Chapter 2: Blue Light
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The mysterious layer was barely illuminated by the dying lights of the stars shimmering up in the cold sky and the 12 blue lights flickering in the far distance. The girls noticed those strange blue lights come alive in the evening as they hiked toward the center of the mysterious layer. Shivering from the cold and alone in the dark, Chito kept walking around in circles looking for Yuuri, whom she has lost a while back. Terrified, she kept shouting and calling out her name in vain.

"Yuu! Where are you!" she shouted and shouted to no reply.

So far the only sound she could hear was the echo of her voice in the far distance. Yuuri was deeply scared of the dark and she relied on Chito's support to get through it, finding her was of utmost importance.

As Chito kept walking for what seemed like an eternity, abruptly she noticed the eerie apparition of a tall person holding a rifle in their arms. The weapon strangely resembled the 'Arisaka' rifle that their grandfather gave to Yuuri back in the village.

"Yuu? Is that you?" Chito asked to no reply. Startled she carefully stepped back, as the apparition raised the rifle aiming at the far distance.

Wearing a white yukata, the apparition with immaculate precision fired at the lights in the distance, reloading a bullet in the chamber with each shot. Somehow even from this far distance, it managed to hit all of the blue lights, but only missed the ninth light on the far right. Throwing the rifle on the ground, the apparition took out a cigarette from the pocket of the yukata and lit it on fire. It seemed to be transfixed into the only remaining blue light in the distance.

Curiously, Chito approached the apparition from the back. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" she asked, still terrified that this person might hurt her.

Slowly the apparition turned around to face her and with a smile, he replied: "Wow, you've grown into such a beautiful girl Chii-chan." Even though his profile and voice seemed to be distorted, she could immediately recognize the familiar features of someone that saved her and Yuuri's life what felt like a really long time ago.

"Grandpa?" exclaimed Chito. "What - How!?" Even though their grandfather was the person that saved their lives, she still felt terrified by his ghostlike appearance.

Taking another puff of his cigarette, he smiled and started speaking in the same distant voice from before "Chii-chan - I am so sorry for everything. I had to protect you both. Chii-chan please go to the ninth light, you will see... and ... remember..." dropping the cigarette down on the ground he turned around and started walking in the dark distance. "I am so happy I got to see you one last time, please take care of Yuuri. I love you - my beautiful flowers - " walking further in the distance he slowly dissipated from this existence.

"GRANDPA!" With tears in her eyes, Chito yelled after him and wept as she started running after him, she was gaining momentum but no matter how fast she ran she could never reach him. "GRANDPA WAIT! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE US AGAIN! PLEASE!" screaming with all her might she couldn't do anything else but keep on running and screaming into the empty dark distance.

The sky and the lights turned a dark shade of black... he was again gone from their lives!

° ° °

"Chii-chan?"

"Chii-chan?!" Trying to wake her up was Yuuri who was laying next to her. "Chii-chan, please wake up! You are having another nightmare!"

Opening her eyes, Chito glanced around only to see the terrified look of Yuuri laying huddled next to her. Chito was drenched in sweat and seemed to have been crying in her sleep. Her heart beating uncontrollably fast, she was still unable to comprehend if that was real or a dream she experienced. It was still late at night, the stars covering the dark sky like a carpet of shining glitter.

Since they woke up in the middle of the day on the last layer, they spent most of the time hiking towards the center. Exhausted and hungry they kept pushing on as much as their stamina could let them. Stopping only for brief intervals to rest their legs and keep hydrated from the water in their flasks, they were careful each time to restock their supply with the snow around them. The warm sun guided them forward through most of the day, however, when night came the cruel cold chilled their bones to the core.

Looking for a place to sleep for the night, it seemed as if luck was once again on their side. In the distance they noticed the soft whir of an exhaust vent pumping out warm air, cooling the endless machines that seemed to be alive underneath the last layer. With ease they could lay down on the warm mesh grid just above the vent, sleeping huddled next to each other in their undershirts.

"Grandpa!" shaking from despair Chito called out for him, the sight of the familiar apparition in her dream was nowhere to be seen. "I saw him Yuu - he was here speaking to me!" she said while frantically looking around. Besides the frightened look on Yuuri's face, the starry night sky, and the 12 blue lights on the horizon, nothing else was visible in the dead of night.

"Where did you see him Chii-chan?" Yuuri asked.

"He was just standing there - he was here with us Yuu." in a state of panic, her fast breathing slowly subsided as she was getting back her composure.

"You were having a nightmare Chii-chan. You were screaming and punching me in your sleep again. I didn't see anyone else out here." she kept trying to calm her down gently hugging her "It's only us up here Chii-chan".

Still, with a bewildered look on her face, Chito kept looking frantically to find their grandfather. "It felt so real Yuu - he told me something about the lights in the distance. He was wearing some kind of a white robe and he had your rifle and fired at the lights..." Chito pointed in the distance at the lights. "...he told me something about the lights."

Once they were nearing the center of the layer, they could make out 12 shimmering blue lights at equal distances scaling the horizon on top of what seemed to be a long wall. Counting the lights, Chito pointed toward the ninth light that their grandfather had missed. "He only missed that light with his rifle and said it was the ninth one. Every other light he shot with abnormal precision, even from this distance."

"He told me to - look for the ninth light. I have a feeling that maybe it was him Yuu - maybe we should go there tomorrow?" lowering her hand, she kept her gaze transfixed into the light in the far distance.

"Chii-chan, do you think it was him?" Yuuri asked holding her close. Chito couldn't help herself again as she placed her hands on her face as tears flooded her eyes from fear.

"I don't know - I really miss him. These last few days all I can do is cry Yuu - it's no wonder I keep having these nightmares and can't think straight. I am really scared." The thought of their grandfather being close to them seemed almost comforting, just like when he was reading them stories from his books before bedtime down in their home.

"Chii-chan..." Yuuri embraced her closer. "Maybe he is still watching over us on our journey."

"I wish that was here with us..." Chito replied laying back into Yuuri's embrace. "In one of the books, I kept reading about the spirits of our dead family. When they pass away, our friends and family may still linger on before the afterlife. They might even keep watch on us on our journey through life, sometimes they might even appear in our dream to talk to us or warn us about something. I know he wasn't our real blood relative, but he was the closest thing we had for a family and I loved him very much."

"I miss him as well, Chii-chan - He saved our lives. I remember that he told me that he found me abandoned in a ruined house as a baby a really long time ago." Yuuri said. "I don't remember my real family Chii-chan, but you and grandpa are the only ones I cherish... Chii-chan - do you have recollections of your real family?" Yuuri asked her as they reminisced about their past, the gentle whir of the exhaust fan giving a soothing flow of warm air and sound underneath them.

"Only short memories Yuu," Chito replied "It was before grandpa took me in. I can't remember their names or their faces at all. I remember the first time I saw you, you were the cute girl hiding behind him as he introduced me to you. It was like he knew our fates would somehow cross and we will be together." smiling she closed her eyes and gently held Yuuri's hand. It was another memory that she cherished like a treasure.

"I remember that day Chii-chan..." she smiled holding Chito's hand back "I know I have bad memories of my past and can't remember a lot, but I remember that I was so shy of the little girl standing there in front of me. After that when we got to know each other we played with a lot of toys, and you were so fascinated by grandpa's books that you studied them all. You wanted to stay in his library forever."

"Chii-chan for what it's worth, I am really happy that our destinies crossed paths and that we made this journey together." she leaned again to kiss Chito on her cheek. Having her close she felt she could beat every obstacle in her life, even being afraid of the dark underneath the shining stars. "Chii-chan, do you think grandpa and anyone else from the village down there are still alive?" Yuuri asked her.

"I doubt anyone is even alive down there Yuu. You remember how bad the situation was without rations at the village after the machines broke down. Everyone was at their throats ready to kill for just a little bit of food. I wish he escaped here with us Yuu. Even in the end, he saved our lives..."

"Oh..." Yuuri let out a disappointed sigh. Gently she kept holding onto Chito's hand. "I don't know what to say, Chii-chan. I don't think anyone would survive the first part of the trip without a vehicle. We had grandpa's Kettenkrad to thank for that." she said and yawned softly laying back down on the mesh grid.

"I really miss our Kettenkrad Yuu." Chito felt extreme sadness when she talked about their trusty old machine friend that helped them get through too much. "I don't know how we would have survived without it this long. Maybe if it didn't break we would have been able to bring it up here and explore the last layer easily. I think you would have been able to carry it up to the stairwell with your strong arms Yuu." she replied humorously and smiled looking at her.

"You better believe I would have Chii-chan, I am a GOD, after all!" Yuuri replied and chuckled, grunting as she flexed her arms.

"You better carry me on our honeymoon with all that GOD strength of yours after we get married, Yuu."

"But like every god, I demand you feed me FIRST!" Yuuri demanded in a deep voice... "FOOD... CHIII-CHAAAAN! FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD"

"Shush Yuu!" You are making me even more hungry talking about food." Chito let out a chuckle. "For now you know we only have boiled snow tea. When we find food, we can eat all we want until our stomachs are full."

"Mmmm... even boiled snow tea is tasty Chii-chan..." Yuuri mumbled as she closed her eyes, imagining eating all those tasty rations with warm tea "Let's have some warm snow tea in the morning."

"Sure Yuu, but you know we have to save what little gas we have in our stove, we can only manage to make warm water once in a while!" Chito replied with worry in her eyes, thinking that stove was the only source of fire she could use to light the fuse of the bomb she was carrying around. Unlike the bombs they used on the surface, the last package came with a long fuse that could be lit with fire. It was way more convenient than using a detonator or live ammunition to set off the bomb.

"Oh, Chii-chan - by the way, what's a honeymoon?" Yuuri asked her as she kept looking up into the endless night sky.

"Well. I read it in a book some time ago. When a couple got married they used to go on a journey and travel somewhere in the old world. This used to be somewhere exotic and beautiful like the sea, the forest, or maybe even a romantic city. It's where they can be together in each other grasp for days and days. In the old culture and religion, it was when the newlywed consummated their marriage making it complete, professing their undying love and connection to one another." Chito recollected reading about the old traditions of marriage that their ancestors used to have. It was unfortunate how many traditions and cultures were lost throughout the years of wars that the world survived through. This reality that they were living in was a complete wasteland devoid of any life and happiness.

"Chii-chan, we must have been on our honeymoon all this time, traveling and exploring the world with our 'Kettenkrad'."

"But the honeymoon is supposed to be in a beautiful place with beautiful sights and with a nice warm and cozy bed Yuu. So far we have only been sleeping in the uncomfortable Kettenkrad and down on the cold ground in the ruined city below." Chito replied with sadness.

"Oh, Chii-chan - what does it mean to consummate?" Yuuri asked genuinely puzzled at the word

"Emm... I don't know." Chito replied. "I just read that word in one of the books but never found out what it means."

"Is it when people consume a lot of food on their honeymoon after they get married?" Yuuri asked again.

"Well, it might be. Maybe newlyweds used to consummate lots of foods and drinks on their honeymoon to the point of being extra-fat?" Chito replied and chuckled.

"Mmmm... then we should totally go on a honeymoon and get fat by consummating our marriage Chii-chan.. with tons of food, fish, beer and potato rations, and even more food!"

"I would love that Yuu. Let's get super fat when we 'consummate' our marriage with loads of food." smiling she closed her eyes in Yuuri's warm embrace, she was so exhausted that she could immediately fall asleep laying calmly in her embrace. "I wish this moment would never end - Yuu -"

Laying up there in complete darkness, just two lonely souls could only find safety in one another. The shining lights of billions of stars that watched over them probably died a long time ago at the cruel concept of time. Maybe up there in a different place of the world, someone was also sleeping under the stars, covered in a blanket with no worries in their life. For now, the gentle whir of the exhaust fan was warm enough to lull them to sleep, keeping them from harm's way of the cruel cold night.

"Chii-chan. I am really scared." Yuuri replied laying down on her backpack that she used as a pillow. Cuddling close to Chito underneath the blanket, she slowly closed her eyes before gazing up at the starry horizon above. "I will really miss our conversations when we are gone - from this life." Exhaustion once again set in as Yuuri quickly fell asleep in Chito's embrace.

"Me too... my Yuu..." Chito replied as she closed her eyes as well.

° ° °

The next morning Chito woke up freezing as the machine underneath them stopped pumping out warm air for the night. It seemed like the exhaust has run out of its course during the night and it no longer needed to function during the day. The sky was completely covered in overcast clouds with darkness sprouting on the horizon. It looked like it was slowly brewing a huge storm. Shivering she got up to put on the rest of her clothes and immediately turned to wake Yuuri up.

"Yuu... wake up... we need to move" she placed her hands on Yuuri's shoulder gently waking her up. "The weather looks really bad, I am really worried!"

"Mmmm... good morning Chii-chan... I'm freezing..." slowly waking up, Yuuri covered again with the blanket. "It's... so cold..."

"I know... the fan underneath us stopped spinning and I am freezing as well. You need to put on your clothes immediately. Should I boil some warm water Yuuri?" Chito asked her, grabbing her backpack to pull out the stove they had taken on their last journey.

"Mmm, yes... sure Chii-chan..." Yuuri replied and started coughing.

Pulling both of their flasks out, she poured out all of the water they managed to ration inside the pot she placed on the stove and some of the snow that was left around them. Turning on the valve to release the gas into the sparks, the flames shimmered lightly as the content inside the pot started boiling in due time. Chito could feel that the stove had only a little gas left in it, enough for one more round.

"The water is ready Yuu..." Chito said pulling the pot out of the stove, as she carefully poured the warm liquid inside their flasks.

"Mmm... let me rest for some bit... I don't feel good Chii-chan..." Yuuri replied as she kept shivering underneath the blanket.

"Yuu... what's wrong?" Chito asked rushing towards Yuuri, she grabbed her clothes and gently helped her to stand up.

"I don't know- I feel so cold and my throat hurts really bad..." Yuuri barely could speak as Chito helped put on her jacket and struggled to put her pants on.

"You might be coming down with a cold Yuu. Please try to drink the warm water it will help warm you up." Yuuri reached to grab at the flask and gently sipped the warm liquid from the flask carefully to not burn her lips. "Mmmmm - Even warm water is so tasty right now - when I am so hungry - Chii-chan..."

"Yuu - we have to go - I know we are close to the lights, we will find shelter there to warm up and rest... and look it seems like it's going to be really bad weather." she looked up at the sky above, the dark clouds slowly approaching them.

"I know... I will tie the rope around us and if the weather goes bad we won't get lost this way. " Chito said as she took out the rope from her backpack and her knife.

"Chii - you really like tying us around with that rope!" Yuuri softly giggled still shivering from the cold.

"Please Yuu, we have to go now! We have to find shelter."

Looking at the empty backpack, Chito thought of a way to fashion it in a vest to keep Yuuri warm. She grabbed the knife and gutted out the backpack that their grandfather gave them for their journey.

"Here you can wear this Yuu... it might keep you warm..." she helped Yuuri put the gutted backpack on over her chest. "You can cover yourself with the blanket as well Yuu."

Tying the rope around their waist, Chito leaned down to pack her backpack with the rest of their belongings, which were only the bomb, her knife, and the stove. She didn't want to believe it but it felt like this was the day that she had to finally light the fuse of the bomb, to quickly end their suffering once and for all. Reaching into her pocket she could feel the grenade pin that Yuuri gave her as an engagement ring and she squeezed it tightly.

"Please - at least not today - just please let us live a little longer." she quietly spoke to herself placing the backpack with the bomb on her back. "I will be strong - for Yuuri... I won't lose her - "

"I am really scared Chii-chan!" coughing and shivering Yuuri huddled close to Chito for warmth, trying to gather her strength for the last part of their journey together to the ninth light hanging above the wall.

"Me too - Yuu."

(Continued in Chapter 3)

(LATEST REVISION: 26th November 2022)

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