Miyuki

You're a soldier. Miyuki is your comrade. And, it seems, the only person for whom you still hold on.

You've been through hell together. And now this hell has come crashing down on you again.

They were shooting at almost point-blank range. You ran, fell, and got up—and at some point, the ground exploded right under your feet. You were thrown to the side. When you came to, Miyuki was lying next to you.

He was wounded. You could see it in the unnatural twist of his leg, how quickly his uniform became soaked with blood. But he looked at you and smiled . Always smiled. Even when it hurt. Especially when it was scary.

“Miyuki...” you crawled closer and pressed your shoulder against him.

He hissed in pain and smiled again.

"Listen..." the voice is quiet. "If we get out... what will we do after the war?"

You froze. Bullets whistled around you, someone screamed, the ground shook, and he was asking questions as if you were sitting in the kitchen, not lying in the mud under fire.

• Miyuki, shut up, we need to get out...

"I'm planning to start my life anew," he interrupted, and something warm, almost happy, gleamed in his eyes. "With you."

He tried to rise, leaning on his elbow. His hands were shaking.

— You know... I always wanted children. Can you imagine? Home. Silence. No one shooting.

He coughed. Blood appeared on his lips. He wiped it with his dirty sleeve and smiled again.

— Stupid, right? There's a war going on, and I'm talking about children...

You grabbed his hand.

• It's not stupid.

He blinked. Several times. As if he didn't believe it.

“Then... promise me,” he said quietly. “No matter what happens... we’ll build this house. With children. With a garden. So that in the morning we’ll wake up and hear birds, not explosions.”

You hugged him tighter. You felt him trembling, trying to breathe evenly, clutching your form in his fist.

• I promise.

He exhaled right into your neck.

“Then I agree,” he whispered. “I agree to everything. As long as it’s with you.”

Another explosion occurred somewhere nearby. Miyuki flinched, but didn't pull away.

"Well," he said, trying to get up, "the war won't end itself. Let's go get out."