FEBRUARY 3, 1937

NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN, ON COURSE TO IWO JIMA

2:06AM

ABOARD THE FOOD SUPPLY SHIP MAMIYA MARU

Hoshino's hands shook, and it took all his willpower not to fall into an anxious fit. Kouma, talking kouma? He wouldn't have doubted they existed at some point, or had just hidden themselves from humanity. Talking kouma from another world (it took lots of yelling back and forth for him to understand they meant "other world" literally, not a nether world) that want to make all humanity into kouma? He had to take some Philopon from the ship's sickbay just to not break down.

Hitori was interrogating them, having all information relayed to General Headquarters. He'd heard some snippets in his haze, of a massive pink barrier between him and Midway. It swallowed up anything which touched it. No, swallowed implies there was something left, it just destroyed it, living or no. One poor fishing crew had discovered that the hard way.

What was he going to do? He'd responded, then it just got worse. In combat, you could just maneuver, kill. Or retreat (though he'd never admit to giving that thought). Now, there was a country of murderous, mythical creatures hiding behind an invincible wall. A knock on his quarter's doors interrupted his thinking, for what seemed like the thousandth time today.

"Just come in, forgive me if I cannot bring myself to get up"

A black-uniformed sailor walked in, bowing low. The normalcy at which he did the action put off the captain, but he said nothing. He held a few sheets of paper, with lines of hastily scrawled kanji visible. He couldn't bring himself to parse his way through whatever medical terminology it was filled with, as if he had a chance of understanding it.

"A report from the ship's doctor, sir, on the nat-"

"You're the nurse, just explain it to me", the captain interrupted, not in the mood to waste time for appearance's sake.

"Sir, the purple fluid appears to change the cells of a man into those of the kouma. At least, that is what we've gained from comparing material taken from the corpses to loose hairs and fingernails, sir."

He understood next to none of that. Living things are made of cells, his primary school teacher had driven that into him, but he was lost beyond that.

"I assume we don't know why it does this?"

The sailor nodded with a mournful hai, but wasn't finished.

"It appears small amounts of radiation are released during the operation. It was enough to create blurs about 1 millimeter or so in diameter on his x-ray sheets, sir"

His grandmother had wanted him to become a doctor, and he was eternally glad he never as so much picked up a pamphlet on it. Radiation? Like the sun? Why would this even matter?

"So, whatever it's doing makes heat like the sun? Is this correct?"

"Hai, it works on the same basic premise. We presume it isn't lethal levels unless exposed for long periods, but we don't have a Geiger counter on hand to confirm, sir"

He chuckled somewhat at the absurdity of what he was hearing. A potion that worked like the sun, that turns men into horses? He's going to check in with one of those therapists from Tokyo University when he gets back, certainly.

"Has Tada gotten you anything useful from those two devils?"

The slight frustration the man showed for a moment gave him no reassurance.

"I think so, sir, but we seem to have such a different understanding of things that their knowledge is of little help without context"

At least he wasn't the only one lost in this whirlpool of intellectual nonsense. They spoke English, yes, but they might as well been a bunch of Chinese blabbering. Still, it might be interesting to hear.

"What're they saying, exactly?"

"Apparently, they have different races, just as people do. Senrima, plain ones, and something resembling a kirin. There was mention of another race, but it seems much different from the others. The last ones, along with the kirin, can cast spells or curses with their horns. They made that concoction, which works similarly to that..force...they produce naturally"

He had to chuckle a bit, just to keep himself sane as he processed what he was hearing.

"That last race, tell me about it"

"I-it seems slightly religious, sir. As the Emperor is a descendent of Jimmu, and is revered as such, so to do these things show the same respect for their Empress. If what they say is even close to true, it bears all the characteristics of the three lesser races, is extremely long-lived, and can harness a far greater amount of their supposed spells"

Not only did they want to tear away the Japanese people's divine forms, but they even had their own bastardized version of Shinto! What a world, or worlds, this was! He just had to laugh, it was insane!

"Forgive my intrusion, but I believe you should get some rest, sir"

"No, no! It's not that, it'll all be fine. How would the gods allow such a plain mockery of us all to exist for long? If war is coming with them, we'll be fine, as always. Where's the prisoners, then?"

The sailor seemed offput with worry at his demeanor, but he knew he couldn't countermand him.

"In the fridges, sir. I'd recommend covering up, they have them running at just about full power"

He expected the stables, next to shit-stained cows, but this seemed much more pleasant. Not for them, of course. Dismissing the man, he opened the chest beside his bed, slipping on his old, dingy fur coat. It more resembled a rag, but it had served his father well at Peking, and himself in the cold Kyoto winters. Hoshino wondered if he would still be angered at him choosing the navy over his own branch when news of this reached the public. It probably had, given all the civilian vessels.

Forcing himself out of his room, he half-heartedly saluted the men as he went below decks, stopping when he came to two large guards, bayonets affixed. Clearly, Hitori had just grabbed the biggest men he could find to stop any curious eyes from ignoring their work. With a slight bow, they opened the fridge doors, revealing a scene which surprised him.

Tied up next to a large cut of beef, sat, or rather slumped, the two creatures from before. They hadn't been cleaned, or at the least he doubted the dried remains of brains coating their skins were theirs. It took him a second to take it in, but it was, in fact, skin which was coated, not fur. Besides a few splotches here and there, little remained of the colorful displays from before. And there stood Hitori, too enamored to notice him.

"Hitori, how goes it?"

"Stupid little bastards, they just stopped talking after the initial bit. Won't say a damn thing about the missing ships, just 'oh, my dad works in boats, maybe he could help if you let me go!' Fucking stupid, forgive my language"

Hitori had never been like this, at least in the year or so they'd known each other. China did that, he presumed, but it was their fault for being captured alive.

"Forgiven, can you translate for me?"

"Of course, whenever you're ready"

Looking over the two, he wasn't all too sure they were ready to even udder a groan of pain.

"Can they still talk?"

"Yes, just choosing not to. I wanted to beat the soon-to-be gelding 'till he was retarded, but going that far rests on you"

Approaching the male, he bent down until he could see the little bit of steam coming from it's ragged breaths.

"Hitori, tell it to look at me"

He did so, and it slowly obeyed. It looked full of fear, but moreso dread. The type one gets when they realize they've swam out too far, and the waves are fixing to beat them down for treading upon them.

"What is your name and rank?"

It's mouth moved oddly, lips curling and squeezing in ways which looked too unnatural to ever come from it. It's words came out with more breath and tongue-rolling than Hitori's, like it wasn't meant to speak the language. Yet, it appeared to speak it just as well as any Yankee.

"It says it's name is 'Sharp Quill', sir, like a pen. Not military, I can tell it's being truthful about that"

They name themselves after objects? He thought it over for a moment, then remembered his own name meant "field of stars", and decided it wasn't very pertinent. But a civilian, if man's own designations could apply?

"Were those two with the spears the only soldiers sent with it?"

The kouma's mouth only shut tighter when Hitori translated. Even if it was a civilian, it certainly did have some spirit. If being beaten and frozen half to death did nothing, then another course was needed.

"You mentioned your father worked on a ship, correct? Did you ever sail with him?"

It smiled a bit, probably thankful that it could say something useless and not be beaten for it.

"It says they worked on a fishing boat, before his father retired"

Worked. Past-tense.

"Hitori, were you right earlier, when you said it told you that it's father works on a boat? I do not mean just in the past, but presently?"

He had some practice beyond his fists from Chosen, and he doubted this idiotic thing had any in resisting. Keep your information consistent, small, and useless. It had tried the last two, at least.

"I, eeto, I believe I was, sir"

"Tell it I know its lying"

It shook it's head weakly, before sputtering out what was probably a poor defense. Then, a thought occurred to him. They came bearing weapons, declaring they'd fix men. Not just Japanese, men. They wanted to rule over all men, and how could one do that but through war?

"Say this with absolute conviction, 'we've sunk your fleet, and taken the survivors prisoner. Give us what we want, and we'll let you look for your father'"

As Hitori spoke, the smaller kouma started interrupting. Evidently, it was trying to interfere, as Hitori shushed it with a hand on his dagger. The male one seemed angered, yelling and throwing it's chains (as much as the short length allowed) around. Hitori looked to him, smiling a bit. Clearly, he'd caught on.

"It says their "colonization fleet" isn't due for departure for awhile"

Colonization fleet? Now, this was something. If they wanted to rule, it made sense.

"That isn't what their commander said, before his wounds got to him. Perhaps they lied to you, never made any serious plans to rescue you. I've known plenty of men who'd do the same"

It whimpered, whinnied, and spat like a crying child. Was it just worn down, or were they all this dull?

"But know this, I'm not one of them. I give what I get, and I don't execute prisoners. If you tell me what you know, I can arrange for you both, this girl and you father, to be sent somewhere safe"

Wiping off it's wet face with his handkerchief, he smiled at it as warmly as his mother would him, and it returned it.

"Ask it why there is a massive pink wall in the ocean"

Hitori looked at him, dumbstruck.

"Sir, what do you mean by that?"

"I'm sane, if that's what you're thinking. Multiple ships are reporting a massive wall...thing, that just destroys whatever it touches. People included"

A brief look of fear flashed across his face for a moment, but he didn't let whatever thoughts he had show in his speech. Quill showed the opposite, with some look of contentment in his features.

"It says it's a barrier, meant to keep us out. It doesn't allow men, or their things, in, unless a pony accompanies the latter. It says it'll expand, eventually"

No wonder the little bastard is so happy, he doesn't have to worry about his own people, but the expanding part concerned him. If it just expanded, that meant...

"So they intend to beat us with it? Have it consume those they don't change?"

It rambled off something to Hitori, nodding in agreement to him.

"It's meant to break us, to force us to accept them or die. Though it worded it in a much nicer fashion"

It seemed so pleased with itself. The moment they acted kind to it, it uses it's empty confidence to taunt them with destruction. He'd heard enough from it.

"Ask the female what can be done against it"

The smaller one shirked away, as if the words hurt her. With how bruised and cold they both were, the breath blowing on her probably did. Hitori shook his head in dismay as she replied. Clearly, he'd had enough.

"They say it cannot be stopped, as their Empress is the one making it. We can't get at her, and we can't touch this thing, at least not with anything that would hurt it"

"Hitori, help me with one last thing before I dismiss you"

He gave a weak nod and a hai, letting himself slump somewhat.

"We're taking them to the deck. The male is to be executed, hopefully to make this one a bit more cooperative"

"Why not just keep them, sir? We can find other ways of extracting information"

For all his time in Manchukuo, Hitori was a bit surprising. Execution was execution, a necessary part of war and law. If he wasn't a friend, he'd have him flogged.

"They've already seen their friends shot, but that was in defense, not against a disobedient prisoner. They need to know their safety relies on their usefulness"

He obeyed, and the senrima seemed a bit giddy as they were unchained. Hitori said something, to which they nodded and followed.

"You two, bring a bucket of water and a broom to the bow"

Oohh, they knew what was going to happen. No man would be that happy about dragging things about a ship if they didn't. They did a slight bow, then walked off. The kouma bowed, too, making him chuckle a bit.

"What'd you tell them, anyway? They went from almost pissing themselves to model prisoners, as if there can ever be a good prisoner"

"I said we were going to have them sent to a prison ship to look for it's father, and give them some salmon afterwards", he said, looking down somewhat.

"You'll get used to these things, sometimes you just have to get yourself dirty to get anything done. I'm surprised the Chinese didn't teach you that, the Chosen made sure we learned"

"They did, sir, but I could never stomach it"

"But you did it, either way. Sometimes, one has to bear what seems unbearable, until it's enjoyable"

If that touched him in anyway, he didn't show it.

"Whenever we'd do executions, I was...well, can I admit something to you in confidence that you'll keep it to yourself?"

What exactly did Hitori have to admit? He was a good, loyal Shinto son. Nevertheless, he obliged.

"When we had to execute bandits, I'd always aim high. If there was a situation where it'd be obvious I wasn't aiming for them, I'd just take on other jobs no one liked, or got sick if I couldn't trade the duty. I think they eventually figured it out, and just started assigning me those duties outright. I don't care about beating them, but to just end a defenseless life is something I can't stomach"

That made him stop for a moment, the kouma behind him whinnying as it's tender skin bumped into his leg. Hitori, a coward? No, no, nothing Hitori had done before had marked him as a coward. He knew he was being hypocritical, that he'd reprimand any other soldier for outright admitting to sparing a criminal like those rebels, but he couldn't force himself to denounce him.

"You...have a good heart. Is there anyone else who can translate?"

He knew Hitori wanted no part in it, but he had no other choice. He seemed grateful for that much, though.

"Thank you, Hoshino-sama. Jōtōsuihei Fusao knows some"

"Spare the honorifics, you're my friend. Just get him to the deck and go back to your quarters. You need the rest, just as much as I do"

Hitori walked off, and he ushered the prisoners through the men staring them down. The dark, frigid air outside seemed a bit of a relief compared to the fridges. What a night to go, the endless sea all around you, just before it envelopes you. The moon and stars shown through the clouds just enough to let one see out for a few hazy miles. If their feathers hadn't been plucked out, the two of them probably would've flown away. Not that'd they get far, shot down or no, but it was good to be able to lead prisoners without a pistol to their head.

The two men he'd sent off had come, armed with a broom that looked as old as him and a rusty bucket. It would probably need to be replaced after this.

Looking back, the kouma had their heads on a swivel, scanning the horizon. They seemed both stupid and sane, like they hadn't even thought they could end up in this situation. Whoever sent them were idiots, certainly.

"Jōtōsuihei Fusao reporting, sir! Tada-sama said you needed someone who spoke English, sir"

A gravely voice spoke, and he turned to see a young man standing at attention. Well, young to him, anyway.

"Right, let's get it started, then. I'm tired of these thing's games. Fusao, tell them the male, its name is pen or something, that he's being executed for disobeying orders. Do it authoritatively"

As Fusao translated, they did not give the reaction he expected. They cocked their heads, mumbling something to one another.

"What're they saying?"

"My English is not as good as Hitori-sama's, sir, but I believe they're asking what an execution is. I know I translated it correctly, sir"

Hoshino gave a rough chuckle, pulling his Nambu out of its holster, making sure his safety was off this time. The click it gave seemed to give them some understanding. Or fear, but that's just the beginning of understanding. He should've been an academic, then he wouldn't be on some rusty boat dealing with mythical creatures like some Yankee kid's book.

Quill put up a hoof, his stutter bad enough to transcend the language barrier. A few of the men on deck had their hands on their bayonets, ready for them to dash.

"Tell them all it would've taken for him to live was cooperation"

The looks they gave was as if a schoolboy had just been put through a horrid prank by his peers on the day his puppy got lost, a look of fear, anger, and loathing. He wasn't sure if the latter two were directed more at him, or themselves.

What Quill thought didn't matter, nor would Hoshino ever know it.

Author's Note

Tonoight on loind of the roising suns: Hoshino committs war crimes, Quill fucking dies, and I get writers block from college assignments