RENDEZVOUS
The platoon arrived at the allied camp on the other side of the mountain range just before dusk. They passed without a fuss; eerily silent, as Haruna described. The camp was not alarmed, as it had been expecting their arrival sometime that week. Signaling its allegiance with a banner, the platoon was allowed to enter the mountain sanctuary.
While the lieutenant went to meet with his counterpart, the men expressed their elation by mingling with each other. The travelers were relieved, since they were on edge after encountering the charred corpse. The encamped were relieved to have the backup of the platoon, as they held a valuable asset for their survival.
Haruna and Naoki went with the lieutenant to meet the one in charge of the camp. On the way, the men couldn’t help but flash a few glances at the two girls. Haruna receded behind her cloak to avoid the unfamiliar gazes. Naoki did her best to keep her head high, though she stayed by Haruna’s side as they trailed behind the lieutenant.
When the three of them entered the command station, it was their own leader who greeted first. “Lieutenant Isobe,” he succinctly spoke.
“Ah, welcome! Glad to see you made it here safely.” He was a large but short man with small eyes and a broad mustache. “I’m Lieutenant Akiyama. I look forward to your services.”
He bowed, and Lt. Isobe duly did the same. Haruna and Naoki weren’t sure whether they should do the same, and when Lt. Akiyama straightened, he noticed the two behind their bowed leader.
“Oh? Who are these two… girls?”
“They are the Treasured Pair.” Lt. Isobe stepped aside and lifted his hand, presenting the girls. They briefly bowed.
“Haah?! These two?” he cried in sharp disbelief. Haruna shrank back in surprise. Naoki’s hair raised.
“Yes.”
Lt. Akiyama leaned forward to inspect the girls, as if he was making sure he was seeing things correctly. “I didn’t know it was even possible to make them out of girls!”
“Any two children have the potential to form a pair, regardless of their gender or parents.”
Lt. Akiyama shook his head. “This is no good. I can’t send two little girls out into the battlefield.”
Naoki puffed up and wanted to retort, but was stopped when her sib grabbed her by the hand.
“They were the ones we were provided,” Lt. Isobe calmly replied. “One of the successful pairs they were able to create.”
“Why the hell are they experimenting on young girls?! Has the military grown that desperate?”
“It is what it is. You may question the higher-ups if you wish, but we will do our job here.”
Lt. Akiyama stared at them a little longer. Naoki straightened up, but she couldn’t deceive the man. “How old are they? They seem rather innocent to the cruelties of war.”
“They are war orphans. They’ve already seen more than they should have at their age.”
The lieutenant wasn’t convinced. “Doesn’t mean they know how to fight properly. Are they trained?”
“In the standard procedures of pushing and retreating.”
He was finally silent. He kept his eyes on the girls the entire time, judging every little reaction they had to his gaze and questioning.
“You youngsters are playing with the devil’s work.” Lt. Akiyama sighed. “I’m sorry, I can’t take responsibility of them. It goes against everything I stand for, to command these two young ladies to walk out into the abyss. I don’t want to be responsible were they to d—” He stopped himself abruptly. “Er… to get lost… out there.”
“I understand. I intend to keep them under my care regardless.”
Lt. Akiyama nodded. “Well, it seems you knew what you were picking up when you got them. Go ahead and ask one of my men waiting outside to show them where their quarters are. I’ll address matters of the situation out here later this evening.”
“I look forward to it.” They both bowed, and Lt. Isobe led the girls out as Lt. Akiyama returned to his chair, shaking his head. Once outside, Naoki abruptly dropped her composure.
“What a creep! That old man.”
“Sh!” Haruna quickly hushed, as one of the officers approached the three.
“If I may, lieutenant, I was given instructions to show these two to their quarters.”
He nodded, and patted the two girls on the back. “Do you mind going without me? There are a few more things I must check up on before the sun sets.”
Haruna looked uncertain, but Naoki encouraged her by squeezing her hand. “We’ll be fine.”
The lieutenant nodded again and smiled. “If anything happens, report back to me and I’ll sort it out.” He took a good look at the officer and left.
“This way, please,” the officer motioned, and began to walk. The girls silently followed. Haruna noticed he was rather young. He was relatively short compared to the rest of the men, and his short hair gave him the impression of youth. When he spoke, it only strengthened her speculation.
“You’ll have to excuse our lieutenant. He can be very direct, but I assure you he has good intentions.”
The girls did not respond immediately. Eventually, Naoki reddened and at least gave some sort of reply. “Ah… sorry… what I said earlier.”
The officer shook his head as they turned the corner. “It’s fine. I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation as I was standing guard by the door. If anything, I must apologize for bringing it up all of a sudden.”
“Ah…” Naoki breathed out.
“Silly,” Haruna mumbled, catching her sib by surprise.
“Eh?!” She whipped her head around and was greeted with a smug smile. “W-why are you being snarky all of a sudden?!”
Haruna shrugged it off with a giggle. “Find out yourself.”
The officer unexpectedly laughed. Naoki now turned towards him. “You too?!”
“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.” He adjusted his cap. “I must say, you two aren’t as cold blooded as you seem.”
Naoki sighed. “Sometimes even I can’t keep up with her mind.”
“How old are you?” Haruna bluntly asked, shifting the conversation.
“Me? I’ll be turning twenty-one in a few days.”
“Ah, you’re pretty young for an officer.” Naoki remarked.
“I’ll take that as a complement?” the young man smiled.
“Uh… sure. Let’s say that.”
“What about you two?”
“I’m thirteen,” Naoki replied first.
“Ten.”
“Ah, you two are pretty young to have a rank equivalent to a commander,” the officer mimicked.
Naoki reddened again. “Certainly doesn’t feel that way.”
He shrugged. “They’re just titles, either way. Doesn’t make you any safer from bullets.”
They reached a stone building at the center of camp. It was similar to the surrounding buildings, standing two stories tall, with the exception of an additional watchtower as its third story.
“This is where you two will be staying.” He looked around once they were inside. “Your chaperone officer will stay with you, though it looks like he’s not here at the moment. I will be here to assist him as well.”
“Ah, you’ll be staying with us?” Naoki asked.
He nodded. “One officer familiar with you two, and one officer familiar with the camp. That was the rationale behind it.”
They made their way up the building, as the officer pointed out the dining area, their quarters, and the stairwell leading up to the tower.
“We were instructed to build it fairly tall. Seemed like there was a reason as to why. I would be careful not to linger out in the open, however, because of snipers and such. There’s at least some walls at the nest, but they won’t defend you against artillery. Keep your head low when you can.”
“Artillery won’t be an issue.” Haruna was quiet and mellow again, now that she was talking about her duties. “But I’ll be aware of snipers.”
“Is this tower just for Haruna?” asked Naoki.
“Ah, I suppose so. Will she be the one using it?”
“If no one else is, you could just cover it up. She doesn’t need to see in order to detect incoming projectiles.”
The officer had a curious look. “Oh, how does that work?”
“Er… special powers… is the best way I can describe it,” she fumbled. “Like some sort of sixth sense or something.”
“Ah, okay. I’ve heard a little bit about you two having special powers, but I didn’t realize it was that capable.” He looked back at Haruna, but realized she was missing.
“She went up to the tower already,” Naoki informed.
They climbed the rest of the stairs and found Haruna crouched in the center of nest, her arms wrapped around her legs and chin rested on her knees. Upon the sight, Naoki laughed, as she was used to seeing Haruna surrounded by tree branches when she did this. Instead, she was encircled by a meter of empty space, making her look very small.
Haruna eyed her sib. “What did you expect?”
“Nothing, nothing. Just looks silly this way without a tree.”
Haruna sank her chin into her knees. “I do feel a little naked.”
The officer smiled. “Ah, I could arrange some modifications tomorrow. It’ll be too dark for the men to work on it now.”
“I can wait,” Haruna mumbled.