Chapter 23 Proof of Life

Eiji was confined to the prison office. Tyne had been called away for his duties, leaving him to care for Tama with his own army's military rations that was found on site.

He knew he was both fortunate and cursed to be in his solitary confinement, and there wasn't much he could do about. The patched up hole in his stomach was seeping again and close to infection. If gunfire or bomb blasts weren't going to kill him, gangrene would.

If only he was able to learn something of the enemy that could tip the tables for his country. The room was too far removed from the main fight. He was isolated and too well confined.

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"If alive, do not suffer the disgrace of becoming a prisoner; in death, do not leave behind a name soiled by misdeeds..." Eiji chanted from the Senjinkun he had memorised. His voice trembled on the words, causing a mess of troubled thoughts in his mind.

"I'm disgracing both. I don't understand. Okamisama, please, what's to become of me?"

His solace was in comforting Tama whenever her nap was broken by sounds of brutal gunfire and bombings that shook the room. He would hold her trembling body to his chest and gently stroke her to calm her down. He could relax when he saw her body curled up asleep on his lap.

"It's okay Tama. It'll be okay." He would fall asleep as he calmly whispered those reassuring words to her slumbering body with loving pats.

Time went by with the sounds of war receding in the distance. Tama frequently slept on his lap. He counted time through her nap patterns and had estimated he had been confined for almost twenty days. Eiji was dumbfounded as to why he wasn't sent to the POW camp. Why keep him confined for so long?

A few times Tyne returned with their military doctor to redress his wounds. Of course, no one said anything to him when Tama's litter was cleaned out and more rations were left for them. Eiji gave the rations to Tama, hoping it would help her grow and be strong enough to survive.

"You have to eat too, you're loosing body fat." Tyne scolded Eiji when he returned alone and saw he wasn't eating and moving around the room.

Eiji chuckled at Tyne's display of concern. He was a complicated person to try to understand.

"Tama gets the food because she's more important than any of us here."

Tyne sighed and dropped his arguments on the matter.

"March 16th is tomorrow. It's likely we'll have complete control of this island. Regardless, too much blood has been spilt on these shores." Tyne commented absent-mindlessly, his voice lost to his troubled thoughts.

Eiji finally realised their common ground other than Tama.

"Continue to rub salt in my dishonour. You won't even give me the chance to redeem myself."

"Goddamn it, man! I have! Death is not the only way to reclaim your honour!" Tyne yelled.

Eiji gasped with concern when Tama was crudely taken from his lap and awoken by Tyne's abrupt hold on her.

"Nya! Nya!" The black kitten desperately mewed and struggled under Tyne's tight hold.

"Tama is proof of life! Can't she be your reclaim to honour?!"

Eiji reached out his hands to Tama's frightened body, wanting to soothe away her fears.

Tyne let her go. Tama fled them both to hide under the chair. She was shaking like a leaf.

Eiji's arms flopped to his sides. Tears slid down from his eyes as he felt his whole situation a lost, hopeless cause. His mind was a confused mess of honour, dishonour and his longing to be with Hinata. Why would countries war? Soldiers weren't alien monsters. They were people. Normal, every day, people. Sure he fought for his country, but it was his love for Hinata that kept him fighting on. Otherwise, he would've dropped his guns and died a long time ago.

"I'm tired. I don't get anything anymore."

Tyne heaved a weary sigh and slumped down next to Eiji, staring out to Tama with hope that she would return to him.

"Then tell me your name. Almost a month and I don't know it."

"Not telling." Eiji stubbornly answered.

"Well, I'm relieved to see you haven't let go of your stubborn streak."

"Why are you keeping me? I'm no one important. I'm just a radio operator."

Tyne lowered his eyes to the floor, taking time with his response.

"It was the sound of your voice. I had hit the beach when I heard you speak in the radio before the charge."

"Eh?" Eiji stared at him with perplexed frown.

"I studied languages at college before coming to war. I can tell when a man knows other languages by the sound of his voice. Yours carries a roundness unnatural to a lot of Japanese voices I've heard."

Eiji frowned, not convinced by his bizarre explanation. Nevertheless, there was no point in dissecting the matter further. It did confirm his suspicions on Tyne's ability to being fluent in Japanese. He realised they had another thing in common. Although, his ability for language was learned by adapting to situations in the field rather than out of a book. He was fortunate he had been able to study properly when he had been living with Hinata.

"Hinata's your purpose for fighting isn't she?"

The question threw Eiji for a loop. He cursed the obvious expression of surprise on his face. His instincts were telling him to stop slipping up and stay on his guard.

Tyne sighed and faced Eiji squarely.

"There's no shame in fighting this war for a different reason."

Eiji spat at his face. To think he was starting to believe the hope this man gave him. He realised that he was being taken for a fool the whole time. This man dared to use his lover's name as an advantage point. Of course, damaged done in war wasn't all from gunfire and bombings.

"You do not dictate my honour!"

Tyne slowly rose to his feet and stared down on Eiji. "One day, you'll come to see that I wasn't being mean with my words."

He left the room.