Le Jeu Sinistre Chapter 2/9

[grateful_days]

Disclaimer: As always, I don’t own Full Metal Panic. This is a parody. I am allowed to write it because of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which still exists, despite the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security.


Chapter Two: Let Slip the Dogs of War


Tessa’s head was buried in her arms. The sleeves of her uniform were soaked through with tears. Every few seconds, her body shivered or quaked, threatening to spill over into another crying session.
Andelino informed her of the mission’s failure personally. He took a sort of perverse enjoyment in informing her of the deaths of her soldiers. She had been opposed to the mission from the beginning and Andelino assured her that, if her men (and women) were even half-competent, they would do well. It was his conclusion, then, that not only was she incompetent but so were her troops.
Fortunately, he hadn’t known of her feelings for Sousuke. Had he, Andelino would’ve no doubt been even more vicious.
That little bit did little to console Tessa. From the second he told her that the mission was a total failure and that the team had been lost, she was in a dazed state. Her mind was still wrapping itself around the fact that she would never see Sousuke again. She barely heard Andelino’s report on the matter and only just registered the fact that he wanted her to meet him on the bridge at noon to discuss something.
After he had left, Tessa stared at the door for about a minute before breaking down and sobbing.
Tessa had always assumed that Sousuke would be there, like some sort of invincible, avenging angel. She had seen him survive so much that it was obvious that he had to be immortal. The immortal god of war. Only, he wasn’t. He was a mortal, just like everyone else in the world and had made this much clear.
As the young captain wept, her mind ran over all the fantasies she had had about the two. Most were just the mindless daydreams of a bored teenage girl. They usually involved the two having a secret but passionate affair. Or maybe Tessa was kidnapped by Gauron (her own personal bogeyman) and, just as he was about to steal her virtue, Sousuke bursts into the room, dispatches Gauron with a few choice hand-to-hand combat moves (ignoring the fact that Gauron outweighed Sousuke by at least 20 kg) and then whisking her away. Sometimes, she gave up her virginity to Sousuke right then and there. It depended on her mood.
Of course, Tessa never expected any of that to happen. Despite everything that had happened, Sousuke still remained distant. Tessa was trying to work up the courage to go on the offensive. Even if the dense young soldier felt more towards Kaname than her (and Tessa was almost certain he did, even though she was loathe to admit it to herself), he was indefinitely separated from the Japanese girl. Plus, Kaname professed to think of Sousuke as little more than a good friend. Tessa had her doubts about this but who was she to aid her enemy?
Perhaps, she sometimes mused, that was her problem. She thought of love in the same way she thought of war. There were objectives to be taken and strategies were the tools one used to gain those objectives. Of course, one had to be mindful that those strategies didn’t involve too many losses. However, there were such things as “acceptable losses.”
Sousuke was the primary objective. Tessa’s strategies involved spending more time with him when she could, talking very casually to him, getting his opinion on everything from operations to what kind of shoes she should wear (Sousuke’s Answer: The black ones. Because they were more cost effective). The possible losses were things like rejection and embarrassment. Of course, a little embarrassment was all right if Sousuke became hers…
But, all of this disappeared one afternoon. Tessa would never be able to try out her tactics on Sousuke. She would never do anything with him again. He was dead and that was all there was to it, right?
Trying to look at it logically didn’t help things at all. If anything, it made it hurt more. Briefly, Tessa wondered how Kaname would take it if she found out. Would she cry too? Probably. Would she admit how she really felt about him? Maybe.
And what about Kurtz and Melissa? The realization that they were dead too took the tears from “year flooding of the Nile” to “El Nino meets the Yangtze.” If it were just Sousuke, she could at least get some comfort from Melissa and Kurtz. She could get a hug from Melissa and Kurtz would console her best he could. She could hear his voice in her head. “Never did such a dense idiot have so many people cry over him without realizing it!”
But they were gone too. And that’s all there was too it.
Half an hour after Andelino had left, the door opened again. Tessa didn’t even bother to look up. Kalinin slipped in quickly and closed the door quietly. Around his arm was tied a black band.
“Captain.”
Tessa swallowed hard and looked up at the Major. He stood there rigidly, like a statue. His expression surprised her. It was one of sympathy, yes, but it also bore anger and cold determination.
“There’s something I would like to speak to you about before you report to the bridge at noon.”
Tessa glanced at the wall clock quickly. It was 11:43. Seventeen minutes.
Kalinin stepped forward and bowed down so that his face and Tessa’s were very close.
“Andelino means to strip you of your command at noon. He was given the power by High Command earlier this morning.”
Tessa fought the urge to start crying again. Instead, she started hiccuping.
“We… The crew that is… Have found that we disagree with his actions. Therefore…” The Russian cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Anyone wearing the black band is your friend.” He pointed to the cloth around his arm. “So far, we believe that roughly 95% of the crew are loyal to you. Mardukas has already passed out the bands.”
Tessa looked at Kalinin with wide eyes. “Do you mean…?”
“Yes. We’re mutinying. After we make sure we have control of the ship, we’ll be getting you to safety. Mithril has plans for you. As far as we can tell, it has something to do with your being a Whispered.”
Tessa closed her eyes, digesting the information. Kalinin felt honest to god sympathy for her. She was the closest thing to a daughter he had ever had. Even though he didn’t let on much, it tore his heart apart to see her crying. It was at that moment that Kalinin changed one minor aspect of his plan…
“Alright. What will I have to do?”
“Just bring your sidearm to the bridge, Captain. We’ll take care of the rest.”
Kalinin straightened up, saluted and turned to go. He hesitated and looked over his shoulder back at her.
“About the mission.”
Tessa didn’t say anything.
“Our satellites found no bodies.”
Tessa’s heart skipped a beat and Kalinin left.
The next seventeen minutes lasted forever.

~

“What is it that you wanted to talk to me about, Major?”
Tessa arrived on the bridge, her pistol hidden away in her uniform. She was pleased when she realized that every single person present was wearing the black band, save Andelino. He was sitting in the captain's chair. Her chair.
“Miss Testarossa…” The Italian smiled like a fox cornering a rabbit as he stood. “I’ll be brief. High Command has deemed you unfit to command this vessel and as of 12 o’clock today, you are relieved of your duties and ordered to come with me to Mithril Headquarters.”
An awkward silence settled over the bridge. Andelino was looking quite nervous all of sudden. When Tessa didn’t respond and just stared at one of the display screens, Andelino started fidgeting. Finally, he took a piece of paper from the armrest of the chair and thrust it out towards her.
“If you’ll sign this then-“
There was a sudden, distinct clicking noise. Andelino’s hand flew to his wait, pulled his pistol and was up at Tessa’s face in a flash. He looked around wildly.
“Who was that?” he demanded, anger and fear taking control of him. The bridge crew just stared back at him.
“What was it?!” Andelino was all but screaming now. It was becoming more and more obvious that something was up and he was severely outnumbered.
“Major Andelino.”
And there was Kalinin at the entrance to the bridge. In an instant, he was next to them.
“I would holster that pistol if I were you, Major.” Kalinin was totally calm. Tessa looked at him out of the corner of her eye and smiled very slightly.
“You have no authority, Andrei,” spat Andelino.
“I fail to see how that affects anything.”
“Stand down, you bastard…” hissed Andelino. Several of the bridge crew had drawn their own guns. “Or I’ll kill her. We can still use her if she’s dead, you know.”
Kalinin’s eyes bored into Andelino’s face. The two men were having the mother of all staring matches. Andelino blinked first.
It happened in a blur. Kalinin checked Andelino, sending the two men to the ground. The pistol went off but by then, it was pointed at the ceiling. Kalinin was on top of Andelino and his right fist was smashing into the Italian’s face at an incredible rate.
And then, it was over. Just as soon as it had started, the fight was over. Andelino lay on the ground, his face little more than bloody mush. He wasn’t breathing.
Kalinin stood up, a satisfied look on his face. Tessa was staring at him, most surprised.
“When I was in the army, I taught Sambo and boxing,” he explained. That was the aspect of his plan that he had changed: Instead of just beating Andelino to a bloody pulp or possibly dislocating some limbs, Kalinin decided to kill him. It might not have been the best course of action but he had put up with the bastard making his “daughter” cry for long enough.
He pulled out a cell phone, dialed a number quickly and put it to his ear.
“We’re finished. We’re bringing the Captain to the hangar. Be ready for us there.”
As he folded up the phone, Kalinin looked around at the assembled crew.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we shall be escorting the Captain to the hangar. We will be required to fire upon our former comrades. If you believe that you may hesitate, then I ask that you remain here.”
He put his hand on Tessa’s shoulder and led her out of the bridge. Nobody stayed behind.

~

“Chidori.”
There in the doorway stood Sousuke. He wasn’t wearing his military uniform now did he wear school clothes. He wore a pair a cheap slacks, a cheap button up shirt and a heavy trench coat that made him look like a gangster or a pervert.
The first thought that hit Kaname was something along the lines of “What the hell is he doing here?” The second thought was very close to “Something very bad must have happened.” The third and final thought was “I should say something.”
“Yo, Sousuke.”
“Can I come in?”
“Sure.”
And that’s how Sagara Sousuke literally walked back into Chidori Kaname’s life.
“Are you hungry?” Kaname asked. She was in a sort of shocked state. She was bursting with questions- Why was he here? Did something happen? Was he in trouble?
Sousuke had knelt down to take off his boots. Without looking up, he replied.
“Yes. I haven’t eaten since this morning. It’s it a problem, though, I’ll go out to find something.”
“Of course it’s not a problem. I can’t honestly refuse to feed you, can I?” asked Kaname, with a grin. Sousuke seemed relaxed. Maybe he was just visiting her on leave? Yes, she told herself. That had to be it.
Kaname had him sit down on her couch and went off to the kitchen. When she came back, she had a bowl of noodles, an apple and a can of soda for him.
Sousuke bowed his head. “Thank you. I am very grateful,” he said respectfully.
“Come on! Don’t be like that! What’re friends for?” said Kaname, a bit too loud. The suspicion that something was very wrong was creeping back into her mind.
“Sorry.”
And he began to eat. Kaname watched him for a second before shrugging and sitting down next to him. She put her feet up and flipped on the evening news.
“…for those of you just joining us, our top story today is the failed special forces mission in North Korea…”
Sousuke made some sort of grunt but didn’t look up from his noodles.
“Pyongyang has just released a report claiming that a reconnaissance mission was attempted by either South Korean or American forces this morning. A brief but fierce fight ensued which ended in the deaths of six North Korean soldiers and the loss of one helicopter. According to the report, the bodies of the special forces soldiers were washed into the sea and have not yet been found. Sources say that-“
And then Kaname changed that channel.
“It’s pretty depressing, huh?” she said, as a soap opera came on. They watched it in silence. The main character was a girl from Hokkaido who had come to Tokyo to go to college. After some mishaps, she managed to get a job at the department store run by the father of a handsome and flirtatious classmate. Soon, she’s pursuing him while being pursued by an equally handsome Yakuza agent who carries with him an air of mystery and danger.
Sousuke became quite interested in the plot, giving small gasps at the right moments and murmuring to himself at the especially emotional moments. Kaname had seen the episode before and knew full well that the girl ended up with the Yakuza man (who renounces his life of crime to be with her) after it’s revealed the other guy is a ruthless playboy and a rapist.
As the ending credits rolled, Sousuke turned to Kaname.
“Is there another episode after this?” the young soldier asked hopefully. Kaname stared at him for a second before shaking her head.
“No. Only one episode a night.”
Sousuke was obviously disappointed. He watched the game show that came on again in silence. After awhile, Kaname cleared away the dishes, made some coffee and sat down next to Sousuke again.
“So… How’ve you been, Sousuke?” she said, carefully beginning to pry for details.
“Fine.”
“What about Kurtz, Melissa and Tessa?”
“Fine.”
“What brings you here?”
“I’m on leave.”
“Oh.”
They sat in silence for another minute. This time, strangely enough, it was Sousuke who spoke first.
“Is it alright if I stay here for awhile?”
Kaname looked at him a bit oddly.
“Of course… But how long is ‘awhile’? How long do you have leave for?”
Sousuke didn’t say anything for another few seconds. Then…
“Indefinitely. I’ll be no trouble. I’ll stay out of your way and if you want, I can get a job to pay for my room and board.”
Kaname just stared at Sousuke. He was totally serious. She couldn’t help it. She broke into laughter.
Sousuke felt his cheeks warm and he stared in amazement as Kaname, who was desperately trying to stifle her giggles, going as far to clamp her hands over her mouth.
“Was something I said funny?” the utterly confused Sousuke asked.
Finally, Kaname forced herself to stop laughing. She smiled gently at the young man and reached out, putting her hand on his shoulder.
“You didn’t think I’d make you pay to stay here, did you?”
“I was under the impression that one pays for room and board.”
“Not when you’re staying with friends!” said Kaname, still grinning. “And we are friends, aren’t we?”
Sousuke nodded.
“You are one of the only friends I have,” he said solemnly. The edges of Kaname’s smile faltered a bit.
“Don’t worry… As long as you don’t try anything perverted… But that’s asking too much of you, isn’t it?”
“No! Of course not! Nothing perverted!”
Kaname closed her eyes and bowed her head. She took her hand off of Sousuke’s shoulder and took his hand in hers.
“I trust you. I like having you here. It’s no problem.”
Much to Kaname’s surprise (and to Sousuke’s), he squeezed her hand.
There was another silence between the two of them. The two teenagers stayed like that for nearly a moment. Then…
“Sousuke, I-“
“Chidori.” Sousuke’s voice seemed full of determination. He took her hand in both of his and looked intently into her eyes.
“Can I use your bathroom?”

~

Half an hour later, Kaname had changed into her pajamas. The next day was the last day of school before vacation and she had to be there early to help with the last meeting of the student council. As she walked by the bathroom, she glanced worriedly at the door.
“He’s been in there a while…” she muttered to herself. “He probably hurt himself… The clumsy idiot.” Kaname put her ear up against the door. At the moment, it opened a crack and Sousuke’s left eye peeked out.
“Oh. Chidori.”
“Sousuke? Are you alright?”
“Err… Fine,” the young man said nervously. “Do you have any bandages?”
Great, Kaname thought to herself. He tried to shave.
“There should be some bandaids in there… You could use toilet paper too.”
Sousuke’s eye stared at her strangely.
“I don’t believe those will be… sufficient.”
“Oh, c’mon, you can’t have cut yourself that badly…” Kaname forced the door opened. It took her a moment to take in the scene before her.
Sousuke was leaning against the counter, a towel soaked through with blood pressed to his side. On the floor was a long length of bandages, sticky and red. Sousuke himself was pale and sweating.
The smell hit Kaname almost as quickly as the image registered in her brain. The smell of human blood overwhelmed her and she thought for a moment she would throw up.
Sousuke repeated his query. “Do you have any bandages?”
Kaname’s face twitched. She tried to speak several times before finally succeeding.
“What the hell happened?” Her voice was weak.
“I tried changing my bandages. Do you have any more?”
Kaname shook her head, still having trouble believing what was happening.
Sousuke scrunched up his face thoughtfully. “That’ll be a problem.”
Finally, Kaname burst through her initial shock.
“My god, Sousuke! We need to get you to a hospital! I’ll call a taxi.”
Shaking his head, the bloody and pale Sousuke replied, “We can’t. A teenager with two bullet wounds in Japan would be too suspicious. Moreover, Mithril will be keeping watch over the hospital records of any place they think I may be.”
“Mithril? Why-“
“It’s very complicated. Are you sure you don’t have any-“
“Yes!” roared Kaname suddenly, her frustration with the soldier overflowing. “I don’t have any goddamned bandages!”
Sousuke nodded grimly. “That’ll be a problem.”
“Fine! I’ll go buy you some!” Kaname was scowling now. The nerve of this guy!
And so, in her pajamas, Kaname charged down the stairs of her apartment building and sprinted all the way to her local convenience store. She bought two rolls of bandages, some medical tape, a package of gauze and a bottle of aspirin. The last was for her, not Sousuke.
When she arrived back home, Kaname found a trail of blood leading from the bathroom to the kitchen.
“At least he didn’t get any on the carpet…” she muttered quietly as she followed the bloody trail.
In the kitchen, Sousuke had a small portable stove that Kaname kept in her closet just in case set up and burning. He was sticking his army knife into the flame and the metal was starting to glow.
“Sousuke!”
He turned around and nodded.
“Good. Just put the bandages on the table and I’ll be finished in a moment. Actually, you can help me…”
“What the hell are you doing now…?” Kaname whispered. She didn’t want another “surprise.”
“Are you familiar with the process of cauterizing wounds?” Sousuke asked in a very business-like and professional manner.
“I’ve seen it in movies… Wait. You’re not-“
“It’ll be easier if you do it.” He held the knife out to her. “Just press it against the wound until I tell you to stop.”
Sousuke let the towel against his side drop. For so much blood, the wounds looked pretty small, though Kaname dazedly to herself. She took the knife and pressed it against Sousuke’s side.
And then, a moment later, it was finished. Sousuke hissed, “Stop.” Kaname pulled the knife away and tossed it in the sink where it sizzled and gave off steam.
“Good.” Sousuke sounded weak. He pointed to the gauze and bandages. “Can you help me with that as well?”
As if someone else were controlling her body, Kaname wrapped Sousuke in gauze and bandages tightly. She felt some sort of satisfaction when she took a step back and took a good look at her handiwork. Some color had returned to Sousuke’s face. He ran a hand over his wounded side.
“Well done,” he said simply.


End of Chapter Two

Author’s Notes: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. For those wondering, Sambo (Sombo, alternatively) is a Russian martial art similar to Judo that’s taught extensively in the military. It’s not to be confused with Systema, the signature style of hand-to-hand combat used by the Spetsnaz forces.