Ignorance is Bliss
By Kate H. and Rei Keishana

[This story was written for a school project, and I know my militaristic knowledge is at an ultimate minimum, so bear with me. This is really old. It's supposed to be based during the Vietnam Conflict [War]. This may be a very corny story, but it made a good grade for the English class I needed to pass 10th grade with.]

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* Kirama Lyse is currently in the office of Lieutenant Ray-Satachi Syuyo . She has just been called in while she was outside on her break.

Kirama : Sir, you called?

Ray : Yes Ma'am. I wanted to inform you that you are being reassigned missions.

Kirama : Reassigned missions? To where?

Ray : Let me finish, Lyse. You and Jennie Moranez will be partnered up, and you will take the place of General Chymuia Nguyin. You will watch out for the VCs in the jungles.

Kirama : I have to... WHAT?! JENNIE?! I've got to work with a moron like her... in a tree?! But she's such a nut!

* Jennie pops out from another room.

Jennie : Did anyone call?

Kirama : NO! NOBODY CALLED! GO AWAY!

Jennie : Oh. Okay, well, I'm going back to sleep. (Inside the room) Hello Mr. Blankey!

Kirama : Golly.

Ray : Yep. That's whom you will be working with.

Kirama : Sir, you must have made some kind of mistake! I can't work with that goofball!

Ray : It's not a matter of whether you can or cannot. You have to.

Kirama : But she's so annoying! Nobody in the camp can stand her!

Ray : And she's the only one who claims to know exactly where all the land mines are.

Kirama : I'd rather be blown to bits than to work with her, thank you very much...

(Later on, in the Jungles…)

Kirama : Darn.

* Kirama smacks a fly from her arm.

Jennie : Ooh! This is so much fun! What would happen if I ate that?

* Kirama sighs. Jennie picks something red from a leaf and eats it.

Kirama : What was that?

Jennie : I don't know.

Kirama : What did it look like?

Jennie : Ooh look! There's another one!

* Jennie points to a small red object.

Kirama : (Lamely) You ate a tarantula?

Jennie : No. It looked more like a worm.

* Kirama chokes and coughs.

Kirama : JENNIE! I DIDN'T GET REASSIGNED HERE JUST TO SIT AND ROT UP IN A STINKING TREE TO WATCH YOU EAT BUGS! WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE LOOKING OUT FOR THOSE STUPID VIET CONGS YOU MORON!

Jennie : We are? Oh.

* Kirama sighs.

Jennie : Kirama… what's a Viet Cong?

* Kirama falls out of the tree.

Jennie : Uh… Kirama?

* Jennie looks over into the bushes where Kirama fell. Suddenly Kirama jumps out and grabs Jennie by the neck and shakes her aggressively.

Kirama : Look, baka , I don't have time for your stupidity right now! Just shut up already, will ya and keep an eye out for those guys!

* Kirama drops Jennie. She climbs back up into the tree.

Jennie : But…

Kirama : No buts. Just shut up and look out for strange sounds.

Jennie : You mean like the helicopter sound that's been ringing through the skies for the past 30 minutes?

* Kirama falls out of the tree again. She stands up and aims her gun straight at Jennie .

Kirama : Listen… missy…

*Suddenly, the helicopter sound becomes louder. Scared, Kirama ducks. Jennie stands up and looks into the skies.

Jennie : Look! There it is!

* Kirama grabs Jennie by the leg and pulls her down. The helicopter passes by. While still on the ground, Kirama grabs Jennie by the neck.

Kirama : (Whispering out loud and shaking Jennie at the same time) Didn't you hear anything that the General said?!

Jennie : General Chymuia? Yeah, but I forgot.

* Kirama releases Jennie's neck and pushes her away angrily. She sits up.

Kirama : That's what I thought.

* Kirama puts her arm around Jennie's shoulder.

Kirama : Now look, Jennie. I've got a little change in plans. Why don't you run. Run as far as you can. Oh, and why don't you go jump onto one of those little land mines of yours. I heard that if you do, it'll make you fly high into the sky when it explodes. It'll take you to a land far, far away…

Jennie : A land? Cool! What's it called?

Kirama : It's called Heaven.

Jennie : Wow! What about you Kirama?

Kirama : I'll be nice and happy all by myself down on earth.

* Jennie sighs and looks at another red worm. She picks it up and shows Kirama . Frightened of the bug, Kirama screams.

VC-Ahesa : Did you hear that?

VC-Rex : Yeah. Let's move in.

* Kirama holds her own mouth shut and looks over at Jennie evilly. In the distance, Kirama sees a group of three Viet Congs approaching. She climbs up the tree again. VC-Rex spots Jennie . He aims his M16 at her.

Kirama : Psst! Jennie! Pssssst!

Jennie : Wow! A pretty rock!

* Jennie bends down to pick up the rock. VC-Rex fires, missing Jennie . The bullets fly over her back. The firing stops. Jennie who is completely oblivious to what just happened, stands upright and shows Kirama the stone.

Jennie : Look Kirama!

Kirama : You imbecile! The VCs are here! Duck !

Jennie : Duck? Where?

* VC-Ivorin points to Kirama in the tree. She aims her M16 at the yellow cat. Kirama , scared, falls out of the tree. She stands up and fires at the VCs. She then ducks and pulls Jennie down as the VCs return fire.

Kirama : (Whispering out loud) Where are the land mines? Tell me so I can lead them into it!

VC-Ahesa : Crap. Where'd they go?

VC-Ivorin : Over there.

*The VC group approaches slowly through the brush.

Kirama : WHERE?!

Jennie : I don't know!

Kirama : I thought you knew!

Jennie : I forgot where I put them!

Kirama : You forgot where you put them?!

*Random firing of the VC gang's M16s can be heard in the background.

Kirama : Darn it! We're gonna die and it's all your fault! Now really , where are they? Where'd you put them?!?

Jennie : I remember I dug them out and put them all into a pile beside a tree. I did that so that I wouldn't step on one! I'm sorry Kirama!

Kirama : Raaaaahhh !!!! You moron !

* Kirama stands up and fires at the VC gang. She then ducks back down.

Kirama : Which tree?!

Jennie : The tree you were on.

Kirama : And you never told me?

Jennie : I forgot.

*A loud explosion sounds in the background.

Jennie : Except for one mine that I forgot. I couldn't really find it when I was digging them out. Chymuia kept rushing me to hurry and hide and all that stuff.

Kirama : I think they just now found it.

Jennie : Huh?

Kirama : Come on!

* Kirama crawls away from her current spot. Jennie follows.

Jennie : This is fun!

Kirama : Shut up!

*They continue crawling. Kirama sits up behind a bush and aims her gun underneath the leaves. She fires at the VCs. The VCs duck. They return fire. Suddenly they stop.

VC-Rex : It's hot out here!

VC-Ivorin : Shh…

VC-Ahesa : I'm tired!

* VC-Ahesa leans on a tree. Suddenly, it explodes. Kirama watches as flames begin to rise.

Kirama : Hurry! Run !

Jennie : What if we hit an antipersonnel land mine?

Kirama : You dug them all out, remember?

*The jungles begin to rise in flames. Kirama and Jennie run out in time. They head towards the base camp. Standing out there is General Chymuia and General Alyssia . General Chymuia is all bandaged up and is walking in crutches.

Kirama : (Breathing hard) We just encountered the Viet Congs…

Jennie : I found a pretty rock! See?

Alyssia : The Viet Congs?

Kirama : Yes Ma'am. They all blew up with the land mines.

Jennie : I ate a worm!

Chymuia : Congratulations, Kirama. You actually put up with Jennie for the first time without going completely nuts.

Kirama : So that means… I can actually get another mission without Jennie as an assistant since I put up with this mess?

* General Alyssia and General Chymuia both look at each other.

Chymuia : Well, actually… no.

* Kirama stares, mouth wide open.

Kirama : No… NO! I'm not doing it! I'm not putting up with this idiot any longer! She made me fall out of the tree twice already and I can't take it anymore!

Jennie : …and the land mines exploded into bits! It was so cool! It was all firey and stuff and we ran and…

Kirama : Please, oh please I beg of you! Change it! Please ?!

Alyssia : Nope, Lyse. You earned it.

*The four all turn and watch as the smoke rises from the jungles.

(Later at night)

Kirama : Crap.

* Kirama covers her head with her pillow. Jennie , who's in another bed right beside hers, rolls over and moans.

Jennie : I'm thirsty.

* Kirama growls.

Kirama : Maybe if I stay quiet, she'll think I'm asleep and then she'll go back to sleep.

* Kirama looks at Jennie , who is cuddled up with her blankey. The initials J.M. are embroidered into it.

Jennie : Kirama! I'm thirsty!

* Kirama falls out of the bed.

Kirama : (In a low mumble) I'm not awake!

Jennie : (Tossing and turning) But it's hot in here!

* General Alyssia , who is just strolling by, walks into the room.

Kirama : (Getting up into her bed) General, can I switch rooms?

Alyssia : Why?

* Kirama points to Jennie , who is sleeping with her thumb in her mouth.

Alyssia : She ain't doing you no harm.

Kirama : But…

* General Alyssia exits the room.

Jennie : Kirama, I'm still thirsty.

Kirama : Shut up. I'm not awake.

Jennie : But…

Kirama : SHUT UP ALREADY, PLEASE! Go back to sleep with your… blanket…

* Kirama plops back down onto the bed and flips around. Jennie sighs and curls up in a ball. Both soon fall asleep.

* The End

~ Cast of Characters ~

Kirama Lyse : A very serious and down-to-earth cat who's responsible and mostly willing to accept any mission assigned to her.

Jennie Moranez : A very naïve cat who's always crazy, hyper, and curious about things. She's always getting yelled at and is joked about by all the other soldiers in the camp.

Lieutenant Ray - Satachi Syuyo : A very serious cat dude who is hard to convince in changing his mind.

General Chymuia Nguyin : Jennie's former partner; a cat who is injured and can't continue her mission due to Jennie's mindlessness.

General Alyssia Tsumo : A cat who usually hangs around Chymuia. She is also hard to convince since being in Vietnam.

VC-Rex : A VC gray wolf who believes in shooting anything in view.

VC-Ahesa : A VC lion who's usually quiet.. Since the war, he's been very paranoid and keeps his heavy artillery on hand.

VC-Ivorin : A VC white wolf who shoots whenever someone else shoots. She's always looking around and is very alert.