May, 1995.

Uganda.

The helicopter whirled as it touched down, bringing in a few passengers. I was done with basic training and ready to be put on the field. It was delaying the inevitable in my eyes. I knew I was dead meat. I was in Task Force Hooligan. A team filled with fellow criminals and other assholes wanting to go home. Of course, it wasn't filled with the worst Japan has to offer. It was at times granted a few gems. That day we had two new recruits in that helicopter. Kanto Ishii and Gisei Akiyama. Kanto had a babyface to him and looked bright-eyed. I was confused as to why he even come here, let alone joined Hooligan. Gisei looked rather pissed. He was tall, brown, and somewhat handsome if it wasn't for the scowl. Seemed like he was a troublemaker. One of the commanding officers ordered me to get in the chopper with them, in order to beef up a few rebel camps. The Ugandans have been in the war for a while, with the Americans having no way to fully crush the rebellion. Didn't help we came here to even the odds even more.

I was strapped in next to Gisei. Kanto shook my hand as we lifted off. "Hi! I'm Kanto! Wonderful to meet you!" He said.

I looked at his shirt that said his name clear as day. "I know. I'm Kunshu. Kunshu Ito." I looked to my left to give a little nod to the silent Gisei as well.

"I assume you volunteered as well?" He joked.

That made me smirk a bit. "I'm the spitting image of patriotism."

The young man chuckled as he looked at my shirt. "Kunshu, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Nice to meet ya, Gisei."

We drifted off in silence for a bit, letting the chopper fly us. I looked out one of the windows, seeing the trees and dense jungle combined with the modern cities, the wildlife run around as we fly over the trees and the cars drive on the properly paved roads. It was a cool sight to see, especially over the sunset. I decided it was a good choice to fall asleep and make sure I get my rest.

I was soon woken up to a large blast. "RPG!!!" The pilot yelled, we were spinning out of control. I saw our tail completely gone due to the shot. Kanto was screaming as the alarms and the sounds of panic full the helicopter. We all strapped ourselves in, it was gonna be a rough landing. We were holding on to the seat for dear life, clutching it as the spinning just got worse. It was a carnival ride from hell. "BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Was the last thing I heard before we landed in the trees. We bumped and crashed as the trees gave way to the massive weight of a metal bird. I lost conciseness when we hit the ground on the helicopter's side, bumping my head on one of the doors.

I was dazed, confused. My head was banging, and my ears ringed as the explosion left me shell-shocked. In my haze, I found a way to unbuckle the seat and free myself. I collapsed on the dirt and glass of the crashed chopper. It was on its side, with smoke building up. While still dizzy, I jumped up to climb up on one of the seats. I was coughing up a storm and losing my breath fast. With a big push, I was able to open the side doors, letting me breathe for a bit before I fell back in. I was dirty and my head was busted open. I eventually gathered the strength to get up and look around. Gisei was still banged up, but he looked fine for a knocked-out guy. Kanto, however, was worse. His arm has a huge piece of glass lodged inside, but he looked like he was still breathing. I staggered over to shake Gisei awake. He was gasping for air, yelling out. Looking at a bloodied man for the first time while barely breathing can do that to a man. I helped him unbuckle his seat and lead him out of the helicopter, rifle in hand. I did the same to Kanto, but he was screaming, almost crying.

"I'm going to die! This is it!" The kid yelled at me.

I shook my head. "Shut the hell up! You're gonna be fine, ok? I need you out of this and get into cover!"

He stopped momentarily, panting rapidly. "A-Alright!"

I loosened his seat belt and assisted with his escape from the helicopter. Now it was my turn. It was then that I heard gunshots. I was so distracted with helping the two I didn't hear the massive gunfight outside. I grabbed my gun and crawled outside. It was a complete American ambush. I saw Gisei, my pilot, and the CO fighting, on the ground I saw Kanto, too injured to even move let alone shoot. I dove into cover and shot at whoever came at us. We were in a jungle, so there were trees to cover us at least. The nonstop fire from the Yankees was too much for some, like my CO. In one moment I saw him alive barking orders, the next I saw him on the ground, dead from getting shot in the dome. I ran over to his old spot and killed a few in revenge. All I could hear was yelling in a language I couldn't understand and the hissing of bullets as they flew past me. I thought it was over until the rebels came out to flank the enemy. I could see an opening. I made an order to charge, and the rest followed. We were able to turn the odds, shooting enough so that they could back off. When saw the rest retreat. I almost collapsed. Gisei broke my fall, holding me up.

We both find a tree to lean on, sitting on the jungle floor to look at the setting sun. "I killed somebody." He said.

"So?" I reply.

He looked at me, puzzled that I took human lives with ease.

I spit at the ground. "What?"

"Nothing." He shook his head and grabbed a cigarette. He offered me one as well. I looked over to see Kanto and our pilot being tented to by the rebels as I smoked.

And just like that, our friendship was born.

Sorta.