Chapter 42: Chapter 42

I'm deep in sleep, completely at peace. The sound of cheerful voices and laughter, along with the unmistakable aroma of frying eggs, rouses me.

My eyes snap open and for a moment, I'm disoriented. I see the Kagegun men gathered around a small gas cooker, bantering over the eggs.

The sight warms my heart. Haruhiko is doubled over with laughter, clutching his stomach. Saito is busy stuffing his face, while two Resistant soldiers look on, munching on dry crackers.

As I stir in the sleeping bag, I quickly realize that Sanoske is missing. Propping myself up on my elbow, I scan the room. I spot him in a corner behind the decrepit air conditioner, deep in conversation with Kazuya and the Master.

Their expressions are serious. Sanoske is still shirtless. I watch him, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword, his dark hair falling into his eyes.

He glances at me briefly, then back at the Master. Then back at me. A wide smile breaks across his face. My heart starts to pound, and all I want is to be in his arms.

It seems he feels the same because he immediately starts striding toward me. I scramble out of the sleeping bag and stand up, still wearing his shirt.

In no time, he’s standing before me. He hesitates for a moment, then wraps his arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug.

The breath rushes out of me, and I wrap my arms tightly around his neck. I want to leap up, wrap my legs around him, feel his hands on mine.

But the Kagegun men are watching us, and I hear Saito laughing at a joke Takeshi just told.

Sanoske doesn’t release me quickly. His face buries into my neck, and I feel his lips pressing soft kisses against my throat. It sends shivers through my body.

“I hope you slept well,” he murmurs as he sets me down.

I nod up at him. “I did.”

“Do you want to eat?”

“Please.” I grin at him, and he wraps his arm around my shoulders, leading me to the small cooker.

There, I pull away from him and run into Saito’s wide-open arms. He lifts me up and spins me around. Then it’s Haruhiko’s turn, his eyes sparkling as he gives me a tight hug. Then it’s Akira and Tsubasa.

I’m passed around, hugged tightly by all the Kagegun men until I find myself standing in front of Kazuya. His dark eyes meet mine. There’s frustration and sadness behind them. I try not to think about why, even though I know.

When I hold my arms out, he wraps his around me and lifts me up. He pulls me to his chest forcefully.

“Be careful,” he whispers.

“He won’t hurt me,” I reply quietly as he sets me down.

Kazuya seems to doubt my words, but he doesn’t respond.

“Alex.”

I turn at the sound of Sanoske’s voice. He’s squatting by the cooker, holding a plate piled high with crackers and two eggs. He smiles at me, and I can’t help but smile back.

***

“They packed up quickly and moved out of the ruin soon after. It was nighttime again, and the bright moonlight lit up the ruined city.

“They were at the city’s edge. Before them, my mother could see a vast stretch of gray land littered with rubble, and the huge, gaping holes left by bombs.

“They had outfitted her with parts of a Perfect uniform. A gray shirt from Sanoske, a pair of pants Haruhiko had grabbed as a spare, a jacket from Kazuya, and boots from one of the Resistant soldiers who didn’t fit into them.

“There weren’t any helmets, but since her hair was Perfect blond, the Kagegun’s dark hair needed more concealing. She was somewhat annoyed that her gun and other belongings had apparently vanished.

“She would miss those running shoes the most. Perfect boots were definitely too big for her and restricted her movements.

“She started off walking with the Kagegun between Kazuya and Haruhiko, who told her about the time in Resistance when she was imprisoned. Things had drastically deteriorated.

“The high alert had most of the commerce shut down, lights out in most parts of the city except the farming areas, no school, and a growing desire to see her and the Master executed.

“There had been no doubts in the minds of the Resistants that she and the Master had been working together. They had planned a public execution for her.

“Sanoske had decided to break the alliance with Resistance and kidnap her and the Master in the middle of the night. They had no friends left in Albion.

“After a while, she couldn’t keep up with them, and Kazuya knelt down so she could climb onto his back. He carried her for a while, then it was Saito, then Takeshi.

“The Kagegun took turns carrying her, as they had done before. They moved quickly, silently, sticking to the shadows, following the lay of the land, aiming for the cities and avoiding open plains as much as possible.

“My mother cringed when she heard the droning of Perfect planes overhead. The Kagegun would huddle down and camouflage themselves in the gray landscapes.

“They dragged the Master along with them, tied up with a gag in his mouth. He stumbled along, slowly and silently, always glaring at my mother. She did her best to ignore him.

“Toward dawn, my mother was huddled on Akira’s broad back. He moved through the Kagegun to the front. Sanoske had stopped walking. My mother lifted her head and looked out in front of her.

“The landscape before her took her breath away. She had never seen something so beautiful. She pushed herself off Akira’s back and ran ahead of the Kagegun.

“Before her was the ocean. Wide, dark in some places, but growing brighter with the golden, pink, purple sunrise.

“Around her, the salty ocean wind had blown away the ashes from the ground, and hard, twisted blades of grass grew. To her left, great white cliffs jutted out from the ocean waves, as if they had been cut by hand.”

***

I feel like I can barely breathe. The air is thick with humidity; salt and wind blow fiercely into my face. There’s a great roaring sound. I sink to my knees, my eyes stinging.

Tears stream down my face, warm and heavy. My body is covered in goosebumps. The ocean.

The stories I've heard don't do it justice. The morning sun lights up the sky. Hues of pink, purple, and orange reflect off the water. Each wave mirrors a different color.

And the cliff, rising sharply into the sky. It's sharp, tinged with gold in the sunlight. Around me, there's no ash on the ground. I can see the earth. I can see the tiny, hard, spiky plants reaching for the sky.

My chest heaves with sobs. I've never seen anything so beautiful, so grand. It hits me that Albion has boundaries. I'm standing at the edge of Eternal Albion.

A pang of longing hits me as I think of Beth. I wish she were here with me, to see the ocean.

There's movement behind me, and I turn. Sanoske sinks to the ground in front of me. His gaze is fixed on the crashing ocean waves.

“I wanted you to see this,” he says softly, “but we can’t stay long. We’re too exposed.” He glances at me, a small smile playing on his lips.

“It’s so beautiful,” I manage to say, wiping my tears.

Sanoske’s smile widens, and he reaches over to gently wipe away my tears. His hand lingers near my face.

“I’ll bring you back here soon,” he promises. Then, pointing to the ocean, he says, “Over there is the rest of Europe.”

“Europe fell in the war ninety years ago.”

“It fell to Chinese forces and still belongs to them. But the Chinese are my allies. It’s safe for us,” he assures me.

I stare at the sea. I can't see land in the distance. The sunlight blinds me.

“I can’t go without Beth,” I remind him.

Sanoske nods. “I know.”

He stands up and extends his hand to me. When I take it, he pulls me into his arms, holding me tightly against him as we face the sunrise. I cling to him, squinting into the sun.

“Come, we need shelter for the night,” he says, leading me away from the cliffs.

The Kagegun had used the small break to snack on some dried fruits and quickly pack it all away as we return to them. Sanoske barks orders in Japanese, and the men start to retreat.

Sanoske holds me back, slipping his hand into mine. I stand in front of him, looking up at him. Keeping his gaze on mine, he slowly wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me to his chest.

“I want to show you so many things,” he tells me.

“I want to see them with you,” I confess.

The small smile he gives me makes my insides flutter.

“Do you understand it now, the attraction that two people can share? Not sharing with everyone? Just the two of us?” he asks, his eyes wide.

“I think I do,” I answer. “I still find it selfish, but I feel it inside.”

He gives me a wry smile.

“I am selfish with you,” he says, lowering his head. I feel his lips lightly tracing my throat, sending wild sensations through my body.

“I can’t be without you, Alex. I can’t imagine it anymore.” When he pulls back, his expression is serious. “Come, we are too exposed here.”

I follow him and the Kagegun back into the gray landscape where we walk silently, keeping the sea to our right. Sanoske holds my hand and leads me through his men to the front, where he keeps me by his side.

He guides us to a ruin atop the cliffs. Shielding his eyes from the sunlight, he takes us inside. There are barely any stones left to hold the structure together, and the ceiling has collapsed in several places.

A stone road seems to lead down to the cliffs, further down to the sea. Sanoske takes us to a door and down the stairs behind it. Over a hundred stairs.

We descend in darkness, silently, feeling our way slowly. Sanoske stays ahead of me, letting me keep a hand on his shoulder so I don’t fall.

He stops at the bottom, and I hear him fumbling with iron. A click sounds, and the door creaks open. Sanoske doesn’t move for a moment, and then I feel his hand on mine, pulling me with him.

The Kagegun follows us through the darkness. I hold onto Sanoske’s hand and take careful steps. The air is heavy, humid, and dank.

Finally, Sanoske switches on his flashlight. I glance around quickly. We’re in a narrow tunnel that disappears into darkness on both sides. Corrugated iron lines the walls and ceilings.

As we walk ahead, I see different tunnels branching off into separate rooms. I trip from looking too long into one room that had overturned beds, metal gadgets, and plastic posters on the walls.

Everything is coated in dust. Some parts of the tunnel are caved in. Corrugated iron and dirt fill them, and we have to crawl over the rubble or find another path.

Sanoske pauses in front of a broken door. Light streaks in from the other side. Sunlight. He pushes it open, and we’re bathed in the bright morning sunlight.

The chamber is large with two windows facing the ocean. I can see it clearly: blue water sloshing against the side of the white cliff face.

Inside, the chamber is destroyed. Rusting metal, shattered and flaking plastic, everything a dull gray color.

“We’ll stay here for today,” Sanoske tells the men.

As he orders them to find sleeping quarters, barricade the entrances, and set up camp and guards, I make a slow round about the room. I reach out to touch the hard plastic tables.

Behind me, the Kagegun men get to work quickly, disappearing down the tunnels. I see the Master being hauled off down the tunnel by Saito and Kazuya.

“Let’s eat,” Haruhiko murmurs, pulling out the gas cooker and a pan.

A Resistant soldier with bright-red hair and Takeshi join him. Sanoske stretches, putting his bag down and stripping off his Perfect jacket before sliding down onto the concrete floor next to Haruhiko.

He glances at me and gives me a small smile. I move over to him and sink down next to him on the floor, pulling my legs up into a ball.

His hands glide over my back, finding a home on my hips, and he pulls me closer. His long legs extend on either side of mine, cradling me in his arms that are wrapped securely around my waist.

I tilt my head back to look at him, my heart pounding in my chest. He’s casually munching on a cracker, his brow furrowed as he watches Takeshi tear into the dry seaweed they’ve brought along.

Sanoske’s arm remains firmly around my waist as we eat. I lean into him, relishing the warmth and strength of his chest. Every now and then, he nuzzles my neck and plants soft kisses on my head.

The Kagegun men don’t say a word. They occasionally flash me small smiles and winks, but they don’t comment. It’s as if they’ve been anticipating this connection between Sanoske and me.

Only Kazuya can’t hide his displeasure. His lips are pursed, and he pointedly avoids looking our way. I return the favor, not wanting to add to his discomfort.

The men converse mostly in Japanese, occasionally translating into English for the few Resistant soldiers and me. I listen to their chatter, pick at the sparse food, and then lean back against Sanoske.

My eyelids start to feel heavy. I barely register when Sanoske lifts me up and carries me like he did when we first met, nestled against his chest, into an adjoining room. I loop my arms around his neck and rest my head on his chest.

His breathing is slow and steady. The room is pitch black. Sanoske crouches down and gently places me on a padded surface, which creaks slightly under my weight.

“Sanoske,” I call out, my voice heavy with sleep, as I hear his footsteps receding.

“Sleep, Alex,” he responds. “I’m on first watch. I’ll be back later, I promise.”

I nod into the darkness and lie back down on the padded surface, stretching out and quickly succumbing to sleep.