piece of wood into the flames and stokes the fire. "My mother said that my father was the one who was a crying mess when I was coming out."
"Sounds like an alright lad." Abid responded with an amused smile.
"Dad's a good bloke." Benson shrugged and stares into the flames, as if the flickering light and heat were showing some memory of a better past. "But I've just been wondering what I'll be like when it's my turn to sit through it."
"You're expecting?" I asked, a bit surprised.
"Nah." Benson shook his head ruefully. "Got married and all, wife's over in Gloucester. No kids yet."
"You're married, Benson!?" Danny asked in amazement.
"Why do you sound so surprised?" Benson frowned. "I'm 30, you muppet. The right-hand can only do the job for so long."
"Danny doesn't even have a girlfriend yet." I smirked, and enjoyed Danny's troubled expression. "Probably wondering what your secret is."
Benson closed his eyes and nodded slowly, seemingly having understood all that could be conveyed in my single sentence. "I can't be the only person with a girl. I know Abid has an arranged marriage coming up in a year or two. What about you Sarge?"
"As if." I snorted loudly. "No time, no hope."
Danny sniggered. "You're right about that Sarge. Which girl would be crazy enough to go out with you?"
"None apparently. At least I know the world still has some sane people left."
"Yeah?" Benson asked dubiously. "Then what was that picture you dropped the other day? Those two pretty ladies just friends?"
"I thought we swore to pretend that didn't happen!?" I exclaimed, feeling betrayed. I have shoved that photo of the last meeting of the Service Club deep within my pack along with another photo of my family. Komachi also slipped one of Kamakura in without my knowledge. Can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss that fat furball.
"That so?" Benson whistled innocently, his eyes looking everywhere but at me. "My mistake, must of slipped this old noggin of mine. What about you Takuya? You got a lass waiting for you back home?"
"Yes, I do." Takuya responded simply. "Keiko has been my girlfriend for about three years now. I met her before I started basic training. I was supposed to be home for her birthday."
'Before this happened' was the part left unsaid, but was also unneeded.
"Shiet." Danny cursed, leaning backward and crossing his legs as he stretched. "How do you think she's holding up?"
"I don't have any idea. We've never really had large issues in our relationship, so I could never see her behavior in those circumstances." Takuya clasped his hands. "She's probably worried. Or she could have assumed I'm dead and moved on."
"Oi, oi, oi," Benson said quickly. "Don't think like that! She'll be waiting there for you, just you wait."
"Thank you, Corporal Benson. But a bit of me hopes that she has. What if I die? I don't want her to be sad. If she's happy with another man in this time, I think that's enough for me… But at the same time I don't want to let her go. Stupid isn't it?"
"Not at all." I chided. "It's understandable. Emotions are complex, and we're creatures of emotions. So we're complex too. In a bad way."
Our conversation died abruptly as we heard the sound of footsteps against the grass, all of us going quiet like school boys in a classroom when the teacher walked in. Five faces turned towards the newcomer, his shadowed form becoming visible when he stepped into the light of the fire.
It was Doc, the oldest person in our squad. Short dirty-blonde hair and narrow brown eyes set on a face as sculpted and angular as the bust of a Roman Emperor. His facial expression was a severe one, and he looked over us before speaking with the weight I would imagine Caesar's voice must have had when he told his army of his intention to cross the river Rubicon. [1]
"Her water broke, I need someone to help me with the delivery. Which one of you pansies is up for it?"
We're silent, trading looks with one another. It was hilariously ironic, any of these men would be more than willing to place their lives on the line for others and wouldn't hesitate killing the enemy to save their own. However, put them in a situation where they can save a life? They become frozen stiff with fear. I could almost hear the female population scoff, 'Men…'
As much as we pretended to be strong and powerful, the fact was that we were as unsure of our own abilities as we were of the future. No one wanted to be the one to make the mistake. It was not out of selfishness, but out of the insecurity of their capability. They couldn't ensure 100% success, and even if it was 99% to be successful, they would still lose sleep over that 1 in a 100 chance for things to go wrong. They didn't trust that they wouldn't be that 1%.
"I'll do it." I stood up and brushed my pants.
"Thanks, Hikigayam," The Doc says as he turns around to lead me. "We need to get your hands disinfected. Or as disinfected as it can get, I suppose. Come."
I followed the back of the lone medic in our team, Murdoch. His skillset was invaluable, and I would often exclude him from missions simply because I couldn't risk him in any capacity. I also appreciated that he called me by my name. It may be because it felt like he didn't have any expectations of me, and I felt more relaxed around him than anyone else on my squad. Which was a funny thing, because we rarely talked.
The Doc led me behind the house where he had warm water and a bit of soap set up. He had me wash my hands and then dumped them in alcohol for good measure. He opened the door with his elbow before marching in with me trailing after. The thatched hut was small, but everything could be seen because of the lights we had put up. It was also well ventilated.
There was a woman on top of a mattress that was filled with hay. She had a large purple and red gown on with dark stains all over. Her husband sat by with a panicked expression, holding his wife's hand until his knuckles turned white. His face showed relief when the Doc and I came close.
"She's having stronger contractions." Informed the Doc as he walked up to her, he makes eye contact with the mother to be, who nodded back. The Doc reaches down and pulls up the gown, revealing her bare legs and crotch region. I would have been embarrassed were it not for the situation.
The Doc pointed. "Her cervix is starting to expand, she's entering true labor now."
The woman suddenly yelped as her body shuddered, her hand squeezing the fingers of her husband. She screamed some cuss in Sinhalese that I'm familiar with, but have no clue what it meant.
"Is... she in pain?" I asked nervously.
"Pain? Maybe. Her body's going crazy, releasing tons of endorphins right now. Who knows how she's perceiving this shit now."
"O-oh."
"Once the cervix hits 8 or 9 centimeters is when the second stage starts." The Doc fixed me a hard stare. "I'll need your help then. This isn't a hospital, and I have no meds to give her for an epidural. We're doing a natural birth. Just like cavemen."
"..."
"..."
"... is that really an appropriate comparison?"
"... probably not."
The Doc had me lay down blankets beneath the woman in preparation for the trial to come. I waited next to him, watching as he gently asked questions in Sinhalese to the woman and her husband. Understandably, they were afraid. She had become pregnant during the civil war, and with the destruction of the village and the death of many of their family and friends, they weren't sure if it was even possible to give birth while on the run.
They saw this as a miracle, a child being born in this chaos. The father profusely thanked the Doc and I as we waited with him for the delivery, making me feel increasingly self-conscious. But the Doc was stoic as an owl, his eyes never leaving his patient; always asking questions to make sure he was aware of everything.
"Hikigaya." The Doc called my name softly, and I turned to face him.
"Yes?"
"Do you have any siblings?"
The question surprised me momentary, but I answered. "Yes. I have a younger sister."
"That's it? What's the age gap between you two?"
"Two years."
"Ahhh, so you were too young to remember her being born then."
"Guess so. Would they have even allowed a two year old in the waiting room?"
The Doc chuckled wryly. "Probably not. I have a younger sibling, a younger brother. I was 12 when my father remarried, and I was 13 when my stepmother gave birth. I wasn't in the room with my father and her, but I was close enough that I could hear everything."
"... what's it like?"
"Honestly? Terrifying. I had never heard a grownup scream as loudly as she did. Every time I heard her yell, my heart would do jumping-jacks. Her labor lasted an eternity, 7 hours I think. But it all ended when I heard this tiny voice start crying. It was magical."
"Are you and your brother close?"
"I would think so. I haven't seen him in years. He was doing computer science. Kid's good with tech. He broke down the printer in Dad's office to make an RC car. Programmed it himself and everything. I wanted to buy him a new computer with the hazard pay, but who knows now."
"..."
The conversation ended, and I sat back and waited for my duty to come. The silence continued like this for two hours, only broken by the occasional murmur of the Doc or a moan from the pregnant lady.
I could tell when the transition happened. It was marked by the mother suddenly screeching and screaming about how she felt as she was experiencing an earthquake.
"Show time," said the Doc as he moved up and waved for me. "Cervix has gone as far as it can go, prepare for discharge."
"Discharge?" I squeaked. That did not sound pleasant.
Before the Doc can answer, a flood from between the woman's legs landed on the towels. My mind goes blank as my body freezes at the crimson floating on the cloth
All I saw was red.
There was blood.
So much blood.
The screaming of the woman suddenly reminded me of that horrible night, where I heard women screaming and crying just like her before going silent after a round of gunfire. And this happened throughout the night, but all I did was lay down beneath a pile of bodies. They say blood has no smell, but that's a lie. It had a taste, and taste was half determined by smell. Blood smells like copper and salt and—.
"HIKIGAYA!" Roarrf the Doc, causing me to flinch and snap my head in his direction. His eyes were furious and I could see his lips curl back into a feral snarl, as if he was about to bite my head off. "Don't you fucking look away! Don't you fucking DARE!"
"I-I—" I stammered, unable to stop the tremors in my hands, as if I had developed late stage Parkinson's on the spot.
"This isn't like those shithead soldier's you play mind games with! You're not here to shoot at any fucking badguy! We are trying to preserve two lives here, so wake the fuck up and get your head straight! Or God so help me, I will be the one to end you! Die on your own if you want to, don't drag others with you!"
I shook my head rapidly, clenching my fists to stop them from shaking and tried to wipe away the tears trailing down my face. The Doc was right, this wasn't the time. I shouldn't be the one crying or freaking out, there was a mother here trying to give birth.
"Yes." I stood next to the Doc.
"Hold her legs in place." Ordered the Doc firmly. "Her contractions are trying to deliver the baby. She's losing feeling in her lower body now, so we could have issues. Don't let them close."
"Understood."
I still winced with every shriek and howl from the mother. The Doc tells her to push occasionally, and she trieD to comply, but I don't know how much she was able to comprehend in the midst of this ordeal. I did my job and kept the legs stable and spread, sometimes having to use a bit of force to do so when she tried to bring her knees together reflexively during her painful bouts. I kept my eyes trailed at the cervix, and soon we see a flash of flesh as a small head seemingly slides out.
The Doc rushes to clean the head, wiping off clear fluids. He reaches in with a finger and seemingly checked it's throat.
"Umbilical cord didn't wrap around the neck. Holy shit, we're lucking out. So far so good. Thank you, fucking God. A smooth delivery so far. Jesus fucking Christ. Sweet mother of fucking Mary. Holy Ghost do your magic." He whispered, his cursing and pleas mixing into the strangest prayer.
The woman's body shuddered once more and she screamed her husbands name, the man's face pale like an apparition as he encouraged his wife as best as he could.
"Shoulders are out! Keep pushing, keep it up! It's almost out! Come on kiddo, you ain't even out of the womb, don't give your Ma a hard time!" Exclaimed the Doc, as he placed his hands near the exposed baby.
With an unnervingly wet pop, the baby came out. Quickly springing into action, the Doc held the newborn by it's stomach and began rubbing it's back. I heard soft whispers from the Doctor as his hands moved in circular motions along its diminutive back.
"Come on, come on. Speak to me, little one. Tell me how pissed you are that we took you out from that nice place. How we pulled you from a warm safe place into this shit hole of a world. Come on, please. You ha—"
And then we heard it. Like the sound of a bell, the infantile wailing of a crying babe echoed throughout the room. The atmosphere was suddenly one of elation as the Doc gently lifted the child and carries it over to it's absolutely exhausted mother.
"It's a girl. She needs skin to skin contact. But I also want her to stay warm, wrap her with some blankets." The Doc told me.
I did so in a heartbeat, and in the process I see him clamp down on the umbilical cord with two pieces of string before using a combat knife that had been disinfected as much as it could to slice the rope of flesh. Separating the connection between mother and child, and symbolising the start of her life. Work was not over yet, as the Doc let me know that the mother had yet to deliver the placenta.
"Brace yourself. It just started to separate" He warned. "Alright Mom, give me one last push."
Within seconds it's out, and a strange smell fills the room. It wasn't a bad scent. But it was something primal, yet comforting. I was reminded of times I couldn't quite put my finger on; a most bizarre sense of nostalgia. I had a silly thought that perhaps I was remembering my own time in my mother's womb, so many years ago. Maybe humans never forgot the comforting presence of that space? Maybe we go through life trying to capture that feeling again? To find that exact smell. To find that exact warmth.
Pfft, as if.
"Hey." Called out the Doc to me. "Come here."
I walked over slowly, and the mother flashed me a tired, but thankful smile. The father gently took the child from the wife's arms and holds it out to me.
"O-oh!" I cradle the bundle of cloth and squirming flesh, noting her red and wrinkled skin. I could feel the heat from her tiny body. I felt the nearly unnoticeable, but unrelenting beat of her heart that barely larger than a walnut. All within a body that was beginning to take over it's own functionality. As if learning to survive the second she left the womb; an almost poetic description of the human condition.
"It's over…" I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "It's finally over…"
"That it is…" Agreed the Doc with a nod of his head. "Good work, Sarge. We'll make a medic out of you yet."
Δ▼Δ
A bird whistled loudly, letting me know I was awake despite my eyelids being fully shut. I slowly let them loose, allowing light to enter my retinas, feeling oddly… at ease. Refreshed almost. Without moving my head I rotated my eyes to look out the window, noting the sun pouring in. A gentle warmth that was very… familiar.
I reached out from under the covers and towards the night table at my bedside, in the process knocking over a yellow paperback book that I had been reading last night. I had made a good amount of progress into "The Conquest of Happiness." My fingertips felt the cold touch of my smartphone's screen. I picked up the metal and glass device and press the lock button to wake it and check the time.
It was 6:55AM.
Carpe diem.
Let's seize the day.
Δ▼Δ
"Which one do you want, Senpai?"
"... there any chocolate frosted?"
"Just one, here you go."
"Thanks, Shiba."
"Don't mention it."
Shiba and I were huddled over a box of donuts in one of the meeting rooms, passing careful gazes over our shoulders to ensure the covertness of this delicate operation. Putting our collective minds together, we managed to find a solution to the coffee issue. We would only bring as many instant coffee bags as we needed per day. The smell would definitely attract some busybodys, but of course you apologize and say that you had but 'one bag that was just used.'
It was genius.
We carefully brewed the coffee, while indulging in the donuts from an open box that was left on the table. I took a thoughtful bite of the multipurpose dessert that could also serve as breakfast and even lunch in a pinch. I swallowed before asking Shiba. "So, we found nothing?"
Shiba blinked at me, and swallowed his chewed food before washing it down with his premium instant coffee. I gave myself a mental pat on the back. Damn, this was such a good idea, why didn't we think of this earlier?
"That's right." He put his cup down on the table. "No blood along the plumbing, no body parts in the sewers. I think it's safe to assume that Aoi Kaito wasn't split and flushed like Melekhina-san."
"Well… if it's not murder, I guess this is easier. As horrible as that sounds."
"I think Senpai's right on that front. Kidnapping is far more difficult than murder. You have to transport the victim; feed them; give them the ability to use the bathroom; and if the perpetrator has a day job or something, that's easily 6 to 8 hours the victim is left unsupervised. Tons more ways for it to go wrong, we just need to wait for that mistake."
"Only a matter of time, huh?" I asked, voicing my thoughts as I took another bite of my donut. I was a bit annoyed that all the sprinkles were bunched together in a small area. Was this an aesthetic choice or a mistake? Either way it wasn't functional enough to be justified.
"Only a matter of time." Shiba agreed.
"Unless Aoi was killed after being kidnapped," I said offhandedly before taking a sip of my own coffee. I hummed as the warm liquid trickled down my throat and filled my body with a comfortable heat.
"Well… that's the worst case scenario. But Aoi is an adult man, not a child." Shiba mulled over the words.
"We don't know the motive." I pointed out. "Unless we count what Saito said."
Shiba grimaced, looking unsure. "... does Senpai believe him?"
"Not a chance." I snorted. "But me believing it or not is irrelevant. I'm human, so I'm fallible. If he can turn up proof, we can assume they silenced Aoi for rule breaking."
The sound of the door swinging open caused both of us to jump and turn around. We were met with the sight of an unusually haggard Detective Hiura. He had a rather dashing blue and black striped tie on.
"Hikigaya! Shiba! I've been looking all over—" The older detectives exclamation ended abruptly as he looked at the foodstuffs in our hands with shocked eyes. "Where'd you get those?"
"Ah, Signals' higher ups had a meeting today. These are the leftovers." Shiba explained innocently.
"Wasn't that meeting not going to end until an hour from now?" Hiura asked in disbelief.
"Seems your intel is outdated, Detective Hiura." I was barely being able to conceal my smug grin.
"The scribe who usually recorded the minutes was out sick, so they decided to shorten the meeting," Shiba said as downs the rest of his coffee. He proceeded to walk over and throw out his paper cup into the recycling bin.
"How did I not hear about this?" Hiura asked to no one in particular.
"You see, Detective." I rested my elbow on Shiba's shoulder. "Shiba here is my reconnaissance silver bullet. Radar, satellite photos, radio, codebreaker, and database all rolled into one. Nothing can top him."
"I heard about it from Morimi-san at the reception." Shiba revealed with a stiff smile.
"Hush, E-767. Do you want to be decommissioned and replaced by UAVs?" I threaten. [2]
"From the secretaries?" Hiura frowns. "Shiba you're a womanizer too?"
"W-WHAT!?" Shiba nearly spat out the donut he was chewing.
"'Too?'" I repeated. Which other riajuu bastard did Hiura hang out with? By that wording, doesn't he mean someone in HQ?
"Well you see, at the last bar meetup, the boys from Burglar— no wait why are we on this topic? I came here to give you guys something." Hiura shook his head, as if trying to refocus himself. "We have another lead in the Aoi disappearance."
He handed over a folder to me, which I quickly unclasped and opened. There was a single black and white photo. It was of low resolution, but despite the graininess I could make out a familiar male silhouette that had a bookbag in hand. It seemed like an apartment complex with doors at uniform distance to one another down a long hall.
"Is this Aoi?" I ask.
"We think so. I found the footage while I was looking for matches with the laundromat stakeout data. It was taken in Ikebukuro."
"Is this all? Any witnesses or police reports?" Shiba asked when I pass the photo over to him for inspection.
"I'm in the process of getting street and traffic camera footage around the complex. Already checked the reports from that, and surrounding precincts. Nothing."
"This feels like a wild goose chase." I sighed, feeling a bit spent just hearing the news. "Why can't we just jump in a car and check out the entire district right now?"
"Senpai, I understand how you feel, but there's a process so that the entire system can work to it's best possible level. Bureaucracy is a necessary evil." Shiba tried to console me.
"Yeah, well. I don't have to like it." I huffed. My words were petulant, but my patience was wearing thin.
"Chief said he's gonna start making those two task forces soon. Maybe by the end of this week." Informed Hiura. "I'll keep you up to date on the Aoi case and the laundromat stakeout."
"We'll do the same about the Ouma case." I promised in return.
I still had that one potential lead. It all depended on whether Saito could come through or not. Hold on, that reminds me...
"Hiura!" I called out to the detective just as he was about to close the door while exiting. The door stopped part way and he looked at me with a questioning look. "Does the word 'Sanctum' mean anything to you?"
"'Sanctum?'" Repeated Hiura, his eyes squinting as he visibly concentrated. "No, can't say it does. Why?"
"No reason, I just heard it myself on the street. Wondering if It was some new gang or whatever. I guess it might be a new video game."
"Oh. It could be, but they haven't done anything yet if they do exist. Haven't heard of a new organized crime ring pop up for a while. You could try Records."
"I see. Sorry for holding you up.".
"Alrighty then. See you two later!"
"Bye, Hiura-san!" Shiba called out.
"Peace…" I held up a hand .
Δ▼Δ
I burst into my apartment, gasping for air like a fish out of water.
The cold air from the climate controlled space was a respite for my sweltering body. Today was the hottest recorded day in August within the past ten years. Absolutely searing sun and humidity that turned the air into tree sap. To make things even worse, there weren't any winds to circulate the sweat off of our bodies. It was an oven on broil out there.
And in this hell, I had attempted to finish up the last of my paperwork I had to submit to Records before the week's end. Progress was slow, but reasonable. I could see an end to the tunnel of labor I had consigned myself to. A 'career' some called it.
What I could not foresee, however, was the actions of Secretary-chan. From the moment I stepped into the building, her eyes wouldn't leave me. A chilling feeling was permanently crawled up my back all day, and it would always originate from the stare from that same bemused female office worker.
I made the first mistake of sitting near her for lunch. I say 'near' but I was a good 3 meters away at a separate table. But I had entered her zone of vision, no longer covered by the fog of war. [3] My table was also empty, inviting Secretary-chan to slam her tray down and sit next to me. Closely sit next to me. Like really uncomfortably near me. Any closer and we'd be joined at the hip.
"Can I help you?"
My second mistake was to acknowledge her presence. This just incensed her to start asking some very strange questions.
"What brought on the change?"
"Oh you wear glasses? You didn't before, did someone get them for you?"
"That's a nice haircut."
"Is there a girl you're seeing now? Is this her work?"
Her friends joined us like fruit flies to a rotting steak. The table filled up with women I had never seen before, all interested in the personal details of my life. As one would expect from the gossip-starved wasteland that was the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
"A friend told me to try it out." I tried to say in an effort to deescalate the talk. This was an absolutely surreal feeling, being on the opposite side of an interrogation for once.
"A girlfriend perhaps?"
My third mistake was to admit I was single. A flurry of excited chatter led me down the rabbit hole of a particular brand of human social phenomenon that I can only describe as 'the Hurricane.' An event where the blathering of unclaimed women stood testimony as their claws grabbed onto their latest comrade (read as 'prey') and pulled them to their lair. The conversation evolved and shifted faster than my antisocial mind could process it.
I was the poor damsel that was surrounded by Mad Hatters.
At some point I found myself agreeing to go to a mixer with a few of them this weekend, potentially my fourth mistake. The harpies left me alive after I made my promise. I quickly grabbed whatever work I had left and quickly went home, eager to regain my normalcy.
Of course that was then, this was now.
Sitting at the dinner table was Rumi, surrounded by papers, open books, and writing utensils.
"I'm home."
"Welcome home."
Ah, the apathetic response with no energy and care that alleviated the irritation from over exposure to human interactions. Rumi, I thank you for your presence.
I removed my jacket and holster, putting away my gun safely before I sat down at the foot of the table, opposite from Rumi. I took out the various forms and reports I had to complete from my work folder. A note from Haruno fell out, one that thanked me for my hard work while also dripping in sarcasm. I would be touched, if I didn't know she was just trying to get a reaction out of me. It worked.
Rumi and I worked in silence, and I noted the serious look on her face as she stared at a paper with her pen hovering above it.
"How's school going?" I asked.
"Fine." Her face never left the paper. I'm not satisfied with this response. Alright, time for a more provocative question.
"You still have your friends?
Her head snapped up angrily. "Of course I do!"
"Sorry, sorry. Just checking." I apologized quickly and without any remorse. Not like she'd believe it anyway. "I just wanted to make sure you were enjoying your 'youth'."
"Hachiman… does anyone tell you how annoying you are?"
"Annoying? I'm sorry for being concerned with your social capabilities."
"That's rich. Coming from someone who has few acquaintances and even fewer friends." Her eyes widened momentarily, as if she just remembered something vital. "Ah, sorry. I meant 'no friends.'"
"Okay, that sounds familiar. Too familiar. You need to stop hanging out with Yukinoshita this instant. She's turning you against me!"
"You're being weird, Hachiman…"
Our dramatically blank faces broke down, and we shared a grin as we returned back to our work, a comfortable silence befalling the two resident loners as they chipped away at their tasks. Half an hour became an hour, and I noticed that Rumi was still occupied on the same paper she was when I sat down.
"You having trouble there?"
"I guess…"
"What is it?"
"Future career survey."
What melancholy words… they brought up some rather unpleasant memories. Like a certain middle aged teacher who ridiculed my desire to be the patriarch of the family from home, welcoming my wife from her work as I took care of the kids. Tch, such a wonderful world could not be realized because of bias.
Damn you, society!
"No idea what to put? You haven't given it a thought yet?"
"It's not that I don't have an idea about it..." She trailed off and looks away nervously. "But…"
"But…?" I repeated trying to elicit the response out of her.
"... promise you won't laugh?"
"Sure."
"... I want to do something… where I can protect justice…" A blush adorned her face adorably as she fiddled with her hands. "Just like Dad, Uncle Kenji… and you."
It took a moment for me to digest the most unlikely words to have ever come out of her mouth.
"Heh heh." I started chuckling which became gleeful laughter. "Ha ha! What's up with that anime-like answer?"
Her face erupted red like a volcano. "Stupid Hachiman!" She started throwing her pencil case and erasers at me in rage.
"I think that's a great idea." Still laughing, I covered my head with my arms to protect myself from the projectiles fired from Mt. RumiRumi. "Just not too sure if it's a good idea to have me as a role model."
"Nope!" She stuck out her tongue at me. "You're actually the role model for what not to be if I want to be a useful member of society."
"Oi… cheeky brat."
At that moment the apartment door opened and a harried Yukinoshita entered, arms completely covered in plastic bags filled with groceries.
" " Welcome home." " Rumi and I greeted in unison.
This seemed to catch Yukinoshita off guard, as she stared at us with wide eyes before blinking and giving us a cautious smile. "Y-yes! I-I'm home. Thank you."
I got up to help her, and took some bags from her hands and carried them into the kitchen. I began to put away the items before I noticed the sheer quantity of the stuff she had brought.
"A lot of things you got here. What's the occasion?"
Yukinoshita blinked at me before cocking her head and giving me a pointed look, confusion evident on her face. "Your birthday is tomorrow… is it not?"
"What?"
I'm dumbfounded and quickly turned my head to look at the wall clock that had the date on it. My eyes scanned the LCD screen and confirmed that it was indeed August 7th. The day before my birthday.
"Oh yeahhhh…"
Yukinoshita sighed and rubbed her forehead. I actually felt kind of embarrassed by her reaction.
"Shizuka told you yesterday." Rumi grumbled. "She said that she wanted to do something."
"I have no recollection of this." My stomach dropped, and I'm suddenly feeling like I made a colossal error.
My answer set Rumi off, as her obvious anger rose proportionally with her voice. "Shizuka called Komachi and Isshiki! They're coming over to celebrate your birthday! You said that it was fine while you were on your phone!"
Ah… to think I had made the fourth mistake yesterday.
'Listening-Without-Needing-To-Listen' was one of my 108-Loner Skills that allowed me to pay attention to conversations while being preoccupied. By having a set of predetermined responses to certain types of questions I could speed through a conversation without having to engage fully.
The fatal flaw of this technique was that sometimes it would backfire spectacularly in certain circumstances. Like this one.
"Hiratsuka-sensei asked me to cook for the party," Yukinoshita says as she inspects a tomato with elegant fingers.
"Excuse me?" I asked dumbfounded. "Where is this party going to be held?"
Yukinoshita and Rumi shared a blank look before turning to me and answering in unison.
" "Right here." "
Arc 1: "Detective Hikigaya Hachiman"
References:
[1] The river Rubicon was used to mark the border between Italy and Cisalpine Gaul during the time of Ancient Rome. The law at the time forbade any acting general from marching past this river unless given permission. However, Caeser's authority and chance at power was being cut down by the Senate, and he ordered his Legions to march on Rome. He famously said "Alea iacta est" ("The die has been cast"). Shortly afterwards, Caesar was declared Dictator for Life.
[2] E-767 is a reference to the E-767 AWACS, the plane the Japanese Self Defense Force's fields that serves as their airborne warning and control system (thus the acronym . It has a rotodome on its back that produces a pulse-Doppler radar. UAV is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, or a plane controlled remotely like in a video game. These have been acting as reconnaissance planes for the past decade, since it can spy with little risk for pilot safety. It has also been caught in controversy, where armed UAVs hit civilian areas because of misidentified targets.
[3] A reference to Starcraft II mechanic (which is an appropriation of the military term). A player that does not have a friendly unit in a location will see that area covered in a gray fog, and so lack any sort of ability to glean intel from it.
Author's Note:
This is a prelude to the special birthday chapter. A lot of things have been going on as of late. Seeing the process of pregnancy and the struggles my sister went through at my current age (where I actually understood things) got me philosophical. It was what inspired the first-scene: a flashback in Sri Lanka. I had wanted to have a scene where it was a happy outcome as well as a learning moment for Hachiman. While he suffered in the jungles, he also witnessed some amazing things. I also took it as an opportunity to flesh out some of the squad Hachiman operated with. I hope you all enjoyed it.
Special thanks to Sabel-Pixel who proof-read and double checked the accuracy of the portrayal of childbirth. Second scene is just me poking fun at the stereotype in America that the police are donut-eating fiends. It's a setup for events to come. I Decided we needed a bit more Rumi, and I wanted to express that she has future goals and aspirations herself. Dreams that are influenced by the people close to her whom she idolizes or respects. We shall see more of this… eventually.
We finally broke 100k words! Thank you to all my readers and to my editors Lord of Admirals 412 and Xynovitch.
Special thanks to my longtime friend, editor, and muse: XioKenji. He's left the writing team to handle IRL matters and I wish him the best of luck and my eternal gratitude. "Unmade" would have never seen the light of day without his encouragement and support. Thank you!
-SouBU
(Editors: XioKenji; Lord of Admirals 412; Xynovitch)
Revision Log:
03/17/2020: Re-uploaded with overhaul of tenses and changes in word choice and sentence structure as well as major grammar fixes. Edited author's note to be more succinct.