Kaeben's writings
Seeing as im part of the writing social group i decided to post my stories, these are the only proper stories ive ever written and they are very old so be patient with my writing skill/gramma please 
Leave fluttered across the floor... is a love/war story (in Kaeben's writings Pt.1)
Darkness settled in the valley is simply a war story i never finished (in Kaeben's writings Pt.2)
Hope you enjoy
{Warning has a mild sex scene and violence}
Leaves fluttered across the floor as Methuselah (more commonly known as Rain) watched them. Rain was sitting on a 4-foot tall metal wall. He was a very tall and thin twenty-five years old, with long flowing blonde hair so that his fringe hid his eyes but allowed him to see. Rain hated his eyes; he thought they always gave away emotions he tries so desperately to hide deep inside.
Perched next to him was a short curved girl named Machika; Machika had been with rain now for six years. At the age of seventeen she had met him in the orphanage programme. He was the only one there for her, yet she didn?t see him as a non-related brother; she felt that she shouldn?t tell Rain of her feelings.
What would Rain say if she told him that for most of these 6 years she had this undying love for him, burning like a flame; yet gentle as silk inside of her heart. When on those rare occasions she got a glimpse of his big brown eyes and the horror inside. Orphaned at the age of seven Methuselah had seen his father beaten, tortured and killed, and he watched as his mother was raped, forced to drink some kind of acidic liquid and was left to die as she bled from the inside.
Methuselah had moved from foster home to foster home often getting rejected by those who thought he wasn?t the right kind of son, quiet and spending the majority of your time depressed isn?t the kind of child most people would want, he had walked the street of Japan for two years after getting kicked out of the foster programme; he had been beaten or even stabbed on several occasions, often because he was thought to have money but sometimes just because of the lanky blonde image he had, not the typical Japanese style.
With such a history it is no surprise that when Machika looked into Rain? eyes she saw eternal sadness and empty ness no matter the smile on his face.
Sine the 3rd World War most of the world was uninhabitable, the nuclear explosions had tore on for a night, the widespread explosions caused light to cover the entire surface of the Earth leaving those alive to experience a night in days. Japan had been one of the few lucky countries; not wanting to join in with the mass slaughtering of countries Japan sat still and as such wasn?t a target. No one was sure who fired the first bomb and why, but after the seal levels rose and 75% of the normal amount of sunlight was stopped due to the clouds of dust thrown up from the explosions. People stopped caring about what had happened and looked towards the most basic of needs?survival.
Those lucky few that survived were forced to move to countries such as Japan in search of the food that rarely grew in little sunlight. The world?s population had decreased from six billion to barely six thousand in the space of one night.
Methuselah and Machika were two of those lucky few yet after leaving the foster programme due to their age they had to once again walk the streets of Japan doing work for those few that needed it, the work generally consisted of hard labour or disgusting jobs no one else would do. Yet once again they had returned to the wall that closed of the orphanage from the rest of the world. This is where they had sat the first time they had met; both rarely looking down from the hill the town sat on to the water below, water caused from the poles melting, the odd island of land rising above the water was riddled with craters from the nuclear explosions and the smaller missiles such as the ?population killer? as it was commonly known, which was a rocket which flew over a city/town and then opened up to release thousands of small explosive devices which were programmed to explode four feet above the ground sending a lethal cloud of ball bearings and fire flying.
In the first few minutes of the explosions the world had been changed from a destroying world to a destroyed world all at the hand of man.
?Xenai is coming? (pronounced zen-i) Rain said out of the blue. I don?t know how he does that Machika thought to herself.
?Guys I have some news; there?s going to be a protest tonight, the army will be there so make sure your prepared.? For five years now Methuselah and Machika had been part of Anarchy Organisation working against the dictatorship that was ?re-building? Japan.
AO or Anarchy Organisation had started off using peaceful protests after the food was rationed depending on the wealth of the person, soon the poor started to starve. But after the police had opened fire and a group of unarmed protestors because the government was feeling ?threatened? everything changed.
That massacre had been where Rain had received his first bullet hole. It had travelled through a rub and lung and then punctured his heart. Officially Rain had been dead for twelve minutes but he felt he had stared at those tall dark wooden gates for a lifetime, his eyes following the intricate pattern of black iron that flowed almost liquid like across the wood. Rains eyes opened to see dark light after Xenai had found him lying on the floor and shocked his heart back to life. Since that fateful night the protests had turned more and violent until they ended up as full-scale gun fights.
In the past five years Xenai had risen through AO?s ranks and his new found friends Rain and Machika had risen with him until they were among the top fifteen ranked, after Rained owed Xenai his life and such vowed never to let Xenai see those unholy gates of death that Rains eyes had set upon.
As Xenai proceeded to the AO headquarters Rain and Machika took a quick shortcut to their flat to get ready. The estate they lived on was a run-down and half abandoned. Rain and Machika rarely spent time at their flat, they only returned to eat and sleep, and that wasn?t often as the AO headquarters had sleeping and eating quarters.
They climbed the stairs up to the 5th floor and proceeded down the landing. As they reached the door Rains hand felt the air where the door knob used to be. In its place was a wide hole created undoubtedly from a shotgun. Rains hand quickly yet silently pulled his desert eagle pistol from its resting place under his left arm.
With the swift yet silent grace of a hunting cat Rain opened the door and stepped through gun first into their flat. Their home was ruined, the few pictures or posters on the walls were ripped down and several burnt. The floor was scattered with their few but precious belongings. As they reach the bedroom Rain gasped and Machika let out a soft sob as she leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor and hugged her knees as she cried into her arms.
Rage rumbled inside of Rain as he looked at the scene.
Their beds were scatter smothered in human faeces and urine, above the beds was written in spray paint was ?Your family first now you bitch.? The message was for Machika, years back Machika?s father had owned a loan shark owed a loan shark more money they he could possibly afford with the interest rates. Machika her father, mother and elder brother were forced to run and hide, but eventually the loan shark found them. Machika?s father and brother had put up a fight but had been overrun. No mercy had been shown. Later that day Machika returned from the local shops where she had been, and found the corpses.
Now he had found Machika.
Rain slowly walked to the wall and felt the paint; it was dry and cold as stone. There was no chance of tracking the people who did this. Rains anger continued to boil inside, and in a moment of rage he grabbed a broken lamp and hurled it through a window.
A lump of pity and sorrow grew in Rain?s throat stopping him so much as uttering a word of comfort to Machika, his legs trembled with rage rendering him immobile barely able to stay upright.
For what felt like an eternity Rain stood facing the wall trying to smother his rage and control it. Machika?s sobbing slowed and then stopped. She stood up and walked up to Rain and stood next to him. He put a hand on her shoulder and turned her to him; she looked up through the tears into his eyes and saw tears of his own. He gently pulled her into him and held her in his safe embrace as her hands clawed at his chest as her sobbing renewed. Tears ran as smooth as rivers down Rain?s face as he stroked Machika?s back trying to do anything to help. As Machika?s crying continued and she clawed at his chest rage again rumbled in Rain. He lifted an arm and pumped round after round into the wall with his pistol until the slide slid back. The message was not littered with holes the size of a child?s fist a sign that revenge would be fought. Rains gun lowered the barrel red hot and smoking.
Rain turned Machika with an arm and gave her a very gentle push to signal for her to leave, Rain took one last look at the message and pressed a switch on the side of his pistol. The clip slid out with a distinct ringing sound and landed on the floor with a soft thump. As Rain walked out of the room and down the small hall to the door he pulled a clip from a pouch at his belt and slid it into his gun and the slide slipped back with a click. Rain closed the door behind them, but not before placing a small package from his bag just inside of the door.
They walked off the estate and when they reached the road a small shockwave of air reached them followed by the sound of an explosion. There were few residents near their apartment so there was no risk of endangering them. Neither Rain nor Machika looked back to see the smoke rising into the air and flames starting to lick the apartment above as the fire spread throughout the building.
Distant sirens rang as Rain pulled a crowbar from his bag and opened a manhole, they both climbed down into the sewers. Shortly after replacing the manhole above Rain and Machika and when they were both halfway down the ladder they heard police cars rushing down the street over the manhole in the direction of the fire. Machika and Rain climbed down silently into the dark abyss below. Near the bottom rain wiped a single tear from his cheek; he had tried so hard to be strong for Machika he couldn?t stop now. At the bottom Rain pulled out two torches, one for each of them. They walked a the root they had travelled uncountable times in the past towards the AO headquarters, both Rain and Machika?s heads were down and their shoulders hung low as they both took in the extent of what had just happened.
Rain looked down at Machika and wiped a tear from her face and took her hand in his, she could feel the moisture of the tear run down between their hands. Machika looked up at Rain; he glanced down at her soft brown eyes and then stop and lowered his head to kiss her lips softly. Rain?s hand caressed the back of Machika?s head; her hands held each other at the back of Rains neck as their tongues met.
Machika?s heart races, it pumped so loud she was sure Rain could hear it. Rain pulled back from the deep embrace then gave her a quick kiss on the lips, with his face just an inch from hers Rain whispered ?I love you Machika, I always have.?
It took all of Machika?s effort to push past the lump of joy in her throat as tears welled up in her eyes and to reply ?I love you to Methuselah.?
After staring into each others eyes for 30 seconds Rain said ?come now, business needs to be done, you will have to wait for the pleasure, but I promise I will make it worth it hun.?
The word ?hun? echoed in Machika?s mind, she had waited for six years for that kiss, and it was perfect but now waiting several hours seemed like an eternity. Machika had spent six years convincing herself that Rain would not have the same feelings as she and she should not tell him not that idea had been knocked flying out of her head as it hit home that Rain shared her feelings. Warmth spread throughout her body as she thought of the times they would now spend together. Together like they never had in six years of each others company. Together as lovers.
A single tear fell from Machika?s eye, this time of joy.
They walked past the security gates of the AO headquarters, the guards on the patrol recognised the two and let them past with the occasional nod or salute. The AO headquarters was simply a warehouse. The fact that the warehouse was surrounded by barbed wire fences and armed guards wasn?t above the normal as anything valuable was under threat in the poverty caused by the dictatorship. Inside the entrance of the warehouse were boxes of food, drink and general supplies for the soldiers of AO. This severed the purpose of being of aid to the rebel organisation but also to convince anyone looking from the outside that the building was just an ordinary warehouse.
Walking past the boxes, then a very busy armoury, then rows of beds in the sleeping quarters and finally at the end a small corrugated iron building that was the officer?s mess. Inside stood Xenai, dressed in full black motor biking leather with a black bandana, and an off-road motorbike helmet held under his arm. The officers had obviously just finished a convocation before they entered, Xenai and a few of the lesser ranking officers looked slightly worried.
Xenai turned to Rain and Machika and sighed in relief and very quickly said ?Thank god you two are here! We have to move out now; our scouting patrol has encountered live resistance and is blocked down. Me and the bike squad are ready to move out. You two will be going with the ground forces, a basic routine; I go in first and the ground follow after to wipe up. But this will very likely turn out to be a full-scale fight so make sure you are loaded and ready.?
A short message on the PA system announced for the bike squad to move out, Xenai straightened his bandana used to keep his long thin almost grey hair from his face. And then put on his helmet followed by his blacked-out visor. Picking up his Mp5 submachine gun; running a quick check, cocking the gun then jogging out to his dirt bike resting on the officer?s mess. With a revving sound he round off out the warehouse to his waiting squad.
Machika and Rain walked silently to their ?bedroom? or more likely two beds and cupboards surrounded by corrugated iron which separated the different room sin the sleeping quarters. Even though they had shared their kiss and love out of respect and habit they undressed facing away from each other. Rain pulled on a pair of slightly baggy black cargo trousers and tightened the belt. As he pulled a black t-shirt over his head with a silver Japanese symbol for self defence on; Machika sneaked a glance across the room at him.
Machika had seen Rain topless many times as he was comfortable with her, this was the first time she had seen him since she had discovered he shared her feelings. Her heart raced as his t-shirt slid smoothly down his slim body, it reached the middle of his ribcage and Machika had reached Rain and placed her hands on his side feeling his torso, her right hand explored and travelled to his almost six-pack caressing his flesh. Rain turned around slowly with a small grin on his face -something rarely seen- and bent down and kissed her neck softly sucking and licking her neck moving up to her ear then across her jaw line kissing his way until he almost met her lips then pulled back with a teasing smile on his face.
His face turned serious as he whispered ?Be careful out there today, I still hold that promise to you.? Machika giggled as he kissed her deeply while her hands still caressed the sides of his torso. Machika gasped as his hands slowly slid up her side to the straps of her bra?
Another announcement on the PA system gave the order for the group forced to move out. They were late. With a great effort Machika and Rain separated after a quick kiss, both getting quickly dressed.
Rain waited for Machika now wearing a large black hooded jumper under a black cloth trench coat reaching down to his shins. He checked and loaded his pistol, picked up a few clips and then his sword.
Two years before one of Rains friends from his early days in AO had fallen in battle. Rain had been friends with him for years and had often saved each other from dangerous situations. Rain?s friend Kaeben (pronounced Kay-ben) had run out of ammo and entered into combat with his father?s sword. The thin blade was four feet long and was engraved with a swirling design down the middle of the blade. Outnumbered Kaeben had dropped man after man but was slowly worked down. When Rain noticed the situation it was too late, a man ran up to the side of Kaeben and as Kaeben turned had fired several shots into his face. Even still his sword carried on turning and landed in the man's face. Rain had hurried to his fallen comrade and taken the sword and scabbard from him with a small promise for revenge. And revenge was found.
Machika finished getting dressed also in dark cargo trousers and a long black top that perfectly showed off her curved body. Machika picked up her 9mm pistol, pulled back the slide and checked the cartridge exit and then let go as the slide slid back into place and clicked.
Together Machika and Rain walked from their bedroom to the armoury. Machika picked up an Mp5 sub-machinegun and ammo; Rain a M16 assault rifle. They both attached harnesses over their torsos followed by bullet proof vests and filled the harnesses with ammo. Finally they both picked up a smooth black helmet with a pitch black visor; they shared a quick kiss before putting on the helmets.
They moved out of the warehouse to three five tonne trucks parked outside, they climbed into the back with the rest of the men. Thirty men were sat in the trucks with fifteen either side of the isle with their backs to the wall. Rain and Machika sat at the furthest part inside so they were looking down the two rows of men and the back of the truck. Looking down the rows Rain saw twenty-one veterans and nine rookies. For the rookies this would be hard, the first fight was always filled with terror. Not that much had changed?
One of the rookies sitting in front and to the left of Rain had a few droplets of sick on his back jacket; Rain patted him on the back and gave him a reassuring smile, the man returned with a weak smile.
As the trucked rolled out, Rain started to feel adrenaline pump through his body.
?Today will be a big fight, you will see your brothers in arms fall around you, but do not stop to weep; stand your group and take vengeance. Do not run in fear you will receive a bullet to the back from those who filled you with such fear, stand your ground. Know that if you fall blood on the battlefield that you have died a martyr for the cause, a martyr against those in charge, running our country, starving our country, KILLING OUR COUNTRY! Pray to whoever you wish now, pray not for yourself but for your brothers and sisters sitting amongst you know, and know that they will pray for you, just as I shall. Stand your ground and know that your comrades and the good spirits are standing with you.?
Rain and many people believed that the spirits of the dead gave aid to those worthy of the help. Several people had claimed that in the heat of battle they saw the ghostly spirits of the fallen aiding the wounded hold onto life and fighting the enemy?s spirits.
Rain would never forget the chilling feeling of seeing those ghostly men standing next to him.
Even now Rain could remember perfectly fallen men standing next to him, firing next to him.
The lorry bumped over the curb of the pavement as it rounded a corner which brought him back to his senses; he uttered a quick prayer as the smell of gunpowder filled his nostrils.
They could hear gunfire from around the corner of the street as the lorry ground to a stop and the men pilled out. Machika and Rain followed as they jogged weapons in hand to a building on the corner of the street, the men jumped through a broken window into the building, they ran to the right, the side of the house facing the action.
The view spread out before their eyes made them all pause, three drop to their knees retching.
Littered everywhere were dirt bikes with their riders laying dead or wounded next to them.
?Stand your ground and fight!? Rain shouted over the sound of the enemies guns. Their bullets rained down on the fallen AO soldiers slaughtering the wounded. Half of Rain?s squad found some stairs and ran to the second and third floors of the building crouching at any window with a view of the houses across the wide road. Rain and is squad had the element of surprise, Rain pressed a button on his harness collar to active his helmet microphone ?On my signal.? He said
He crouched behind the far right bottom window of the house rifle in hand, he rose up and sighted government soldiers standing at every window firing, he raised his rifle and placed the butt to his shoulder. He fired 3 shots at a man, he dropped. He fired another 3 shots at the man next to him, he feel quickly after. Rain swept his fire across the building taking out anyone and everyone he could. After his second burst of fire his men joined in and bullets found their marks across the street.
As Rain?s squad opened fire, the houses across the street were enveloped in a cloud of dust from the bullet impacts. Shortly after Rain?s squad started to fire the houses to the left of Rain?s opened fire on the government soldiers across the street. For a very long minute the AO soldiers littered bodies across the street with gunfire. The heavy hammer of a fifty-cal machinegun could be heard from the top floor of the building its huge shots slamming into flesh and building.
Rain heard a whooshing noise above the gunfire followed quickly by an explosion, followed by more whooshing noises and explosions. Rocket propelled grenades were being fired from the government buildings. Rain and his men found cover behind the walls as a second volley of the grenades hit their targets. Directly after the volley stopped Rain lifted himself and opened fire on the shooters, firing as quickly as possible he dropped the men carrying the rockets. As Rain?s eye caught a man just to the right of where is rifle was aimed lifted a rocket launcher to his shoulder and prepared to fire, Rain fired a single shot into the man?s chest, the man recoiled back a step then fired the rocket.
The grenade flew across the street leaving a trail of smoke and entered the window Rain was crouched near, it exploded at the other end of the room in a shower of fire and shrapnel. Three men stood near the explosion dropped dead instantly littered with red hot metal. A foot long shard of shrapnel embedded itself into Rains left ankle pinning him to the ground. Rains face contorted in a silent scream as he ripped the shrapnel from his ankle, a spray of blood followed. Rain pulled out a sachet containing a coagulant he ripped it open and poured the white powder on the wound, swiftly the bleeding slowed then stopped as the coagulant clotted his blood.
Rain rose up and fired shot after shot seeking revenge.
Suddenly to the left of him he saw Machika fall as a bullet tore through her shoulder, Rain ran to her side. A foot from her another propelled grenade flew though a window, Rain dived to the floor on top of Machika this time escaping the shrapnel he raised himself up on his arms to see the extent of the damage to Machika.
As he rose up a bullet slammed into his bullet proof vest, the impact caused Rain to violently cough blood which landed on Machika?s face, who lay frozen in terror. She screamed as a second bullet slammed into his torso. Two more bullets hit home against his back, the impacts forcing his body down onto Machika?s, as he shakily rose up again he mumbled a prayer for his bullet proof vest to hold up. A round hit him in the right shoulder this time penetrating an inch into his flesh, Rain screamed at the pain. A bullet flew through his thigh muscle as if it were no more then butter. Another three shots hit him, two in the vest and the last embedded itself in his lower back flesh. Machika sobbed trying to push him off of her to save him; he didn?t move until another round hit him in the back, it pushed him down on top of Machika. He slid off Machika but quickly regained his position over her.
A round tore through the right side of his neck missing Machika?s head by a mere inch, blood poured from the wound and covered the two lovers.
Rain lowered his head and kissed Machika he pulled back and struggled to whisper ?sorry?? They kissed again as the last bullet hit home.
The last bullet travelled through the base of Rains skull and into the middle of Machika?s.
Both of the lovers died instantly.
In a deadly embrace.
Leave fluttered across the floor... is a love/war story (in Kaeben's writings Pt.1)
Darkness settled in the valley is simply a war story i never finished (in Kaeben's writings Pt.2)
Hope you enjoy
{Warning has a mild sex scene and violence}
Leaves fluttered across the floor as Methuselah (more commonly known as Rain) watched them. Rain was sitting on a 4-foot tall metal wall. He was a very tall and thin twenty-five years old, with long flowing blonde hair so that his fringe hid his eyes but allowed him to see. Rain hated his eyes; he thought they always gave away emotions he tries so desperately to hide deep inside.
Perched next to him was a short curved girl named Machika; Machika had been with rain now for six years. At the age of seventeen she had met him in the orphanage programme. He was the only one there for her, yet she didn?t see him as a non-related brother; she felt that she shouldn?t tell Rain of her feelings.
What would Rain say if she told him that for most of these 6 years she had this undying love for him, burning like a flame; yet gentle as silk inside of her heart. When on those rare occasions she got a glimpse of his big brown eyes and the horror inside. Orphaned at the age of seven Methuselah had seen his father beaten, tortured and killed, and he watched as his mother was raped, forced to drink some kind of acidic liquid and was left to die as she bled from the inside.
Methuselah had moved from foster home to foster home often getting rejected by those who thought he wasn?t the right kind of son, quiet and spending the majority of your time depressed isn?t the kind of child most people would want, he had walked the street of Japan for two years after getting kicked out of the foster programme; he had been beaten or even stabbed on several occasions, often because he was thought to have money but sometimes just because of the lanky blonde image he had, not the typical Japanese style.
With such a history it is no surprise that when Machika looked into Rain? eyes she saw eternal sadness and empty ness no matter the smile on his face.
Sine the 3rd World War most of the world was uninhabitable, the nuclear explosions had tore on for a night, the widespread explosions caused light to cover the entire surface of the Earth leaving those alive to experience a night in days. Japan had been one of the few lucky countries; not wanting to join in with the mass slaughtering of countries Japan sat still and as such wasn?t a target. No one was sure who fired the first bomb and why, but after the seal levels rose and 75% of the normal amount of sunlight was stopped due to the clouds of dust thrown up from the explosions. People stopped caring about what had happened and looked towards the most basic of needs?survival.
Those lucky few that survived were forced to move to countries such as Japan in search of the food that rarely grew in little sunlight. The world?s population had decreased from six billion to barely six thousand in the space of one night.
Methuselah and Machika were two of those lucky few yet after leaving the foster programme due to their age they had to once again walk the streets of Japan doing work for those few that needed it, the work generally consisted of hard labour or disgusting jobs no one else would do. Yet once again they had returned to the wall that closed of the orphanage from the rest of the world. This is where they had sat the first time they had met; both rarely looking down from the hill the town sat on to the water below, water caused from the poles melting, the odd island of land rising above the water was riddled with craters from the nuclear explosions and the smaller missiles such as the ?population killer? as it was commonly known, which was a rocket which flew over a city/town and then opened up to release thousands of small explosive devices which were programmed to explode four feet above the ground sending a lethal cloud of ball bearings and fire flying.
In the first few minutes of the explosions the world had been changed from a destroying world to a destroyed world all at the hand of man.
?Xenai is coming? (pronounced zen-i) Rain said out of the blue. I don?t know how he does that Machika thought to herself.
?Guys I have some news; there?s going to be a protest tonight, the army will be there so make sure your prepared.? For five years now Methuselah and Machika had been part of Anarchy Organisation working against the dictatorship that was ?re-building? Japan.
AO or Anarchy Organisation had started off using peaceful protests after the food was rationed depending on the wealth of the person, soon the poor started to starve. But after the police had opened fire and a group of unarmed protestors because the government was feeling ?threatened? everything changed.
That massacre had been where Rain had received his first bullet hole. It had travelled through a rub and lung and then punctured his heart. Officially Rain had been dead for twelve minutes but he felt he had stared at those tall dark wooden gates for a lifetime, his eyes following the intricate pattern of black iron that flowed almost liquid like across the wood. Rains eyes opened to see dark light after Xenai had found him lying on the floor and shocked his heart back to life. Since that fateful night the protests had turned more and violent until they ended up as full-scale gun fights.
In the past five years Xenai had risen through AO?s ranks and his new found friends Rain and Machika had risen with him until they were among the top fifteen ranked, after Rained owed Xenai his life and such vowed never to let Xenai see those unholy gates of death that Rains eyes had set upon.
As Xenai proceeded to the AO headquarters Rain and Machika took a quick shortcut to their flat to get ready. The estate they lived on was a run-down and half abandoned. Rain and Machika rarely spent time at their flat, they only returned to eat and sleep, and that wasn?t often as the AO headquarters had sleeping and eating quarters.
They climbed the stairs up to the 5th floor and proceeded down the landing. As they reached the door Rains hand felt the air where the door knob used to be. In its place was a wide hole created undoubtedly from a shotgun. Rains hand quickly yet silently pulled his desert eagle pistol from its resting place under his left arm.
With the swift yet silent grace of a hunting cat Rain opened the door and stepped through gun first into their flat. Their home was ruined, the few pictures or posters on the walls were ripped down and several burnt. The floor was scattered with their few but precious belongings. As they reach the bedroom Rain gasped and Machika let out a soft sob as she leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor and hugged her knees as she cried into her arms.
Rage rumbled inside of Rain as he looked at the scene.
Their beds were scatter smothered in human faeces and urine, above the beds was written in spray paint was ?Your family first now you bitch.? The message was for Machika, years back Machika?s father had owned a loan shark owed a loan shark more money they he could possibly afford with the interest rates. Machika her father, mother and elder brother were forced to run and hide, but eventually the loan shark found them. Machika?s father and brother had put up a fight but had been overrun. No mercy had been shown. Later that day Machika returned from the local shops where she had been, and found the corpses.
Now he had found Machika.
Rain slowly walked to the wall and felt the paint; it was dry and cold as stone. There was no chance of tracking the people who did this. Rains anger continued to boil inside, and in a moment of rage he grabbed a broken lamp and hurled it through a window.
A lump of pity and sorrow grew in Rain?s throat stopping him so much as uttering a word of comfort to Machika, his legs trembled with rage rendering him immobile barely able to stay upright.
For what felt like an eternity Rain stood facing the wall trying to smother his rage and control it. Machika?s sobbing slowed and then stopped. She stood up and walked up to Rain and stood next to him. He put a hand on her shoulder and turned her to him; she looked up through the tears into his eyes and saw tears of his own. He gently pulled her into him and held her in his safe embrace as her hands clawed at his chest as her sobbing renewed. Tears ran as smooth as rivers down Rain?s face as he stroked Machika?s back trying to do anything to help. As Machika?s crying continued and she clawed at his chest rage again rumbled in Rain. He lifted an arm and pumped round after round into the wall with his pistol until the slide slid back. The message was not littered with holes the size of a child?s fist a sign that revenge would be fought. Rains gun lowered the barrel red hot and smoking.
Rain turned Machika with an arm and gave her a very gentle push to signal for her to leave, Rain took one last look at the message and pressed a switch on the side of his pistol. The clip slid out with a distinct ringing sound and landed on the floor with a soft thump. As Rain walked out of the room and down the small hall to the door he pulled a clip from a pouch at his belt and slid it into his gun and the slide slipped back with a click. Rain closed the door behind them, but not before placing a small package from his bag just inside of the door.
They walked off the estate and when they reached the road a small shockwave of air reached them followed by the sound of an explosion. There were few residents near their apartment so there was no risk of endangering them. Neither Rain nor Machika looked back to see the smoke rising into the air and flames starting to lick the apartment above as the fire spread throughout the building.
Distant sirens rang as Rain pulled a crowbar from his bag and opened a manhole, they both climbed down into the sewers. Shortly after replacing the manhole above Rain and Machika and when they were both halfway down the ladder they heard police cars rushing down the street over the manhole in the direction of the fire. Machika and Rain climbed down silently into the dark abyss below. Near the bottom rain wiped a single tear from his cheek; he had tried so hard to be strong for Machika he couldn?t stop now. At the bottom Rain pulled out two torches, one for each of them. They walked a the root they had travelled uncountable times in the past towards the AO headquarters, both Rain and Machika?s heads were down and their shoulders hung low as they both took in the extent of what had just happened.
Rain looked down at Machika and wiped a tear from her face and took her hand in his, she could feel the moisture of the tear run down between their hands. Machika looked up at Rain; he glanced down at her soft brown eyes and then stop and lowered his head to kiss her lips softly. Rain?s hand caressed the back of Machika?s head; her hands held each other at the back of Rains neck as their tongues met.
Machika?s heart races, it pumped so loud she was sure Rain could hear it. Rain pulled back from the deep embrace then gave her a quick kiss on the lips, with his face just an inch from hers Rain whispered ?I love you Machika, I always have.?
It took all of Machika?s effort to push past the lump of joy in her throat as tears welled up in her eyes and to reply ?I love you to Methuselah.?
After staring into each others eyes for 30 seconds Rain said ?come now, business needs to be done, you will have to wait for the pleasure, but I promise I will make it worth it hun.?
The word ?hun? echoed in Machika?s mind, she had waited for six years for that kiss, and it was perfect but now waiting several hours seemed like an eternity. Machika had spent six years convincing herself that Rain would not have the same feelings as she and she should not tell him not that idea had been knocked flying out of her head as it hit home that Rain shared her feelings. Warmth spread throughout her body as she thought of the times they would now spend together. Together like they never had in six years of each others company. Together as lovers.
A single tear fell from Machika?s eye, this time of joy.
They walked past the security gates of the AO headquarters, the guards on the patrol recognised the two and let them past with the occasional nod or salute. The AO headquarters was simply a warehouse. The fact that the warehouse was surrounded by barbed wire fences and armed guards wasn?t above the normal as anything valuable was under threat in the poverty caused by the dictatorship. Inside the entrance of the warehouse were boxes of food, drink and general supplies for the soldiers of AO. This severed the purpose of being of aid to the rebel organisation but also to convince anyone looking from the outside that the building was just an ordinary warehouse.
Walking past the boxes, then a very busy armoury, then rows of beds in the sleeping quarters and finally at the end a small corrugated iron building that was the officer?s mess. Inside stood Xenai, dressed in full black motor biking leather with a black bandana, and an off-road motorbike helmet held under his arm. The officers had obviously just finished a convocation before they entered, Xenai and a few of the lesser ranking officers looked slightly worried.
Xenai turned to Rain and Machika and sighed in relief and very quickly said ?Thank god you two are here! We have to move out now; our scouting patrol has encountered live resistance and is blocked down. Me and the bike squad are ready to move out. You two will be going with the ground forces, a basic routine; I go in first and the ground follow after to wipe up. But this will very likely turn out to be a full-scale fight so make sure you are loaded and ready.?
A short message on the PA system announced for the bike squad to move out, Xenai straightened his bandana used to keep his long thin almost grey hair from his face. And then put on his helmet followed by his blacked-out visor. Picking up his Mp5 submachine gun; running a quick check, cocking the gun then jogging out to his dirt bike resting on the officer?s mess. With a revving sound he round off out the warehouse to his waiting squad.
Machika and Rain walked silently to their ?bedroom? or more likely two beds and cupboards surrounded by corrugated iron which separated the different room sin the sleeping quarters. Even though they had shared their kiss and love out of respect and habit they undressed facing away from each other. Rain pulled on a pair of slightly baggy black cargo trousers and tightened the belt. As he pulled a black t-shirt over his head with a silver Japanese symbol for self defence on; Machika sneaked a glance across the room at him.
Machika had seen Rain topless many times as he was comfortable with her, this was the first time she had seen him since she had discovered he shared her feelings. Her heart raced as his t-shirt slid smoothly down his slim body, it reached the middle of his ribcage and Machika had reached Rain and placed her hands on his side feeling his torso, her right hand explored and travelled to his almost six-pack caressing his flesh. Rain turned around slowly with a small grin on his face -something rarely seen- and bent down and kissed her neck softly sucking and licking her neck moving up to her ear then across her jaw line kissing his way until he almost met her lips then pulled back with a teasing smile on his face.
His face turned serious as he whispered ?Be careful out there today, I still hold that promise to you.? Machika giggled as he kissed her deeply while her hands still caressed the sides of his torso. Machika gasped as his hands slowly slid up her side to the straps of her bra?
Another announcement on the PA system gave the order for the group forced to move out. They were late. With a great effort Machika and Rain separated after a quick kiss, both getting quickly dressed.
Rain waited for Machika now wearing a large black hooded jumper under a black cloth trench coat reaching down to his shins. He checked and loaded his pistol, picked up a few clips and then his sword.
Two years before one of Rains friends from his early days in AO had fallen in battle. Rain had been friends with him for years and had often saved each other from dangerous situations. Rain?s friend Kaeben (pronounced Kay-ben) had run out of ammo and entered into combat with his father?s sword. The thin blade was four feet long and was engraved with a swirling design down the middle of the blade. Outnumbered Kaeben had dropped man after man but was slowly worked down. When Rain noticed the situation it was too late, a man ran up to the side of Kaeben and as Kaeben turned had fired several shots into his face. Even still his sword carried on turning and landed in the man's face. Rain had hurried to his fallen comrade and taken the sword and scabbard from him with a small promise for revenge. And revenge was found.
Machika finished getting dressed also in dark cargo trousers and a long black top that perfectly showed off her curved body. Machika picked up her 9mm pistol, pulled back the slide and checked the cartridge exit and then let go as the slide slid back into place and clicked.
Together Machika and Rain walked from their bedroom to the armoury. Machika picked up an Mp5 sub-machinegun and ammo; Rain a M16 assault rifle. They both attached harnesses over their torsos followed by bullet proof vests and filled the harnesses with ammo. Finally they both picked up a smooth black helmet with a pitch black visor; they shared a quick kiss before putting on the helmets.
They moved out of the warehouse to three five tonne trucks parked outside, they climbed into the back with the rest of the men. Thirty men were sat in the trucks with fifteen either side of the isle with their backs to the wall. Rain and Machika sat at the furthest part inside so they were looking down the two rows of men and the back of the truck. Looking down the rows Rain saw twenty-one veterans and nine rookies. For the rookies this would be hard, the first fight was always filled with terror. Not that much had changed?
One of the rookies sitting in front and to the left of Rain had a few droplets of sick on his back jacket; Rain patted him on the back and gave him a reassuring smile, the man returned with a weak smile.
As the trucked rolled out, Rain started to feel adrenaline pump through his body.
?Today will be a big fight, you will see your brothers in arms fall around you, but do not stop to weep; stand your group and take vengeance. Do not run in fear you will receive a bullet to the back from those who filled you with such fear, stand your ground. Know that if you fall blood on the battlefield that you have died a martyr for the cause, a martyr against those in charge, running our country, starving our country, KILLING OUR COUNTRY! Pray to whoever you wish now, pray not for yourself but for your brothers and sisters sitting amongst you know, and know that they will pray for you, just as I shall. Stand your ground and know that your comrades and the good spirits are standing with you.?
Rain and many people believed that the spirits of the dead gave aid to those worthy of the help. Several people had claimed that in the heat of battle they saw the ghostly spirits of the fallen aiding the wounded hold onto life and fighting the enemy?s spirits.
Rain would never forget the chilling feeling of seeing those ghostly men standing next to him.
Even now Rain could remember perfectly fallen men standing next to him, firing next to him.
The lorry bumped over the curb of the pavement as it rounded a corner which brought him back to his senses; he uttered a quick prayer as the smell of gunpowder filled his nostrils.
They could hear gunfire from around the corner of the street as the lorry ground to a stop and the men pilled out. Machika and Rain followed as they jogged weapons in hand to a building on the corner of the street, the men jumped through a broken window into the building, they ran to the right, the side of the house facing the action.
The view spread out before their eyes made them all pause, three drop to their knees retching.
Littered everywhere were dirt bikes with their riders laying dead or wounded next to them.
?Stand your ground and fight!? Rain shouted over the sound of the enemies guns. Their bullets rained down on the fallen AO soldiers slaughtering the wounded. Half of Rain?s squad found some stairs and ran to the second and third floors of the building crouching at any window with a view of the houses across the wide road. Rain and is squad had the element of surprise, Rain pressed a button on his harness collar to active his helmet microphone ?On my signal.? He said
He crouched behind the far right bottom window of the house rifle in hand, he rose up and sighted government soldiers standing at every window firing, he raised his rifle and placed the butt to his shoulder. He fired 3 shots at a man, he dropped. He fired another 3 shots at the man next to him, he feel quickly after. Rain swept his fire across the building taking out anyone and everyone he could. After his second burst of fire his men joined in and bullets found their marks across the street.
As Rain?s squad opened fire, the houses across the street were enveloped in a cloud of dust from the bullet impacts. Shortly after Rain?s squad started to fire the houses to the left of Rain?s opened fire on the government soldiers across the street. For a very long minute the AO soldiers littered bodies across the street with gunfire. The heavy hammer of a fifty-cal machinegun could be heard from the top floor of the building its huge shots slamming into flesh and building.
Rain heard a whooshing noise above the gunfire followed quickly by an explosion, followed by more whooshing noises and explosions. Rocket propelled grenades were being fired from the government buildings. Rain and his men found cover behind the walls as a second volley of the grenades hit their targets. Directly after the volley stopped Rain lifted himself and opened fire on the shooters, firing as quickly as possible he dropped the men carrying the rockets. As Rain?s eye caught a man just to the right of where is rifle was aimed lifted a rocket launcher to his shoulder and prepared to fire, Rain fired a single shot into the man?s chest, the man recoiled back a step then fired the rocket.
The grenade flew across the street leaving a trail of smoke and entered the window Rain was crouched near, it exploded at the other end of the room in a shower of fire and shrapnel. Three men stood near the explosion dropped dead instantly littered with red hot metal. A foot long shard of shrapnel embedded itself into Rains left ankle pinning him to the ground. Rains face contorted in a silent scream as he ripped the shrapnel from his ankle, a spray of blood followed. Rain pulled out a sachet containing a coagulant he ripped it open and poured the white powder on the wound, swiftly the bleeding slowed then stopped as the coagulant clotted his blood.
Rain rose up and fired shot after shot seeking revenge.
Suddenly to the left of him he saw Machika fall as a bullet tore through her shoulder, Rain ran to her side. A foot from her another propelled grenade flew though a window, Rain dived to the floor on top of Machika this time escaping the shrapnel he raised himself up on his arms to see the extent of the damage to Machika.
As he rose up a bullet slammed into his bullet proof vest, the impact caused Rain to violently cough blood which landed on Machika?s face, who lay frozen in terror. She screamed as a second bullet slammed into his torso. Two more bullets hit home against his back, the impacts forcing his body down onto Machika?s, as he shakily rose up again he mumbled a prayer for his bullet proof vest to hold up. A round hit him in the right shoulder this time penetrating an inch into his flesh, Rain screamed at the pain. A bullet flew through his thigh muscle as if it were no more then butter. Another three shots hit him, two in the vest and the last embedded itself in his lower back flesh. Machika sobbed trying to push him off of her to save him; he didn?t move until another round hit him in the back, it pushed him down on top of Machika. He slid off Machika but quickly regained his position over her.
A round tore through the right side of his neck missing Machika?s head by a mere inch, blood poured from the wound and covered the two lovers.
Rain lowered his head and kissed Machika he pulled back and struggled to whisper ?sorry?? They kissed again as the last bullet hit home.
The last bullet travelled through the base of Rains skull and into the middle of Machika?s.
Both of the lovers died instantly.
In a deadly embrace.
