Nishihara got up from the bed, picked up his shirt, having been tossed on the floor, and threw his arms into it, not buttoning it up. He also grabbed a cigarette from a pack sitting on the bedside table as he wandered silently towards a door, sliding it open, feeling the cold air on his skin as he walked onto the balcony, looking down at both the base and the horizon, the moon shining, as if gazing down at him.
Walking by the edge of the balcony, stopping at the glass edge, grasping the railing with one hand, Nishihara closed his eyes and inhaled, feeling the tension in his body go away, just for a moment. His exhale was shaky, as if scared, worried or panicked. Opening his eyes, he held a cold glare on the moon, before averting his gaze completely.
Before he could turn back, he heard the sound of bare feet walking behind him, approaching him.
'I think you forgot this...'
Yasui smirked warmly, eyes looking both tired yet amused as she held out a lighter in her hand. Nishihara reached for it, nodding as a thanks before Yasui pulled her hand back, smiling wider now, more amused.
'Allow me...' Her voice was a whisper - a low, seductive whisper as she took the cigarette from between Nishihara's fingers, placing it in her mouth and lighting it slowly on purpose, holding his gaze with her own as the fire illuminated her red eyes.
She took a single long, drawn out inhale of the cigarette before taking it from her mouth with two fingers, offering it back to Nishihara, who took it and began to smoke it himself.
The two didn't say anything, just relaxed by the edge, staring across the base from their positions.
'You got experience with Chimera..?' The question hung loosely for a second, Nishihara taking another puff before looking over at her.
'Yeah... I'm used to fighting rogues.'
A light laugh left Yasui's mouth, her eyes exploring Nishihara's face.
'I'm not talking about fights... You knew that, though.'
Grinning weakly, Nishihara nodded in agreement.
'So... Guess this is the first Chimera you've taken, hm?'
She gently nudged him with her hip, sliding a little closer to him as her breathing slowed, one of her hands moving up to caress his, interlocking slightly as she stared at him, her eyes burning into the side of his face.
'I guess so... It wasn't too bad, quite fun, honestly.'
Yasui grinned widely, her hand interlocking with his, more forcefully now, her breathing hollowing out for a moment as she tried to contain herself.
'Why do you act so stoic? Is it just a guy thing..?'
Her words drew out a small chuckle from him, he glanced down to her.
'I thought you'd know your fair share of facts on men, given how you portray yourself...'
Gasping on offense, almost falsely or jokingly, Yasui replied, gently nudging him with her shoulder.
'Hey, that's not true..! But... Of all the guys I've seen recently... You seem the most... Hm... Detached.'
'Detached?'
She nodded back, her hand slipping away from his as she went on.
'You just seem so quiet... I don't know why... It's like you've seen it all, and now you're just awaiting death... It's alluring, really.'
Nishihara didn't respond, just stared down into the air, his mind travelling as she spoke.
'You look like you have many regrets, like you did something... And you can't stop thinking about it.' Noticing his body tense up, she smirked, continuing her words.
'Ah... So that's it... What was it? What was so terrible that it's plagued your mind... Ruined your soul..?'
Flicking the cigarette off the balcony, Nishihara stared ahead, still gazing into the cold night sky.
'Myself.'
Yasui fell silent, her smile fading slightly, eyes lowering to the floor as she eased up.
'And why's that..?'
'Long story... You'd get bored.'
Her smile returned for just a second before she pushed off the glass, standing up straight as she turned her body to face his, reaching an arm around his shoulders, her hand pulling his head closer as she pressed a long, gentle kiss to his cheek, before leaning back and walking indoors, hips swaying slightly with each step.
'I'm getting some sleep... Don't leave me waiting, though...'
As she slid the door slightly shut, Nishihara resumed his quiet gaze over the base, his breathing easing up - until the dream hit him again.
'Nishihara. Don't ignore us.'
The voice was distorted, but he recognised it. He looked back at the table behind him, two chairs around it. He grabbed a second cigarette and lit it before taking a quick puff, exhaling long after the smoke had gone, his breathing becoming shaky once more.
His mind flickered to Akio's last grin, Raiden's last breath.
'...I'm sorry.'
He took a few more smokes, his hands visibly shaking, his breathing now distorted. His head rang in pain, an ache like a drill in his brain. He stayed on the balcony for about another hour, alone with his thoughts.
***
The sun rose, the base had awoken. Troops were running to their stations, grabbing breakfast in the canteens, getting ready in their quarters, training in the fields and studying in the libraries.
Kanesaki and Yasuko, already up and dressed, sat in the canteen together, having just got their breakfasts. Sakaguchi joined them, the three talking and joking together as they ate.
Elsewhere, Horuichi was with Yanagi and Wachisaka in Yanagi's personal gym, overlooking strategy whilst Yanagi lifted weights.
Ike wandered about the base, writing in a notebook of his as he watched a lone bird drift through the sky, calmly gliding on the air.
Maeda sat in his quarters, alone - his Chimeras standing outside to guard the door, like a makeshift wall. The lights were off, he sat in the dark listening to a recording, nodding along with it as the audio played.
Lastly, Nishihara woke up, still a little tired from the middle of the night, but still got up on time. Yasui was already up, walking out from the bathroom inside the quarters, her black trousers already on with an equally black bra on her chest - her hands working on forming her little braid with her silver hair.
The two didn't exchange many words as they dressed together, Nishihara left first to get down to the canteen.
Yasui shook her head to herself as she smirked, still intrigued by Nishihara's words. As she went to leave, she noticed the balcony door still half open and moved to close it, stopping in the doorway to see the message before her.
The entire pack of cigarettes, empty. Each used cigarette burnt out along the hardwood floor smoke still coming off half of them. There were about twenty or so in the pack, and each one had been smoked almost to entirety. Her eyes narrowed as she closed the door, focusing back on getting ready.
The operation was to take place that night, casualties were expected, but everyone was prepared for the worst.
Chapter 38 - end