Atusa

Hapo

I moved around as cautiously as possible with my newborn securely lashed against my torso with the bottom of my attus that I had ripped off, I stopped frequently in vacant rooms to console him but he cried very infrequently compared to what I had experienced with babies in the Kotan. "Your so good already." I said proudly in a hushed whisper as I watched him nurse. he seemed to be just as content as I was even in this situation. I wasn't worried about finding anyone at this point, everything was such a mess that I felt that I should just focus on getting the two of us out of here. I couldn't help but think of Asirpa even as I gazed down at my son, how could I just turn my back on her? I needed to at least attempt to get her out of this escalating situation. After all she was still my responsibility according to Huci, and I did need somewhere to go after this whole gold fiasco and the Kotan was at least a good temporary place. "Maybe we could all go to America." I thought aloud, wondering if it was even a good idea for us to stay in Japan at all. I had heard good things about the United States, about how there were all different types of people trying to move there for work amongst other things. I had thought about the other stash I had that was hidden beneath where I hid my weapons in my cise, about how it held something that could at least assure that all of us could get a head start. 

I remembered a particular day that occurred after the incidents with Kiroranke, Wilk had begun to come around slightly more often to keep an eye on me. I didn't think it was coming from a place of concern for my own well-being, I think it was his concern for me staving off from what he intended me to accomplish for him. This particular day he held up one of the highly coveted gold coins that everyone was currently searching for. "I don't care about money." I said softly when he asked me what I would do with an exorbitant sum, he seemed delighted with my answer. "Which is exactly why I am entrusting this to you." He pushed a tobacco case into my hand, except it was unusually heavy and upon him urging me to inspect it I opened it to reveal several gold coins neatly stacked. I felt uncomfortable holding it and immediately began digging into the earth under one of the mats, Wilk laughed softly at my diligence to hide the gold as opposed to inspect it. "I'm sure you will make the right decision when the time comes.". I was sure he didn't mean for me to use it in the way I intended to, he had never anticipated me having a child or any other meaningful relationships. At this point I questioned whether or not he even cared about Asirpa, how could you put your own child in the line of fire like this was beyond me. "We got to go get your Aunt Asirpa." I said with a deep sigh, but it didn't take long especially with Lt. Tsurumi's underlings prowling the corridors. I was caught by the two I had seen back in Sakhalin who were traveling with Sugimoto. 

I wasn't tied up like Asirpa and the other woman who were brought to Lt. Tsurumi, maybe it was because I had just given birth. I finally got a good look at the man and found something so familiar about him, but I was sure I would have recognized him earlier with his noticeable injury. Asirpa seemed distraught by the situation and the fact that I was holding an infant on top of it all, but for some reason I felt calm about the whole thing. "You must be exhausted." The man spoke his gaze unwavering as I looked up at him, I shrugged and looked back down at my cooing son. "Now I see why Private Ogata is so smitten with you." Lt Tsurumi said in a tone that dripped with amusement, he crossed his fingers and took a more relaxed pose. "You've gotten even more striking since we last met, Opere-chan." I eyed him more thoughtfully this time, and before long it dawned on me. "Oh it's you." I said in a passive tone, I finally remembered where I had seen him before. The day Wilk went missing I became frantic when he didn't arrive and began to scour the area, that's when I saw him and his comrades in the forest coming back from the direction where the meeting would have taken place. I didn't do anything at that moment but follow them as silently as I possibly could, I followed them into Otaru and when he was alone in what I assumed to be his office that's when I struck.