"I knew this would be trouble," Limsui whispered to Kiyo, laughing slightly.
Jiku watched his friends just a stone's throw away from him, as he sighed heavily and carried the firearms by himself, in batches.
"Do you want to help him, Limsui?" General Arisimo snapped, shooting a stern look in Limsui and Kiyo's direction.
"Sir, no, sir!" Limsui answered, a little too enthusiastically.
"And why is that?" Arisimo asked.
"Because he was missing in action yesterday and deserves to be punished, sir!"
Jiku skipped training the day before; there was no excuse for such absence. As a result, he was to act as "servant" not as soldier on the next five training days, which meant he was in charge of getting equipment ready. He was also to ensure that the supplies were in order. He was to fetch water, prepare food, and serve as General Arisimo's personal assistant. Of course, that was not all. Jiku also had to run twenty kilometers and receive several punches in the stomach before training started at dawn for the next five days.
Five days came to a quick conclusion and General Arisimo himself was astounded with Jiku's patience and perseverance. He decided to give him a break and trained him for real in the days and months that followed. He took note of Jiku's special interest in flying planes, for Jiku had very good memory and knew the planes by heart.
"So tell me, Jiku, what happens to a plane with relatively smaller wings?"
"Such a plane could go higher, faster, because it's relatively lighter. But-"
"But?"
"But it's weak in terms of turbulence, sir. The pilot couldn't guarantee a smooth flight. It would be best to fly on clear skies."
General Arisimo let out a satisfied nod and asked, "Think you can fly a plane like that?"
"Yes."
"Good."
Days, weeks and months had passed. Jiku took all his time training and getting better at all the skills expected of a well-rounded soldier. He was an obedient student: he followed the rules and kept the schedule, except for that one time, that time when he met the mysterious clouder, Asari.
Intelligent and strong, Jiku was easily a favorite among his co-trainees. He was strong, but he was not the strongest. He was fast, but he was not the fastest. He was, however, unequaled in tactical battle planning and accuracy, as he had consistently shown in their battle exercises.
Jiku had always been sure of himself, but there were times he was noticeably awkward and seemed lost in thought, especially after meals when he spends time outside the camp just looking at the sky, searching for who knows what.
"What, you want to fly that badly, Jiku?" Misha asked.
"No, it's Limsui who's like that."
"Am not! If there was a real battle, I'd win against you and you know it, for sure," Limsui chuckled.
"Tsk," Jiku said, unsurprisingly disinterested.
The sky that night was almost cloudless. The moon outshone the stars, yet the stars outnumbered the moon. General Arisimo was with Jiku and a few other students in training, about to let him test RD409, their smallest plane.
"Jiku, follow these coordinates and reach Misha who waits for you on the cave near the riverside. Hide RD409 inside the cave and head back to headquarters on foot with Misha. Limsui waits at the headquarters: you must arrive before dawn, and he must not notice your arrival. Once you reach headquarters, go straight to my room. If you are successful in this task, it means you are ready for your first mission. Is that understood?
"Yes, sir!" Jiku responded. He gave General Arisimo a salute and took a good look at the plane. He suited up, wore his helmet and prepared for takeoff.
Jiku felt shivers down his spine, an unexplainable excitement within his being as he took over the pilot's seat. This was after all, his first experience to fly a plane without a co-pilot, and a relatively new aircraft at that.
The engines gave a loud sound as Jiku started off the plane that smoothly passed along the short runway. General Arisimo watched his most excellent student with satisfaction, knowing full well that while there were risks in this assignment, he was ready with a backup plan in mind if things go wrong.
Within minutes, Jiku's plane lifted off. Jiku focused on the task at hand; it should only take him fifteen minutes to get to the cave. It was a relatively short mission. So sharp was his focus that it did not take him long to spot the cave and land it. In those fifteen minutes, Jiku could not help but look at the clouds in the sky, wondering where his Clouder friend Asari could be, and when he would see her again. "Five years, huh?" He sighed to himself.
He took a smooth landing and saw Misha coming towards him, her face smug and confident as always.
"I see you're not bad with flying. Welcome to the Cave of Wonders," Misha snickered.
"Hello, Misha. Been here long?" Jiku asked.
"I stayed the night as punishment. Arisimo wanted me to fly that plane here, but the turbulence was bad. I made a return flight to training camp so he got me to come here hiking instead. He said he'd send someone in the morning, but look at you, you came before midnight," Misha said.
"No need for a detour," Jiku answered as he walked towards Misha.
"You know I'm jealous, Jiku. The sky seems to be your friend. I can't believe you got here without issues. It was supposed to be a rainy day but look at the sky--- it's so clear," Misha responded.
"I'm just a better pilot," Jiku whispered.
Misha shot Jiku a deadly glare to which he cleared his throat and changed the subject, half sorry that he said the words that so naturally came out of his mouth.
"Like i said, Misha, I'm friends with the Sky," he said with a sly smile. As he said this, Jiku shortly remembered Asari again. He wondered if the skies were clear because of her. Asari is a guardian of the clouds and the skies, after all.
Without much ceremony, Misha and Jiku prepared to go to the headquarters. They passed by the Kisato lake, and slowly entered the headquarters through one of its windows. Jiku was as light as a feather and went ahead first, with Misha following behind. In just a few minutes, they found themselves in General Arisimo's room.
"Something's not right. This is too easy," Jiku said, searching for a communication device in General Arisimo's drawers.
"I agree," Misha nodded, "I did not spot Limsui either."
Jiku stopped for a moment as he turned on the transistor he found in the drawer. His eyes widened, and he told Misha" "They're setting the place on fire!"
Misha looked out the window and saw that there was indeed fire coming from the very far end of the building. And it was spreading fast. She run through the usual drill in their head – their standard operating procedures in case of such emergencies. Luckily, Jiku has initiated contact with General Arisimo, who gave them instructions to leave the place as soon as they could, salvaging only the disk record of the hidden cameras in the building.
General Arisimo's room was on the fifth floor. Misha suggested that they rappel down the building using a rope. However, Jiku inspected it and found it too short. They decide to jump from the window and hop on to a nearby tree instead. "Just need to find the nearest jiku branch," Jiku told himself.
"I'll go first," Jiku said and leapt out of the window before Misha could say a word. Misha was about to follow Jiku who was holding her hand, but below she saw a glimpse of a familiar figure that seemed to survey the place. It was Limsui.
Misha shot a look at Jiku, hoping that he'd notice and look at her back. Much to her surprise, Jiku easily picked up what her eyes wanted to say and tried to go on stealth, hiding in the branches. She saw Limsui from where she was, Limsui's eyes gleaming in the fire. He was holding what looked like gas in his hands. Limsui threw the container at the headquarters' door, and smiled menacingly as he ran towards the direction of the cave.
Misha and Jiku thought the same: Limsui was going to fly the RD 409.
Seeing Limsui leave the scene, Jiku was certain that he was on his own. He helped Misha reach the same tree he was hiding in, careful to step on only the strong branches. They helped each other down the tree, at times holding each other's hand. Jiku ended up catching Misha from one of the lower branches to help her reach the ground.
The fire was spreading quickly: Misha and Jiku needed to decide whether to rush over to the the RD409, or to help put out the fires in the area. Jiku reported quickly to General Arisimo. Misha was astounded by Jiku's decisiveness. Instead of consulting the good general on what to do, it was as if Jiku ended up giving instructions. "General, it is too late for Misha and I to catch up to Limsui now. He will attempt to fly the RD409. Misha and I will do our best to put out the fires; please let us know how you can help."
With that, Misha and Jiku sought help from the nearby patrol officers at the border. Soon enough, trucks loaded with water and water hoses were brought to the scene, putting out the fire. The fire was huge and easily spread through the forest, stopping just near the Kisato lake. Just as Jiku approached General Arisimo who arrived at the site – something caught his eye - a familiar and majestic tree was burning nearby.
Jiku excused himself from General Arisimo and rushed over to take a good look at the tree from which the smoke came from: it was none other than his beloved karahiro tree from which he and Asari once met.