[FIC] First Impressions (part 2)

[dd]

The silence was almost contagious.

Sousuke stood frozen in disbelief, his mouth open but mute. In his head, a buzzing mental noise ebbed and flowed like a forest full of cicada.

Kaname had said ‘Daddy.’ He knew the meaning of that word.

She in turn had helped her father sit upright, making certain that he was alright. Having done that, she turned to look at Sousuke, her face a mixture of shock, anger, and disappointment.

It wasn’t the day that she wanted to mention Sousuke to her strict and exclusionary father. And, this was definitely not the setting she would have chosen.

Shunya Chidori, U.N. official and one time member of the Japanese military, sat somewhat groggily, rubbing his swollen jaw. He was still too stunned to think clearly, but his senses were quickly returning. Worried for the safety of his two children, he managed to make it to his feet, wobbling slightly as he stood.

The cute girl with nicely cut brown hair stood behind the corner of the door into the kitchen area. She looked at her father, hoping he would be alright. Eyes moving to her sister, she wondered why Kaname didn’t say anything or run for help. Looking over at the young attacker, she couldn’t figure why he just stood their like that.

“D-D-Daddy, you shouldn’t be standing up yet. I’ll go get you some ice.” Kaname stopped, and looked over at the girl. “Ayame, why don’t you get Father some ice. I have something else to do.”

The tone of her voice could have frozen water in a heart beat. The look in her eyes would have turned it to steam even quicker.

Kaname….” Shunya couldn’t understand how his daughter could be acting in this fashion, with a dangerous stranger standing in their midst. Was it shock? Denial? He would need to move swiftly, delaying the intruder while his daughters had a chance to escape.

The young man must be after him, not Kaname? But why? What could he hope to accomplish, kidnapping the High Commissioner on Environment Issues at the United Nations?

“I suggest you jump back out the way you came.” She walked over to stand in front of Sousuke. “I…… you…… why now, Sousuke? You had been doing so well….” Kaname’s voice cracked.

“K-K-Kaname?” Her father’s voice sounded slightly slurred. His lip was partially swollen, and his jaw was sore. Otherwise, he appeared to be intact. “Do you know this criminal?” He stood, a bit wobbly on his feat. His hands twitched, and he took up a posture that told Sousuke that the man had trained in some form of martial arts in the past.

Kaname swallowed hard. How could things be any worse?

As it was, her father had surprised her with this visit. She had been shocked when she found the reason that she had been summoned to the school office. His later bombshell…… the fact that he wanted her to move back to America with him and Ayame…… had hit hard. Add to that the fact that he knew nothing of her Whispered state…… and the knowledge that he strictly forbade her to have a boyfriend while she lived alone…… and there were all of the ingredients necessary for a disaster.

That would have been enough to break most girls. Especially after the episode with the camera crew.

“I…… yes, father….” She was not about to lie. Not after calling Sousuke by name. Wishing she could simply fade out of existence, she watched as her sister brought in a cloth tied around a number of ice cubes. Absentmindedly, she noted that Ayame was wearing the sweater she had mailed her for Christmas last year.

Ayame’s eyes went wide. Then, she exhaled and began to smile. Her big sister knew the window crasher? Hmmm. This situation held so many possibilities.

And she had worried that the trip to Japan would prove boring….

Sousuke still stood frozen. He had done a bad thing. A really really bad thing. There was no escaping that fact. Try as he might, he couldn’t find anything to say that might change the situation for the better.

He was well away of what the Road to Hell was paved with.

Clenching her fists, Kaname shook with growing fury. Looking over at her boyfriend, she couldn’t help giving into her emotions. At that moment, she was far beyond considering the effect any of her words might have.

“He’s not a criminal. That would take some brains!” Kaname sighed, deep and long. “Why, Sousuke. Tell me why. Why did you have to break into my room like some terrorist? Why did you have to scare the death out of my sister? Why did you attack my father?”

“He didn’t scare me….” Ayame looked shyly over at Sousuke. “I was a bit surprised…… but things happened too fast for me to be scared.” She looked over at her father, as if offering an apology for her next words. “In a way, it was kind of cool.”

Kaname’s mouth fell open. Cool? Cool! Sousuke’s actions were anything but cool. Just what had her younger sister been learning in America?

“I was concerned for you, Kaname.” Sousuke’s voice was almost pleading. “At school, you disappeared without saying anything. When I called to see how you were, you kept saying ‘Wrong number’. At first, I thought you were upset about my reference to breasts….”

Kaname’s eyes went wide. She moved her hands in front of her frantically, before narrowing her eyes and clenching her teeth.

“Why should my daughter have to tell anything to one such as you. When the school gets wind of this transgression, I’m certain that she won’t have to worry about telling you anything ever again!” Shunya moved slowly towards the gun, wondering if he could jump on it first.

His heart pounding in his chest, Kaname’s father hoped that the mentally imbalanced young punk wouldn’t snap and just begin shooting. The occasional tragedies at American high schools had placed a seed of fear in his heart for both his daughters.

“I…… uhhh…… when I arrived at your door, I thought that I heard the voice of a stranger.” Souske wasn’t looking at Shunya, but he was well aware of the pistol’s location. His attention was squarely on Kaname. “When you came to the door, you acted strangely, as if you did not know me, or did not want someone else to know that I was there. When I listened again, you said ‘But, I really don’t want to go with you. Please. I haven’t done anything wrong.’ After what has happened before, I could only presume….”

He swallowed hard, when Kaname drew her finger across her neck like a knife. He needed to be more discrete with his words.

“What happened before? Has this… this… this gangster bothered you in the past, Kaname?” Shunya took a small sliding step towards the Glock.

Her eyes on Sousuke’s face, Kaname swallowed hard. She couldn’t find the courage to answer her father’s question at that moment. And, she still hoped that Sousuke would say something that allowed her to forgive him.

“It was an honest mistake, Kaname. The answering words I heard were ‘I hope I do not have to resort to something drastic, young lady. You should have known that this might happen some day. The foreign facilities should help get the most of your special abilities’. You know what special abilities I was thinking of….”

“What special abilities?” Shunya asked.

Kaname sighed. Her posture slumped. Sousuke had acted in his usual manner, but she had to admit that he had a somewhat valid reason. Part of the blame rested squarely on her shoulders. She had been so adamant about keeping him away from her father, that she made it a point to keep secrets from him too.

Anyway, that was all water under the bridge now….

“Up on the roof top, when I was preparing for this course of action, I was fired upon. A high-powered rifle with an effective silencing mechanism. I took that as an indication that my suspicions were well-grounded. Instead, I suppose it must have been….” He thought the word ‘Wraith,’ but refrained from speaking it. Bowing, he finished by saying “I apologize. I thought you were being kidnapped.”

Shunya scowled. He did not take kindly to being ignored. His mind trying to make sense of everything that had happened, he hit upon one obvious question.

“Why does this young man carry a firearm? They are illegal in this country.” Rubbing his jaw, he walked over to the telephone sitting on a nearby end table. “I think that will be one of the first questions that the Police will want answers to.” He handed the bag of ice to Ayame, before picking up the handset.

Something flashed by, too quick to follow. Sousuke’s combat dagger stood embedded in the living room floor, having transected the phone cord.

“Sir, I am not a criminal. However, it would not no one’s purpose to draw Police attention to this situation. After I make a phone call, the window will be taken care of promptly.” Sousuke pulled a number of pieces of glass out of his arm and dropped the blood fragments onto a drink coaster. “If your injuries require medical attention, I will gladly pay the bill.”

“You….” Shunya stared at the knife. He felt as if someone had poured a pint of bitters into his blood. The scar-faced boy was skilled.

Kaname had been about to shout at Sousuke, but stopped when she saw the blood spreading across the fabric of his school uniform. Ayame noticed as well and ran off. After rummaging around in Kaname’s rather well-stocked medicine cabinet, she returned with a roll of bandages. That drew an irate glare from her father.

“KANAME CHIDORI, WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?”

While her father might look like an average nerdish man with glasses, he was not as patient or passive as one might have assumed. Kaname had come by her short temper honestly

Kaname cringed. She didn’t know what to do. If she didn’t say anything, and tried to cover her own backside, Sousuke would get in big trouble. Her father would insist on calling the authorities, even more determined to do so after Sousuke’s defiance to that effect. But, if she told him even a small part of the truth….

“So….” Ayame walked over to stand next to her sister, handing her the bandages. Looking at Sousuke, she spoke with a twinkle in her eye. Instinctively, she knew that she had nothing to fear from the young man. “You know Kaname.” She looked at Sousuke’s face. “Are you her boyfriend or something?” She hid a grin, when she heard Kaname’s squeak.

Sousuke glanced at a mischievous-looking Ayame. He switched his gaze to a flustered-looking Kaname. His eyes then wandered to a rather furious-looking Shunya.

It might have been kinder if Wraith’s shot had hit him square in the chest.

“I will let you proceed with this as you think fit, Kaname.” Sousuke looked somewhat worried, beginning to realize what the things he had overheard might mean. “If…… if you were to be brought back across seas…… certain things would not change…… at least not for the better….”

“Is that some kind of threat?” Shunya wished that he had been in the States. Had he been, the small transponder he carried in his pocket could be subtly signaled, bring help within a short period of time. “Just who is this boy, Kaname?”

Kaname sat down on the couch, covering her face with her hands. Her head was throbbing. She felt as if she were about to explode.

“It’s…… it’s something I needed to keep secret, Daddy….”

Ayame’s eyes lit up. Her mind skipped ahead blithely, considering all sorts of possibilities. During Kaname’s last phone call, her big sister had hounded her mercilessly about the boys at her school in New York.

“Are you pregnant, Kaname? Is that the secret?” She looked over at Sousuke. “Is he the baby’s father?”

Shunya began choking. Susuke’s eyes went wide. Kaname threw a cushion at her sister.

“NO!”

Kaname stood up. She looked at her sister in disbelief. How could Ayame be pulling that routine at a time like this?

“Is someone else the father, then?” Ayame tried too look innocent. Kaname had teased her mercilessly when they all lived together. Turnabout’s fair play.

“I’m not pregnant,” Kaname asserted, unable to look her father in the eye, even though she hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Yet,” Ayame said.

“We…… do…… not….” Kaname couldn’t get her words out before her sister’s next comment.

“He looks like he’s probably a real stud.” Ayame tried to look innocent. That one ought to get a rise out of her father. It did.

“AYAME!”

Shunya’s shout had Kaname’s younger sister jumping. Eyes narrowed, he turned to his eldest child, a definite question on his face.

“I…… I couldn’t possibly be pregnant, Father…… I have never….” Kaname blushed.

Her father relaxed somewhat. But, having a keen mind for details, he hadn’t missed many points, despite the excitement he had been through.

The look on Sousuke’s face gave Shunya more reassurance than Kaname’s word. Then again, when he was younger, he was quite proficient at acting. His daughters did not need to know that, however.

“Then, perhaps you will be so kind as to tell me about this……secret. In the process, you will tell me the things that the young…… hoodlum…… referred to…… the things that happened before.” His stare was intense. Kaname shrunk down on the couch. “You will explain his commentary on abilities, and make sense of his remark about kidnapping. I hope that you have not gotten involved with drugs, gangs, or things of that nature!”

He looked over at Sousuke, still wondering if he should do something to disable the young man. He had restrained himself, following Kaname’s lead. None of this made any sense whatsoever, though. Despite his bookish looks these days, he had sowed his share of wild oats as a youth.

But, he would never have contemplated crashing through a window, and then putting a gun to a man’s head.

“No, father!” Kaname shook her head. She bit her lip, remembering the time that she and Sousuke had helped out Ren, her father, and the Yakusa gang.

“You still have not told me about the young man and his gun.” Shunya’s hands clenched. His eyebrow shot upward. “I would also want to know where the mention of breasts fits in with everything.”

Ayame sat down in an armchair. Her eyes were riveted to Sousuke’s face. She was becoming fascinated by him. Just who was he, and what was he to Kaname?

It wasn’t everyday that a girl got to see a handsome boy come crashing through a window, swinging on a fire hose.

“Father, if I told you that I had done nothing wrong, and that there were reasons that I could not explain things to you, would you accept that?” Kaname looked hopeful. “I promise, I have not gotten involved in anything illegal or immoral. Sousuke hasn’t, either.”

“No, I think not.” Shunya folded his arms across his chest. Walking slowly, he went to pick up Sousuke’s gun, turning it around in his hand. Knowing enough about guns to release the clip, he did so, throwing the ammunition in the nearest trash receptacle. “Not after a young man shoots a gun at your window…… comes crashing through it…… and then attacks me, worried that I might be a kidnapper.”

“But….”

“NO!”

Shunya slammed the gun down hard, chipping some wood off of the corner of the end table. He held his breath, obviously trying to control his temper. He kept looking over at Sousuke, as if he were a wild animal.

“Sir, I am Sergeant Sousuke Sagara, assigned to watch after your daughter.” The young agent had decided to speak up. There was something that he could attempt. “I should not tell you more than that. Suffice it to say that your daughter had uncommon mental abilities that have caught the attention of foreign powers and terrorist organizations. Further information might put you and your younger daughter at risk, were you to seek out more details.”

Kaname looked over at Sousuke, grateful that he had spoken. It would be easier for her to broach the subject now. Looking at her father, she prayed that her boyfriend’s remark would be enough. But, knowing how she would react as a parent, she had little hope.

“Sergeant? Are you trying to tell me that someone your age is in the Japanese military? What kind of bullshit is that?” Shunya looked incensed. “I am not stupid, young man. Think that only at your own peril.”

“I did not mention the Japanese military, sir. There was a reason for that. It is not likely that you are aware of the organization I work for. There is also a good reason for that.” Sousuke did not back down. “I am not in the habit of making assumptions about a person’s intelligence. Their actions and statements often provide sufficient information in that regard.”

“Kaname, are you going to stand by while this young…… prevaricator…… spouts that kind of nonsense?” Shunya’s face clouded over. “I take your silence in such matters as complicity.” He grimaced, getting the full impact of Sousuke’s last statement.

“Daddy…… I….”

“It is not often done, but I can gain access to the telephone numbers of Japanese political officials who know what the general public does not.” Sousuke’s mind was working swiftly. There had always been danger of people learning more than they should and wanting to know more. He, Kurz, and Melissa had worked out possible contingency plans, passing them by Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin for approval. “Some of them should be known to a man in your profession.”

Shunya looked thoughtful for a moment, then smirked.

“I would not be surprised by corruption within the government or the military. And, people can learn enough to adequately imitate another in voice, knowledge, and behavior. Even if your claim was something more than a bluff.”

“Father…… he….”

“Are you some kind of spy?” Ayame cocked her head, looking over at Sousuke. She had definitely watched more TV than her father would like. Holding her hand up like a gun, pointed it at Sousuke, then pretended to blow away imaginary smoke from a nonexistent barrel.

“Uhhh….” Sousuke was taken aback. He swallowed hard, and looked over at Kaname involuntarily. Shunya took notice and spread his feet apart, hands held up close to his chest.


“THIS IS RIDICULOUS! NO, IT’S INSANE….”

Shunya turned and headed for the door. “I am going to contact the police. Then, I am going to contact your school. I hope for your sake Kaname, that you don’t have a record at either site.” He stopped to give Sousuke a challenging look. “If you want to stop me, you’re going to have to shoot me. Ayame, come over here. Now! Keep out of his reach!”

Ayame moved to obey, hesitating as she looked over at Kaname. She then looked at Sousuke before walking over to her father. “Kaname….. I….”

“Your daughters are at no risk from me, sir. But, your actions could well end up costing Kaname her protection.” Sousuke’s voice held a hint of steel. Kaname’s safety was his first priority. “Although, if need be, I would take that on by myself.” The look in Kaname’s eyes made him feel a sense of determination.

“You?” Shunya looked incredulous. “Someone who did that….” He looked towards the remants of the window. Shaking his head, he saw a small bird alight on the edge of one spar of glass. “I think you have a vastly different definition of ‘safe’….”

“Daddy, please…… I will tell you the secret…… you won’t believe it.” Kaname hung her head. For some reason, she began sobbing. Sousuke moved to comfort her, causing her to squeeze his hand. “The only person at the school who knows the truth is sworn to secrecy. The police know nothing about such things, even though they have been faced with crises from time to time.”

“The truth, Kaname?” Shunya looked torn. He could always get the facts from his daughter later. It might be wise to make certain of everyone’s safety first.

Kaname nodded. She didn’t expect the next questions to be the ones foremost in her father’s mind.

“This boy. This ‘Sousuke’. Is that his real name? Who is he too you?”

“He’s…… Sousuke‘s….” Kaname looked up at the young operative. “He’s been my bodyguard, Father.” She paused a moment, letting that sink in. “He’s been my protector. Now he’s….” She braced for the coming storm. “Now he’s also my……boyfriend.”

“I knew it!” Ayame clapped her hands together gleefully, stopping immediately when her farther gave her one of those looks.

“I see. You were brave to tell me the truth, Kaname.” Shunya did not look proud or pleased. His hand turned white, gripping the door handle tighter than he needed to. “We will discuss that issue later.” In fact, he looked disappointed and deceived. “I take it there are more crucial issues to discuss, starting with your need for…… a bodyguard.”

“And your need for a boyfriend,” Ayame said under her breath, louder than she should have.

“It would be easier to tell you how I found out myself, Father.” Kaname wiped a tear from her eye. In a way, she had begun to feel good, being able to tell her father something that she had needed to keep hidden from him. “Sousuke was not a long time student at our school. He showed up out of the blue, telling the class that he was a Sergeant, and then denying it.” She shook her head, thinking back fondly.

“Would you like something to drink, Kaname? Your voice sounds dry.” Sousuke was concerned. He didn’t know how Kaname would take this. “I could get something for everyone.” He looked over at Shunya, who did not respond. Ayame nodded her head and said “I’ll help.” That caused her father to open his mouth, but he closed it slowly without commenting.

Kaname went on to describe some of the things that had happened in the earlier days, trying not to make Sousuke sound like too big of a freak or psychopath.

“He wasn’t the one after my panties, Daddy!” Kaname’s voice snapped. “Oh. Sorry. Anyway, I was pretty angry with him at that point. I had figured that he was just some weird guy with festishes, you know. Maybe even a stalker….” She smiled, and then stopped, seeing the look on her father’s face. “But then, our class flew off on our yearly excursion.”

“What happened? Before, you said the plane had been hijacked, but UN forces made a prompt rescue.” Shunya noticed Kaname’s hands shaking. He listened as she went on to describe the initial part of the kidnapping. “There were never many details given about that story. Was that because of the organization the boy mentioned?” He looked uneasy. “Just what kind of reach do they have?”

“You’ll have to ask Sousuke about that part,” Kaname admitted. “I was singled out and taken from the plane. They took me to a portable laboratory, intending to perform medical tests on me. Because…… because I…..” Kaname’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Daddy….” She began sobbing again.

Shunya’s face softened. He walked over to put his hand on his daughter’s shoulder.

“What did I miss!” Ayame hurried back into the room, but was ignored. Following behind her, Sousuke placed a tray on the coffee table. It held a pitcher of ice water and a number of glasses.

“I think they should be left to discuss things privately,” Sousuke told Ayame. That actually earned him a grateful look from her father. “I need to place a phone call, to have certain people reassured. I also need to have the damage to the apartment repaired. After that, I will have time to speak with you.”

“Thank you, Sousuke.” Kaname sniffed, and wiped her eyes.

“It is not a problem.” Sousuke and Ayame left the room.

Kaname continued on with her story, relating just how shocked she had been when Sousuke showed up. She told her father about the chase in the truck, and how Sousuke had crashed it through a hangar door.

“He seems reckless,” Shunya said. “Though that word probably does not do him justice.”

Kaname was not about to elaborate on that point. “When he walked over to the Soviet model Arm Slaves…… you do know what those are, Father….” Kaname watched as her father nodded. “I thought that he was just some idiot boy, who had some delusions of glory or something. A real otaku!” She shook her head. “Instead, he opened up the machine, got in, and defeated the Arm Slaves trying to get us.”

Kaname’s father felt a need to sit down. He ran his hand through his hair, trying to digest things. As it turned out, that had been the least surprising part of his daughter’s story.

Kaname went on to describe her role in things, and how she had helped Sousuke with Arbalest.

There was a knocking noise at her door. Kaname went timidly to check on who it was. She kept her fingers crossed, hoping that it wasn’t anyone else from Mithril. What if it were Kurz and Melissa? She shivered for a moment.

“Yes?”

It turned out to be the building manager. Apparently, there had been reports of a large crashing noise. The manager was understandably curious.

“Oh, it isn’t really a big deal. I was taking out one of the storm windows to clean it. It was heavier than I thought. I’ll call a glazier to take care of it…… just like last time….”

That final assurance had Shunya looking sour, wondering what had happened in the past. He took out a squishy red stress ball from his pocket and began squishing it in his palm as Kaname picked up her tale.

“There just seemed to be someone else inside of me. Someone smarter. But not really. I just saw numbers and things, though I can’t remember much of it. The other soldier with me said that I had spoken words about various Arm Slaves systems. I also knew something about the Lambda Driver.”

“Lambda Driver?” Her father raised one eyebrow. It all sounded like something out of a SciFi book or movie.

Kaname went on to explain what little she and Sousuke knew about the device that had played such a large role in their lives. She didn’t stop there. Giving him a brief capsular summary of other major events, she mentioned the bit with Behemoth. That had made the news.

“WHAT?"

Shunya stared at Kaname in near disbelief. "You were instrumental in stopping that machine? You and that boy?” Shunya was clearly shaken. In the United States, that story had gotten a lot of press. That was not surprising, giving that nation’s experience with terrorists.

“Yes. Only my being Whispered allowed me to help.” She talked briefly about Tessa. “But, they weren’t after me that time. Other times, they were.” She described the whole affair with Amalgam and the cruise ship.

“You’re…… you’re not making any of this up, are you….” Shunya looked stricken. “This is…… it’s….” He closed his eyes. “Hard to believe….. and even harder to accept…”

“It’s even harder to live with, Daddy,” Kaname put in, her face haunted. “I don’t know what I would have done without Sousuke and the people he works for.”

Her father rubbed both temple areas, looking up at the ceiling. He felt as if he were ins some kind of dream. No, a nightmare. It was a terrible role reversal. Most often, it’s the parents that know the true terrors of the world, while their children grow-up blissfully ignorant. In this case, Kaname had experience with things that most people would never know about.

Some small part of him felt as if he had failed her. It might indeed be best to bring her back to the States permanently. If he worked through proper channels at the U.N., there would be some way to arrange for a more suitable and experienced bodyguard.

“I see,” he said finally. “You have certainly mentioned this Sousuke a lot. It seems that we have a lot to discuss.”

“Yes, Father.” Kaname was resigned. Once her father sank his claws into that topic, he would never let go.

Sousuke and Ayame walked back in at that moment. He began filling up glasses of water. Ayame watched his every move like a hawk zeroed in on a chipmunk.

“You can start with the reference to female anatomy he made earlier.” Shunya ‘s voice dropped a few dozen degrees.

“Father?” Kaname asked. What was her father referring to? What exactly had Sousuke said?

“Breasts, Kaname.” Shunya looked over at a certain young soldier.

Sousuke poured half of the water onto the carpet.

Ayame grinned.

[HELLFIRE]

Figures.... and I guess you gave Sousuke a more credible reason to 'do his
stuff' in front of Shunya than I did. And it seems none of us can resist
fixating Ayame's attention on Sousuke, for whatever reasons Don't
know how you plan to proceed dd, but I'm sure you're gonna keep it up!
















Regards