Kaname watched the helicopter take off, a tear hanging on the corner of one eye.
It wasn’t a new sight. She had seen helicopters take off before. On a number of occasions, she had seen Sousuke take off in a helicopter.
No, nothing new here. How many times had she seen him rush into trouble? Countless. In how many instances had she seen him walk, drive, or fly away towards some terrible situation. Too many to mention.
It didn’t need to be a new sight.
It tore her heart apart every time.
There was no way to know whether or not THIS was the time to helicopter would come back empty, or Tessa would carry a folded flag to place on a coffin.
Why him? Why the boy that she had fallen in love with? With all that she had been through, couldn’t God have at least given her something she could take comfort in. He had, but only in part. As long as Sousuke breathed, she knew that he would try and protect her. But, how many times could he tempt Fate and spit in Death’s eye before they punished him for his impudence?
“Kaname.” She realized that someone had been calling her name for a while. It was her father.
“Daddy….” More tears formed. Some fell, joining others in a small pool at her chin.
Shunya looked up, watching the helicopter climb. He had finally been made privy to the big picture. It was frightening. It was hard to believe that the young man who could save them all had been learning to cook in his kitchen not that long ago..
He felt guilty, thinking back on how he had treated Sousuke. It was a difficult concept to wrestle with. How could the young man be good enough to fly off for the sake of millions of people, but not be worthy of one lone girl?
Just because she was HIS daughter?
Kaname grabbed onto her father, sobbing into his shoulder. “Again. Why again? Why always him?” Her father stroked her hair, just as he had done when she was younger. “Why, Daddy?”
The words placed a pall over the joy the two of them felt at Ayame’s rescue. When Kaname regained her composure, it was time for both of them to walk over to the central tent, now that the building and grounds have been declared safe.
“I’m sorry, Kaname….” Shunya’s voice was very husky. As he looked, Oichi walked over to rejoin them.
Kaname looked up at her father. She knew that his words carried a double meaning. He was sorry that Sousuke was flying into harm’s way. He was embarrassed by the way he had reacted on more than one occasion. She squeezed his hand, set her chin, and straightened up.
Both Shunya and Oichi looked at Kaname, proud of her strength and composure. It wasn’t the first time they had seen evidence of it. But at that moment, Shunya didn’t know if he could ever feel prouder than he did.
“Stacy’s going to be OK,” Oichi said. “She was shot a number of times, but the wounds are all minor.”
“I’m relieved,” Shunya answered. He looked at Kaname. She tried to smile. “Ready to go see Ayame?”
Kaname nodded her head. If Sousuke died, but everyone else lived, he had given her yet another wonder thing---her sister’s life. “Yes, Daddy. If we don’t, they’ll be sending a strike force to remove her before it’s too late….”
Shunya nodded. The joke fell flat, but he was glad to see his daughter make the attempt.
A number of people tried to stop them as they walked, remembering that they had been seen with the young man who had led the children out of the museum. Shunya signaled to a number of security guards; they henceforth made it their business to enforce the Chidori clan’s privacy.
They would not talk about Sousuke.
For a number of reasons.
Approaching the largest tent on the museum grounds, the three of them saw groups of parents hugging their children. It was a heart-warming sight. Kaname whispered “Sousuke,” proud of what he had accomplished.
Ayame was speaking with a plainclothes officer as he scribbled down notes. When she saw her father, she pointed in one direction… drawing the man’s attention that way… then took off in the opposite direction, straight for her family.
“Daddy… Kaaaa-naaaa-maaaay… O-i-chi….” She slammed into Kaname, almost knocking her sister over.
“Ayame, are you…..” Her father never had a chance to finish his question.
“Daddy, where is Mr. Smith. They have a LOT of snacks in there….” Ayame pointed back at the tent. “Most of the kids aren’t hungry. They were pretty scared.”
Each of them tried to get an idea of how Ayame was doing. She had reason to be very frightened or depressed. There was no way they could tell. She only wanted to talk about Sousuke.
“Where did Sousuke go?” She tugged on Kaname’s arm, certain that she would know.
“He flew off to the city,” Kaname said, trying to stay strong. “He had work to do.”
“When is he going to be back? Do you know? How soon?” Ayame was fidgeting, waiting for an answer.
“There is no way to tell, Ayame. We can discuss that later. I want to know how you are doing. That was a very difficult thing you went through.” Shunya patted Ayame on the back, then tugged at one ear, coaxing a smile out of her.
A newspaper reporter broke through the ring of security men. “Sir, I recognize you. You’re Shunya Chidori, aren’t you? Is this your daughter? She was one of the little girls held captive. What were you feeling when….”
Two burly men grabbed the aggressive newsman by the arms and literally dragged him away.
“You all should have seen it!“ Ayame was pumped up. She had a story to tell. No one else had been in there.
“Everybody heard the small alarm. We didn’t know what it was. Sousuke ran in with a gun. They shot at him and hit him in the leg. He shot a man in the eye.” Ayame’s eyes went wide. “There were brains and blood and everything!”
Shunya held up his hand, trying to get his daughter’s attention. Oichi mouthed the words ‘Let her talk.’ Shunya nodded.
“Kaname, a gun was pointed at me. You are NOT the only one in the family who had that happen!!! The man shot. He was trying to shoot ME! Sousuke knocked me down. He got shot in the shoulder. He kept shooting back. He killed them all. There was more blood everywhere, even on the books. I wouldn’t want to be the one who has to clean them or put them away. We all got out OK.” Ayame stepped a bit away from her family, jumping up and down and waving her arms.
“Mr. Smith. Snacks. Over here!”
Ayame walked back over and took up where she left off. “I hugged him. Me. I did. There was blood on my hands. He was really hurt bad , but he was worried about me. He said ‘I could not let anyone hurt you.’ He told us all to run outside when he shouted. We did.”
“Yes, well we’re all glad you are safe….” Oichi started.
“Stacy was there too! He told her to get down.” Ayame wasn’t finished yet. “He started shooting a really fast gun. People were falling down dead like in a movie or something.” Shunya frowned. That was not the type of movie he approved of for Ayame.
“Other people were shooting back. It was really scary. Stacy was shooting too. She was hurt. Is she OK?”
“Yes.” Shunya said, looking to see if his youngest was finished yet. She wasn’t. He knew what they would all be hearing for the next couple of days… if there would be any more days….
“I wanted to see him, but he told me I had to follow the other children. He said I’d be safe. He said he had had another job to do and would see me later. It‘s later.” She looked at her father and Kaname, trying to determine if one of them might be to blame for Sousuke’s absence.
A number of photographers jumped out of a clump of bushes near the tent. The flashes were going off like fireworks.
“I wish Sousuke was here….” Kaname said with a sigh. “It would only take one grenade….”
Shunya looked at Oichi and opened his mouth.
“No.” Oichi spoke firmly.
They all saw Stacy stand up near an operations tent, a crutch under one arm. They walked over to speak with her.
“Staaa-ceeee….” Ayame took off running. She was remarkably spritely for someone who had just hone through such a frightening ordeal. “Are you going to be OK? I hope so!” She pulled at Stacy’s unbandaged arm. “You got to spend time with Sousuke, didn’t you….isn‘t he great….”
Kaname made a sour look. Stacy saw it and winked. Oichi had a hard time preventing a smile, despite all that was going on. It was good to have this kind of distraction.
“Yes, Ayame. I certainly did. We’ll probably be spending a lot of time together in the future…” Stacy laughed, finding it so easy to get a rise out of Kaname.
Kaname knew that Stacy was just joking, but she couldn’t help but growl low in her throat.
“Nothing wrong with a man having two gals,” Mr. Smith said, walking up. “Chips? Cookies. Perrier?” Looking at the green bottle, he sneered and tossed it over his shoulder.
“A young man’s got too much energy for just one sweetheart. Besides, women mature sooner… that means that guys have a LOT of work to do to catch up. Practice makes perfect, right Mr. C.?”
Kaname flared her nostrils. Her eyes narrowed down to slits. She really DID wish she had a grenade right then.
Stacy nodded her head, winking at Ayame. Ayame looked at Kaname, drinking it all in.
Oichi looked at Shunya. “Well, dear?” They were both thinking about tales of Shunya’s youth that he had once spoken about.
Shunya looked away. “That was a long time ago….”
They all spoke happily together for a while. Stacy filled them in on how she had been doing. Kaname told her erstwhile bodyguard about the ups and downs with Sousuke at the Chidori house. Ayame spent more time chiming in about a certain clueless soldier than she did about her own adventure.
“Gourmet cook? Hmmmmm. No man who can fight that well has any business having another skill, least of all cooking.” Stacy chuckled. Then, leaning over, she whispered in Kaname’s ear. “Anything… special…. go on when Daddy wasn’t there… you know what I mean…. a different kind of cooking….”
Kaname blushed. That acted like a magnet to steel. Both Ayame and Shunya wondered what Stacy had said. Ayame remembered something.
“Stacy, what’s mum?”
“What?” Stacy looked at Ayame with one eyebrow raised.
“When Sousuke was about to leave, you told him ‘Mum’s the word.’ What did that mean?” Ayame’s look was curious, not mischievous.
It was Stacy’s turn to turn red, despite heroic attempts at prevention. She made it a point not to look at Kaname. If Kaname had antennae, they would have been pointed squarely at her blonde friend.
“That’s mission jargon. Can’t discuss that here….hush hush…”
Ayame scowled. Shunya looked on, one eyebrow inching upward. Oichi shook her head. What had Sousuke gotten into this time?
Kaname leaned over and spoke very quietly. “That’s OK… we can talk later….”
Stacy swallowed.
“Boy’s an animal….” Mr. Smith said, finishing up a Twinkie. “Good for him!”
Everyone stared at the rotund bodyguard. He smiled and offered the last Twinkie around.
Kaname turned back and smiled sweetly at Stacy. The look a mongoose turns on a cobra was affectionate by comparison. The cobra was given a chance at escape….
“MISS WINSTON!!!” It was agent Rockefeller. “There are reports on the way. We have visual. There is also a terrorist statement incoming, on the major networks.”
Stacy hobbled over to the tent as fast as she could. With nobody preventing them, Shunya and the others followed. A number of radio consoles were set up in the anti-terrorist control center. A number of color monitors were sitting on fold-up tables, connected to various routing boards by a nightmare tangle of cables. News feeds were coming in, as were reports from various agencies.
The two terrorists took time speaking their rambling and jingo-filled statement. They spelled out in no uncertain terms just what they were about to do, and why. Now everybody listening knew the secret. That by itself would cause tremendous turmoil and unrest.
Judgment day was here.
A few minutes after the end of that diatribe, a city religious leader appeared on one TV channel. His words were not reassuring:
“We should all pray to the Lord our God for his forgiveness. Take Christ upon you as your Savior, so that God shall not judge you. We should each look to II Peter 3:10-13. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?"
Kaname murmured quietly to herself. “Please Sousuke….. p-l-e-a-s-e Sousuke….. pleeeeaaaasssseeee…..”
For a short while, no one else found themselves able to speak. The spell was broken by an incoming signal.
“The chopper pilot reports that he and Sagara are approaching the L.Z. A huge parachute was spotted descending on the lower Manhattan area. There is A.S. activity in the area of the U.N. building.” Agent Rockefeller placed a number of magnetic symbols on mission tracking board.
That last statement caused Shunya to jerk. Oichi patted his arm.
“Mr. Rockefeller, we have word from the military. A troop of M8s was airlifted in, but is on standby. The troops themselves do not know the reason for their delay. Cruise missiles are on hold. I hope the home office knows what it’s doing. They’re playing this one awfully close to their chest. One A.S. stands between us and damnation.”
Kaname looked over at Stacy. She had no doubt what ’home office’ the man was referring to. That man and agent Rockefeller must be associated with Mithril somehow.
The look on Shunya’s face was inscrutable. He looked over at Ayame, counting his blessings that she was safe. He looked over at Kaname, knowing what she must be going through. He glanced at Oichi. She looked very solemn. Meeting his gaze, she nodded her head. She had no trouble guessing his thoughts.
One A.S.
A single pilot.
Sousuke.
“The big egg has hatched, Sir” the one man told agent Rockefeller. “The chick is OK and on the move.” The man put a receiver up to his ear and listened some more. “Word has it that it’s Habus. Two of them. Not a good first meal for a chick, Sir.”
Habus are pit vipers, poisonous snakes found in southeast Asia. Trimeresurus okinavensis, native to Okinawa, was responsible for the Habu nickname applied to A-12s and SR-71s when they were stationed at Kadena AFB there.
“Well then, let’s just hope they’ve had their fangs pulled. But we both know, neither of them will have any need to fight. That’s not what they’re here for. If the chick can distract those snakes, we have a chance. But, let’s just say I’m not making any plans for work next week….”
Habus are not typically aggressive, but will bite if provoked. Not as deadly as cobras or mambas, they are deadly enough. Both men hoped that Sgt. Sousuke Sagara could provoke the enemy into biting, long enough to grab them and twist off their wedge-shaped heads.
“Daddy, what….” Ayame was confused. She had no idea what the men were talking about.
“Shhhhhhhh…..” Shunya shushed her, knowing that they could be escorted away at any moment.
“But…”
“Shhhhhh-hhhhhh-hhhhhh….” Oichi joined in.
Ayame grumbled.
Kaname could guess what they were talking about. Sousuke was in Arbalest now. She hoped those medicines would work. She prayed that his wound was less severe than it first looked. She wished more than anything that she could help him in some way.
Frightful images began showing up on the TV monitors. Helicopters from local news channels were transmitting, as were military drones and observation aircraft.
There!
Arbalest!!
Sousuke!!!
Kaname clenched her fists. The familiar A.S. was moving quickly through the city area, leaping…pushing off of buildings… leaving a wake of collateral death and destruction in its trail. She knew it couldn’t be helped. But part of her shuddered, wondering if Sousuke were doing it on purpose. Could the medicines have tapped too far again?
He had told her about ‘Lord Sagara.’
A gasp from Shunya caused Kaname to switch her view to another monitor. Tow ugly squat Arm Slaves of an unfamiliar design were attacking the United Nations facilities. Huge arms and hands thrust into and through buildings. A whip-like bolt of blue and white light carved of large chunks and set things ablaze. A huge corner of the building was pulled off in two pair of mechanized hands. Then, the two machines began a lively game of catch!
Kaname’s thoughts went to Gauron for a moment.
Could that evil bastard have survived somehow? No, that surprising display was too childish for him, may he forever rest at the bottom of the sea! She became lost in thought, no longer wanting to watch the dreadful scenes being shown. Thoughts of past times with Sousuke entered unbidden into her mind.
Everyone else, however, stood raptly by, watching the monitors, drawn by the scenes of chaos and destruction that were being shown. It was unbelievable. Except for Kaname, no one there had actually seen Arm Slaves in motion before. The sheer power was awe-inspiring.
Shunya thought back to classical reading he had done. The Greek stories of Titans and Gigantes were nothing compared to this.
Kaname’s cellular phone rang. She didn’t see a number on the caller I.D. For a moment, she almost didn’t answer. But, how many people know her number? Could it be….
“Hello?” She was almost timid.
“Sagara.” It WAS Sousuke. Kaname had been louder than she wanted. Everyone went quiet and watched her.
“Sousuke!!!!”
“Yes.” His voice was strangely quiet. Was something wrong?
“Sousuke… are you alright… you can’t be finished yet, can you?” Kaname was suddenly breathless.
“No. I am about to enter battle. I need your help. You are the only person I wanted to call.”
“I don’t understand… are you hurt…. you’re not dying are you….” Kaname gasped. Could that shoulder wound have lost a lot more blood? She should have done a better job! But, he was in such a rush….
“I am physically sound. Mentally and emotionally I am weak. The medicines. I cannot fight them alone. I needed to hear your voice.”
Kaname felt a warmth spreading through her. Sousuke Sagara…all that he was… and with all that he was about to do… needed her.
“Just like in Khanka, Kaname. If you speak to me while I fight, I may be able to hold on. I will not need instruction, but will require the sound of your voice. I said I can do anything when I’m with you. I wish you were here with me. Your voice will be the next best thing.”
“I love you, Sousuke. I mean that. I would do anything for you.” Kaname’s heart was in her voice. She had nearly swooned, hearing how tender Sousuke had sounded. Usually, heading into a fight, he tensed up and became very guarded with his words. But, this was no time for her to get weak in the knees.
He needed her!!!
“Thank you, Kaname. You will never understand what that means to me. I love you too. I will need to speak with others from time to time. I can not explain why, now. But, could you please just talk to me. I can listen to that, no matter what else I am doing.”
“Yes, Sousuke. What should I talk about?” There was so much that she wanted to say, but that would be too personal now. What would help him? She didn’t want to make a mistake….
“You are my heart, Kaname. Let it come from your heart.”
Those words touched her more than she could have thought possible. At that time… under those conditions... what greater thing could he have said?
He loved her.
He trusted her… with his heart…and with a role in something so much bigger than the both of them.
It took a moment for her to realize she was crying. “You just go and do your job, soldier.” Kaname’s voice cracked some, but grew stronger.
“Let me see. Yes, I know. I remember when I came to school one morning. I had been in the shower for the longest time. I felt so good, like there wasn’t a care in the world. While I yelled at Kyouko for a blind date she had set me up with, I noticed a strange new boy walk up to the school. He was stopped by the teacher. He had a gun in his book case. That military maniac. How could I know what that boy would come to mean to me….”
Kaname spoke about their times together. She mentioned good times and bad, talking about her view of the various things they had been through together. She spoke of her feelings and his strengths. She spoke of the changes they had both gone through.
She lost track of time. She forgot that there were other people around.
“And then, I came out on my balcony. Know what I saw there? That boy? That idiot in a uniform! He was holding my panties. Oooooh… I could have killed him. I DID give him some lumps to remember with my softball bat. But you know, if he makes it back alive, I will let him take my panties if he wants, some day….”
“W-h-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-t….” He father’s voice nearby caused Kaname to jump.
Sousuke also sounded a bit unnerved. Kaname chided herself and moved right along. “Oh, sorry. Eh hemmmmm. The next day, when we were lining up to go through checkout at the airport….”
Getting up and stretching her legs, Kaname turned and looked at the TV monitors. She stopped speaking for a moment, startled by what she saw. A horrendous electrical discharge had passed close enough to the ARX-7. It carved a long line down the middle of a street, then sliced up into a building. She could see people falling from the building!
Shaking her head hard, she resumed her task, feeling a chill pass through her.
“And I was very upset that he hadn’t noticed my new white bikini. I thought I looked really good in it. I was so miffed, I took up an offer to visit one of the fancy villas up on top of the cliff. I didn’t want anything to do with him then, so I told the young master of the estate that I was being hounded by a pervert. But, that big idiot made it all up to me by defeating the three bodyguards, teaching the young man a good lesson, and leaping off the cliff with me in his arms.…”
He father told her that some of the agents had some questions for her, since they knew she was familiar with Sousuke.
“No, Father, I can’t stop right now...it’s Sousuke...this is important... I can’t explain now...…“
She turned back to her task.
“And then, this great balloon inflated, and we hung over the beach and ocean, the sun setting behind us... “ Kaname was interrupted again. Ayame had realized who Kaname was talking to on the phone. She wanted to talk to him.
“No Ayame, you can’t speak to Sousuke now....” Kaname saw her father and Oichi pull her sister away.
Kaname began speaking for Sousuke’s benefit once more. The motion of Arbalest on one monitor caught her eye.
At the apex of a prodigious leap, the Hellbore on the ARX-7 shot forth a huge streamer of flame and burning liquid shot downward, hitting one of the blue Arm Slaves. Before the combustible mixture even struck, Arbalest’s portable cannon fired repeatedly, tearing small pieces of metal from the flank of the other enemy machine.
Kaname had an urge to cheer, applaud or shout. But, this was not a high school sporting match. This was a serious situation. She swallowed, seeing what was taking place down town.
One Habu picked up a fully packed city bus and threw it at Arbalest. That vehicle was soon followed by a series of taxi cabs, trucks, and passenger cars. One motorcycle and rider brought up the rear, careening off of one building and through the windows of another.
Sousuke acted out of instinct.
He made a daring leap, catching the bus in one hand, tossing the Bofors upward to catch when the bus was safe. As soon as the bus was safe, a crowd of agents and policemen watching one of the monitors burst out in a loud cacophony of whistles, sheers, and calls of encouragement.
“Yeh. Good catch, man. Now go kick their asses!!!” Mr. Smith banged a bottle of soda against one of the agents’ drinks.
“That’s right, Sousuke. Kick their asses!” Ayame swallowed hard and tried to put on an innocent face when her father looked her way.
“No, Sousuke. Move!” Kaname had her hand over the phone. She watched the video feed, seeing the ARX-7 stuck and vulnerable as a result of the heroic action.
“SOUSUKE!!!” Her shout surprised even her.
A number of people turned and looked at her, but she didn’t pay them any attention. Unable to tear her eyes away, she saw a huge part of a building fly apart and then break loose. She bit her lip, drawing blood, when she saw the shots rip along Arbalest, ricocheting off or punching their way through the hardened steel alloy.
“Sousuke,” she whispered.
The ARX-7 did a backwards roll, just avoiding another bolt of electricity that hit the spot where it had been stuck.
Kaname briefly thought back to the other combat she had witnessed. Arbalest versus Codarl. The ARX-7 versus Behemoth. In each of those battles, her Whispered ability had played a key role. She cursed herself weakly, wondering why her mind couldn’t come up with some way to save Sousuke again. Startled, she realized that she had stopped talking.
She began again.
“Can you believe it? I look on top of the concession stand, and what do I see? Bonta-Kun! Bonta-kun challenging the gangsters!!! Before i knew it, he had one man down on the ground, kicking him in a place no man wants to be kicked. Brutal! Then, not too much later, I saw that Bonta-Kun had a shotgun. A shotgun! You can guess what I began being suspicious about then.…“
“Miss Kaname, that boy is damn good. If you like, I’ll try to put in a good word for him with your father.“
Kaname bit her tongue and grimaced, mumbling a couple of words.
“Pretzels? Suzy-Q? Snickers Bar?” Mr. Smith held the items out for Kaname.
“No thank you, Mr.Smith... I am not hungry…”
“You sure?” One of the Suzy-Qs was gone before Kaname had even realized that he had removed the wrapper.
“Yes, I am very certain... that’s kind of you, but I am busy now....” Kaname was beginning to get angry. She had a role she could play. She needed to get back to it. She also felt a need to tell Sousuke how she felt about him.
“But, the Karate guys didn’t want to leave the building. So, you guessed it, the moron decides he was going to fight all three. Of course, they meant fighting with martial arts...... and I love you, Sousuke...... He naturally used weapons. Then, that guy from before came in again and acted like he didn’t know me. He was kind of cute himself, but when he put on his glasses and just stood their in shock, that was the end of that. Later........and I REALLY miss you...... the whole business with the janitor and that fish came about....”
The Lambda Driver shield flashed...expanded...contracted... then went through a series of amazing luminescent contortions. Part of the field encircled the ARX-7 itself, sticking like a second skin, extinguishing the flaming liquid that had shot out of its damaged flame cannon.. Another part of the field shot outward, enclosing both of the Habus as Sousuke pushed his machine forward, grabbing the pair of them in a fierce embrace.
“Take that you lousy sons of bitches!” One of the policemen had become too worked up. Slamming his hand down hard on one of the monitors, he caused it to black out.
“Very clever,” Shunya said, understanding what Sousuke must be trying to do. If that glowing blue light was a force field of some type, it might be able to contain or snuff out the effects of the bomb blasts.
“I’m glad he’s on our team,” Stacy said to Oichi, very much impressed.
Oichi nodded her head, hands clasped in prayer.
Kaname continued to talk, her throat growing drier by the moment.
“You wouldn’t believe the change. The training methods had turned the rugby team into a band of demons. The other team never had a chance! I can’t say that I approved of his methods, but he certainly got results. Our team had never beaten the other before, but that day roughed them up something awful. When I pulled him aside later, however, I shoved a bar of soap in his mouth. Such language. I….”
“Kaname.” It was Sousuke..
“Sousuke?” Kaname’s voice sounded frog-like. She cleared her throat. Had Sousuke thought of something else she could do to help?
“I love you, Kaname. I just wanted to say good bye.” Sousuke’s voice was calm. It didn’t fit the words he had just said. Kaname was taken aback. Just what did he mean by ‘good bye’?
“What? Sousuke! What are you talking about? Sousuke....” She heard her own voice rise in pitch. If that stupid jerk was about to say what she was suddenly afraid he might, she didn’t want to hear it!
“Remember me fondly. I hope this works, so you can live on. Fair well.” He had said it so matter-of-factly, like he was telling her he was going out for a magazine or a trip to the barber.
“No, Sousuke! I won't say good bye. I will NOT….” Kaname realized that the connection had been severed. She sat down hard on the ground, the phone falling out of her hand.
He eyes grew clouded with tears. Was Sousuke just being his usual otaku self, covering all possible bases before he went into action? Or did he really think he had no chance to survive?
“You idiot!” She said loudly. “You stupid foolish moron….” She finished in a barely audible voice.
“Sis?” Ayame walked up timidly, a worried look on her face. “What’s wrong?”
Kaname didn’t answer. Her eyes sought out the news feed. She had to see Arbalest. It was still there. Sousuke was still alive! She was not willing to accept that he would not find a way out of this. He always came back.
Always.
Using the greater motive force of Arbalest, Sousuke pushed the other two Arms Slaves slowly but inexorably towards the water. Would that be enough? Could the salty water do something to render the bombs useless.
Sousuke would be OK, then.
Wouldn’t he?
The ugly blue shook and tried to escape confinement. Like Arbalest, its visibility changed depending on how many lights were trained on it as it moved. Kaname clenched her fists when the Habu managed to break free of Arbalest’s grip. If it could move out of that glowing field….
“Kaname?” It was her father this time. Looking up, Kaname realized that her face was covered with tears. Both of her hands had been tugging at her hair. She had kicked one shoe off.
“I don’t know, Daddy….” Kaname wasn’t answering a question, as Shunya hadn’t asked one. She was simply shaken by the uncertainty of things, her greatest fear overwhelming her usual optimistic nature.
“I think I finally know just what that big idiot wants to do!” The full breadth of Sousuke’s approach struck her, making her clutch at the moss she sat on.
“And….”
“How can he go ahead and do that?!! There has to be some other way!!! He’s just going to throw it all away, to make sure that everyone else is safe. That moron. That stupid jerk!!!” Kaname was trembling. Sousuke had walked away from one fool stunt in North Korea. How many times would Fate let him get away with that?
“Can he do it?” Shunya looked down at his daughter, his heart filled with grief.
He remembered what it was like when her mother had been diagnosed with cancer. He remembered what it was like the first time the tumor recurred after the long and painful treatment. He remembered the that day she died, and the day that they laid her in the ground. He had never wanted anything like that for his children.
The view on the screens had been blocked. Shunya cleared his throat, causing Mr. Smith to look, nod his head, and push a number of men off to the side.
The terrorist Arm Slave moved its great hand upward, trying to grab the wrist of the ARX-7. Arbalest planted a huge metal foot square in its chest, knocking the wildly off balance machine on its back. A huge and wicked looking dagger stabbed into the enemy craft once, twice, three times in rapid succession.
“I don’t know, Daddy…. I just don’t know. He always could before….” Kaname felt a surge of confidence, seeing Arbalest getting the upper hand on the sole active mecha. If the bombs hadn’t gone off…. and the other pilot was dead as he should be…. did that mean that everything would be alright?
One of the commentators was talking about a countdown. He stopped talking, allowing the audience to hear what he himself heard in the background.
“22.......….. 21.......... 20.……… 19.………”
“Oh no!” Kaname stood up. That sound was being projected out of one of the enemy craft… the one that Sousuke had just defeated….
The bomb.
It must be the countdown for one of the bombs.
Now she was certain what Sousuke was thinking. There had been a good chance that a bomb would go off. He would contain the explosion, if possible. He would limit the effect, no matter what the cost to himself.
Damn him.
Damn him….. Damn him….. Damn him!!!
If Sousuke was successful, and the continually growing number of people around those monitors lived, they would never forget the images burned into their hearts and minds. The countdown continued. As it did, one huge lumbering man-like shape pulled two others through a devastated street. One of the defeated behemoths still crackled and popped with avid insatiable flame. The other leaked an ever-growing stream of hydraulic fluid. As the unbelievable procession neared what must be the East River, rocket boosters ignited on Arbalest.
One of the cameras panned around the chaotic street, buildings, and the water’s edge. Countless people were watching this once in a life time even, a small piece of history that had not been completely written yet.
Desperately, Kaname held out one of her hands towards a TV screen.
Ayame burried her face into Oichi’s coat.
Shunya and Stacy bowed their heads.
A large number of spectators surrounding the tent closed their eyes, held the hands of a loved one, or spoke quiet prayers.
Arbalest lurched forward, pulling itself onward and under the swirling surface of the water.
“Sousuke-e-e-e--e---e----e-----e….” Kaname’s voice died.
A huge series of expanding rings of light spread out from a central point, somewhere beneath the water’s surface. They spread out for some great distance before fading, but no explosions pushed upward into the formless night.
Kaname collapsed to the ground. She put her head into her hands.
At that moment, the world did not exist to her any more.
[FIC] Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? (pt 17)
Moderators: KiLlEr, HELLFIRE, Taurec
stupid sousuke!! 
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cultnirvana
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