The Galactic Bride
Chapter 21: The Promise

Aki stared at General Anura, who was sitting propped against the tree. A small pool of blood was starting to form around her body. She was staring at him, her eyes filled with tears. She wasn't ashamed of them anymore, they were falling down her cheek. Then her eyes went to Rondo. Rondo still laid motionless on the ground where she fell, but there was still some wheezing sounds coming from her.

"Finish it." The General ordered.

Aki pried his eyes away from her, and turned to Rondo. She was practically dead already. He swallowed hard raised the ax and came down over her neck. Her head popped off her shoulders and rolled a bit away from her body. It was a sickening sight. He was glad her dead eyes didn't roll over and face his direction.

"Now me." He heard the General say.

He turned to her, his hands shaking. He saw her eyes scan him and she swallowed hard. He moved closer to her, every step feeling like he was advancing through a thick sucking pool of mud.

"Aki… in my bag I left something for you. You have to promise me you'll get it before they come and collect you." General Anura spoke softly. It wasn't because of her usual stoic nature. She was fading. "Promise me you'll get it."

"I will."

"Now… it's my turn. Just do it. Cut my head off and run to the cave. Don't even look back." She raised her head and exposed her neck. His body wouldn't move, even though he was trying to. She seemed to notice this and tried to encourage him. "This is your chance. I killed your best friend. I kidnaped your girl. I-"

"Stop it. I forgive you for all of that…" Aki said, shaking his head. He didn't want his last memory of her saying something like that.

She closed her eyes, her neck still raised. "Please. It hurts."

That did it. He raised his arms and prepared to swing. "Goodbye Anura."

"Goodbye Princess." She said with a smile.

Her head fell to the jungle floor with a thunk. He watched it fall from her neck and saw the body slump over, the blood from her neck reddening the grass around her. Then, just as he was told, he dropped the ax and ran. The image stuck in his head as he sped across the jungle floor. He didn't want to think about it. He wanted to remember her like she was that night…

He returned to the cave, barely hearing the horn playing the Nimbonian anthem signaling the Contest over. He crawled inside and went to the General's bag. He tossed out the unimportant stuff looking for what she had asked him get. At first it wasn't obvious. Everything seemed to be random survival items or food. But then he saw it.

It was a small package, wrapped in leaves. Tied to it was a instruction pamphlet for using the goat-skin canteen. But that wasn't important, written on top of the printed instruction was a smudged scrawl that the General must of written with charcoal. It read: "Aki, please give this to my family."

He opened up the bundle and saw three green walnut sized seeds roll in his hand. Aki broke down and sobbed. It suddenly was final. General Anura knew she was going to die. Why else would she remove her own seeds? He wrapped them up carefully, barely seeing through his tears. He stuffed the bundle down his top and kept them close to his heart, then picked up the bear skin blanket she hand made and draped it around him.

He didn't know how long he sat inside the cave like that. It probably wasn't that long. But it was long enough. Aki still was in a remote area and it took time for someone to come to collect him. He had heard a transport overhead trying to find a landing spot, and even more time since then happened before Hatha, the Wahconese referee, peeked her head through the cave door.

"Hello, I'm here to pick you up." She spoke softly, clearly knowing how distraught he was. He wasn't surprised if the whole galaxy had been watching him break down like that. She paused when he didn't move, then she crawled in with him and sat. "The feeds are off by now." Hatha whispered. "So take all the time you need."

He nodded at her. She didn't say anything and just allowed him to have his moment. Whoever picked Hatha to pick him up was smart. If it had been Gnaw, he might of strangled her for being overly cheerful.

He could tell she wanted to reach over to comfort him, but obviously was unsure if that was a wise idea. He had just gotten through was murdering two people afterall. But he was ready for her to say something. Anything. He needed to reason to leave the cave and not just off himself off right then and there. Hatha seemed aware of this. She scanned the area after a moment then looked at him again.

"You didn't kill those people, you know, the Minister did." She looked more frightened to say that more than she was of him. "We all are forced to go along with it…I'm just as responsible as you are. You're not alone."

That did it. Dragging the bear-blanket with him, she crawled out of the cave. She followed him, uneasy at first, then she grabbed his hand. It was a fearful compassion, but it was compassion nevertheless. He tighten his fingers around hers and gave her a sad smile.

"Thank you."

"Let's get out of here, okay? There's a rejuvenation chamber on the transport, some food, a bed… and when we get to the ship your fiancée and concubine will be waiting for you."

The transport was hovering near the stream, but it was so high up that a rope ladder was hanging so they could get in. After everything he went through, climbing it wasn't a problem, even with his bear-blanket. Once inside, he helped Hatha in then took the seat offered to him by some Tarfull crew mate. He felt oddly blank now.

After making sure the staff would not toss out General Anura's seeds, or her bear-skin, Aki got into the rejuvenation chamber. It cleaned him, but at the same time it fixed his back, The whole time he kept an eye on the leaf bundle. Hatha knew how important it was and sat down next to the items as if she were guarding them for him.

When he was finished, they gave him a standard jumpsuit, similar to the type he wore before. It felt so restricting and hot. After days of running around a jungle practically naked it was uncomfortable. He replaced the bundle into his new top, even though he had pockets now, then tried eating something. It tasted awful, he wanted that bland fish and bear meat he had at camp.

He didn't go to sleep though. The ride wasn't that long. The crew just expected him to want to rest after all he had been through. Perhaps to revert to that sobbing little girl who was in the cave. But Hatha had cured him of that. When she had said "You didn't kill those people, you know, the Minister did." it gave him someone to blame. He was just a tool in this whole process. He didn't feel guilty at the moment, maybe later he would, but not now. He was sad for what he did, but not because he had done it, but because of the lives lost.

The transport docked with the General Anura's ship and when all the proceeders were done, Hatha came to him again. "There's going to be a crowd. Normally they let winners recuperate and just let them pass… but this year… well they might be insensitive. I can help chase them away if you'd like."

"No." Aki looked down, then picked up the folded bear-skin and draped it over his arm. "If they're like this now, they'll be like that later on. It's better if I deal with it now."

She looked taken a back at his recovery. "I- well… If you need anything, I'm here."

The doors opened in the docking bay, and just like he was told, the crew members and civilians of the ship were there to greet him. They all were cheering and were happy to see him. He took a tall posture and thought of what General Anura would do. He walked among them, his presence clearing a path. Only one person dared to touch his shoulder in congratulations. One look put a stop to that. Even though recognized the ship as the same one he was on before, it still felt foreign to him after that time on a jungle. Some of the same crew were there. He went pass them as if he were just going about his day.

Soon he was at his old cabin. No one had followed him out the docking bay, he assumed they correctly guessed his mood and wanted to stay clear from him. He pressed his hand to the door panel and allowed it to read him. The door recognized his signature and opened. He went in, seeing it was empty. Hana and her things were not there, she must have been moved.

He set the bear-skin on his bed and sat down on it, staring at the bare wall in front of him. He assumed now that he won, they probably wanted to move him to a cabin that was more fitting for the fiancée of the Minister's daughter. But he didn't want all of that. Only that morning he had just woke up from sleeping on a stone floor in a cave.

He had nothing to do now but dwell on the memory of the Contest. He didn't like that at all. So he decided to sleep. He rolled over and laid down on his bed, but it felt uncomfortable. It was sucking him in, while at the same time his jumpsuit was clinging to his body. He sat up, annoyed, kicked off his boots, pried himself out of the jumpsuit, then pulled the top blanket off the bed and placed it on the floor. Only then did he unfold the bear-skin and drape it over him like a blanket. Other than General Anura's package in his top, this felt right. Within moments he was asleep.

When he woke up, he was surprised to see a face next to him. It was too tan to be the General. Then he remembered she was dead and that he was on the ship again. It was Hana. Somewhere along the line she had found him, undressed, and joined him. She wasn't asleep, she had been watch him.

"Hi." She spoke in japanese.

"Hi."

"This isn't going to be a normal thing, is it?" Hana asked him, trying to sound casual. But there was a nervousness in her voice. She obviously didn't know what kind of person he was anymore.

"Sleeping on the ground? I don't know. I just couldn't sleep in that…" He said, then turned away feeling ashamed. "I know it's only been a few days…"

"But it hasn't. It's been closer to a month." Hana said. He looked at her shocked. She quickly explained. "The rotation of the sun is different than on Musa Minor. So the days and nights were longer."

That explained why he was always tired or hungry. He had been working overtime.

"Y-you lost a some weight." She ventured. "I'm scared for you."

"Sorry." Aki didn't know what else to say.

"I know you didn't want me to watch… but I did." She continued on. "You don't have to explain anything to me. I know what happened."

"I'm sorry you had to see all that. See what I did."

"Don't worry about me." Hana reached forward and lightly touched his arm, testing the waters. When he didn't flinch her touch softened. "I understand that you had no choice. In all of it. The fighting and the… the other things."

He didn't say anything. He felt ashamed of himself. Even though he didn't blame himself for the lives he took anymore, he still hated what he must seem like to her. She would never tell him what she felt, to spare his feelings. But he could only seem like a monster to her now.

"Do you… do you mind if I hold you?" She asked.

"I won't hurt you."

"I'm not afraid of that. I know you could never hurt me. I just don't know if you're ready for me to touch you yet. After everything…"

"I don't know if I am either. But I missed you. I thought about you all the time."

"Even when you- sorry, I shouldn't talk about that." Hana quickly pulled back her thought.

There was only one thing she could be referring to, and it was the night of Pheroline gas. So she had even seen all of that. He buried his head into her shoulder wrapping his arms around her, feeling guilt. That was one thing he couldn't blame on the Minister. Yes there had been a gas attack, but he still had lost control over himself when the General climbed on top of him. He gave in to easy. "I'm sorry about that… I tried to control my-"

"I know. I know all about that." Hana interrupted him.

"How can you? You don't speak the common tongue."

"But I do." She said, then switched languages. "I knew exactly what was going on. You don't have to explain."

"But how?"

"That- that is a story for later." She swallowed. "I understood what was going on… I just.. I just wondered if things changed between you and I. Did you fell in love with her?"

"What?"

"Well, I know that the gas made you two do those things… but you were so close the whole time, it must have been hard not to see her differently, especially after all that. And with me not being there, it must have been even harder. I understand if you had… have feelings for her."

"I don't."

"You don't have to say that because you're worried about my feelings." Hana told him quickly "I have you now, that's all that matters."

"I wasn't in love with her." Aki corrected her again. "I don't know what I see her as now. I hated her and cared for her at the same time. In the end I forgave her about killing Hiro-kun. I got to know her and realized she didn't just kill him because she felt like it. Even with all that, she wasn't a good person. She still did awful things. But I can't really judge her for that… I did awful things too."

"You're different." Hana placed her hand on his cheek. "You're the only one who didn't want to kill a contestant at dinner. You call out that whole stupid rule system."

He didn't know if that made him any different, or if that he just didn't care about being killed and said what everyone else was thinking. But at least Hana still loved him. At least she didn't see him as the monster he was. But now what was going to him them them? He didn't want to think about any of that. He held Hana even more and snuggled unto her body. She wrapped her arms around him again. Just for that moment, he didn't want to think about the contest, General Anura, Lani, or the Minister's daughter. It was just him and Hana now. That's all he wanted to think about.

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