Chapter Text
Amato and Pian were once friends, they used to play around the fields, at their homes, and they did things together.
Both were inseparable, with nothing between them that seemed to break them apart.
Back when they were in Kota Hilir, they saw broadcasts not just from their hometown, but also from other places.
First, he recalled that the Japanese soldiers were leaving from Vietnam while his father was reading the newspapers. Then, he thought of the time where the Bengalis were declared enemies of the Co-Prosperity Sphere. And a Year later, there was a chaotic year he won't forget where everyone's life went into a downward spiral. He saw his father break a leg by accident while going down the stairs and he was spared from the draft the same day.
He thought of looking at his boyfriend's best friend's eyes, and falling in love. He often spent his time daydreaming of the future, spending time with him until the end. Both remembered when Amatio saved Pian many times from getting hurt, and if he was hurt, he would treat him and made sure that he got some rest.
He would soon, with Mechabot, meet the Asian Red Army with open arms, and even though they were different in their beliefs, they became comrades-in-arms.
And they remembered dating each other in high school, where the pair used to go on secret dates, rescuing each other along with other people, and going to funerals.
But like every good thing, it ended. Amato would meet Karin and date each other, as they found many things in common, though both overlooked the signs they had shown. Pian became more distant to Amato, and the last time before they went their separate ways was a talk in a restaurant. He told him of DeStar Corporation expanding into the US, and he wondered if he's going to see his friends again.
He later married his wife, and had their child. The kid had white streak just like his father, and couldn't tell who their gender was, so they called them Nurul.
It was a chaotic time, where the Army was fighting one another, and he heard from the ARA and warned him of the Attacks, and was cut off. He didn't know what to do, but at least he had his wife by his side. Or so he thought...
~ Amato's POV
I was heading to the living room, expecting a warm welcome after a long day of work, I was given a cold shoulder from my wife, and I wondered how she wasn't paying attention, so I asked her how she was doing, and she gave me an answer I have not expected to hear.
"I met that man, and he was talking about how the Zaibatsu were awful and stuff... He was planning on taking out my boss, so I called an coworker on the phone." She told me about about the day she met a person he was friends with. "What happened next?" I inquired.
"He called his boss, then said something about a hitman, and he's going to take care of it. I then excused myself, and the next thing you know, he was shot dead." Wait, wait, what was- was she talking about the assassination on the news? "What was his name, I couldn't seem to grasp what happened. It seemed familiar." "He told me his name goes by Garuda" she added. "Couldn't say anything about else about him though."
I was angry at my friend's death, I could've decided to stay quiet. But no, I had to say something that endangered my life, if not my family. "Garuda was my Comrade-" "So I was bright about you being a red." I was shocked to hear my worst nightmare come to life. I was being accused as a communist. I didn't spend time with them to become one, I had to defend myself many times so that my friends, co-workers and boss would think otherwise. "Wallahi, are you serious?" "Of course. What? You think I was going to believe that you met the ARA just to gather intelligence?" I was
That was the last words towards me, then Karin grabbed her gun, and tried to shoot me, however Mechabot shoved me out of the way while my son was playing. He was shot instead, screaming in pain. I was shocked by the audacity to shoot my kid. She didn't seem fazed however, as she pointed a gun at me as well.
Before she could do anything however, a group of people, dressed in a mix of green, Brown and red, broke down the door and rushed in all over the house. She was disarmed in a flash. The commander and his unit took her away, location unknown.
~ Pian's POV
Wondering how it went all wrong, I looked back at the pictures we took, reminding myself of a past that flew too fast, and to ignore all-too-well memories of my parents' death. I remembered how Amato used to look at me with such awesome gaze.
Of course, I thought of it at the time as him just being protective of me. Now I see that as a sign of his love affection towards me. I would've mused all day, but someone called out to me, interrupted my trip to the memory lane. "Is this Pian Iskandar?" I haven't heard a voice since the siege, so I wasn't so sure if there were survivors. I decided against my judgment that I answered. "Yes, Who are you?"
"It is not important to know my name. All I need to know is what are yours." Someone walked by, and it appeared to be a soldier, standing all the way up to the doorframe carefully walking through an office that was supposed to be off-limits.
"Pian Iskandar, you are arrested for..." I haven't slept for a while, so I couldn't pay attention to what he was saying. "...step outside the office and you may have a..." I looked around empty bottles littering the floor. A Felt like someone wanted to went outside
I saw a trail of destruction outside my office, and the building looked more from a warzone rather than a headquarters. As I went further in, I saw a signlying flat on the ground and yet still can read "Welcome to Kota Hilir" before we went along to the town. It was unrecognizable, with ruins that seemed to come from the Great Jihad, or the second world war alike the Former headquarters that I just left.
There were people lining up in the streets waiting for bread, and aid. It was slow, but everyone had enough after leaving. I wasn't so sure if the guard's army was treating the citizens well, but it was better than the Japanese had treated us for the past few years. As we went closer to the coast, we saw crying children and their malnourished mothers begging for scraps, only to be given a beating before the Comintern forces arrived to chase the beaters away. Then they gave them meals and everything.
Hours went by like a flash, and I arrived at the airport at last. A line of guards surrounded the path to the airplane from each side. I was anxious if those kinds of people will shoot me here and now, but they didn't. I have this sense of, dread lingering in my mind but also hope that I get to renounce my
As the CEOs were captured and sent to Alexandria for war crime trials, only Pian admitted guilt with genuine expressions, whether or not that he will be atoned for his sins, current and bygone. The rest put up explanations, from odd, to ridiculous, to downright cruel. Many were sent to Hard Labor, the grave, or the Mandatory Voluntary Material Dialectic courses. He was sent to another country for the latter.
He of course, unlike any other CEOs, due to aforementioned admittal, and the fact that he dealt a quick end to the Capitalist Pact to say the least, had been treated with decency. This angered the other corporate executives, which threw whatever was at him, with mixed success. The commotion was intense, and many were dragged back to their seats. He was glad to be sent away from the commons, from the cacophony of the Capitalists who managed to put up a fight, however futile.
Amato meanwhile, still scarred from the attempt to take his life, decided to move out of Kota Hilir, and go to the Philippines where he decided to live his life away from the conflict in Malaysia. Fortunately, he didn't forget to notify his father about leaving.
Ibrahim was awoken to the sound of a mailman knocking on the door, and