The mess hall was a buzz with many people... too many for Kiku's taste. He wasn't quite a fan of many people. In fact, he didn't consider any of the people he was bunking with as friends yet. As he ate the mush-like food on the plate he was given, he scanned the hall. People. There were only people. The best sight in the entire hall was Captain Jones, but other than that, there were groups that gathered. Toris, Eduard, and another man gathered at a table. Yao, as Kiku could see, was chatting with the Colonel. Doctor Edelstein was there, too. He was rolling his eyes at a soldier with very light hair that sat beside him.

A plate was suddenly set down across from Kiku, who jumped slightly, and glanced up slowly. Smiling Captain Jones stood in front of him and sat down.

"Hi there, Kiku, was it?" he asked. Kiku nodded.

"I'm Kiku."

"Why are you alone here? Everyone seems to have friends," Captain Jones pointed out as he looked around, then back to Kiku, who quickly looked to his plate.

"One of my friends joined the air force, and the other wasn't drafted yet," answered Kiku.

"You only have two friends? I have too many, I make friends everywhere I go," said Alfred with a chuckle.

"I'm rather introverted--"

"I'm super extroverted, which you could probably tell." Alfred smiled warmly. "I think you're going to be a great soldier."

"I don't. I hate this war, and I hate this draft..."

"How else would our country be safe? We have to do this... Honestly, I get the feeling that we feel very differently about this, but I'd be fully willing to lay down my life to protect the people at home. I used to do this for my brother, but now I serve for all of the brothers at home... and the sisters and the mothers and fathers--"

"But we kill someone's brother every time we shoot or bomb... We kill someone's father, or uncle, or grandfather," protested Kiku.

"Would you rather it be the people at home?"

"I'd rather it be no one at all--"

"Kiku, a rare few of us actually want to kill. I'm not one. However, many of us want to protect. Don't look at it like killing, look at it as protecting--"

"But it is killing! The other side is killing too! Everyone is killing, can't we be civilized?!"

Alfred put a hand on Kiku's shoulder.

"Have you seen the other side? There is no way this could have been sorted out in a civilized manner. If we could have, we would have, believe me. Nobody likes war. It is expensive and lives are lost. You can't replace a life. But believe in what you fight for, and it'll get better. Choose someone to fight for. I fight for my brother, the people at home, and the men beside me," said Alfred with a smile as he stared into Kiku's dark eyes. The man on the other side of the table sighed and glanced down again.

"Alright..."

~

As all of the recruits, who would start becoming soldiers the next day, marched back to their quarters, Kiku thought. He wondered who he would fight for. After glancing at everyone around him, and thinking over the whole day, he realised for whom he was going to fight. Captain Jones.

Kiku wanted to fight for his smile, and for his blue eyes; for his golden hair, and for his optimism; for his personality... and for his values.

For Him.