A War Worth Fighting Part 29
April 5, 1945
"Japan's doorway," Wufei said quietly as he stared out to the shores of Okinawa.
Fully staffed and ready to take full siege on the island, the Enterprise stared directly at the belly of the beast. A win over this landmark and the Americans would be able to launch right into the mainland.
What a victory here would mean for the Allies was far greater than their capture of Iwo Jima. This would mark a clear beginning of the end for Japan.
Since the first of the month, there had been attack after attack on the stretch of land. Now only just back after its repairs and ready for action, the Enterprise was poised to join in on the battle as it slowly rolled in behind those crafts bearing the ones that would face the onslaught head on.
The first Higging Boats, each carrying up to thirty-six soldiers laying low in preparation for the storm, floated closely to the bank. In defiance of the machine guns, hills and other hurdles set in their path, the helmeted warriors stared upon their target without a hint of fear. [1]
Over the sound of gunfire, the planks opened and waves of troops charged for the beach, screaming and wading through the knee-deep water. Biting his lip as he watched from a safe distance, Wufei lowered his head at the sight of dozens of men being cut down before they even reached the sands. Pale-faced, Johnny and the remainder of his team also turned their heads away from the gruesome sight.
No matter how many times they had witnessed attacks like this, it never became any easier. Every man shot down was someone to somebody back in the States. And they were brutally taken away from them forever.
Wiping a coat of sweat from his brow, the commander of the air unit adjusted his uniform cap and turned to face his men. "All right!" he shouted over the deafening sounds in the background, "First team, in the air now! I want those goddamned guns taken out!
"And be on the lookout for any of those bastard kamikazes! You know if they can get planes in the air, they will be coming for our ships! We already have confirmed several hits from such attacks, so they're desperate! Move!"
Without even a salute, Wufei and his comrades zippered their flight jackets up and ran for their planes. "See you all after our watch!" Johnny laughed in the middle of the pack. Similar sentiments were shouted over the screams and firing from the island.
The first to reach his own craft, the Chinese pilot strapped himself in and closed the cockpit hatch. Lightly patting his control panel, he smirked, "Let's go, Nakaku." Clipping his mask and helmet into place, he took hold of his controls and turned his plane onto the middle of the ship's runway.
Given clearance by the crewmen waving them on, Chang pushed forward hard and sent himself soaring over the ledge of the carrier. Gaining altitude quickly, he spun himself into the air right for the shores.
Between dodging the fire befalling him and keeping an eye on the enemy planes that were taking to the air, taking out the machine guns on the ground was more than a difficult task. Still, he managed to get some of his own fire to fall just behind the line of Japanese ground troops. Not enough to damage them, but it certainly shook them up.
And every second that they spent taking cover was a second that they were not shooting at the ground troops that were climbing over the bodies of their own. It was another second that the Americans were able to progress.
Just behind Wufei, the rest of his team took his lead and acted in kind. One lucky strike from Johnny's plane took out one of the guns in a grand explosion.
From there, the focus fell on the fighters heading right for them. "All right boys," Wufei smirked behind his mask. Gripping his control sticks, he sneered, "Let's dance."
* * * * * *
Howard turned off the ragged looking radio that had gone to static. Sighing, he rose to his feet to seal away his gadgets in his basement. Had the Japanese known what he, the senile old American that they paid mind to had access to, they would no doubt reconsider their opinion of him. Much like himself, every one of his 'toys' was something much more than it appeared.
When he stepped into the living room, he found Heero and Duo seated on one of the living room couches together. Their heads turned to gaze out the large window behind them, they were appraising the last bits of snow melting from the earth to give way to budding plant life. Here and there, the non-evergreens were beginning to show signs of early budding.
If only the rest of the world were as serene.
After some time to heal, the braided private's face was clear of any blemish and his homemade splint was no longer strapped to his left leg. Looking to their host with those wide violet eyes, he asked in a rush, "Anything new to report?"
"No," the old man shook his head. "The signal went out before I could pick up on more recent reports. There has been little more to say regarding Tokyo and the other cities that were hit. Nothing close to here has been made a target yet."
To the anxious cobalt eyes watching him, Howard frowned deeply in regret, "I couldn't get any further word on how Hiroshima is fairing after the first air strikes that hit there. At least that is a good thing, considering the fact that if there was anything big enough to report, we would have heard about it by now. What happened there is nothing like what happened to some of the larger cities."
Heero swallowed roughly and lowered his head. Biting his lip, Duo reached over and squeezed his arm with a reassuring, "I'm sure that your mother is fine, 'Ro. If she's any bit as resourceful as you are, she probably got the hell out of that city before the strikes came."
Unable to hide his concern, the sergeant turned to his lover. "I just wish that I had a way of knowing for sure," he shrugged sadly. "And I can't stand just sitting around and not being able to do anything about any of this."
Chewing on the inside of his cheek, Howard offered quietly, "Well, with any luck, maybe there will be a surrender soon-"
Instantly cutting him off by quickly rising to his feet, Heero glared heatedly at him with his fists clenched at his side as he shouted, "There is not going to be a surrender! If there has not been one now, what makes you think that will change!?" The old man never so much as flinched, the understanding radiating from his calm eyes,
Duo was standing and wrapping his arms tightly around his red-faced lover. Gently, he urged, "I know this is frustrating. I do. And you know that if there was anything that we could do to get you to your mother now we would. But we have to wait until we can get to the main island when we won't be noticed or there really won't be any way of helping her."
His shoulders sagging with a sigh, Heero ran a rand through his hair and calmed himself. "You're right," he agreed in little more than a whisper. Clearing his throat, he faced their old friend and said sincerely, "I'm sorry that I snapped at you like that, Howard."
With a small grin, the retired soldier replied, "No apologies needed, kid. we're all a bit on edge what with everything that's going on. But it's not going to be much longer before we'll be heading out for the plane."
Through the foliage outside, something glimmered a few yards out. The white hairs on his neck standing, Howard sat upright in his seat, eyes wide and back stiff.
Blinking in confusion and building panic, the pair went just as rigid. Before either of them could ask what was wrong, the old man spotted clear movement through the brushes and trees. "You boys had best get to hiding," he suggested in a breath. "We have company."
Unable to breath at that, Heero and Duo froze further. "Don't bother looking out the window," Howard continued in his quiet but stern voice. "They're getting close enough to look inside, so get down low. I'll stall them as long as I can."
Not needing another word, the young soldiers crouched low and headed out of the room and headed for the basement. Meanwhile, Howard stood and went before the large window beside his door.
Squinting his eyes, he could make out four uniformed soldiers making their way through the forest towards the house with their weapons drawn and gleaming in the sunlight. A small smile played on his lips as he took a deep breath to keep himself from showing any hint of worry.
As the men neared the clearing, the old man went to the door and opened it to step out on his simple porch. Raising a hand, he waved and fell easily into the Japanese language to greet, "Hello, there! Not too often I get visitors around here!"
There was a pause from the advancing soldiers. Confusion on their faces, they looked to one another before putting their pistols away. Just as Howard had hoped, an old man that knew their language was far from a threat. Even if he was an American.
Heading the team, one of the soldiers responded, "Sir, we are in search of two men who escaped our captivity. We believe that they may have come in this direction."
Realization dawning on his face, Howard nodded, "Aahh. So you would like to search the house." Stepping aside from the door, he grinned widely, "Take your time. I was just about to make some tea if any of you would like some."
Already heading up the steps, the soldier shook his head, "No, thank you. We need to be on the move again soon. This won't take long." Following him was one of his men while the remaining two rounded the house.
First thing to catch the eyes of the pair entering was the shotgun leaning against the grandfather clock in the living room. Receiving odd looks from the soldiers, the old man shrugged, "Simply for hunting, boys. I have nothing to hide." An inspection of the weapon to see that it was unloaded was enough for his 'guests' before they split off to search through the rooms.
Sitting on his soft recliner, Howard folded his arms behind his head and hummed to himself. In the back of his mind, he was thankful that his guests had the mind to destroy their packs and any other hint that they were staying there long before this surprise visit.
In each of the guest rooms, he had made a point to have pictures of his grown kids set around to explain away the extra clothing in the dressers as belonging to them whenever they would come around.
Every one of those things worked as the Japanese soldiers stepped out into the hallway after their inspection shaking their heads to one another in defeat. It took a lot to keep the old man from smirking when they returned. "I have a basement, too," he offered. Pointing towards the kitchen, he directed, "You'll find the door in there."
While the determination was still in his 'guests'' eyes when they headed for the room, there was a noticeable lack of haste in their steps now that they were certain there was nothing to be found in the residence. Still, they had to check everywhere just to be sure.
Downstairs, Heero and Duo lay parallel to the rafters that held the ceiling up on their sides a few feet across from each other. Keeping their breathing to little more than slow pulls, their arms wrapped tightly around their torsos, they heard the door open and watched as the lights just below them turned on.
Duo gripped his braid tightly in his hand as footsteps clomped down the stairs. Across from him, Heero was holding his breath and forced himself still. The slightest creak from the old rafters holding them or even an inch over too far on the beams just wide enough to conceal them would give them away.
Gazing over the piles of ruined and old mechanics spread throughout the room, one of the soldiers snorted, "What a mess. How anyone would bother with hanging onto this junk is beyond me." His partner chuckled in agreement as they began searching the rubble.
Over their heads, the sergeant and the private watched each other from their hiding place. Unable to move even if they wanted to, they listened to the tussling of gears and parts feet below them. Hearts pounding in their ears, they willed for the search to finally be ended as sweat glistened on their brows.
Every once in a while, a bug could come out to run over their bodies that lay in the way of their trail.
Minutes felt like hours as the search went on.
Lying on their sides as they were, it was becoming more and more uncomfortable for the pair as their bodies grew numb. Heero winced as his entire right side burned under the whole weight of his body. Duo's left side was much the same as he bit his bottom lip roughly to fight off the pain without making a sound.
Numb, the officer did not even feel his upper arm shift beneath him until the beam holding him creaked. Cobalt eyes widening, he looked to his equally frightened lover in disbelief. Suddenly, the noise of the search below came to an abrupt stop and a flashlight beam hit the ceiling between them.
"Did you hear that?" the second soldier asked urgently, his voice a mere whisper. A second flashlight beam glowed on the ceiling just behind Heero. Swallowing roughly, the pair closed their eyes tightly as the lights scanned across the ceiling.
After what felt like an eternity, the beams were turned off as the first soldier sighed, "Nothing. It's just an old house that creaks. It's most likely just mice or insects. Besides, do you want to be the one that has to climb over all of this garbage to climb up and look?"
Finally able to breathe the hidden soldiers opened their eyes in relief. The sudden sound of a tea kettle whistling loudly nearly had them both jumping. Gripping their beam tightly, they gritted their teeth in effort to hold their bodies still.
Steps above reached the doorway as Howard's voice called, "Tea's ready if you want to change your mind about that offer, boys. Get it while it's hot!"
Upon that, the second soldier sighed, "Just a lonely old man. He's not hiding anything. Let's just have one drink and get moving." A quiet affirmative from his comrade had them turning and heading for the stairs.
Only when those footsteps vanished and the basement door closed did Heero and Duo finally breath out the air they had been holding in a rush. Panting, they simply lay there as they were, still unwilling to move as their wide eyes scanned the ceiling a couple of inches above them.
His cobalt eyes falling back on his partner, the sergeant mouthed, 'I'm sorry.'
Smirking in amusement, the private formed the words, 'Fine so long as I can take it out on you later.'
It was enough to take the tension out of the air. 'Deal,' Heero replied silently with a small grin.
Never moving from their beams, they listened to their old friend laugh and converse with the soldiers gathered with him in the living room just overhead.
* * * * * *
Nearly an hour later, after a thorough scan of the area well after his unexpected visitors left, Howard headed to the basement to inform his friends that the coast was clear.
Their clothes and faces dusty from being in the unkempt rafters and their bodies sore, they carefully climbed down and stepped over the piles of gadgets that had been strewn about the floor. "Man, I thought I was going to have to change my underwear!" the old man laughed with his hands on his hips. "That sure was a close call."
"Too close," Heero mumbled as he rubbed his numb right arm. "If we were still on foot, they would have caught up to us before long at the pace we would have been moving until Duo's leg healed."
Well aware of that fact, the private nodded his braided head with a deep frown. It certainly had been too close of a call for either of their liking.
Rubbing his chin, Howard suggested, "Considering the circumstances, we should stay put at least a few weeks longer just to be certain we don't run into another search party like that. I was hoping to have you both out of here by the end of the month, but that would be a pretty risky move."
As much as they, also, would have preferred to leave as soon as possible, the pair could not argue the logic of waiting out longer. One could never be too cautious in their situation.
Stretching wide, the white-haired host announced, "Well, I am going to be off to see if I can't bring us in something to eat. I'm growing pretty tired of the same 'ol that I have in the pantry." That said, he turned on his heels and headed upstairs.
The moment they were alone, Duo suddenly forgot all of his aches and pains as he smirked to his lover. "And I have to make good on our earlier agreement," he commented in a low growl.
It was not terribly often when they had the home to themselves. But they always made sure to make the best of it when they did. And after the scare that they had just endured, there was quite a bit of... tension that needed to be eased.
Heero snickered in amusement and replied quietly, "In the shower. That way we can at least get clean in the process."
"Oh, I like your thinking," the braided soldier grinned in mischief. Together, albeit a bit slowly on account on their tender joints, they headed upstairs.
* * * * * *
April 11, 1945
Crying at the strain of pulling back on his control stick, Wufei's arms ached in their effort to hold on after a hail of gunfire from a kamikaze plane grazed his right wing. Finally managing to level himself, he panted heavily and scanned the skies around him.
With a heated glare and face red in rage, he turned himself back to take on the small fleet of enemy crafts alongside his team that had been caught off guard. Pushing his plane forward, he tried to lock in one of the retreating planes into his scope.
As they reached the end of the island, the Chinese pilot's eyes widened with a gasp when the fleet ahead began to descend rapidly... heading directly for the Enterprise and the ships around her.
"No!" he screamed into his mask as he worked desperately to lock onto a target amongst the Japanese fighters.
To his shock and dismay, several of the kamikaze crafts blazed into the ships with huge explosions. All throughout his cockpit, there were warning buzzers and whistles at the pressure that he was losing in trying to keep up. Clearly the damage done to Nataku was worse than he initially thought and smoke began to bellow from his right wing where it had been grazed.
Images of Merian and his family flooded Wufei's mind. Panicked at the thought of never seeing them again, he pulled back to lessen the strain on his advance and save his plane.
Just as he slowed, one of his teammates' planes swooped forward at a breakneck speed. Only briefly catching the painted sayings on the base of the craft, the Chinese pilot gasped, "Johnny!"
His plane never pausing, the red-head's fighter dove into the fray of suicide planes, but he was not firing as a sign that he was out of ammo. A cold chill of realization ran down Wufei's spine. Eyes wide and skin pale, he shrieked, "Johnny! No!"
Even if his friend could hear him, it was too late. Johnny's plane flew straight into a Japanese fighter before it could hit its intended mark on the Enterprise. Both planes went up in a massive eruption of fire and smoke in midair.
All the while, more kamikaze struck into their intended marks. One into the side of the great carrier.
Amidst the flames that were being put out by the crew, Wufei made a shaky landing shortly after the hit. Peeling off his mask and helmet, he removed his straps and opened the cockpit.
Nearly collapsing when his feet hit the deck, he stared to the plane-spotted sky with shimmering eyes as he screamed, "Goddamn you bastards!"
Sinking to his knees, Chang sobbed over the loss of his friend. One of many that he had to say goodbye to, but the closest to him by far.
And still the battle continued on as though nothing had happened.
TBC...
[1] An extra special thanks to ShenLong Deb for finding this link referring to the Higging Boats used for these island attacks: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LCVP Very good find, hon!!! *hugs tight*
On a personal note, my grandfather served in WWII sailing those boats that carried soldiers from the boats to drop them at the island. I was the only person in our family he shared his experiences with.
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