Chapter Two—Induced Hardship

Three years ago…

Ichiro strode slowly through the open square with his shoulders slumped.

Yuki looked at him. She was dressed in a black mini skirt and tall boots, her shirt a white blouse with two buttons undone at the top.

“It’ll be all right, Ichi,” she said as she put a hand on his shoulder.

In this heat, he didn’t welcome the touch, but he said nothing. He didn’t care. It was over—his whole life was over.

“I was dishonorably discharged,” he growled. “What part of that is all right with you?”

Her eyes widened, but she didn’t shy away from his angry outburst. “It’s okay to be angry.”

He growled.

Those fools in the military didn’t know what it was like on the ground—when you were the one with the knife—you had to make certain calls.

He wouldn’t tell Yuki what those calls were, but they had involved some questionable actions according to his superiors, and on top of that, he had disobeyed orders.

But Ichiro was no stranger to disobeying orders. When things went well, his superiors had looked the other way, but this time things had not gone well, through no fault of his own.

The op simply went bad, and now Ichiro had been used as one of the scapegoats so someone else wouldn’t lose his job.

As an assassin, he wasn’t far off from actually considering a revenge killing, but then what would be the point? To make Ichiro feel better?

Not good enough.

Yuki nattered on, but he couldn’t hear any of the things she was saying while he was trapped in his own thoughts, though occasionally he nodded, just to make a show of acknowledgement.

“Are you even listening to me?!”

Gods, she was loud.

On a building near their right, the large screen there flicked to another broadcast featuring Empress Akamine. People in the square gasped and pointed.

“Mom, look!” one little boy said as he pointed.

“Oh my gods!” Yuki exclaimed. “Ichiro!”

He turned just as Akamine began to speak.

“Good people of Paradaisu,” she said, standing and flanked by her governors and military advisors.

Ichiro noticed it immediately. Something was wrong, something very, very wrong. Empress Akamine was in full military dress and upon her head was a white barrette with the symbol of Paradaisu on the front—an oni mask with crossed katanas.”

“This is your Empress Mamiko Akamine. I come to you with this broadcast with a heavy heart. Things have come to light within my sphere of knowledge as your ruler that I cannot ignore. Not any longer! I wish I could tell you what these things are—but I can’t.”

Ichiro straightened as he glanced at Yuki, then back to the screen.

“Effective immediately all travel into and out of Paradais will be halted. Indefinitely!”

“What?!” Yuki screeched. “What is she talking about? My brother is outside of the country right now.”

“Furthermore,” Empress Akamine said, “The possession of physical assets such as property, vehicles and other items is now illegal.”

Everyone in the square was looking up at the broadcast, a look of utter shock and confusion on their slack jawed faces.

“Is this real?” one man asked.

“It’s a hacked broadcast,” another said.

“How can this be possible?”

“I do this,” the empress continued, “not as a tyrant, but as loving ruler. The people of Paradaisu are weak!” She said the words with a note of scorn. “You must be made strong once again!”

Then she laughed—she actually laughed!

Ichiro was blown out of his shoes—but he made no move that showed his absolute surprise.

“I want to further iterate to my people—that this broadcast is absolutely real. I may or may no longer be sane, you’re thinking. Either way, do not think that you can escape this. For weeks I have been positioning various members of my Council of Divines throughout the country. As of right now during this broadcast the Imperial Army is working with the greatest of the Divines to erect a barrier over Paradaisu. You. Cannot. Leave! To further show to you the veracity of this broadcast, I have ordered my regional governors to scramble their militaries and to impose martial law within every corner of the land.”

Her face hardened.

“This—you must know—is the truth. I hope you—my people, can become strong within this time of induced hardship—and further hardships to come. This is only the beginning. That is all!”

With those parting words, the broadcast shut off and everyone turned about, glancing at their friends and loved ones, wondering what that was about. Some people laughed, while others broke down in tears or starting running.

“Ichi,” Yuki said. “Do you think that’s real?”

He looked at her, knowing that it was—and that he would, probably very soon—be dragged into this conflict. Not as a fighter for the Imperial Army like before.

But against it.

Everything is falling apart.

“Ichi? Ichi?!”

Glancing at her, he said, “We’re done.”

She flinched. “What?”

“I said we’re fucking done! I don’t want you anymore—don’t you get it!”

Her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped, then her face melted into a sob.

Ichiro walked away.

“Fine!” Yuki screamed at his back. “I never liked you that much anyway, Ichiro Kasai!”

As he walked on, shoulders slumped, the military alarms started blaring through the city.