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Over the edges of the forest, deep in the wilderness of Hokkaido, where the brown bears ruled, everything was devoured by the darkness. Night veil descended upon the earth, giving blessings to the predators that awaited for the second half of the day, when they could finally crawl out of thir dens to spread their terror and bloodlust. And it was not just them who would not sleep this night, for there were beasts that looked nothing like the ones from the forest, but lingered across the whole island and terrorised both animals and people. Some people called them scavengers, some would say they were failures from the last war, but they were all scooped into one specific category – humans.
They liked eating, drinking, sex and killing, just like the wild animals they hunted. Their carnal desires were indifferent to the animal ones, only that they were much more powerful with the weapons they made, all thanks to their complex brain machinery.
Some of them loved violence too much, and some despised it.
And when those spectrums meet, only chaos and destruction will prevail.
„Why do you care about her so much?“
The crackling of the campfire that lightened the faces of two men filled the midnight atmosphere in the middle of the forest, providing protection from any predator's attacks, except for the bears. Luckily, they were nowhere to be seen.
The veteran with a long scar across the face noticed the girl in his lap was fast asleep, snoring quietly and wrapped up in a thick blanket. He pulled her in closer and glared at he other man across the camp, who was tucked in his white cloak and held his Arisaka rifle. The question was quite unexpected, and considering who it came from, Sugimoto was not in the mood to answer someone like that. Especially not this late.
„You're bound to her like she's your saviour or love interest“, the sniper played with the weapon as he mesaured the soldier's every move.
The other part of that last sentence clearly did not leave a good impression on the Immortal. He held back the desire to get up and punch the crap out of the guy.
„If you even try to comment something like that one more time, you're gonna be burried six feet under“, the veteran hissed at the Wildcat.
„Oh? Well, apologies for my rudeness, lord Sugimoto“, the sniper sneered at him.
Sugimoto turned around along with Asirpa, so now the sniper faced his back. He hoped the sniper was at least smart enough to shut up, because any other scenario would be fatal for the latter. If it were not for the sleeping child, he would have got up and beat up that bastard real good, so he would remember what to expect the next time he decides to poke the devil. But unfortunately, he was not that lucky.
„Just how long do you plan on running away from your past, Sugimoto?“
The tone of the sniper's voice was more serious than ever. The soldier had to turn around to see what Ogata's expression was like.
It was the same dull, cold and uninterested face that only lightened up when he would play with his rifle, like some child. There was a thick shroud of mystery surrounding him, and Sugimoto had no intention of trying to uncover those dark secret, seeing how nasty and deranged Ogata was. He could sense that the Wilcat held the same feeling about him; there was no respect whatsoever, only constant attempts at humiliation and degradation. He wished he could say he had never met a person like that before, but considering that the sniper deserted from the 7th Division, he was not surprised by his behaviour at all, and he was still able to picture the Lieutenant Tsururmi's insane look and downright disturbing lines and actions. Ogata being like this was definitely not a coincidence. The rumors about the 7th Division were true, after all; it was full of weirdos.
The Wildcat finally looked up at the agitated veteran who was nervously waiting for the sniper to say something. He smiled in that devilish way that annoyed the Immortal.
„You think that she will be able to heal you and change you completely, don't you?“
The Immortal did not like the way this was going.
„You're clinging onto Asirpa as if she is your saviour, but inside you're just another pathetic soldier eaten by the memories of the war“, he shot the words at him, no pause in between, „so you're trying to find your meaning in all this by playing her guardian, because you know you're useless on your own.“
The ex-soldier who held the girl was dumbstruck at the sudden flow of all those words. What was the sniper's reason for speaking out like this, suddenly, without a warning?
„What are trying to say?“
He was even more confused by the fact he actually accepted to lead a conversation with that bastard.
„You've dedicated your quest to helping her find her father, Noppera-bou“, Ogata started. „By doing that, you are trying to convince yourself that you are not the monster everybody thinks you are, even though you yourself know that it's not the truth.“
This was the straw that broke the camel's back; the eyes of the Immortal flashed with rage. The sniper sat in his place, waiting for the latter's answer.
„You really don't know anything about me“, it was all he heard.
„Aw, you don't have to so shy, Sugimoto“, Ogata intentionally used that voice which irritated the ex-soldier the most. „Being ashamed of who you are isn't really helping you; we're all the same, in the end, because we all kill without remorse. Isn't that right?“
Long silence. And then, a silent answer.
„I killed the Russian soldiers because I had to. They would have killed me otherwise if I hadn't done anything. The war was hell for me. It was hell for everyone involved.“
He looked at Ogata with now normal and softer eyes than usual. He was tired of everything and this debate was killing him from the inside. Just like the sniper wanted.
„I don't like killing unless it's really necessary“, he continued. „But you are right: I would have killed you if it wasn't for Asirpa“, he smiled evily at the sniper, „so you'd better be thankful to her for saving your ass, you piece of shit.“
The deserter from the 7th Division said nothing and continued to play with his rifle. Satisfied with the way he was effectively shut, Sugimoto turned to the girl and snuggled up close, providing a secure human shield. He wanted to doze into his dreamland, but he could not do so yet.
„But you still didn't answer the main question.“ Ogata leaned forward, looking him directly in the eyes. „Why do you care about Asirpa?“
The ex-soldier glanced at the sniper, them he did so at the kid, then at the sniper again. Why was the Wildcat so interested in him in the first place? Something was telling him the sniper was on his way to deceive him, just like he did Tsurumi. And yet, there was nothing in his questions that would appear odd. Any random passenger would likely be confused by the appearance of a veteran from the Russo-Japanese war with an Ainu child. Not something that could be seen every day.
And then he reflected upon the sniper's question – why did he care about Asirpa?
He felt like he already knew why – they were bound by the goal they shared, but their motives were different. They travelled together because they wanted to help each other: Asirpa aided him in gold hunt and Sugimoto aided Asirpa in search for her father, who was the supposed Noppera-bou in the Abashiri. Was there anything else that kept them together?
Yes. Their broken souls and lost families. The desire to be protected and loved by someone.
And they found what they needed in each other – respect, trust, friendship and love.
They were partners, like brothers in arms. Him, a veteran from a bloody war, and her, the new kind of Ainu who will lead a revolution, somewhere, some day.
They were meant to be this way, as nothing would be the same ever again.
They had no one but each other, and they had to cherish every nice moment they had, because only gods knew what trials and dangers awaited them in the future.
Sugimoto meant a lot to her.
And Asirpa meant everything to him.
And finally, he knew what his answer was.
„Because I do.“