Para Bellum 6/?? (Sequel to Le Jeu Sinistre)
Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2004 1:50 am
Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Panic. This is a parody. Acorporationthatwaivesitsrightosuesayswhat.
Warning: The following contains salty language that may be offensive to some people of higher moral standing than I. Consider yourself warned.
Chapter Six: For Those Regarded as Warriors
“Sagara… Yamato!”
The room was silent. Not only could you have heard a pin drop, you could’ve heard the tortured screams of the microscopic organisms crushed by the pin.
“So,” Gauron said, not blinking, his eyes like with Sagara Yamato’s. “You have returned from the dead…”
“Sensei…” Sousuke said. He was still holding Kaname’s hand. The gravity of the situation was slowly dawning on her.
“Sagara Yamato… That’s…”
“Japan’s most cherished war hero to come out of the Pacific War…” Gauron whispered, smiling. “Venerated for his near superhuman abilities and feats. Despised for his cruelty.”
“Sensei…” Sousuke said again, looking to the man he had known as Tomaya.
Yamato gave the slightest nod. “Yes. It’s true. Sousuke, I am your father.”
~
“Stay down!” Melissa yelled, as she delivered a spinning elbow to the jaw of some unlucky soldier. He flew back from the force of the blow and smashed through a window. He hung, half in, half out, groaning.
Melissa and Kurz were in the process of fighting their way to the administration office when they were pinned down by the damn near endless stream of fresh Mithril troops.
“Goddamn, how many did they bring?!” yelled out Kurz in frustration. Using his rifle like a club, he swung wildly and cracked it against the head of a charging foe. Another to his side drew a knife and lunged at him. Acting quickly, Kurz jabbed the barrel of the rifle into his gut. The soldier doubled over, gasping as he was suddenly winded. Then, Kurz switched the rifle around and used the stock to uppercut him. The final blow was a sideways smash that knocked him off his feet.
Melissa and Kurz were also out of ammo. Fortunately, it seemed that the Mithril remnants were not well prepared for this excursion and had not planned on extended fighting. It wasn’t long before most of their attackers were dried up too and the battle degenerated into a bloody brawl.
“Kurz, gimme’ some help over here!” growled Melissa. As she ducked a right hook from someone behind her, she kneed the guy in front of her in the gut and, as he went down, she smashed her elbow into the top of his head. Then, she spun around, knocking her foot into the knee of the fighter behind her and headbutted him. Unfortunately, Melissa’s attention was distracted from the third commando who had approached her, combat knife drawn.
Letting out a war cry that was a combination of “That’s mine” and “Banzai!”, Kurz charged and tackled the knife-wielding assailant. In a standard “ground and pound” maneuver, he beat the living daylights out of the soldier.
“Thanks…” Melissa said, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. Kurz sat back and rolled off of his defeated enemy. He flashed a grin up at her.
“No problem, sis. Do I get a hero’s reward?”
“Yeah. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that and I won’t stick my foot so far up your ass, your nose bleeds.”
“You know, maybe you could… ‘order’ me around… Eheheh…”
“That’s it. Reward is no longer valid.” Melissa cracked her knuckles.
Kurz uttered but one sound: “Mommy.”
~
The room was again silent. This time, it was Kaname who spoke.
“What. The. Hell?”
“Huh?” Yamato said, raising his eyebrows.
“You. You’re Sousuke’s father.”
“That’s right.”
“And you knew about it.”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t tell him?”
“No…”
Forcing herself up, Kaname produced out of nowhere a paper fan. But not just any paper fan. This was a paper fan among paper fans: a full three feet long and two feet wide.
“So, you’re son, your own flesh and blood, was at the same school that you taught at and you never even entertained the idea of telling him?”
“Not as such…”
Kaname took a deep breath. Sousuke, knowing what was coming, braced himself.
“How can you be so self-centered?! Damn it, Sousuke could use a father figure! Even if he is a war criminal! Do you know what the closest thing he has to a father is?! An old Russian guy and Marlon Brando in The Godfather. I hate people like that! Why the hell didn’t you say anything?! He’s your son, goddamn it! He’s had a horrible life and you could’ve done something about it. But nooooo… You’re a war criminal. You have to feel bad about it. You can’t love anyone, can you? Because you’re so guilty. Because you’re ashamed. I hate people like you. It’s better that Sousuke never knew about you. Some of your cowardice might have rubbed off on him. God, I don’t want you for a father in law!”
Yet more silence.
“You’re… engaged?”
“Err… Not to my knowledge,” Sousuke replied. Kaname gave him a well meaning smack with the fan.
“Am I right?” she demanded. “You didn’t say anything because you felt guilty and ashamed. It’s always the same. This is like a stupid soap opera…”
“It’s more complicated than that…” Yamato ventured.
“I don’t care! You still should have said something! Do you know what it’s like to grow up without a parent? Do you? I lost my mom and it hurt like hell. Sousuke didn’t even know you. And I don’t even want to ask what happened to his mother. And then you go, acting like a samurai. If you were a samurai, you would’ve cut open your stomach by now for having been such a coward! I hate people like that!”
She was panting now. The effort of chewing someone out seemed to have made Kaname faint so she leaned against Sousuke.
Gauron, who had remained silent, started chuckling.
“And you,” growled Kaname, glaring at him. “What’s so funny?!”
“I wonder…” Gauron said slowly. “Why Sagara Yamato remained silent? Ah, yes, I know… Perhaps I should start at the beginning? That way, it’ll make the most sense… Do you have any problems with that… ‘Dad’?”
Yamato said nothing for a moment. “Say what you have to say.”
“Ah, well then… What’s the quotation? ‘For those regarded as warriors, when engaged in combat the vanquishing of thine enemy can be the warrior’s only concern. Suppress all human emotion and compassion. Kill whoever stands in thy way, even if that be Lord God, or Buddha himself. This truth lies at the heart of the art of combat.’
“Sagara Yamato lived this through out the war. So focused was he on defending his country and repelling the ‘foreign devils’ that he was nigh unstoppable. He was a master of all forms of warfare, be it land, air, sea or psychological. There are few weapons as powerful as the heads of three hundred Chinese children, eh, ‘Dad’?”
Yamato said nothing.
“The only one who could stop Sagara Yamato was… Sagara Yamato. Seeing that the war was lost, he faked his own death at the battle for Okinawa and disappeared. It seems that, when it came down to it, his own ass was more dear to him than the Emperor and Japan.”
Still, Yamato said nothing.
“So,” Gauron continued. “For twenty years or so, Sagara Yamato laid low, changing his name to ‘Tomaya Ragasa.’ He just reversed the syllables. But, then, in the ‘60s, with the Cold War heating up, a private detective just happened to find him. Since the Statute of Limitations was about to run out, the courts were all ready to prosecute him.
“But, again, he saved himself. The US military was doing experiments with cloning and they were looking for appropriate models. That is to say, they needed the DNA of the best soldiers to create their own super soldiers. Audie Murphy refused so, guess who they asked?
“Sagara Yamato agreed, of course. The project was code named… Gauron.” He smiled at this. “About two dozen initial clones were made and ‘fielded’ in Vietnam. As part of the deal, Sagara Yamato and a few of the other scientists working on the project oversaw the operation.
“Unfortunately, it seemed that the clones lacked the mental stability of the original… The scientists had made some changes in their… or, rather, our… brains to maximize our combat efficiency or some such. It didn’t work out well.
“In the end, the clones rebelled against their taskmasters and then against each other. Only three individuals survived: Sagara Yamato, myself and a scientist by the name of Maria Hayashi. More about her later.
“Sagara Yamato returned to Japan and drifted about for a few years, even attempting to start a far right wing terrorist cell in Roppongi. That didn’t work out well either. Finally, in the ‘80s, he was contacted by the US Military once again. It seemed the remaining Gauron was in Afghanistan, working for the Russians. The mission they gave him; and he had no choice whether or not to accept it, was to hunt that remaining Gauron down and kill him.
“Easier said than done. Maria Hayashi accompanied him, being the only other survivor of the project in Vietnam. What followed was five or so years of blood cat and mouse that I won’t bore you with. By the end, an important addition to the game had come into play… Kashim.”
Sousuke stiffened noticeably.
“Gauron, stop here,” Yamato growled but the big man went on.
“Yes… Ms. Chidori, you mentioned something about not knowing what happened to Kashim’s mother? I’ll tell you.”
“Stop,” commanded Yamato, with all the authority of a full military officer. Gauron did not yield.
“I killed her. In an ambush. To me, it was personal… I don’t like people messing with me period, let alone my DNA and chromosomes. “
Sousuke exhaled slowly and Kaname reached out, grabbing his hand again.
“And, yet again, Sagara Yamato ran. After Maria Hayashi’s death, he ran back to Japan and took his old name again. He became a Kendo coach and began teaching here. And all was fine up until a week ago.”
There was yet another beloved awkward silence. Sousuke spoke, oddly enough.
“Is that all?”
“Sousuke, you have to understand-“ Yamato started.
“Is. That. All?”
Yamato stopped and nodded. “Yes. More or less.”
Gauron, Kaname and Yamato all looked at him, watching for his reaction. Sousuke looked each one in the eye and finally scowled.
“As much as I try to, I can’t make myself feel sorrow for what happened. These are people I don’t know. I can’t feel grief over something I’ve never felt or seen. Maybe, if I had known my mother-“ he stopped and glanced at Yamato again. “-or my father… I would feel something. But, no, I feel nothing. Like Chidori said… This is a bad soap opera to me.”
Gauron burst out laughing.
“Wonderful! Kashim, you amaze me… Truly a cold heart.”
“It’s not a matter of having a cold heart. You can’t go up to a person and say ‘Here’s how your mother died. Now cry’ if you never knew her.” He shook his head. “I need to think about this.”
“Sousuke…” Kaname whispered softly. Then, she turned on the two men. “You two should be ashamed of yourselves. You know, you stole Sousuke’s chance of living a normal life? And now, you two will have a nice sword fight. I hope you both run each other through.”
“’A normal life’?” Gauron asked. “What is she talking about, Kashim? You’re a soldier and you know it. Don’t deny it. You know very well you can’t live in ‘this’ world.” He gestured to the classroom. “The battle field is your home. You feel uneasy with ‘normal’ people, even those your own age. You can’t adapt to civilian life. You’re a killer and you know it. You might not admit it but somewhere… somewhere inside, you know it’s true.”
When Sousuke growled, Gauron laughed again.
“You want to kill me, don’t you? You can feel yourself drawing your pistol and shooting me. You can’t miss at this range, you know. You’re a good shot and I’m too close. You could finish all of this right now. Go ahead, Kashim. Kill me.”
“Sousuke…” Kaname whispered again. “Let’s just leave.”
A cold sweat had broken out over his forehead. His hand reached for the Glock in its holster.
“Good. Good, Kashim. Kill me. Strike me down, like Cain did to Abel. Wipe me from this Earth. What kinds of lies have you been telling this girl? Does she really think that you can walk away from a fight? It’s in your blood, Kashim. It’s a vital part of your very psyche… Take away the battle and you don’t feel right.”
“Shut up! Sousuke’s not like that!” Kaname yelled.
“Really? What makes you think that?” drawled Gauron.
“He might be a clueless idiot but he’s getting better. It just takes some getting used to. Underneath all that, he’s really kind and sensitive and-“
“He was gentle when he laid you so all of a sudden, he’s kind and sensitive?!”
“Shut up!” Kaname yelled, blushing. “You don’t know anything about Sousuke!”
“I know more about him than you ever will,” Gauron whispered, grinning, his eyes flashing. “If he keeps denying the soldier in him, you’ll never know anything about him.”
“That not true, damn it! He’s not like that!”
“He is! He’s a soldier and a killer. You’re a fool not to realize that. You-“
“SHUT UP!”
Surprisingly, it was not Kaname or even Yamato who said this. It was Sousuke.
“Don’t tell me what I am and what I’m not. Who are you to say who I am? Who are you to say what I’m like? You’ve made up some sort of twisted relationship between us. Until a few months ago, you were only the terrorist Gauron, working for A21 and now, suddenly, you know more about me than I know about myself?
“I don’t care what you think. I’ve almost killed you half a dozen times and you still come back to me. Do you have a death wish? You’re right, I could wipe you from this Earth if I wanted to. I admit it. I am a soldier. However…”
Sousuke took a deep breath.
“Even if I am a soldier, that’s a part of me I’m willing to forget. I can change. I know this and Chidori does and that’s all that matters. As long as I’m with her, I can do anything.”
“Sousuke…” Kaname whispered, tears glistening in her eyes.
Gauron just grinned. “I see, Kashim…”
“We’re leaving now,” Sousuke said suddenly. He helped Kaname to stand up and drew his gun, aiming it at Gauron, then Yamato and then at Gauron again. “If either of you try to stop us, I won’t hesitate to shoot.”
“Get out of here, Sousuke,” Yamato said, shifting in his stance. “I’ll take care of Gauron.”
Sousuke looked intently at his father for a moment before shrugging. “That’s your prerogative. The only thing I care about is getting Chidori to safety.”
“As long as he doesn’t run away, we’ll be fine,” Kaname said dryly as they left. Yamato looked a bit hurt but then turned his attention back to Gauron.
When they were back in the hallway, they set off running. Sousuke gripped Kaname’s hand, leading her along. They stumbled down the stair well, avoiding the dead bodies.
“My god…” Kaname whispered when she saw them. Sousuke didn’t seem to notice or care and pulled her along.
“We’re almost out,” Sousuke murmured as they came to the main doors. Kaname sighed in relief. That sigh was suddenly caught in her throat when she saw who was waiting for them.
The girl with red hair down to her shoulders stood in their way, her hands stuck in her jeans.
“Kaname…” Fatima whispered.
And suddenly, neither of them was there anymore.
Her vision blurred for a second and then, Kaname opened her eyes. Instead of her school hallway, she was standing alone with Fatima on a light green lake.
Oh, she thought. This place again.
“What do you want?” Kaname asked, feeling more uneasy with each second.
“I can’t let you go any further…” Fatima whispered. She tilted her head down, a grin forming on her face.
Suddenly, an incredible pain shot through Kaname’s body. Imagine, if you will, if you had ten liters of acid injected into your blood stream. That would be about what Kaname was going through.
“It’s nothing personal…” Fatima continued. “But I can’t let you hurt Gauron…”
Just as suddenly as the hallucination had begun, however, both girls suddenly returned to the real world. Kaname was on her knees, gripping her head in pain when she looked up. Fatima was doubled over, gripping her stomach. Sousuke stood in front of her.
“I’m sorry,” he said unceremoniously and back handed her, knocking her down. Then, he turned to Kaname, offering her his hand. She took it and they ran for the doors.
End of Chapter Six
Author’s Notes: So, raise your hand if you’ve seen Kill Bill vol. 2? *raises his hand* It was good but not as good as the first. Fortunately, they explain everything and it has a happy ending.
And, if you notice, there are several references to Kill Bill in this chapter. Expect several more.
And who saw Gundam SEED on Toonami? Whoo! It wasn’t as mangled as I thought it would be but it’s only the first episode.
On one final note, the first volume of Tokyo Babylon will be released in the US soon. Tokyo Babylon is probably my ultimate favorite manga. It’s a great and very deep story with beautiful, ‘80s-style shoujo art. Anyway, check it out because it’s damned good.
Warning: The following contains salty language that may be offensive to some people of higher moral standing than I. Consider yourself warned.
Chapter Six: For Those Regarded as Warriors
“Sagara… Yamato!”
The room was silent. Not only could you have heard a pin drop, you could’ve heard the tortured screams of the microscopic organisms crushed by the pin.
“So,” Gauron said, not blinking, his eyes like with Sagara Yamato’s. “You have returned from the dead…”
“Sensei…” Sousuke said. He was still holding Kaname’s hand. The gravity of the situation was slowly dawning on her.
“Sagara Yamato… That’s…”
“Japan’s most cherished war hero to come out of the Pacific War…” Gauron whispered, smiling. “Venerated for his near superhuman abilities and feats. Despised for his cruelty.”
“Sensei…” Sousuke said again, looking to the man he had known as Tomaya.
Yamato gave the slightest nod. “Yes. It’s true. Sousuke, I am your father.”
~
“Stay down!” Melissa yelled, as she delivered a spinning elbow to the jaw of some unlucky soldier. He flew back from the force of the blow and smashed through a window. He hung, half in, half out, groaning.
Melissa and Kurz were in the process of fighting their way to the administration office when they were pinned down by the damn near endless stream of fresh Mithril troops.
“Goddamn, how many did they bring?!” yelled out Kurz in frustration. Using his rifle like a club, he swung wildly and cracked it against the head of a charging foe. Another to his side drew a knife and lunged at him. Acting quickly, Kurz jabbed the barrel of the rifle into his gut. The soldier doubled over, gasping as he was suddenly winded. Then, Kurz switched the rifle around and used the stock to uppercut him. The final blow was a sideways smash that knocked him off his feet.
Melissa and Kurz were also out of ammo. Fortunately, it seemed that the Mithril remnants were not well prepared for this excursion and had not planned on extended fighting. It wasn’t long before most of their attackers were dried up too and the battle degenerated into a bloody brawl.
“Kurz, gimme’ some help over here!” growled Melissa. As she ducked a right hook from someone behind her, she kneed the guy in front of her in the gut and, as he went down, she smashed her elbow into the top of his head. Then, she spun around, knocking her foot into the knee of the fighter behind her and headbutted him. Unfortunately, Melissa’s attention was distracted from the third commando who had approached her, combat knife drawn.
Letting out a war cry that was a combination of “That’s mine” and “Banzai!”, Kurz charged and tackled the knife-wielding assailant. In a standard “ground and pound” maneuver, he beat the living daylights out of the soldier.
“Thanks…” Melissa said, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. Kurz sat back and rolled off of his defeated enemy. He flashed a grin up at her.
“No problem, sis. Do I get a hero’s reward?”
“Yeah. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that and I won’t stick my foot so far up your ass, your nose bleeds.”
“You know, maybe you could… ‘order’ me around… Eheheh…”
“That’s it. Reward is no longer valid.” Melissa cracked her knuckles.
Kurz uttered but one sound: “Mommy.”
~
The room was again silent. This time, it was Kaname who spoke.
“What. The. Hell?”
“Huh?” Yamato said, raising his eyebrows.
“You. You’re Sousuke’s father.”
“That’s right.”
“And you knew about it.”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t tell him?”
“No…”
Forcing herself up, Kaname produced out of nowhere a paper fan. But not just any paper fan. This was a paper fan among paper fans: a full three feet long and two feet wide.
“So, you’re son, your own flesh and blood, was at the same school that you taught at and you never even entertained the idea of telling him?”
“Not as such…”
Kaname took a deep breath. Sousuke, knowing what was coming, braced himself.
“How can you be so self-centered?! Damn it, Sousuke could use a father figure! Even if he is a war criminal! Do you know what the closest thing he has to a father is?! An old Russian guy and Marlon Brando in The Godfather. I hate people like that! Why the hell didn’t you say anything?! He’s your son, goddamn it! He’s had a horrible life and you could’ve done something about it. But nooooo… You’re a war criminal. You have to feel bad about it. You can’t love anyone, can you? Because you’re so guilty. Because you’re ashamed. I hate people like you. It’s better that Sousuke never knew about you. Some of your cowardice might have rubbed off on him. God, I don’t want you for a father in law!”
Yet more silence.
“You’re… engaged?”
“Err… Not to my knowledge,” Sousuke replied. Kaname gave him a well meaning smack with the fan.
“Am I right?” she demanded. “You didn’t say anything because you felt guilty and ashamed. It’s always the same. This is like a stupid soap opera…”
“It’s more complicated than that…” Yamato ventured.
“I don’t care! You still should have said something! Do you know what it’s like to grow up without a parent? Do you? I lost my mom and it hurt like hell. Sousuke didn’t even know you. And I don’t even want to ask what happened to his mother. And then you go, acting like a samurai. If you were a samurai, you would’ve cut open your stomach by now for having been such a coward! I hate people like that!”
She was panting now. The effort of chewing someone out seemed to have made Kaname faint so she leaned against Sousuke.
Gauron, who had remained silent, started chuckling.
“And you,” growled Kaname, glaring at him. “What’s so funny?!”
“I wonder…” Gauron said slowly. “Why Sagara Yamato remained silent? Ah, yes, I know… Perhaps I should start at the beginning? That way, it’ll make the most sense… Do you have any problems with that… ‘Dad’?”
Yamato said nothing for a moment. “Say what you have to say.”
“Ah, well then… What’s the quotation? ‘For those regarded as warriors, when engaged in combat the vanquishing of thine enemy can be the warrior’s only concern. Suppress all human emotion and compassion. Kill whoever stands in thy way, even if that be Lord God, or Buddha himself. This truth lies at the heart of the art of combat.’
“Sagara Yamato lived this through out the war. So focused was he on defending his country and repelling the ‘foreign devils’ that he was nigh unstoppable. He was a master of all forms of warfare, be it land, air, sea or psychological. There are few weapons as powerful as the heads of three hundred Chinese children, eh, ‘Dad’?”
Yamato said nothing.
“The only one who could stop Sagara Yamato was… Sagara Yamato. Seeing that the war was lost, he faked his own death at the battle for Okinawa and disappeared. It seems that, when it came down to it, his own ass was more dear to him than the Emperor and Japan.”
Still, Yamato said nothing.
“So,” Gauron continued. “For twenty years or so, Sagara Yamato laid low, changing his name to ‘Tomaya Ragasa.’ He just reversed the syllables. But, then, in the ‘60s, with the Cold War heating up, a private detective just happened to find him. Since the Statute of Limitations was about to run out, the courts were all ready to prosecute him.
“But, again, he saved himself. The US military was doing experiments with cloning and they were looking for appropriate models. That is to say, they needed the DNA of the best soldiers to create their own super soldiers. Audie Murphy refused so, guess who they asked?
“Sagara Yamato agreed, of course. The project was code named… Gauron.” He smiled at this. “About two dozen initial clones were made and ‘fielded’ in Vietnam. As part of the deal, Sagara Yamato and a few of the other scientists working on the project oversaw the operation.
“Unfortunately, it seemed that the clones lacked the mental stability of the original… The scientists had made some changes in their… or, rather, our… brains to maximize our combat efficiency or some such. It didn’t work out well.
“In the end, the clones rebelled against their taskmasters and then against each other. Only three individuals survived: Sagara Yamato, myself and a scientist by the name of Maria Hayashi. More about her later.
“Sagara Yamato returned to Japan and drifted about for a few years, even attempting to start a far right wing terrorist cell in Roppongi. That didn’t work out well either. Finally, in the ‘80s, he was contacted by the US Military once again. It seemed the remaining Gauron was in Afghanistan, working for the Russians. The mission they gave him; and he had no choice whether or not to accept it, was to hunt that remaining Gauron down and kill him.
“Easier said than done. Maria Hayashi accompanied him, being the only other survivor of the project in Vietnam. What followed was five or so years of blood cat and mouse that I won’t bore you with. By the end, an important addition to the game had come into play… Kashim.”
Sousuke stiffened noticeably.
“Gauron, stop here,” Yamato growled but the big man went on.
“Yes… Ms. Chidori, you mentioned something about not knowing what happened to Kashim’s mother? I’ll tell you.”
“Stop,” commanded Yamato, with all the authority of a full military officer. Gauron did not yield.
“I killed her. In an ambush. To me, it was personal… I don’t like people messing with me period, let alone my DNA and chromosomes. “
Sousuke exhaled slowly and Kaname reached out, grabbing his hand again.
“And, yet again, Sagara Yamato ran. After Maria Hayashi’s death, he ran back to Japan and took his old name again. He became a Kendo coach and began teaching here. And all was fine up until a week ago.”
There was yet another beloved awkward silence. Sousuke spoke, oddly enough.
“Is that all?”
“Sousuke, you have to understand-“ Yamato started.
“Is. That. All?”
Yamato stopped and nodded. “Yes. More or less.”
Gauron, Kaname and Yamato all looked at him, watching for his reaction. Sousuke looked each one in the eye and finally scowled.
“As much as I try to, I can’t make myself feel sorrow for what happened. These are people I don’t know. I can’t feel grief over something I’ve never felt or seen. Maybe, if I had known my mother-“ he stopped and glanced at Yamato again. “-or my father… I would feel something. But, no, I feel nothing. Like Chidori said… This is a bad soap opera to me.”
Gauron burst out laughing.
“Wonderful! Kashim, you amaze me… Truly a cold heart.”
“It’s not a matter of having a cold heart. You can’t go up to a person and say ‘Here’s how your mother died. Now cry’ if you never knew her.” He shook his head. “I need to think about this.”
“Sousuke…” Kaname whispered softly. Then, she turned on the two men. “You two should be ashamed of yourselves. You know, you stole Sousuke’s chance of living a normal life? And now, you two will have a nice sword fight. I hope you both run each other through.”
“’A normal life’?” Gauron asked. “What is she talking about, Kashim? You’re a soldier and you know it. Don’t deny it. You know very well you can’t live in ‘this’ world.” He gestured to the classroom. “The battle field is your home. You feel uneasy with ‘normal’ people, even those your own age. You can’t adapt to civilian life. You’re a killer and you know it. You might not admit it but somewhere… somewhere inside, you know it’s true.”
When Sousuke growled, Gauron laughed again.
“You want to kill me, don’t you? You can feel yourself drawing your pistol and shooting me. You can’t miss at this range, you know. You’re a good shot and I’m too close. You could finish all of this right now. Go ahead, Kashim. Kill me.”
“Sousuke…” Kaname whispered again. “Let’s just leave.”
A cold sweat had broken out over his forehead. His hand reached for the Glock in its holster.
“Good. Good, Kashim. Kill me. Strike me down, like Cain did to Abel. Wipe me from this Earth. What kinds of lies have you been telling this girl? Does she really think that you can walk away from a fight? It’s in your blood, Kashim. It’s a vital part of your very psyche… Take away the battle and you don’t feel right.”
“Shut up! Sousuke’s not like that!” Kaname yelled.
“Really? What makes you think that?” drawled Gauron.
“He might be a clueless idiot but he’s getting better. It just takes some getting used to. Underneath all that, he’s really kind and sensitive and-“
“He was gentle when he laid you so all of a sudden, he’s kind and sensitive?!”
“Shut up!” Kaname yelled, blushing. “You don’t know anything about Sousuke!”
“I know more about him than you ever will,” Gauron whispered, grinning, his eyes flashing. “If he keeps denying the soldier in him, you’ll never know anything about him.”
“That not true, damn it! He’s not like that!”
“He is! He’s a soldier and a killer. You’re a fool not to realize that. You-“
“SHUT UP!”
Surprisingly, it was not Kaname or even Yamato who said this. It was Sousuke.
“Don’t tell me what I am and what I’m not. Who are you to say who I am? Who are you to say what I’m like? You’ve made up some sort of twisted relationship between us. Until a few months ago, you were only the terrorist Gauron, working for A21 and now, suddenly, you know more about me than I know about myself?
“I don’t care what you think. I’ve almost killed you half a dozen times and you still come back to me. Do you have a death wish? You’re right, I could wipe you from this Earth if I wanted to. I admit it. I am a soldier. However…”
Sousuke took a deep breath.
“Even if I am a soldier, that’s a part of me I’m willing to forget. I can change. I know this and Chidori does and that’s all that matters. As long as I’m with her, I can do anything.”
“Sousuke…” Kaname whispered, tears glistening in her eyes.
Gauron just grinned. “I see, Kashim…”
“We’re leaving now,” Sousuke said suddenly. He helped Kaname to stand up and drew his gun, aiming it at Gauron, then Yamato and then at Gauron again. “If either of you try to stop us, I won’t hesitate to shoot.”
“Get out of here, Sousuke,” Yamato said, shifting in his stance. “I’ll take care of Gauron.”
Sousuke looked intently at his father for a moment before shrugging. “That’s your prerogative. The only thing I care about is getting Chidori to safety.”
“As long as he doesn’t run away, we’ll be fine,” Kaname said dryly as they left. Yamato looked a bit hurt but then turned his attention back to Gauron.
When they were back in the hallway, they set off running. Sousuke gripped Kaname’s hand, leading her along. They stumbled down the stair well, avoiding the dead bodies.
“My god…” Kaname whispered when she saw them. Sousuke didn’t seem to notice or care and pulled her along.
“We’re almost out,” Sousuke murmured as they came to the main doors. Kaname sighed in relief. That sigh was suddenly caught in her throat when she saw who was waiting for them.
The girl with red hair down to her shoulders stood in their way, her hands stuck in her jeans.
“Kaname…” Fatima whispered.
And suddenly, neither of them was there anymore.
Her vision blurred for a second and then, Kaname opened her eyes. Instead of her school hallway, she was standing alone with Fatima on a light green lake.
Oh, she thought. This place again.
“What do you want?” Kaname asked, feeling more uneasy with each second.
“I can’t let you go any further…” Fatima whispered. She tilted her head down, a grin forming on her face.
Suddenly, an incredible pain shot through Kaname’s body. Imagine, if you will, if you had ten liters of acid injected into your blood stream. That would be about what Kaname was going through.
“It’s nothing personal…” Fatima continued. “But I can’t let you hurt Gauron…”
Just as suddenly as the hallucination had begun, however, both girls suddenly returned to the real world. Kaname was on her knees, gripping her head in pain when she looked up. Fatima was doubled over, gripping her stomach. Sousuke stood in front of her.
“I’m sorry,” he said unceremoniously and back handed her, knocking her down. Then, he turned to Kaname, offering her his hand. She took it and they ran for the doors.
End of Chapter Six
Author’s Notes: So, raise your hand if you’ve seen Kill Bill vol. 2? *raises his hand* It was good but not as good as the first. Fortunately, they explain everything and it has a happy ending.
And, if you notice, there are several references to Kill Bill in this chapter. Expect several more.
And who saw Gundam SEED on Toonami? Whoo! It wasn’t as mangled as I thought it would be but it’s only the first episode.
On one final note, the first volume of Tokyo Babylon will be released in the US soon. Tokyo Babylon is probably my ultimate favorite manga. It’s a great and very deep story with beautiful, ‘80s-style shoujo art. Anyway, check it out because it’s damned good.
