5 - It Happens Anyways

“You understand what I told you, right?” Mukawa asked at the small station. “One phone call, thirty seconds. If you rat us out, we’ll kill you-”

“Relax, I’m not gonna rat anyone out.” Ichigo said.

“Then make your call.” Mukawa said. “Get it up!” Mukawa yelled, as the workers around him quickly scrambled and started working on it, flipping switches and connecting cables. A few seconds later, Ichigo checked his phone. He had network connection.

So he quickly dialed a number that he knew very well. He saw some missed calls from that number while doing so, he assumed the worst case scenario but he was too hopeful to succumb to those thoughts.

He made the call. A few seconds later, it was picked up.

“Hello? Dr. Hoffman?!” Ichigo asked.

“Ah, it’s you. Hello, Ichigo.” Hoffman said. The audio quality wasn’t exactly the best. “I was...trying to contact you since yesterday. I heard about the war in Prague, I’m guessing you were involved.”

“I was, I’m okay now.” Ichigo quickly said. “Tell me, what’s her condition?!”

“I uhh...well, as you know, her condition has been on the decline for the last few months, but it was relatively stable. But in the last few days...”

“Look, I don't have much time on the line. Just...tell me what it is!” Ichigo said.

“Well...she passed away yesterday. I’m...truly sorry for your loss.” Hoffman said.

When Mukawa heard those words, he instantly felt bad. The workers around them started shutting down the network, quickly, the phone call was dropped. And Ichigo himself...

He couldn’t really say anything. He just looked nowhere, thought of nothing and did nothing. Once the call was disconnected, he awkwardly put his phone back down in his pocket and just kept blankly staring at nothing.

“So...all this time...”

“All of this, and she just...died...”

“I’m sorry.” Mukawa said, patting him on his shoulder. “Who was that?”

“My mom.” Ichigo said. “She...apparently died yesterday...while I was in the stronghold...”

“That’s...painful.” Mukawa said, holding back his own emotions. “I’m sorry for your loss.” He signaled to the workers to follow him, and they did. Ichigo was the only one left in the area.

Ichigo didn’t cry, not yet, at least. He just blankly looked down, feeling the pressure of the whole world on his head, as if he was about to be crushed by everything.

“I...I did all of this so you could get better, mom...”

“But in the end, nothing mattered, did it? You had the highest quality medicine, you had the best doctor, and you...you had so much time...”

He clenched his fist, exhaling deeply. His eyes began slowly tearing up.

“And you still...”

“Fuck!” He yelled, quickly recollecting himself, wiping his eyes and trying to catch his breath. Slowly, he crouched down and leaned his back against the station’s cold cement wall. He ran his hands through his face and hair, before covering his eyes for a while.

All he could see were images of his life before things started going wrong.

“All of this, and it still wasn’t enough to help you...”

“You went through so much pain, thinking that it will all get better, thinking that I’d help you, but...nothing could save you.”

“You...”

The pressure wrapped around his head and forced its way into his eyes, having them water a little. Not from crying, but from remaining open for so long.

“You always wanted to get better...”

All he could do was to remain like this in his arms, before eventually getting tired, too tired to sob further. So he just sat there, thinking about things. He was distracted enough to fail to sense a presence a bit further away.

There was someone watching it.

“I have...never seen him like this...” Jian thought, observing him from a distance.

“He has been the most hopeful in the Heisei, most optimistic. Most determined. I would have...never anticipated to see him in this state.”

“I can only think of one possible event that would upset him this much...”

Jian continued watching. She couldn’t understand what it was yet, but something about watching him in that state crushed her heart. Had she seen someone in that state a few months prior, she wouldn’t even look twice in their direction.

As a matter of fact, as a soldier, she saw these types of things a lot. She just brushed them off, not caring any attention. She saw people weep in sorrow over the people she killed, and if they tried to do something about it, she’d just kill them. But there was a great difference between ordinary people and someone like Ichigo. Ichigo was kind to him.

He really had no reason to, but he didn’t just respect her. He was kind to her.

And it broke her heart and mind even more.

“He...he is too stubborn. He needs to acknowledge that this...war intended to protect people that have no affiliation to us...it is...”

“It is pointless...”

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“The soulless do not deserve to risk our lives for. As a matter of fact, the soulless need to die. Nothing good has come out of them.”

Ichigo looked up a little, and noticed Jian standing in the distance. And Jian noticed it too. Ichigo lowered his head again, but Jian was already fully captivated by that gaze. It was less of a gaze, and more of a plea for help.

“But...” Jian thought.

“Why are you committing to it?”

“Was it because...you have a reason to protect them? Is it not true that now you have no one to protect?”

“...”

“Somehow, I still believe you would risk your life for them.”

She began approaching him.

“I can never understand how you think. How you can bring yourself to be kind to others, even if you do not know them and you know that they might not deserve it...”

“...”

“I believe...from what you told me...”

“That this is the appropriate thing to do in this situation.”

Jian crouched down beside Ichigo and wrapped her arms around him, carefully trying to embrace him. It was awkward, it was maybe a little too strong, but...it was there.

“I apologize if I’m not doing it right.” Jian said. Ichigo, who was a little surprised by the gesture, didn’t really care that much. He just accepted the warmth, trying to embrace her back, at least by holding her hand. He had no room in his mind to think about the little details and implications, he just went with it. He continued to emptily stare at the ground.

“I think...it is working.”

“I might not understand a lot of the things he thinks or does...”

“But...”

Jian subconsciously embraced him tighter.

“He showed me kindness. And he showed me how it works.”

“And he showed me that people can be kind.”

“People tend to remain close to one another like this when they want to give that kindness or receive it.”

“Receive...”

The shock from the predicament had finally started to wear off. In the moment of intimacy and care, a dormant realization had finally awakened. She hadn’t fully processed Ausra’s death yet. To her, perhaps she was just a girl that had taken a liking to her, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that the bond of kindness was starting to form between them too.

And it made her sad. She didn’t understand it before, but now, she was the one mourning a comrade’s passing. Not even a comrade’s, but a friend’s.

Thankfully, she had someone close to him.

“I wonder...”

“How many people share this bond?”

“There’s so much filth in this world, that kindness like this is priceless. Maybe it is not common, but still...it does exist.”

“Is this why you want to fight against Kaito Kamiki?” She thought, looking at Ichigo. The latter, warmed by the presence of someone next to him, started to slowly and quietly sob. “Because his victory implies that so many people would be stripped of kindness...”

“The hatred that I felt towards my village...”

“I thought it was the only way of the world.”

“I...”

“I will...help you in this cause.” Jian said. “I will fight alongside you.”

“Thank you...” Ichigo quietly said after a moment of silence, embracing her more. He didn’t see her as a high-ranking captain anymore, at that moment, she was someone who was just showing genuine concern for him. “Thanks for being here. I...thank you.”

Jian didn’t know what to say. They just stayed like that for a while.

When she thought about what other people were like, she no longer remembered the village.

...

“Sorry for your loss, man.” Zawadsi said, patting him on the back. “Shit, I don’t even know what to say..”

“Thanks.” Ichigo said, as he, Zawadski and Yuuka were strolling through town, seemingly aimlessly, in actuality, just enjoying each other’s company, especially since one of them needed it.

“I know how much it meant to you, trying to help her. But sometimes I guess things don’t work out.” Zawadski said.

“Yeah, we’re all here for you.” Yuuka said, hugging him from the side. “Even the captain warmed up to you. That never happened before with anyone else.”

“So you were watching me?” Ichigo asked with a tired chuckle.

The two recoiled in surprise, a bit embarrassed too. But Ichigo didn’t seem to mind, he just smiled a little and kept on walking.

“You know, a lot of people would’ve given up already.” Zawadski said. “And yet here you are, on your feet...”

“Ah! Jian is close!” Yuuka exclaimed. “I’m gonna go talk to her. Kouhai, take care of him, okay?”

“Yeah yeah, go on.” Zawadski shooed her away. Yuuka happily ran towards Jian, who was at a distance. He was watching Ichigo curiously, trying to make sense of his state of mind.

“Anyways...” Zawadski continued.

“It is what it is.” Ichigo said. “If things get bad, it doesn’t really mean that I have to give up. It’s the opposite, I just gotta keep going. Keep trying harder.”

“It’s because she’d never want me to fall into despair.”

“Even if she’s not here anymore, it’s something I want to live by. She has faith in me.”

“So many people do.”

“Captain is gonna fight alongside us, by the way.” Ichigo said.

“Hah, that’s great. Looks like the Heisei is back in town, full force...all we need is to wait for those two corpses to wake up.” Zawadski said. “You know, I was gonna mention how you and Jian have gotten kinda close together-”

“You weren’t just watching us. You were stalking us for quite some time, weren’t you?” Ichigo asked.

“Will you get mad if I say yes, or do I need to try this dialogue again?”

“I don’t mind, I guess.” Ichigo said. “She...helped me a lot by just being there. She’s the most reliable person I’ve ever known.”

“I’m glad you two think so high of each other.” Zawadski said.

“I’m gonna go get some rest.” Ichigo said. “Let me know if you need anything, or just use these walkie-talkies...” He said, getting his copy out of his pocket and inspecting it. “Gotta say, a really good decision to have these.”

“Yeah. Take care then.” Zawadski said, waving his friend farewell. Ichigo left...

“I mean, just look at him.” Zawadski thought.

“The world needs more people like him.”

He used his radio again.

“Mukawa, are you there?” He asked. “Come on, you better be there. I got some good news for you.”

“What is it?”

“Captain Jian is fighting with us. Your chances of victory have...marginally increased.” Zawadski said with a smile.

“That’s good to know.” Mukawa said, the smile on his face widening quite a bit.

“Hey, can I make a phone call too? I wanna order some pizza.” Zawadski asked. “I’m really starving out here, you know?” Mukawa, reasonably so, terminated the communication effort.

“I wonder...” Zawadski thought, looking a little excited. “I’ve never felt genuinely in danger. I’ve gotten so desensitized that only the most extreme things feel thrilling, and even they can be walked through if I save and load enough.”

“But the thought of fighting Kaito Kamiki...” He laughed to himself.

“It’s making me feel uneasy.”