A Few Centimeters Away

"We damaged them a lot," Takahiro muttered thoughtfully. "We took care of Scarface and Grizzly, and they lost some of their supplies. Their weapon production is suspended, but I still feel uneasy."

He was sitting in the bedroom with Gina. There was a little dusty desk, and Takahiro was using it to check documents sent by JGSA agents.

"Why is that?" asked Gina.

"Because we still don't know how far they went with their plans. Whenever I sleep, I'm afraid of waking up to a war. All we know is that they're about to get started any time soon. But we are also so close to ending them."

"So is it the uncertainty that makes you uneasy?"

"Probably it is. We're lacking in field personnel, and there are a lot of border cities to take care of. That's what makes things difficult."

"Just don't push yourself a lot. Stress won't make everything easier for you. It actually ruins your recovery progress."

"I will be fine. At least I can keep this up for one more week. I don't think we even have one week, though. The documents state that deliveries are complete in most of the border cities. To be clear, only Nizhneleninskoe and Fuyuan remain for deliveries."

"How far are they?"

"Far enough for us to not intervene in time. This border is the world's fifth-longest. All I can hope for is that killing Iron Fist is enough to end it all, so the rest of them could maybe just give up and run for their lifes."

Takahiro knew it wasn't really possible. No matter what, without asking for help from both China and Russia, it's almost impossible to completely stop them. But since they had no idea who made this plan, it carries too much risk. The only way was to stop Takao Yuuichi. Afterwards, they could ask for some help.

"We still haven't gotten any new information, have we?"

"Unfortunately," answered Gina. She didn't seem to be in a good mood at that moment. Takahiro had already realised it but didn't say anything. His priorities were different.

But in fact, he didn't manage to concentrate on what he had in his hands. Despite knowing they were running out of time, he just couldn't stand seeing her like that.

"What's the matter? Is there anything that bothers you?"

"No, not at all."

"Well, despite your depressed-like look, I won't insist if you don't wanna tell me. But you have to know that I won't be asking it again."

Gina took her time, she seemed unsure whether to tell or not. After a few seconds, she started talking.

"It's not really something important, it's actually funny and embarrassing at the same time," Gina took a deep breath to relax herself. "The first time we were going on that casino mission, you know that.. our roles were as a married couple. I felt disappointed after returning back to Seraph's Inn without doing anything."

Takahiro turned around and started looking at her face. She seemed to exhibit a childlike shyness.

"Without doing anything on the mission or without doing anything in the role of a married couple?"

Gina's face blushed.

"Second.. one. I know it's really something dumb, but I just couldn't resist my thoughts. Even if it was a disguise we had, I just wanted to do something with you in that role."

Takahiro didn't say anything. It was a confession in some way.

"Well, I guess I understand your disappointment," answered Takahiro. "I will be honest; I'm not really good at those things. I can't be romantic, and I'm not sure how to make you laugh, to be honest. I grew up on the battlefield and all I know is how to kill my enemies in various ways. But if it'll help you to.. somehow relax and maybe get over it, then I want you to know that I love you."

Gina's eyes were filled with tears, but she was smiling in the most polite and beautiful way at him. Takahiro stood up and got closer to her. He gently raised his hand to wipe her tears.

"After we get done here, I'll take you out for a real date, I promise."

Takahiro wasn't sure when these feelings had developed. They just met roughly two weeks ago. Maybe Taki's death was the reason they got closer; maybe it was the time when he saved her back in the sawmill. Takahiro didn't do that because he liked her, he just didn't want to lose anyone on a mission again. Rather than letting somebody next to him die, he chose to walk to the death to face his past sins.

But somehow, they ended up like this. And now Takahiro had a bigger responsibility for that mission. He wasn't doing that to protect world peace anymore, all he wanted was to protect the peace and moment he was sharing with Gina right now.

Her eyes were looking into his soul with joy. They were shining and smiling. Gina closed her eyes and started reaching out towards Takahiro; he was slightly longer than her. Takahiro felt his heartbeats getting faster. As they approached each other, he felt her warmth. They were only a few centimeters away from their lips meeting.

But suddenly, somebody knocked on the door.

"Lieutenant, our investigation bore fruit," said one of the JGSA soldiers behind the door. Takahiro and Gina quickly moved away from each other. The soldier kept talking.

"In the early hours of the morning, several artisans stated that they saw a man who looked like Yuuichi's description. They said the man was heading north."

After a few hours, they closed the pub, and everybody met downstairs. There was a map lying on the table.

"There's only Svobodny on the road. A small town that is 150 km away from here." Takahiro was pointing to a settlement on the map.

"What could he be planning?" asked a soldier.

"I'm not sure, but I feel like it's not a good sign. He might be getting away from the border, and that means they're about to start."

People around the table seemed a bit panicked. There were only three people who managed to remain calm.

"We should go after him!"

"Aren't we too late for that? They could start any time soon!"

"That's why we have no time to lose!"

"And what's your plan? There are 150 km that we-"

"So what? Are we going to give up and let them do anything they want?"

As they kept discussing the situation, neither Gina nor Takahiro said anything. Sergeant Miyano Kenta, – the third person who remained his calm and normally the squad captain – took a deep breath.

"ENOUGH!"

Sergeant Miyano was a huge and well-built man. He was known to be a tough guy, but he was one of the most trustworthy person in JGSA. Still, he wasn't holding himself back from showing his anger to the soldiers in his squad. As he shouted, – more likely, roared – the whole room became silent.

"Thanks, sergeant," said Takahiro. His anger deep within was noticeable. "I can understand that you guys could lose your calmness in a situation like this. JGSA is still quite new, and we don't have a lot of well-trained personnel. Even with the help of the Japanese army, we're still not ready for a mission like this. But still, we're together on this mission. And you should know that nobody on this mission is responsible for any failure; when it comes to this, it's just me."

Takahiro took a look at everyone's face. They were listening to him with great attention.

"Anyway, there's a lot to say, but there's no time to discuss. Sergeant, you're on command from now on. I'll go to Svobodny with Gina and stop him, and the rest will stay here to not let them do anything. I know it won't be easy, but they won't start until Yuuichi gives the signal."

Takahiro put his hand on his forehead. He felt like his head was about to explode because of the headache.

"Let's get going then; we're racing against the clock."