Campus grounds were eerily listless that evening. A mournful quieted hush seeped through every building, hallway, and even the typically active courtyard. They held no graduation ball because of the dire circumstances at hand. Orders came down for all the cadets to be confined to their assigned barracks while the graduates were invited to a small feast in the chow hall. Few attended, as their designs were to spend the remaining hours of freedom doing whatever they saw fit.

Down at the armory, Roudan briefed Yoshida on the intel meeting. They debated whether to stay and defend the territory or go to the capitol for aid-relief. Ultimately, General Benavides gave the order for the Alpha and Bravo squads to be deployed, while Charlie and Delta would remain behind. This depressed Roudan to no end because it meant being separated from Shevchenko with an indefinite return. He drank heavily from his last stash of hooch, with Yoshida and a few other graduates in tow.

“All I’m saying is; there’s a difference between being highbred and well-bred,” Yoshida proclaimed loudly, as they all sat in a semi-circle on the floor in the commons area. The fellows cackled and hooted at his comment.

Roudan was reluctant to respond and instead held the metal cannister to his lips.

The surrounding men nudge him. “Aw, come on, mate. Speak your truth here and now in front of your brethren!” one of them prompted.

Roudan sighed, took a long swig, then belted, “I know you think poorly of my girl, but she isn’t wrong for her feelings.”

“Maybe not her feelings, but certainly her entitlement. The way she treats people whom she deems lesser than her is sickening,” Yoshida snapped back, along with an agreeing audience.

Roudan grimaced.

“You’re not being fair, senpai,” he replied.

Yoshida looked at him in disbelief, then nodded for a further explanation.

 Roudan continued. “Lily wanted you, but you’ve clearly reserved yourself for Thomasa. That kind of rejection would have a hard impact on anyone. I get it.”

“Give me a break. She outright has been a demon towards Thomasa, everyone else, and especially you. The gall of your defense is stunning,” Yoshida jabbed and snatched the cannister from Roudan. It revealed the empty contents once he turned it up to his mouth. This caused the fellows to murmur in disapproval of the argument and disappointment of the lack of alcohol. Each of them instinctively filed out of the room to find more liquor, leaving Roudan and Yoshida alone.

After clearing the room, Roudan picked up where they left off.

“You might think I’m mad to hope there is something salvageable between her and I,” he glowered.

Bemused, Yoshida asked, “Is there?” 

“Well, yes. She’s expecting my child,” Roudan confessed.

 “Ah, so that was the matter,” Yoshida cackled. “She seemed more psycho than usual during the exit exam.”

Roudan promptly cut Yoshida off from his impending tirade.

“I’m going to propose.”

Yoshida let out a small gasp with a look of horror.

Roudan staggered to his feet to tower over Yoshida.

“It’s the proper thing to do so that our child can get full rights,” he replied.

Yoshida followed suit, but stumbled back onto to the couch. He calmly sat upright to continue his response. 

“Full rights to what, exactly?”

Feeling fatigued, Roudan plopped down beside him.

“Didn’t you read the fine print in our contract? The offspring of Calvary academy graduates serve less time than civilian children. Since Liliya and I are both graduate service members, our child won’t have to serve at all,” he said.

Yoshida pondered the notion that Roudan and Shevchenko could have a sound relationship based on the merit of their service over love.

“That sounds like a fair deal, but—”

Before Yoshida finished his sentence, the sound of a low rumble fell upon the quiet night. The noise grew louder, then arose to a deafening crescendo. Suddenly, a stream of tremors rocked the very foundation of the campus grounds. Inside the armory, weapons loosened from the racks and other items slide off desks and shelves. The grounds cracked open, leaving sinkholes everywhere.

Roudan and Yoshida had never sobered up faster, as they bolted out of the armory to find Shevchenko and Savoi. The war sirens blared through loudspeakers, while cadre, graduates, and cadets clamored through campus. General Benavides gave the order for a full evacuation within the hour. Fear and paranoia drowned the sense of urgency out. Roudan found Shevchenko heading towards the infirmary, where they checked on Farouk to ensure he was alright.

After they left the infirmary, they took a quick detour across the overpass.

Roudan stuttered with the speech he prepared to give Shevchenko.

“I’m amazed this bridge remained intact after so much turbulence. It’s hard to imagine anything could last through all that trauma.” He stopped walking and grabbed her arm. “Perhaps, you and I—”

Shevchenko gasped.

“Emmett, are you breaking up with me? Because if so, I’ve no qualms about shoving you over this bridge,” she blurted.  

Roudan chuckled.

“I’m not breaking up with you, Lily. Where would you get that idea?” The pair shared a knowing glance that her heart was bent towards Yoshida. Roudan shook his head, then continued. “Let’s not focus on the past. Our focus is on here and now, along with the future.” He got down on one knee. “We should marry. When I return from the tour, we’ll wed right away. I’m not the heir of a higher noble like you, but our credentials make us a good match. With a lot of luck, Haru and Thomasa will help us end the war, so hopefully our child will have a good life.”

Meanwhile, Yoshida followed Savoi to the laboratory. The building was severed in half. They crawled through the broken entryway and crawled over large mounds of rubble. Savoi cracked open a locker which stored several notebooks and multicolored vials. She stood in what once was the center of the room and sighed. Her heart was heavy, not knowing if she learned enough useful information from her time at the academy or from her mother.

Yoshida remained reverently silent, reminiscing on the intimate occasion they once shared in that very room. It felt like a lifetime ago that she seductively lured him inside to bait the gawking Charlie cadets. It felt like all the momentum of his affection towards her was fueled from that night. Savoi’s actions and words changed everything. Yoshida had been so caught up in his thoughts that he did not realize Savoi’s departure from the building.

“Thomasa, wait up!” he called before catching up with her. They stood beneath the remnants of a cherry blossom tree, far left of where Roudan was kneeling in front of Shevchenko.

“Emmett wasted no time proposing,” Yoshida quipped.

Somberly, Savoi replied.

“This is a good thing. Lily is very lucky.”

Yoshida noted her tone, as it was almost envious. Savoi’s stance on romance had always run from coldly indifferent to feverish desire.

“Is that something that you hope for?” he asked.

 She looked up at him, then covered her mouth. It was as if she tried to guard her thoughts.

“I meant in the future?” he quickly added, unsure of her shifted mood.

Savoi sighed.

“Right now, I can only hope that any of us has a future to look forward to.” Her eyes watered, and she wiped away a tear before it fell. With a cracked voice, she continued.

“The academy stood unscathed for over twenty-five years. Men and women trained here together with one mission as the goal—” she paused, then sobbed uncontrollably.

“To end the war,” Yoshida quietly finished her sentence.

Her grief always moved him to the brink of devastation. He could think of no way to comfort her, other than to place his hand on the back of her neck to guide her into a kiss. To his relief, Savoi did not resist. Instead, he sensed her sadness melt into pleasure. Goosebumps sprouted along her velvety skin as she allowed herself to be swept away. The tender moment was both erotic and heartbreaking, all in the same breath.

~The Waring Robins~