The Fading Hearts

"What do you see in this drawing?"

There was a devil holding a trident in his right hand, fighting with a snake, some kind of lizard-shaped creature, and a green old man staring into nothingness. Snake was ready to bite his right arm, the green old man was holding the devil's leg, and the lizard-shaped creature was crushed under the devil's feet.

"It's just how people see each other, doctor."

"What do you mean?"

"In the end, they're all devils. But each of them has their own characteristics. For example, the one who holds a trident and fights with the other three may represent a rebellious soul. It's trying to get rid of society's judgment and rebelling against its norms. That's why it became the common enemy."

"What about the snake?"

"The betreyal. It's sneaky and always waiting for you to let your guard down. There's not much to say about it."

"Alright, then what do you think about the old man?"

"The ignorant. It's forcing the rebellious one to stay. But its eyes tell you everything; there's nothing. Not even looking at who it's holding or who it's fighting with. All it knows is to drag down the others to the bottom."

"Why is it drawn as a green old man?"

"Its color and age don't matter, all that matters is its eyes and what it's doing."

"Hmm. And the last one?"

"It's hard to say anything about it. At first, I thought it was representing pure evil; its face is horrific and threatening. Its position looks like it's ready to hunt. But it has normal eyes, they don't belong to a predator. It also doesn't explain why it's under the other devil."

"What is it, then?"

"The most logical inference is that it's representing a power that has been defeated by a greater power. In some conditions, a rebel could be very challenging for its country. So it might be the authority; maybe it's dictatorship behind the curtain. It's drawn like a lizard, but I think it's more important to see it as a reptile at all."

"So it's a reptile disguised as something more innocent?"

"I guess so. Otherwise, my first assumption wouldn't be true."

"I see."

The psychologist was a lady in her fourties. Her gaze was harsh and scathing.

"Well, Mr. Oikawa. Your view of the world and humanity still seems the same. I have one last question. Among the four of them, which one do you feel closer to?"

"I'm not particularly close to one; I carry a piece of each of them within my soul. But if you ask which one is more dominant, I guess it would be the rebellious one."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Lieutenant, I think it's started."

"Get yourselves out of there, we're leaving."

"What happened?"

"Takao Yuuichi is dead, but it seems like it didn't change anything. But it's not important anymore. Japan could be dragged into this war if we reveal our identities, so evacuate the battlefield immediately."

Sirens were heard in the city. There wasn't much time left for them to get away from there safely.

"Don't we have any chance to stop this?"

"I don't think so. No matter what we are going to do, we can not bring back the lifes taken right now."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Why do you keep calling yourself a devil?" Takahiro was sitting with Shin by the sea.

"No man could be good while killing others."

"Even if it's for the sake of world peace?"

"There is only peace between the countries. True peace should involve all individuals. But it won't happen any time soon."

"I don't know man, I think you're too obsessed with this kind of things. Just try to enjoy the life you live, we don't have another."

"Is there anything worth doing to enjoy this life?"

"Umm, maybe try to love someone?"

"Well, I don't think I'll be a good husband. I'm boring, and I don't have any interests or hobbies. I'm raised to kill people and that's what I'm doing."

"Not anymore. We don't have to kill anybody again."

"Are you sure about that? I don't think we can just get rid of our fates. It always has something interesting to show."

"And why shouldn't it be love?"

"It's just not written."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So we lost?"

The sadness was evident in her voice.

"I'm not happy to admit that, but we were too late. We did everything we could, and yet they won."

"It's not only the war but our future."

Takahiro looked at Gina's face. She was about to cry. He couldn't blame her, she was right. In the worst and most possible case, they would spend a few more years of their lifes on the battlefield. And if they think about it, averting a nuclear war was almost impossible at that moment.

But wait, why would a nuclear war start? Everyone knows how harmful they are to the ecosystem. There'll definitely be a war between China and Russia, but nuclear warfare is something different.

"Do you have any map showing around?"

"I do have it, but what happened?"

"We can still protect our future if we can avoid nuclear warfare. And if you think about it, what happens right now is not a good reason to start it. I also can't understand why Yuuichi came to Svobodny."

"Maybe it's somewhere special for him."

"I thought the same at first, but I can't imagine him caring about his family relationships or other worldly things. It's not even a place to visit after trying to ignite a world war."

"Then what about it's just to save his own life?"

"He didn't care that either. In his last moments, he knew that he was going to die. But rather than begging for his life, he tried to be satisfied before his death."

"What could it be then?"

"To watch the chaos. But it's too far away to see anything in Blagoveshchensk, and there are no terror attacks in Svobodny. Everything he did in his last moments, he was just aiming for satisfaction. He didn't believe in God but still went to a church and prayed only to mess with it."

Takahiro kept searching around Svobodny to see anything interesting. But there wasn't anything special on the map. He took his radio out.

"Lieutenant Oikawa Takahiro is speaking, do you copy?"

"It's JGSA Operator Hatano Natsuki, over."

"Is there anything that might be interesting to a sadistic maniac who enjoys seeing people suffer around Svobodny?"

"I don't understand, Lieutenant. What are you exactly looking for?"

"Anything related to a nuclear warfare, maybe. I'm not sure. Just look at what you can find."

"Copy, I'll be back in a bit to report back, Lieutenant. Operator out."

Takahiro kept driving the car to Blagoveshchensk. He wanted to get others and leave the area. But it wasn't looking so easy.

"JGSA Operator Hatano Natsuki is speaking, there's a 'disbanded' Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Base south of Svobodny, in a village named Orliny. Just go along the river from the main road, and you'll see it within 15 kilometers. But I don't think it's functional, it's been almost thirty years since it was abandoned. But there's nothing more special about Svobodny than that."

"That might be worth looking at, thanks for the information, Operator."

"I'm glad if it was useful. Operator out."

Takahiro turned the radio off and started explaining what was in his head.

"I hope my instincts and assumptions are wrong, but I think they made that ICBM base fully functional again to start a nuclear warfare."

"It's a very crazy assumption. It's not certain that the place was disbanded. Even if it was, it's not like rebuilding a bunker. And I don't think there are any nuclear warheads in there."

"Well, you're mostly right. But I believe they have enough money for a few small restorations. They don't have to fire a nuclear warhead, it's enough for them to fire any missile at China. Where you fire it from is the only matter, China will take action."

Takahiro saw a sign on the right side. There was a road leading to Orliny. Takahiro took the turn and kept driving.

"I still don't give it any chance."

"Then they can't start a nuclear warfare. There's not much of a chance for it to be real, I actually hope it's not real, but it's their only chance to success. Otherwise, the war won't get bigger."

Gina sighed. She wasn't believing him for the first time. What he said was way too unrealistic.

"Alright then, I don't think we have anything to lose."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Last time you said you were carrying a piece of each of them, I can understand the rebellious one, but I don't get what you see in yourself in the other three."

"It's all about your perspective, doc. You can betray the trust of people who trust you. You may think yourself superior and fall into ignorance and mislead people. Only because you have authority, you can glorify yourself and drag other people to their deaths. And a rebellious person can rebel against God, humans, and all existence, even against themselves."

"Is this a good way to live a life?"

"It's not a choice but reality. Every single person in this world carries them within. Some of them are less evil, some of them are walking disasters."

"And which one do you think I am?"

"You should find that out by yourself. From what I see, you're a kind lady who helps people with their problems, even if you have that threatening look in your eyes."

"Well, I'll take that as a compliment," laughed the doctor kindly. "Anyway, this was my last session with you. I can't say you've completely gotten over what happened, but I think you'll be good from now on. If you need another session, just let me know. It's always a pleasure to talk with you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"STAY LOW!"

Right after they entered Orliny, Gina and Takahiro suddenly found themselves among the enemies. Takahiro hit the throttle all the way to the end to get away from there. Luckly, they weren't shot yet.

"Let's take cover somewhere, we better clear them up. I don't see much of them."

"I've got your back, Lieutenant."

They left the car somewhere a little far away from the conflict. They took their pistols out and started moving under cover.

The people they're fighting with weren't professionals, actually none of them were except Scarface and Grizzly. Despite the gap in firepower and numbers, Takahiro and Gina cleared them one by one in under 10 minutes.

"Are you all right?" asked Takahiro.

"I'm fine, let's find that base and finish this job."

"You're right. There wouldn't be enemies otherwise."

"I won't ever question your instincts again."

Suddenly, sirens started shouting under them. Takahiro and Gina couldn't move, they were frozen with horror and terrification. In the farming field next to them, the ground started to move, and a very huge hatch opened. Red lights covered the whole area, and sirens became louder. A large ballistic missile began to rise slowly. Takahiro looked at Gina's face, she was in tears. He slowly approached her and held her cheek.

As the ground started shaking, Takahiro kissed Gina on the lips. It was a long and gentle kiss. Maybe that was a farewell, maybe an expression of accumulated feelings. But he felt Gina relaxing, he felt her warmth.

Gina rested her head on Takahiro's chest. She was hugging him very tightly. After a few seconds, a cloud of smoke covered everything. It was very loud, but he didn't need to hear her tell him that she loved her.

Takahiro was feeling her heartbeats; that was more valuable than the vocal expression of love.