Chapter 36: Chapter 36

A few days later, my mom wakes up to a cacophony of voices. Her eyes snap open, and she sits up in bed, her gun clutched in her hand.

The ground beneath her trembles, and the quiet of the room is shattered by the sound of bombs detonating. It’s a sound my mom knows all too well.

Not caring about her lack of proper clothing, she yanks on her boots and bolts out of the room, her gun gripped tightly in her hand. As she enters the tunnel, the voices grow louder.

She runs toward them. She bursts into the main hall and skids to a stop. The hall is packed with Resistant soldiers. They’re all riled up, dressed in Perfect uniforms, their weapons loaded and ready.

On the stage, my mom can see the mayor and Roy. Next to them, three men are kneeling. They’re also dressed in Perfect uniforms, but it’s clear they’re not Perfects.

They’re scouts, tall and blond, so they can pass as Perfects from afar. Their guns have been discarded, and their heads are bowed.

The ground shakes again as another bomb drops. The Resistant soldiers roar in anger. My mom notices the Kagegun men standing near the stage. They’re in their black uniforms, weapons in hand.

The Mayor flails his arms and yells for quiet. After a moment, the hall falls silent. Everyone listens to the city above. The mayor quickly starts issuing battle orders.

The kneeling men are scouts from another Resistance city further north. They were ambushed by Perfects, and they’re the only survivors. They ran here for safety, but it seems they were followed.

There’s an army of Perfect soldiers combing through the ruined city above them, sifting through the rubble to find the Resistant men.

Sanoske whispers something to Haruhiko, who takes off, weaving through the Resistant soldiers and heading for the exit tunnel of Resistance. The mayor is firing questions at a general.

“Are there any planes or helicopters? I hear bombs, but are there tanks? How many did you count?” he bellows. The general answers as quickly as he can.

“Either way, we can’t hide down here,” Roy says. “They’ll just bomb a hole into us, and we won’t have any defense.”

“If we attack now, and hard, we’ll have the element of surprise on our side. My men and I will attack from different angles. We’ll surround them and cut off their escape. No one can escape,” Sanoske says, his voice dark.

The mayor and Roy look at him, wide-eyed. “Will you fight for us?” Roy asks. Sanoske presses his lips together.

“I’ll fight for Resistance and to kill Perfects, but my men follow my orders and my orders only. This is an alliance,” Sanoske replies.

During all this, my mom has been inching closer to the mass of soldiers. Above her, the ground trembles and bits of dirt fall into her hair.

“Get the men organized, General. I want this done quickly and efficiently. Remember,” the mayor says, glancing at Sanoske, “there can’t be any survivors.”

My mom watches the soldiers, her eyes wide. They’re itching for a fight, ready to defend Resistance and their loved ones. They’re angry and excited at the same time, eager to fight some Perfects, to kill some Perfects.

But it’s a dangerous mission. My mom knows this. If even one Perfect escapes, all of Resistance will be in danger.

The hall echoes with the heavy footsteps of the Perfects above. The city has never been so alive, and yet my mom knows that in a few hours, it’s going to be silent again, as silent as death.

Perfects are going to die, and Resistant soldiers too. Instinctively, my mom moves through the crowd of soldiers toward the mayor. The Resistant soldiers watch her in surprise.

“Please,” she says. The mayor turns to look at her in surprise. She locks eyes with Sanoske for a moment but quickly looks away, back to the mayor. Roy hovers behind him, wide-eyed.

“Please. Can’t you take the Perfects as prisoners? Or lead them further away? There doesn’t have to be a war. There doesn’t have to be death,” she says.

The mayor looks at her in disbelief. “Are you trying to save the Perfects?” he roars at her.

“There doesn’t have to be so much death!” she fires back.

“This is disgusting! Girl, remember what the Perfects did to you and go back to bed. This is no place for a girl, especially dressed like that,” he snarls.

My mom stands her ground. “Please,” she repeats.

“Sanoske!” the mayor bellows. “Get your woman away from me!”

“Father!” Roy steps closer to my mom, but Sanoske is faster. He grabs my mom’s wrist and pulls her away.

“Let go of me,” she hisses at him. The Kagegun men follow behind.

Sanoske stops, still gripping her wrist tightly. His eyes are blazing with anger, and he glares down at her.

“I told you not to show affection to Perfects,” he snaps at her. “You may have just ruined your only chance of a life here!”

My mom glares back at him. “How can I worry about that when you’re about to go out and kill all of my kin!” she hisses back.

Sanoske’s eyes flash with anger. “Your kin? If they’re your kin, then why don’t you go out there and fight for them?”

“How dare you?” she retorts.

“You know, if you like the Perfects so much, why did you ever leave them in the first place? What are you doing down here? Pretending to have a life with Roy? That’s never going to work out.

“You’re a Perfect. Perfects don’t belong here!” he snarls. My mom flinches at his words. Kazuya steps forward, a deep frown on his face. “Sano,” he says.

“My mom and Sanoske lock eyes, a silent battle of wills. After a tense moment, Sanoske sighs. ‘Go back to bed. The mayor was right. You shouldn’t be here,’ he tells her.

“But my mom’s not one to back down. ‘If you’re going to fight for the Resistance, I’m coming with you,’ she insists. Sanoske blinks at her, then frowns.

“‘No, you’re not,’ he says. ‘You’ll just get in the way. My men and I can’t afford the distraction. You could get hurt.’ His face softens. ‘That would be inconvenient,’ he adds.

“‘Inconvenient?’ my mom snaps. Sanoske’s lips tighten, and he snaps back, ‘I don’t have time for this, Alex.’

“With a final glare at Sanoske, my mom turns and marches off to the training center. The Kagegun men turn away, returning to the Resistance soldiers to prepare for the surprise attack.

“When my mom comes back, she’s carrying a bow and arrows from the training weapons. It’s heavier than the ones she’s used before, not as well made.

“It’s been years, but as she snaps the arrow into place and pulls the string back to her mouth, she’s flooded with memories. The joy of shooting arrows, the thrill of daily practice.

“She focuses on her aim. She doesn’t need to, but she doesn’t want to miss. When she releases the arrow, the string vibrates, sending a familiar thrill through her body.

“She lowers the bow, watching her arrow fly. It arcs up, then falls straight, slicing through the tassels holding Sanoske’s sword to his hip.

“He jumps back in surprise. His sword clatters to the ground, and the arrow buries itself in the earth. The room goes quiet.

“Slowly, every head turns toward my mom. Some look shocked, others disgusted. The Kagegun stare in awe, grins splitting their faces.

“Sanoske, though, glares at her. He picks up his sword and her arrow, then walks toward her. It feels like an eternity.

“My mom watches him, her heart pounding from the thrill of the shot, the delight of hitting her target. But now Sanoske is closing in.

“For a moment, he towers over her, his dark eyes unreadable. Then, in one swift movement, he knocks the bow from her hand and rips the arrows from her back.

“She gasps in surprise, but he doesn’t give her time to recover. In a flash, he hoists her onto his shoulder and marches off. My mom struggles, but it’s no use. Sanoske’s grip is too tight.

“He dumps her on the floor in the training room and crouches down to face her. His eyes are dark, unreadable, cold. They bore into hers.

“She glares back, but her heart is racing and her cheeks are flushing. She’s never seen this look on him, this anger, this frustration. Or even scarier, this indifference.

“For the first time in a long time, her original fear of him returns. His foreign face, everything about him is wrong. Everything about him is dangerous. He’s calm and poised but cold and uncaring.

“And my mom is speechless. She suddenly understands what Kazuya had told her. She understands how Kazuya must have watched Sanoske lose all hope and become a demon on the battlefield.

“Bloodthirsty and lethal, cutting down everyone in his path, unstoppable, desiring only to kill and be killed. To die and return to her. Return to Mei. A woman he’s never forgotten, that he never will.

“‘Stay here. Don’t leave. You’re safe here. Down that tunnel,’ Sanoske says, pointing to the overturned train in the corner of the training room.

“‘Down there is a tunnel. It hasn’t been used for a long time, but it leads to the surface. If you hear anything coming down here, any Perfects, you run. Don’t come looking for anyone else. Forget about us and run.’

“His eyes soften, and my mom can see his concern again. She stares at him, wide-eyed, and nods. He nods once, then stands up and turns to leave.

“‘Sanoske,’ she calls after him, scrambling to her feet. He turns to look at her. ‘Come back,’ she says.

“‘I’ll be back. Don’t leave here until I’m back,’ he orders, then spins on his heel and rushes off.”

“Did they survive the Perfect attack?” the journalist asks.

A hint of a smile plays on the man’s lips. “Yes. The battle lasted a few hours. The Kagegun men were the pawns. By choice. They lured about a hundred Perfect soldiers into a wide tunnel.

“The Resistance attacked from behind and wiped them out. The ones who had stayed above ground were taken out by the Kagegun men.

“There were no Perfect survivors. The Resistance soldiers and Kagegun men made sure of that.”

“And your mother waited in the training center?”

“She paced for a while, then went back to the main hall. It was bustling with people. No shops were open, the factories had stopped, the mirrors were dark, and everyone was silent.

“They all knew the danger one sound could cause. She picked up the bow and arrows again. She liked the feel of them on her arms.

“She waited with the other Resistance members, though not as patiently, for the soldiers to return. They listened to the screams of death, they shuddered as bombs exploded.

“My mom paced furiously. She didn’t want to think, she wanted to be up there with them. She hated death and hated fighting, but the Kagegun men were up there fighting, and she felt she should be there too. For them.

“After what feels like forever, the battle finally quiets down. For a few minutes, everything is silent. The soldiers, the Resistants, everyone is holding their breath. The city falls quiet again.

“Then, the sound of approaching footsteps. But it’s not the Perfect soldiers. It’s the Resistant soldiers, returning to the main hall. They’re covered in dirt, blood, and ashes. Their eyes are wide with shock, but also joy.

“Relieved cries greet them. A few men are quickly carried off to the medical wing in the army tunnel. Their families and friends trail behind, crying.

“When my mother sees the first Kagegun soldier, her heart tightens and tears stream down her face. It’s Saito. He’s carrying his two short blades.

“They’re covered in blood. He’s covered in blood. He’s moving slowly. She runs to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. He hugs her back. She can feel him trembling against her.

“Saito, one of the biggest of the Kagegun men, easily one of the most lethal, is crying in her arms. And she understands why. She strokes his hair softly, holding him tightly.

“It’s all she can do for him, but it’s the best thing for him. Jun and Takeshi follow, and then Sakurako, Masaru, and Akira appear, coated in blood and ashes but looking well.

“They all gather around my mother. They speak in Japanese, telling their side of the battle, how many they killed, and how the Perfect always squealed before they were stuck.

“My mother steps away from them. Her heart is racing, and she’s staring at the tunnel. Resistant soldiers are still appearing, but they’re thinning. The Kagegun men grow quiet behind her.

“Then they appear. Sanoske and Kazuya are supporting Haruhiko’s limp body between them. Blood is streaming down his face. His feet are dragging on the earth. My mother lets out a cry and rushes to them.”