"Akane, kotchi ni kite. (Akane, come over here.)" Haru called over his adopted son from his room. Akane reluctantly came downstairs and stretched his arms. "Yeah?" He answered, looking around for Haru. He managed to find him sitting down in the living room, holding a couple of envelopes and folders.
"What are those for?" Akane asked. Haru arranged the files on the coffee table and gestured for Akane to sit down. Akane shrugged and walked over, sitting down in front of Haru and leaned forward. "So? What's all the files about?" He asked again. Haru opened one of the envelopes, revealing Akane's biometric data.
"What does my data have to do with this?"
"Too many questions, boy. Read the top of the files." Haru cut him off, encouraging him to read the files already and find out everything from himself.
"Japan Air Self-Defense Force- Wait, this is"
"Yes, you're now officially registered to train in the Self Defense Force. You'll be assigned under my command, in the Northern Air Force Unit, alongside the country's top aces."
"You mean-"
"Yes, the Hachi Squadron." Haru explained. "Once you turn eighteen years old, you'll be starting your training two weeks after your birthday, as your files need to be updated. Now, let me tell you what you need to know."
"The Hachi Squadron, or more formerly known as the Wasp or Beehive Squadron is one of the aircraft units in the Northern Air Force Unit. They're tasked differently as per the country's laws. Though the squadron is famous for their feats over the years, Japan's Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution not only forbids the use of force as a means to settling international disputes but also forbids Japan from maintaining an army, navy or air force. That's why the Self-Defense Force exists. This is the overall united military forces of Japan that is under the Ministry of Defense." He took a sip of his coffee and caught his breath. "Since 1954 this hasn't changed but just recently, our allies from the United States and South Korea had spotted something unusual in the northern part of the continent. Japan has started to maintain an army until further notice to stop all maintenance. American agents in Russia have been reporting military actions unknown to the public, all of their media and communications have been limited by these so-called terrorists." Haru explained.
"So that means I'll be part of an army of some sort, correct?" Akane asked. Haru nodded. "Once you've trained and gained significant flight time, you'll be assigned under Colonel Takagi Miyamoto-"
"You mean Hachi 1? Warrior Wasp?" Akane seemed to look enthralled by the idea. Haru nodded and continued, "Your allies will be as this folder states." Haru handed him four other folders with a stamp. Each containing the Hachi Squadron's information.
"Colonel Takagi Miyamoto, Hachi 1 "Warrior."Lieutenant Rei Sayaki, Hachi 2 "Bumblebee"Sergeant Rin Kuroka, Hachi 3, "Honeybee." And Saya Takashi, Hachi 4, "Hornet."" Akane skimmed through the folders as he quickly read at his future teammates' information.
"They've worked hard for their titles, and you can probably guess how they got it." Haru broke the silence.
"I mean, its in their bios." Akane showed him the brief descriptions they have at the bottom of each page.
"Now, I want you to study hard. Recap all the things you need to study before going into flight school in Japan. Our flight will be in two months time." Haru explained. Akane nodded and arranged the files back on the desk.
As Akane went back upstairs, he immediately remembered about Kira. She was supposed to arrive in Russia today and he had to text her once she landed. He quickly went up in his room and jumped on his bed, picking up his phone that sat on his nightstand.
_____________________________________
Akane: Hey, sorry for not texting you. I kinda got busy.
Seen
: Kira
It's fine, Shimada. I'm just glad you did. You wouldn't believe what I got myself into.
Can I call you?
Seen
Akane: Of course!
Seen
_____________________________________
"Hey!"
Akane calmed down when he finally heard his friend's voice again. "What's up? How's Russia?"
"Okay, okay. First off. Mom's getting me into the Russian Air Force and I'm going to flight school next year!"
"Same here." Akane replied plainly. "Dad's getting me in the JASDF."
"Really? That's great! Oh shoot- Mom's here. I gotta go. I'll call you when I get the time! See ya!"
And the call stopped. Akane wondered why couldn't she call him while her parents were there. Did her mother have some kind of grudge on him or something? He sighed and placed his phone back down on his nightstand and looked on his ceiling. It was just a plain sky blue with a white gradient across, making it seem like there was light on his room even if it was dark.
He went back to her question about the color of the sky.
"Isn't it just blue?" He asked himself.
He brushed the thoughts off and decided to take a nap. He had a long night ahead of him and he wanted to stay up for a bit to see what the night skies looked like. Though he did observe the sight from his balcony, he wanted to experience the silence under the stars again, where everything felt like an eternal loop. He didn't know why, but he found it exhilarating. He closed his eyes and soon enough, he had fallen asleep.
The barely audible sounds and vibrations that came from his phone echoed in his room, as Akane opened his eyes and took a breath, shutting the alarm down.
He sat up on his bed and stayed silent for a couple of minutes, letting the lack of noise wake him into action. He went outside of his room and down to the kitchen, grabbing some bread and ingredients to make a snack. He grabbed some orange juice from the fridge and brought his food back upstairs to the balcony. Within the few moments he's been there, staring at the stars and observing the night sky. He kept wondering why Kira asked him that question.
"Is it because she wanted me to see the skies like some sort of..."
He glanced upwards, the skies were clear tonight, which Akane hoped for. It was summer, not much rain or weather reports that the skies would be cloudy at all. It seemed nice, just sitting there in silence, eating sandwiches and drinking juice in the middle of the night. He wanted to text Kira but at the same time he didn't want her to be in trouble. He decided to wait for her texts instead. Either way, he wouldn't be able to text his friend that often since he felt like her parents were suppressing her communications.
Which made him think.
"If there are reports of communication suppression in Russia and rumors of it being taken over by terrorrists.. Does that mean..."
He shook his head. "No, that's unlikely." He finished up his food but decided to stay over in the balcony for a few more hours, scrolling through his phone. But in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but speculate or theorize about what's happening with Kira's country. He kept scrolling until eventually, he decides to go back to his room and finish his usual rest.
YOU ARE READING
Skies of Eternity
Genel Kurgu"Tell me, what color is the sky up there?" This was a question that bothered me for days, weeks, years. I never really understood the meaning of it. But the thing is, every time I'm up there- In the clouds, soaring through the skies as the sun's ray...
