Cat Fight [FIC]
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 2:10 am
The plates and glasses slid along the tabletop.
“Don’t be alarmed, Miss Chidori.” Tessa reached out to catch the glass just before it fell to the floor. “The seas are a bit rough; but we’ll submerge again, once we have finished bringing supplies aboard.” Focusing more on talking than holding, the young Captain reverted to her normal clumsiness, dropping the glass.
“I’m not worried.” Kaname made a face. What did Tessa take her for, some kind of coward or crybaby? She ought to know better than that, after all this time. “The submarine is built from stronger stuff than that glass.” She looked down at the fragments scattered across the floor. It never ceased to amaze her: a clumsy seventeen year old girl at the helm of a five billion dollar undersea craft.
“So am I,” Tessa rushed to say, feeling somewhat conscientious in front of Kaname. The other girl was taller, more athletic, and more maturely proportioned than she was. “I wonder where Sousuke is.” She smiled and said “I mean Sergeant Major Sagara.” Sure, Sousuke and Kaname were a couple. But, that didn’t mean she had to give up on her dreams. More than once, life had thrown surprises her way.
“He’s probably polishing his new A.S. with a toothbrush, or something.” Kaname relied. “Hmmmpppfff. Big idiot. I couldn’t find him last night either.” She tried to keep from sounding irritable. But, penned up onboard the TDD-, she had at least expected to spent some time with a certain soldier. “I don’t know why you had to give him another experimental Arm Slave.” The anger had crept into her voice that time.
“It wasn’t my decision, Kaname.” Tessa shrugged. She had remained noncommittal, out of deference to Sousuke. The Mithril council wanted Sousuke to pilot the ARX-8, because of his prior experiences with Arbalest. “Just as bringing you to Merida Island wasn’t my idea.” She blushed. The way she said that made her sound jealous, or like a petulant little girl.
“I know,” Kaname said, tossing her hair. She looked Tessa in the eyes for a moment, and then looked away. During the journey out, the two of them had bonded some. It had been a pelasnt time for both of them. Being Whispered, they had something in common that few women shared. But, after being put through the ringer by the commanders of the organization, Kaname had ended up in a very bad mood. A number of things that happened during her stay had put her in a bit of a snit. “I told those geezers that I don’t want to work for Mithril. They told me I might lose my protection. I told them they might lose Sousuke.” That brought a fierce look to her eyes. “He’s mine.” That slipped out involuntarily. It hung in the air like a fireworks bomb waiting to explode.
Chances were, this conversation would end up in another squabble. The two of them had been getting cattier and cattier, the further away they got from the rebuilt Mithril base. Sousuke had taken the brunt of it all, seeing that he had unwisely stepped between them on a number of occasions. Cmdr. Mardukas had wisely stayed out of the fray, but had made rather pointed comments to both young women. Kurz and Melissa thought it was great fun.
“You’re very lucky,” Tessa said, playing with her ponytail. She lowered her eyes, and then straightened her shoulders. “But, you don’t own him.” She sighed, and went to start picking up the pieces of broken glass. “Nothing happened.” She was making reference to the time she had spent with Sousuke at the base.
“Of course not,” Kaname said, trying to focus her attention on the food covering her sliding plate. “Sousuke cares about me. That’s why he risked his life, saving me from Amalgam… and your brother…” That last was a bit of a low blow. The way that Leonard had tried to hijack her life was not Tessa’s fault. “He wasn’t upset when I went home to spend time with my father and sister.” Shortly after returning to Tokyo, she had taken time to visit her family in the states. They had been very worried about her.
“I know. He told me.” Tessa blushed. That was a bit confrontational. What had gotten into her this morning? It must be the result of Kaname’s continued funk. “We spent a lot of time together, after the situation with the enemy quieted down some.” When Kaname had gone to America, Sousuke had come back aboard Da Danaan full time. The crew had been through difficult times. She herself needed the support of people she could trust. “I cooked for him a lot then, too. Just like on the island.” While Kaname had been facing the council, she had been cooking Spaghetti Carbonara for Sousuke. It was one of is favorite dishes. “I wouldn’t trade those times for anything in the world.”
“Right.” Kaname stabbed at her ham steak and eggs with a fork. “I guess when that’s all you have, you have to treasure it.” She pushed the fried potatoes around on her plate, wondering again where Sousuke was. “I spent a long time thinking about Sousuke, while I was a captive. I didn’t always appreciate him the way I should. I won’t make that mistake again.” She lifted her chin up. That was her way of saying ‘Don’t get your hopes up!’
“He said that he enjoyed his time with me,” Tessa said, her pride urging her on. It wasn’t easy being the Captain of a submarine. It was difficult, being isolated the way she was. It was hard, seeing the boy you had a crush on care for someone else. That didn’t mean she had to let the other girl rub her nose in things. “We grew very close.” She paused, lifting her own chin. “Very.” She gasped, cutting herself on the glass. She stuck her bloody finger in her mouth. “Who knows what seeds might have been sown…”
“Uh huh.” Kaname felt herself go rigid. She couldn’t help that she was the jealous type. Maybe it was because of the fact that she could lose Sousuke at any moment, given the dangerous nature of his job. Maybe it was because he was the only boy who valued her for who she was, and could put up with the quirks and habits that drove everyone else away. “It’s not like you kissed, or anything.” She put that out there as a lure of sorts. She wanted Tessa to take the bait, and tell her that nothing like that happened. She trusted Sousuke; but, she couldn’t help herself.
“Is that what he told you?” Tessa grinned, feeling wicked. It was a new feeling for her. She had never kissed Sousuke; but, she didn’t have to come out and say that. “Hmmm-mm-m… then it must be true… I guess…” She sat back down and wrapped her finger in her napkin. She began nibbling on a piece of toast.
“That kind of thing won’t work.” Kaname felt her temper fraying, and forced herself to calm down. She took a deep breath and let it out. “If the two of you kissed, there’s no way you could have kept it a secret.” She smiled, but savaged her meat with her fork and knife. “That Military Maniac could not have kept from sweating when I asked him what went on, if he had done something so underhanded.” Truth be told, he had sweated up a storm. But, that had been because he was worried how Kaname might react to the fact that he had spent any time at all with Tessa.
“Sousuke is not as innocent as you make him out,” Tessa said, dropping a piece of egg into her lap. Frowning, she retrieved the errant food. “And I am not just his commanding officer, you know.” She waved her hand about. “After the Hong Kong mission, he told me that. But, that wasn’t all he said. His words had me dancing in the council chambers.” She smiled, remembering the day. Her heart missed a beat, thinking forward, to the time of the cruise ship incident. Sousuke had said that he loved Kaname more than he loved her. Those memories always acted to cancel one another out. “I don’t know everything that happened when he went looking for you. But he seems so much more open… and affectionate...” What she really meant was ‘friendly.’ That other word slipped in by accident, of course.
“Yes.” Kaname practically growled that word. Running her hand through her hair, she once again kept from flying off the handle. Tessa was just pushing her buttons. But, how had she gotten so good at it? “He certainly is. You’re right about the innocent part.” She dabbed at her mouth with her napkin, hiding a smile. The ball was in her court now. “I guess he can’t help himself, He must have seen and heard a lot of things, hanging around with soldiers and sailors for much of his life. Before, it would have made me smack him with the halisen…” She yawned and stretched. “Now, I have absolutely no complaints…”
“Shouldn’t that be harisen?” Tessa blinked rapidly, feeling exceedingly immature. Paper fans were referred to in different ways, due to the ‘l’ and ‘r’ switching that went on in the Japanese language. “Any way, I doubt that the two of you have gotten… intimate…” She coughed. “Not that it’s really any of my business…” She clutched her napkin under the table. “But, if you had, I would have heard about it from Mao and Weber… repeatedly…”
“Only if Sousuke told them,” Kaname said. “He’s become very fond of certain things. If he went and blurted things out, he might find himself going cold turkey for a while.” Truth be told, she and Sousuke had come close to consummating their relationship on a number of occasions. Something always seemed to come up. If it wasn’t one of them, it was the other. Maybe they just weren’t ready yet.
“You’re lying.” With that, Tessa stood up again. When the ship lurched again she almost fell over. “If you’d go so far as to make up stories like that, you must be worried or something.” She brushed some crumbs off of her sleeves and straightened her blouse. “I guess I should take that as a compliment of sorts.” She nodded her head. “Or a sign of hope.”
“You’re just jealous.” Kaname stood up, too. Her eyes flashed. “You sounded so smug when you had him turn off the external sensors for Arbalest. You implied some things that weren’t true when you brought me onboard that first time. I was worried for a bit, when he decided to come to your party instead of getting on the Pacific Chrysalis with me and the rest of the class.” She frowned. She had never admitted that last part to anyone before. “But, you know who won, right?” She struck a pose, hand on her hip.
“Yes,” Tessa said, tightening her jaw. “I know who won the battle.” She stood straighter, thinking she looked sharper in her uniform than Kaname did in her sweat shirt and dungarees. “But, the war is far from over.” She wanted desperately to believe that was true; just the same, she couldn’t help but feel pessimistic. “I’ve seen the statistics on teenage romance.”
“Oh?” Kaname put one foot up on the bench she had been seated on. “Well, Little Miss Genius, unless you haven’t noticed, you’re a teenager too.” She shook her fist at Tessa “D’uh!”
“I won’t be forever,” Tessa said. “I’ll always want to stay in touch with Sousuke. He’s helped me with my confidence in ways that no one else ever has.” She began fiddling with her hair again. “You always get angry with him. I would never do that. You’ll be going off to college some day. He probably won’t… at least not at the same school… not with his grades…”
“Says who!” Kaname felt incensed. In part, she was defending Sousuke, even though the other girl was right about his grades. But, she also felt one of her old suspicions raise its ugly head. “No doubt you’d get your hands involved in something like that. Maybe if Mithril made some small donations, colleges would suddenly decide to erase the name ‘Sagara’ off of their lists.” her nostrils flared ever so slightly. “Pathetic.” That last part was said just loud enough for Tessa to hear.
“Is that what you think of me?” Tessa’s voice went up a couple of octaves. “Do you really think I’d do something like that to someone I lo-… like…” She had to be careful. That almost slipped out. “I guess I can see why you might look at things that way. It’s real easy to be the damsel in distress, isn’t it…”
“What?” Kaname’s eyes went wide. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. That caught her off guard.
“Yes. Poor Kaname Chidori. Kidnapped again.” Tessa turned up her nose, talking in a condescending manner. “As if you were the only one who ever got abducted.“ She put one of her feet up on her bench. It took more effort, seeing her height. “Oh… I’m captured again… everybody look at me…” She put a hand on her hip. “Sousuke… please come rescue me… I need you…”
“You…” Kaname found herself picking up her remaining ham. She almost threw it at Tessa.
“It’s a lot harder to stay behind… commanding a submarine… with no one coming to my rescue…” Tessa knew she sounded illogical. She couldn’t care less at that moment. “You wouldn’t last a day at that job. All you have to do is go to school… sit in class… enjoy a nice lunch with your friends… and smack Sousuke around some…” She couldn’t believe she was standing up for herself like this. She almost wished that someone could see her. Too focused on Kaname, she didn’t realize that a crowd had started to gather.
“Let’s not start with that poor pitiful me routine, again!” Kaname dropped her food back onto her plate. She fought the impulse to wipe her hand off on Tessa, before picking up her napkin. “Oh my… it’s such a hardship… saving the world…” She took her hair in her hand, formed a rudimentary ponytail, and began fussing with it. “I’m chained to my chair… they force me to do this… I really want to be at school with Sousuke…” She made a snorting noise. “You loved all the attention when you were the little visiting goddess. But… you wouldn’t last a week at school, dealing with the things that I do… Sousuke is hardly fun and games…”
“He does what he can!” It was Tessa’s turn to come to Sousuke’s defense, so to speak. “You know what kind of life he lived. We each had our own troubles, but nothing like his.” She actually found herself standing up on her bench, so she could look down at Kaname for a change. It wasn’t easy, with the TDD-1 rocking as it was. She sighed, when the signal for ‘Dive’ came over the intercom. “He might have had an easier time of it, if you offered him encouragement… instead of slapping him down every chance you get…”
“You would have done it too, if you weren’t so meek.” Kaname was not about to let Tessa have the upper hand. She stood on her bench, too. “Besides, you weren’t there. He didn’t come in and disrupt your world, putting all of your friends and classmates at risk.”
“That’s a convenient excuse, Miss Chidori.“ Tessa spoke more loudly, moving her hands in animated fashion. “Did you ever think, maybe you’re just a violent person. I think you have anger issues.” Tessa windmilled her arms and barely kept from falling backward. “Face it. We both know the truth.” She stuck out her chin, feeling braver than she had since the ordeal with Amalgam. “Sousuke puts up with it because he’s been through much worse. That’s the only reason. Anyone else would have left your side in a heartbeat.” She made a face. “I hardly think it’s fair, taking advantage of him that way…”
“Fair?” Kaname put both hands on her hips, swaying naturally with the motion of the boat. “You have the nerve to talk about fair?” She threw her hands in the air dramatically. “Sousuke’s in more danger around you than he is around me!” She too was oblivious to the growing number of onlookers. “I remember how you almost got him killed, when those jerks in A21 captured us.”
“What did you say?” Tessa looked incredulous. “You were the one who let her cell phone get stolen. And it was your grabbing Takuma that almost left Sousuke dead from that missile.” She was actually trembling. “I saw how you looked in he van. You were thinking the same thing, then.”
“Like that was the worst thing anyone did during that little adventure.” Kaname shook a finger in Tessa’s face now. “I came knocking at his door to apologize, but you had to peek around the corner dressed in a towel.” She didn’t care that Tessa hadn’t done that on purpose. “Then… when I was angry at Sousuke… and he tried to convince me that you were his commanding officer…” She scowled, remembering the game that the diminutive Captain had played.
“I see,” Tessa said, flipping her ponytail towards Kaname’s face. “Now you’re just bringing up hurt feelings. Big of you. Not the kind of thing I would expect from a Class representative and the Student Council Vice President.” She stood up on the table. “Shame on you. Acting so petty, but having the nerve to criticize me. I heard how you went out with that other boy… and how Sousuke kept watch on you anyway…”
“Sousuke and I weren’t dating yet!” Kaname stepped up on the table too. “Now who’s being petty?”
“Well, if you weren’t dating yet, why are you so upset about the towel?” Tessa surprised herself. She had to quell the impulse to reach out and shove Kaname off of the table. “Does it bother you, that I fell on him while we were training, back when I challenged Melissa to an A.S. match?” She thought back to that time at the beach. “Or, that I wriggled around on top of him, not letting him get up?”
“Wow!” Kaname put her hand to her forehead in dramatic fashion. “That was so-o-o brave of you!” She laughed. “I hate to ruin those romantic memories for you.” Her voice told a different story. “I could tell you any number of things that Sousuke and I do. But, I think it will be more fun to just leave that up to your imagination. Hmmmpppfff.” She smiled a triumphant smile. “I bet you don’t even know where he’s ticklish…” He wasn’t. But, Tessa wouldn’t know that. At least, she better not!
“Hey… you two lovely ladies want some champagne…” That voice had Kaname and Tessa freezing. They saw Kurz Weber walking over with a bottle in his hand. They also saw Sousuke and Melissa, the latter scantily clad and hanging all over the former. After that, they both blushed bright red, seeing that their little spat had been witnessed by a number of crew members..
“You don’t need to be so melodramatic, asshole.” Melissa said, before giving Sousuke a kiss. His arms shot out from his sides, like someone pulled the string on a wooden puppet toy. “But, I am glad to see you stopped acting so f-cking jealous.”
“Melissa!” Tessa slipped, fell hard on her rump, and then slid onto her bench. She stared at Lt. Mao and Sousuke.
“What are you talking about?” Kaname hopped down off of the table, feeling foolish standing up there. “Sousuke… what does Melissa mean…”
“Uhhh…” Sousuke looked down at his feet.
“Well?” Kaname walked over to where Sousuke was standing, eyes going wide when Melissa took his hand and put it on her hip. “You better start talking, Mister!”
“I’ll tell them if you like, Sousuke old chum.” Kurz rubbed his hands together, his grin making him look like the Cheshire Cat. “Then again, it might be more fun to keep them guessing.” He gave Tessa a jaunty salute.
“Doesn’t matter to me, any.” Melissa shrugged. “It’s really not a big deal.” She elbowed Sousuke. “Then again, it was a good bit bigger than I expected.”
“Uhhh…” Sousuke swallowed hard. He began sweating heavily.
“Yeh.. well…” Kurz struck one of the poses that served him well during his modeling days. “As we all know… it’s not the size of the gun that matters…” He turned to work the crowd. Everyone knew who Mithril’s top sniper was. “It’s how you use it…”
“Shit!” Melissa let Sousuke go, and then made a brushing-off motion with her hand. “What good is a gun that no one ever shoots?” She smiled when a number of people in the throng whistled. She winked at Sousuke. “Right… stud…”
“Sousuke?” Kaname sounded less insistent that time. In fact, she sounded worried. She knew what all the joking meant. She hoped it didn’t really have anything to do with her boyfriend.
“Uhhh… Kaname…” Sousuke swallowed hard. He couldn’t meet Kaname’s eyes.
“No more games, Sgt. Weber.” Tessa’s voice cracked. She was mortified. That wasn’t something a submarine commander could let her crew hear!
“OK.” Kurz put on a mock frown. “If it’s an order, I guess I have to spill the beans.” He grinned, patting Sousuke on the back. Looking at Kaname he sighed. “Sorry Angel. You snooze… you loose…”
“Mister Webber!” Tessa actually stomped her foot.
“You guys talk about it,” Mao said, looking disgusted. “Like I said, it’s no big thing. I need something to eat. That was quite a work-out last night… tiger…” She bumped her hip against Sousuke and went to pick up a tray. “Left me with quite an appetite.”
“She wants me,” Kurz said as an aside. “She just reached for the lower hanging fruit… so to speak…” He goosed Sousuke. “Let’s see. How should I put this? Hmmmmm-mmmm-mmm-mm-m…”
Kaname and Tesasa both crowded in on Kurz. Tessa looked worried too. Sousuke opened his mouth to say something when he saw the expression on Kaname’s face; but, decided against it.
“All the two of you can do is fight, lately.” Kurz shrugged. “I can see how that can be pretty boring. Right, Sousuke?” He ran a hand through his long flowing hair. “You drove Sousuke into the arms of another woman.” He sighed, trying to put a hang dog look on his face. “She knew just what to do with him when she got him there.” He bowed to his younger teammate. “Poor guy didn’t stand a chance…”
“Wh-… Wh-… What?” Kaname froze. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Looking over at Mao, she took note of the shorts and halter top. Those couldn’t be regulation.
“Mister Sagara…” Tessa’s mouth fell open. She blushed, and played with her hair again. She couldn’t look Sousuke in the eyes.
“Uhhh… you see…” Sousuke swallowed hard. “I was just following orders…”
“I see,” Kaname said, sounding hurt. Her eyes narrowed, and she made a terrible face. “I suppose you missed out on your big chance, Tessa…” She turned her back on Sousuke, not wanting to believe anything that she heard. “All you had to do was throw your rank around…”
“Hey, Sousuke…” Melissa called over from where she stood at the front of the line. “The cook wants to know if you’ll be wanting second helpings this morning.” She blew him a kiss. “I want to know the same thing… if you catch my drift…”
“N-… N-… Negative…” Sousuke took a step back, seeing the look that Kaname gave him. He opened his mouth again, but closed it.
Kaname walked over to Sousuke. “I hate you.” She didn’t know what else to say. It felt as if her whole life was shattering into a million of sharp painful pieces. Her face crumpled. Tears came to her eyes. Her fight with Tessa had been nothing, compared to this. If only she had been more attentive during this trip. “How could you do this to me…”
“It was easy, wasn’t it Sousuke?” Kurz was laughing now, as if he knew something that Kaname and Tessa did not. “The thing I find hardest to believe is that it was your idea in the first place.” He winced, watching Kaname kick Sousuke hard in the shin. It looked like she was ready to run off. He better not prolong things any further. “It was a good joke.”
“Joke?” Kaname felt the world come rushing in on her, feeling as if she were about to suffocate. Her heart was beating fast enough to explode, and this was some kind of prank. “Sousuke… you owe me an explanation…” Her voice clearly said ‘And it better be a damn good one.’
“Affirmative,” Sousuke said. He stood more relaxed now, legs spread and hands behind his back. “It has to do with cat fights.”
“Cat fights?” Tessa looked over at Sousuke. Her face pinked up some. She thought about her recent blow up with Kaname, realizing just how it must have looked to an observer.
“Yes,” Sousuke said. “A catfight is, by definition, a physical confrontation between two felines.” He blinked rapidly, hearing Kaname growl. “More commonly, the term 'catfight' is used as a slang term for an altercation… usually physical…between two women.”
Tessa and Kaname turned to look at one another. They both immediately looked down at their feet.
“In anime, manga, and movies, cat fights are stereotyped as involving slapping, scratching, hair-pulling, and sometimes biting, but not usually punching or kicking.” Sousuke looked over at the crowd. A number of the men had begun making cat noises. One sailor bent over in pain, after saying something to one of his female crewmates. “It can also be used to describe two human females insulting one another verbally, or being unpleasant to one another. I am certain that the two of you can see what I am referring to.”
Tessa nodded. Kaname looked over at Sousuke, not knowing if she should feel sheepish for her behavior, or angry at the fact that a certain baka saw fit to lecture her. He was hardly Mr. Socially Adept!
“It was unpleasant, hearing such things.“ Sousuke met Kaname’s eyes without flinching. After a moment, she nodded and began twiddling her fingers. That was unlike her. “Many catfights in fictional situations and commercials end with at least one of the participants missing several articles of clothing. Cat fighting is also a popular subject amongst pornographic films, depicting multiple women in sexually suggestive and combative situations.”
“Heh heh heh hehhh-hh-h…” Kurz smiled. “There seems to be an increase in violent women, and not just those who have had a few too many Mai Tais, Mojitos, and other girly drinks beginning with the letter ‘M.’ Not that I mind.” He struck another pose. “I just wish Sousuke didn’t wait to stop this little fracas until you were down to bras and panties.”
Tessa turned bright red, imagining what that would be like. Looking over at Kaname, she saw the other girl clench her fists.
“Is that what you thought we might be doing, mister?” Kaname stepped over to stare up at Sousuke’s face. “Thought we might put on some kind of show for you? Pervert!” She stepped hard on his toes.
“N-N-N-…” Sousuke winced. That was painful! “…Negative. We had word that the two of you were fighting again. I thought that such behavior was unseemly, and would do nothing to build good morale.”
“Hurting him again…” As embarrassed as she might be, Tessa couldn’t resist slipping that one in. “Tsk tsk tsk…”
“Why do guys like cat fights, anyway?” One woman asked truly looking puzzled. She was speaking to another female crewmate.
“Because men think if women are grabbing and clawing at each other, there's a chance they might somehow kiss.” One engineer thought he would win a round of laughetr and applause from his buddies. He got a number of nasty stares from the ladies present. They wouldn‘t be talking to him again, any time soon.
“No,” another guy said, braving the looks that the ladies gave him. “Men enjoys these little brawls for the same reason they like women’s tennis.” He smiled. “The grunting and the sweating is exciting.” He brought his fingers to his lips and made a gesture. “It just is. We can’t help it…” That set off a growing discussion among the crowd members.
“Couldn’t say it any better myself,” Kurz said. “I used to think that girls were sugar and spice and everything nice.” He chuckled lewdly. “I’m always glad to be proven wrong.”
“You owe me a better explanation, Sousuke.” Kaname’s righteous indignation chased away her embarrassment and culpability for the moment. “And you better not say anything stupid like those other guys did!”
“I am not good with words,“ Sousuke said. “As it has been explained to me, girls will do almost anything to get a guy’s attention. However, fighting is the one thing that girls do that has nothing to do with impressing a man.” He looked at Kaname, and then at Tessa. Clueless as he might be at times, he was well aware of how they felt about him. “Unless I am mistaken, fighting would be the most unladylike thing that a girl could do.”
“That’s…” Tessa took a step forward, wanting to deny the truth. She stopped and hung her head. Seen in that light, her confrontation with Kaname left her feeling rather small.
“Oh? Really?” Kaname put her hands on her hips. Sousuke was right, of course. But, that wasn’t what mattered. “Why don’t you walk over and tell that to Melissa. She might give you something more than a kiss, then.” Lt. Mao was hardly a font of etiquette and social niceties.
“Uhhh…” Sousuke twitched. He felt relieved when Mao gave him a ‘V’ sign. She never made any pretense of being a lady. It was good enough for her just to be a woman.
Kurz started laughing. That had Melissa changing her mind exclusively. She gave her lanky subordinate the finger.
“I am not certain why, but in the past, to be unladylike was like a kiss of death.” Sousuke looked mildly perplexed, remembering some of the things he had heard from women at Merida base. “I suppose it could be like being a mercenary, and betraying the ones who pay you. Few customers would trust you later.“ He scratched his head. “I spoke with a counselor while I was on shore. He tried to explain things to me. He said that is not easy being a woman these days. How he knows that, I cannot say. He was a man.“
“I feel like I’m reading Sherlock Holmes,“ Kurz quipped. “And I hate to read…“
“He’s right,“ Kaname said. “Get to the point, Sousuke.“ She narrowed her eyes. “There better be a point.“
Tessa nodded her head, feeling a bit exposed, seeing how many crew members were still hanging around. When Cmdr. Mardukas showed up, that soon changed. Not only that, but Sousuke stood at attention and began sweating again. The commander gave him an interested ear, too.
“You see… it has always been difficult…” Sousuke found himself seizing up. He always did that around the commander. The exception had been the day that he had confronted General Ammitt. On that notable afternoon, Mardukas had been the one close to fainting. “He said that some women feel the need to put on a front to let others know not to mess with them … but it is still a front….” He coughed, but felt somewhat better when he saw Mardukas nod his head sagely. “It was his opinion, that most women who get into unnecessary physical fights are really scared and fragile on the inside… which is why they feel the need to hide it with an aggressive façade.” He rubbed his chin. “Perhaps if you both realize that… there will be no reason to fight like this again…”
Tessa began shuffling her fee a bit. Sousuke had made a good point. Well, he had repeated something that he had heard; but, it still made good sense.
Kaname rolled her eyes. She ignored the fact that Sousuke’s words rang true. To her, the important thing was that he was trying to sound so smart. Big idiot!
“Do you disagree with me?” Sousuke had caught Kaname’s look. He was getting more and more shrewd in interpreting her behavior. “With the counselor, I mean.” He thought a moment. “It can see why your pride might not allow you to agree with me. But, I would think you would take a professional at his word.”
“I…” Kaname hung her head. She actually managed a smile. Even though it was against her usual code, she enjoyed it when Sousuke stood up to her. “You’re right…” She looked up at him. “I’m actually proud of you. You didn’t screw things up this time.” She should have kept her mouth shut.
“Thank you, Kaname.” Sousuke felt immeasurably better. That made him somewhat glib, relatively speaking. “I needed to find some way to bring a stop to the arguing. It has gone on too long. The ploy with Mao caught your attention, I think.” He looked over at Cmdr. Mardukas. When the stuffy officer turned a scowl Sousuke’s way, after someone told him about the big act, the young soldier began sweating again. “Before speaking with the counselor, I called a number of veterinarians who worked for Mithril.” They were men and women who primarily worked with the trained dolphins in Mithril service.
“Veterinarians?” Kaname frowned. The bloom had already fallen off the rose. What was that big stupid head talking about now.
“I grew up in the alleys of Kabul,” Sousuke said, thinking back to his early days as an orphan, before joining the Afghan freedom fighters. “I had seen many fights between cats. Some were quite brutal, leaving the combatants scarred or worse.” He didn’t see Kurz smile and rub his hands together, expecting fireworks. He also did not catch sight of Melissa shaking her head as she hung one leg over the back of a chair. Her philosophy might come into play here: that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Sousuke might be on the cusp of discovering some new strengths… the hard way.
“So we’re cats, are we…” Kaname curled her fingers into claws. One of her ears twitched. “It was bad enough, you’re calling our little discussion a cat fight…”
“Meow.” Tessa looked over at Sousuke. If she had a tail, it would be twitching.
“Sometimes, the way that cats play does not seem all that different than the way that cats fight.” Sousuke stood straighter, feeling more in control. He Was not about to back down. This was for Kaname’s own good. Tessa’s, too. He need be succinct and to the point, as if this were an official mission briefing. “Cat play usually involves chasing, swatting, hissing and nipping.“ He thought a moment. “The parallels seem to fit.“
“Really?“ Kaname looked deceptively calm. “Funny you should mention swatting…“ She flexed the fingers on the hand that used to hold the paper fan, when she used it. so how can you tell the difference?
“Hissing?“ Tessa felt her face grow warm. She felt very self conscious again.
“First, one should take note of the animals’ prior behavior.” Sousuke began walking back and forth, as if he were lecturing new recruits. “If you know that the two cats in question have never been friendly to each other, then chances are what you are witnessing is fighting.” He looked over at Kaname and Tessa again. “It is difficult to judge your relationship at times.”
“Oh?” Kaname frowned. “Funny you should mention relationships.” If she had whiskers, they would be standing straight out now.
Tessa frowned for a moment. But, an instant later, she smiled. If Kaname somehow decided to dump Sousuke, that would open the door for her. “You tell him, Kaname!” That had Kaname going stiff. She came to the same conclusion. This time she gave Tessa a dirty look.
“That is precisely the type of thing I am making reference to.” Sousuke put his hands behind his back. He nodded, when Mardukas straightened his cap. “Cat fighting is something that should be stopped through distraction, since it can lead to disease transmission. It can also lead to serious wounds, with or without infections.” He ran a hand through his hair. “The distraction was very effective, I think.”
“Yes,” Tessa said, sounding very chipper suddenly. That did not sit well with Kaname.
“Observation is key.” Sousuke spoke louder, more confident. “The veterinarians were quite adamant about that point. If you are unsure if the cats are playing or fighting, rely on your ears and eyes.” He paused a moment, wondering why Melissa had made a gesture like a knife across the throat. He also wondered why Kurz had pulled up a chair, and was just staring at him. “They mentioned particulars. Screaming is a sure sign that the cats are fighting. Your voices had gotten rather loud.”
“Thank you for letting us know, Sousuke.” Kaname laced her fingers together and cracked her knuckles. Their voices had reminded him of the yowling of two cats? Sousuke had just damned himself, as far as she was concerned. Anything else was just icing on the cake.
“One cat being overly dominant is another sign of fighting.” Sousuke nodded, looking at Tessa. “But… to be honest… I was uncertain at first. In cat play, the roles shift. It looked as if Tessa was getting the best of things for a while.”
“I always thought that he was one of my brightest soldiers,” Tessa said, preening. “Despite what some people said.” She looked at Mardukas, who frowned.
“A hissing or two from either cat is normal.“ Sousuke stared at both Tessa and Kaname. The two of them looked defiant at first. Tessa soon looked away and blushed once again. She had been doing a lot of that. Kaname tried to look nonchalant. “But, continued hissing suggests a cat fight is underway… or about to get underway.” He cocked his head. “The two of you were practically hissing.” he held one finger up as he contemplated something. “Perhaps it might also be cogent to call such encounters Snake Fights as well…”
That had Mardukas closing his eyes. Kurz began chuckling. Melissa just shook her head. The crew members who had found some reason to remain began passing money amongst themselves, placing bets on what might happen to Sousuke.
“So now we’re snakes…” Kaname had said that under her breath. The sibilance made it sound mighty close to a hiss.
“Finally…and perhaps most importantly… in cat play, except for accidents, neither of the two cats gets hurt.” Sousuke spoke very sternly. “I was unsure about either of your intentions. Kaname picked up the food, as if it were a weapon. Tessa held her hands up, as if she was contemplating pushing Kaname. Perhaps it is good that we stopped things where we did.”
“I think we can all agree with that.” Mardukas spoke with a sense of finality. Even though Tessa was his commander, the look he turned on her was like one an angry father might give a misbehaving child. It had the intended effect. “And, having heard the Sgt. Major’s explanations, I hope that we will see no more fighting between two… spirited… young ladies.” With that, he saluted Tessa and left for the bridge.
“It is good that there will be no more fighting.” Sousuke picked up a napkin and used it to mop his brow. That whole affair had been more nerve-wracking than defusing a ticking time bomb. “You both are important to me.” He felt a small twinge of pride.
“I think Tessa and I can put our differences behind us,” Kaname said, believing that at the moment. “Funny you should mention someone getting hurt, though.” She smiled sweetly, but her eyes were two glowing embers.
“That is quite a coincidence,”Tessa said. “We have our dignity to think of. And, the two of us have a common… opponent… right?” She looked over at Kaname, who nodded her head.
“Opponent?” Sousuke suddenly felt a chill run up and down his spine.
“Yes,” Kaname said, advancing on him, sashaying just a bit. “I’ll take the chasing and swatting, if you want the hissing and nipping.”
“OK,” Tessa said. “Fine by me.”
“I think I’ll go get a couple of beers,” Melissa said. “This ought to be good.”
“Thanks,” Kurz said, smiling at Mao.
“Who said I was going to give one to you?” She chuckled, seeing Kurz’ face fall.
“Kaname… Captain…” Sousuke said. “The fighting is over.”
“Who told you that, Sousuke?” Kaname sprung up and down on her legs a bit. She smiled when Tessa walked over to Sousuke’s other side. He was surrounded. “Didn’t your experts teach you the most important thing about cat fights?”
“Kaname?” Sousuke coughed. His throat had gone dry for some reason. “Making a loud noise? Such an act will usually startle the cats and send them running in opposite directions. Shaking a can of food treats might also work.”
“Negative,” Kaname said. She was very glad that Sousuke hadn’t tossed a grenade or two. And, if he ever tried shaking a box of Pocky or some other kind of snack, he’d pay big time!
“You should never step in between two angry cats,” Tessa said. “Correct?”
“Correct,” Kaname said, giving Tessa a two-finger salute.
“Uhhh…” Sousuke thought that a strategic retreat might be in order.
THE END
“Don’t be alarmed, Miss Chidori.” Tessa reached out to catch the glass just before it fell to the floor. “The seas are a bit rough; but we’ll submerge again, once we have finished bringing supplies aboard.” Focusing more on talking than holding, the young Captain reverted to her normal clumsiness, dropping the glass.
“I’m not worried.” Kaname made a face. What did Tessa take her for, some kind of coward or crybaby? She ought to know better than that, after all this time. “The submarine is built from stronger stuff than that glass.” She looked down at the fragments scattered across the floor. It never ceased to amaze her: a clumsy seventeen year old girl at the helm of a five billion dollar undersea craft.
“So am I,” Tessa rushed to say, feeling somewhat conscientious in front of Kaname. The other girl was taller, more athletic, and more maturely proportioned than she was. “I wonder where Sousuke is.” She smiled and said “I mean Sergeant Major Sagara.” Sure, Sousuke and Kaname were a couple. But, that didn’t mean she had to give up on her dreams. More than once, life had thrown surprises her way.
“He’s probably polishing his new A.S. with a toothbrush, or something.” Kaname relied. “Hmmmpppfff. Big idiot. I couldn’t find him last night either.” She tried to keep from sounding irritable. But, penned up onboard the TDD-, she had at least expected to spent some time with a certain soldier. “I don’t know why you had to give him another experimental Arm Slave.” The anger had crept into her voice that time.
“It wasn’t my decision, Kaname.” Tessa shrugged. She had remained noncommittal, out of deference to Sousuke. The Mithril council wanted Sousuke to pilot the ARX-8, because of his prior experiences with Arbalest. “Just as bringing you to Merida Island wasn’t my idea.” She blushed. The way she said that made her sound jealous, or like a petulant little girl.
“I know,” Kaname said, tossing her hair. She looked Tessa in the eyes for a moment, and then looked away. During the journey out, the two of them had bonded some. It had been a pelasnt time for both of them. Being Whispered, they had something in common that few women shared. But, after being put through the ringer by the commanders of the organization, Kaname had ended up in a very bad mood. A number of things that happened during her stay had put her in a bit of a snit. “I told those geezers that I don’t want to work for Mithril. They told me I might lose my protection. I told them they might lose Sousuke.” That brought a fierce look to her eyes. “He’s mine.” That slipped out involuntarily. It hung in the air like a fireworks bomb waiting to explode.
Chances were, this conversation would end up in another squabble. The two of them had been getting cattier and cattier, the further away they got from the rebuilt Mithril base. Sousuke had taken the brunt of it all, seeing that he had unwisely stepped between them on a number of occasions. Cmdr. Mardukas had wisely stayed out of the fray, but had made rather pointed comments to both young women. Kurz and Melissa thought it was great fun.
“You’re very lucky,” Tessa said, playing with her ponytail. She lowered her eyes, and then straightened her shoulders. “But, you don’t own him.” She sighed, and went to start picking up the pieces of broken glass. “Nothing happened.” She was making reference to the time she had spent with Sousuke at the base.
“Of course not,” Kaname said, trying to focus her attention on the food covering her sliding plate. “Sousuke cares about me. That’s why he risked his life, saving me from Amalgam… and your brother…” That last was a bit of a low blow. The way that Leonard had tried to hijack her life was not Tessa’s fault. “He wasn’t upset when I went home to spend time with my father and sister.” Shortly after returning to Tokyo, she had taken time to visit her family in the states. They had been very worried about her.
“I know. He told me.” Tessa blushed. That was a bit confrontational. What had gotten into her this morning? It must be the result of Kaname’s continued funk. “We spent a lot of time together, after the situation with the enemy quieted down some.” When Kaname had gone to America, Sousuke had come back aboard Da Danaan full time. The crew had been through difficult times. She herself needed the support of people she could trust. “I cooked for him a lot then, too. Just like on the island.” While Kaname had been facing the council, she had been cooking Spaghetti Carbonara for Sousuke. It was one of is favorite dishes. “I wouldn’t trade those times for anything in the world.”
“Right.” Kaname stabbed at her ham steak and eggs with a fork. “I guess when that’s all you have, you have to treasure it.” She pushed the fried potatoes around on her plate, wondering again where Sousuke was. “I spent a long time thinking about Sousuke, while I was a captive. I didn’t always appreciate him the way I should. I won’t make that mistake again.” She lifted her chin up. That was her way of saying ‘Don’t get your hopes up!’
“He said that he enjoyed his time with me,” Tessa said, her pride urging her on. It wasn’t easy being the Captain of a submarine. It was difficult, being isolated the way she was. It was hard, seeing the boy you had a crush on care for someone else. That didn’t mean she had to let the other girl rub her nose in things. “We grew very close.” She paused, lifting her own chin. “Very.” She gasped, cutting herself on the glass. She stuck her bloody finger in her mouth. “Who knows what seeds might have been sown…”
“Uh huh.” Kaname felt herself go rigid. She couldn’t help that she was the jealous type. Maybe it was because of the fact that she could lose Sousuke at any moment, given the dangerous nature of his job. Maybe it was because he was the only boy who valued her for who she was, and could put up with the quirks and habits that drove everyone else away. “It’s not like you kissed, or anything.” She put that out there as a lure of sorts. She wanted Tessa to take the bait, and tell her that nothing like that happened. She trusted Sousuke; but, she couldn’t help herself.
“Is that what he told you?” Tessa grinned, feeling wicked. It was a new feeling for her. She had never kissed Sousuke; but, she didn’t have to come out and say that. “Hmmm-mm-m… then it must be true… I guess…” She sat back down and wrapped her finger in her napkin. She began nibbling on a piece of toast.
“That kind of thing won’t work.” Kaname felt her temper fraying, and forced herself to calm down. She took a deep breath and let it out. “If the two of you kissed, there’s no way you could have kept it a secret.” She smiled, but savaged her meat with her fork and knife. “That Military Maniac could not have kept from sweating when I asked him what went on, if he had done something so underhanded.” Truth be told, he had sweated up a storm. But, that had been because he was worried how Kaname might react to the fact that he had spent any time at all with Tessa.
“Sousuke is not as innocent as you make him out,” Tessa said, dropping a piece of egg into her lap. Frowning, she retrieved the errant food. “And I am not just his commanding officer, you know.” She waved her hand about. “After the Hong Kong mission, he told me that. But, that wasn’t all he said. His words had me dancing in the council chambers.” She smiled, remembering the day. Her heart missed a beat, thinking forward, to the time of the cruise ship incident. Sousuke had said that he loved Kaname more than he loved her. Those memories always acted to cancel one another out. “I don’t know everything that happened when he went looking for you. But he seems so much more open… and affectionate...” What she really meant was ‘friendly.’ That other word slipped in by accident, of course.
“Yes.” Kaname practically growled that word. Running her hand through her hair, she once again kept from flying off the handle. Tessa was just pushing her buttons. But, how had she gotten so good at it? “He certainly is. You’re right about the innocent part.” She dabbed at her mouth with her napkin, hiding a smile. The ball was in her court now. “I guess he can’t help himself, He must have seen and heard a lot of things, hanging around with soldiers and sailors for much of his life. Before, it would have made me smack him with the halisen…” She yawned and stretched. “Now, I have absolutely no complaints…”
“Shouldn’t that be harisen?” Tessa blinked rapidly, feeling exceedingly immature. Paper fans were referred to in different ways, due to the ‘l’ and ‘r’ switching that went on in the Japanese language. “Any way, I doubt that the two of you have gotten… intimate…” She coughed. “Not that it’s really any of my business…” She clutched her napkin under the table. “But, if you had, I would have heard about it from Mao and Weber… repeatedly…”
“Only if Sousuke told them,” Kaname said. “He’s become very fond of certain things. If he went and blurted things out, he might find himself going cold turkey for a while.” Truth be told, she and Sousuke had come close to consummating their relationship on a number of occasions. Something always seemed to come up. If it wasn’t one of them, it was the other. Maybe they just weren’t ready yet.
“You’re lying.” With that, Tessa stood up again. When the ship lurched again she almost fell over. “If you’d go so far as to make up stories like that, you must be worried or something.” She brushed some crumbs off of her sleeves and straightened her blouse. “I guess I should take that as a compliment of sorts.” She nodded her head. “Or a sign of hope.”
“You’re just jealous.” Kaname stood up, too. Her eyes flashed. “You sounded so smug when you had him turn off the external sensors for Arbalest. You implied some things that weren’t true when you brought me onboard that first time. I was worried for a bit, when he decided to come to your party instead of getting on the Pacific Chrysalis with me and the rest of the class.” She frowned. She had never admitted that last part to anyone before. “But, you know who won, right?” She struck a pose, hand on her hip.
“Yes,” Tessa said, tightening her jaw. “I know who won the battle.” She stood straighter, thinking she looked sharper in her uniform than Kaname did in her sweat shirt and dungarees. “But, the war is far from over.” She wanted desperately to believe that was true; just the same, she couldn’t help but feel pessimistic. “I’ve seen the statistics on teenage romance.”
“Oh?” Kaname put one foot up on the bench she had been seated on. “Well, Little Miss Genius, unless you haven’t noticed, you’re a teenager too.” She shook her fist at Tessa “D’uh!”
“I won’t be forever,” Tessa said. “I’ll always want to stay in touch with Sousuke. He’s helped me with my confidence in ways that no one else ever has.” She began fiddling with her hair again. “You always get angry with him. I would never do that. You’ll be going off to college some day. He probably won’t… at least not at the same school… not with his grades…”
“Says who!” Kaname felt incensed. In part, she was defending Sousuke, even though the other girl was right about his grades. But, she also felt one of her old suspicions raise its ugly head. “No doubt you’d get your hands involved in something like that. Maybe if Mithril made some small donations, colleges would suddenly decide to erase the name ‘Sagara’ off of their lists.” her nostrils flared ever so slightly. “Pathetic.” That last part was said just loud enough for Tessa to hear.
“Is that what you think of me?” Tessa’s voice went up a couple of octaves. “Do you really think I’d do something like that to someone I lo-… like…” She had to be careful. That almost slipped out. “I guess I can see why you might look at things that way. It’s real easy to be the damsel in distress, isn’t it…”
“What?” Kaname’s eyes went wide. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. That caught her off guard.
“Yes. Poor Kaname Chidori. Kidnapped again.” Tessa turned up her nose, talking in a condescending manner. “As if you were the only one who ever got abducted.“ She put one of her feet up on her bench. It took more effort, seeing her height. “Oh… I’m captured again… everybody look at me…” She put a hand on her hip. “Sousuke… please come rescue me… I need you…”
“You…” Kaname found herself picking up her remaining ham. She almost threw it at Tessa.
“It’s a lot harder to stay behind… commanding a submarine… with no one coming to my rescue…” Tessa knew she sounded illogical. She couldn’t care less at that moment. “You wouldn’t last a day at that job. All you have to do is go to school… sit in class… enjoy a nice lunch with your friends… and smack Sousuke around some…” She couldn’t believe she was standing up for herself like this. She almost wished that someone could see her. Too focused on Kaname, she didn’t realize that a crowd had started to gather.
“Let’s not start with that poor pitiful me routine, again!” Kaname dropped her food back onto her plate. She fought the impulse to wipe her hand off on Tessa, before picking up her napkin. “Oh my… it’s such a hardship… saving the world…” She took her hair in her hand, formed a rudimentary ponytail, and began fussing with it. “I’m chained to my chair… they force me to do this… I really want to be at school with Sousuke…” She made a snorting noise. “You loved all the attention when you were the little visiting goddess. But… you wouldn’t last a week at school, dealing with the things that I do… Sousuke is hardly fun and games…”
“He does what he can!” It was Tessa’s turn to come to Sousuke’s defense, so to speak. “You know what kind of life he lived. We each had our own troubles, but nothing like his.” She actually found herself standing up on her bench, so she could look down at Kaname for a change. It wasn’t easy, with the TDD-1 rocking as it was. She sighed, when the signal for ‘Dive’ came over the intercom. “He might have had an easier time of it, if you offered him encouragement… instead of slapping him down every chance you get…”
“You would have done it too, if you weren’t so meek.” Kaname was not about to let Tessa have the upper hand. She stood on her bench, too. “Besides, you weren’t there. He didn’t come in and disrupt your world, putting all of your friends and classmates at risk.”
“That’s a convenient excuse, Miss Chidori.“ Tessa spoke more loudly, moving her hands in animated fashion. “Did you ever think, maybe you’re just a violent person. I think you have anger issues.” Tessa windmilled her arms and barely kept from falling backward. “Face it. We both know the truth.” She stuck out her chin, feeling braver than she had since the ordeal with Amalgam. “Sousuke puts up with it because he’s been through much worse. That’s the only reason. Anyone else would have left your side in a heartbeat.” She made a face. “I hardly think it’s fair, taking advantage of him that way…”
“Fair?” Kaname put both hands on her hips, swaying naturally with the motion of the boat. “You have the nerve to talk about fair?” She threw her hands in the air dramatically. “Sousuke’s in more danger around you than he is around me!” She too was oblivious to the growing number of onlookers. “I remember how you almost got him killed, when those jerks in A21 captured us.”
“What did you say?” Tessa looked incredulous. “You were the one who let her cell phone get stolen. And it was your grabbing Takuma that almost left Sousuke dead from that missile.” She was actually trembling. “I saw how you looked in he van. You were thinking the same thing, then.”
“Like that was the worst thing anyone did during that little adventure.” Kaname shook a finger in Tessa’s face now. “I came knocking at his door to apologize, but you had to peek around the corner dressed in a towel.” She didn’t care that Tessa hadn’t done that on purpose. “Then… when I was angry at Sousuke… and he tried to convince me that you were his commanding officer…” She scowled, remembering the game that the diminutive Captain had played.
“I see,” Tessa said, flipping her ponytail towards Kaname’s face. “Now you’re just bringing up hurt feelings. Big of you. Not the kind of thing I would expect from a Class representative and the Student Council Vice President.” She stood up on the table. “Shame on you. Acting so petty, but having the nerve to criticize me. I heard how you went out with that other boy… and how Sousuke kept watch on you anyway…”
“Sousuke and I weren’t dating yet!” Kaname stepped up on the table too. “Now who’s being petty?”
“Well, if you weren’t dating yet, why are you so upset about the towel?” Tessa surprised herself. She had to quell the impulse to reach out and shove Kaname off of the table. “Does it bother you, that I fell on him while we were training, back when I challenged Melissa to an A.S. match?” She thought back to that time at the beach. “Or, that I wriggled around on top of him, not letting him get up?”
“Wow!” Kaname put her hand to her forehead in dramatic fashion. “That was so-o-o brave of you!” She laughed. “I hate to ruin those romantic memories for you.” Her voice told a different story. “I could tell you any number of things that Sousuke and I do. But, I think it will be more fun to just leave that up to your imagination. Hmmmpppfff.” She smiled a triumphant smile. “I bet you don’t even know where he’s ticklish…” He wasn’t. But, Tessa wouldn’t know that. At least, she better not!
“Hey… you two lovely ladies want some champagne…” That voice had Kaname and Tessa freezing. They saw Kurz Weber walking over with a bottle in his hand. They also saw Sousuke and Melissa, the latter scantily clad and hanging all over the former. After that, they both blushed bright red, seeing that their little spat had been witnessed by a number of crew members..
“You don’t need to be so melodramatic, asshole.” Melissa said, before giving Sousuke a kiss. His arms shot out from his sides, like someone pulled the string on a wooden puppet toy. “But, I am glad to see you stopped acting so f-cking jealous.”
“Melissa!” Tessa slipped, fell hard on her rump, and then slid onto her bench. She stared at Lt. Mao and Sousuke.
“What are you talking about?” Kaname hopped down off of the table, feeling foolish standing up there. “Sousuke… what does Melissa mean…”
“Uhhh…” Sousuke looked down at his feet.
“Well?” Kaname walked over to where Sousuke was standing, eyes going wide when Melissa took his hand and put it on her hip. “You better start talking, Mister!”
“I’ll tell them if you like, Sousuke old chum.” Kurz rubbed his hands together, his grin making him look like the Cheshire Cat. “Then again, it might be more fun to keep them guessing.” He gave Tessa a jaunty salute.
“Doesn’t matter to me, any.” Melissa shrugged. “It’s really not a big deal.” She elbowed Sousuke. “Then again, it was a good bit bigger than I expected.”
“Uhhh…” Sousuke swallowed hard. He began sweating heavily.
“Yeh.. well…” Kurz struck one of the poses that served him well during his modeling days. “As we all know… it’s not the size of the gun that matters…” He turned to work the crowd. Everyone knew who Mithril’s top sniper was. “It’s how you use it…”
“Shit!” Melissa let Sousuke go, and then made a brushing-off motion with her hand. “What good is a gun that no one ever shoots?” She smiled when a number of people in the throng whistled. She winked at Sousuke. “Right… stud…”
“Sousuke?” Kaname sounded less insistent that time. In fact, she sounded worried. She knew what all the joking meant. She hoped it didn’t really have anything to do with her boyfriend.
“Uhhh… Kaname…” Sousuke swallowed hard. He couldn’t meet Kaname’s eyes.
“No more games, Sgt. Weber.” Tessa’s voice cracked. She was mortified. That wasn’t something a submarine commander could let her crew hear!
“OK.” Kurz put on a mock frown. “If it’s an order, I guess I have to spill the beans.” He grinned, patting Sousuke on the back. Looking at Kaname he sighed. “Sorry Angel. You snooze… you loose…”
“Mister Webber!” Tessa actually stomped her foot.
“You guys talk about it,” Mao said, looking disgusted. “Like I said, it’s no big thing. I need something to eat. That was quite a work-out last night… tiger…” She bumped her hip against Sousuke and went to pick up a tray. “Left me with quite an appetite.”
“She wants me,” Kurz said as an aside. “She just reached for the lower hanging fruit… so to speak…” He goosed Sousuke. “Let’s see. How should I put this? Hmmmmm-mmmm-mmm-mm-m…”
Kaname and Tesasa both crowded in on Kurz. Tessa looked worried too. Sousuke opened his mouth to say something when he saw the expression on Kaname’s face; but, decided against it.
“All the two of you can do is fight, lately.” Kurz shrugged. “I can see how that can be pretty boring. Right, Sousuke?” He ran a hand through his long flowing hair. “You drove Sousuke into the arms of another woman.” He sighed, trying to put a hang dog look on his face. “She knew just what to do with him when she got him there.” He bowed to his younger teammate. “Poor guy didn’t stand a chance…”
“Wh-… Wh-… What?” Kaname froze. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Looking over at Mao, she took note of the shorts and halter top. Those couldn’t be regulation.
“Mister Sagara…” Tessa’s mouth fell open. She blushed, and played with her hair again. She couldn’t look Sousuke in the eyes.
“Uhhh… you see…” Sousuke swallowed hard. “I was just following orders…”
“I see,” Kaname said, sounding hurt. Her eyes narrowed, and she made a terrible face. “I suppose you missed out on your big chance, Tessa…” She turned her back on Sousuke, not wanting to believe anything that she heard. “All you had to do was throw your rank around…”
“Hey, Sousuke…” Melissa called over from where she stood at the front of the line. “The cook wants to know if you’ll be wanting second helpings this morning.” She blew him a kiss. “I want to know the same thing… if you catch my drift…”
“N-… N-… Negative…” Sousuke took a step back, seeing the look that Kaname gave him. He opened his mouth again, but closed it.
Kaname walked over to Sousuke. “I hate you.” She didn’t know what else to say. It felt as if her whole life was shattering into a million of sharp painful pieces. Her face crumpled. Tears came to her eyes. Her fight with Tessa had been nothing, compared to this. If only she had been more attentive during this trip. “How could you do this to me…”
“It was easy, wasn’t it Sousuke?” Kurz was laughing now, as if he knew something that Kaname and Tessa did not. “The thing I find hardest to believe is that it was your idea in the first place.” He winced, watching Kaname kick Sousuke hard in the shin. It looked like she was ready to run off. He better not prolong things any further. “It was a good joke.”
“Joke?” Kaname felt the world come rushing in on her, feeling as if she were about to suffocate. Her heart was beating fast enough to explode, and this was some kind of prank. “Sousuke… you owe me an explanation…” Her voice clearly said ‘And it better be a damn good one.’
“Affirmative,” Sousuke said. He stood more relaxed now, legs spread and hands behind his back. “It has to do with cat fights.”
“Cat fights?” Tessa looked over at Sousuke. Her face pinked up some. She thought about her recent blow up with Kaname, realizing just how it must have looked to an observer.
“Yes,” Sousuke said. “A catfight is, by definition, a physical confrontation between two felines.” He blinked rapidly, hearing Kaname growl. “More commonly, the term 'catfight' is used as a slang term for an altercation… usually physical…between two women.”
Tessa and Kaname turned to look at one another. They both immediately looked down at their feet.
“In anime, manga, and movies, cat fights are stereotyped as involving slapping, scratching, hair-pulling, and sometimes biting, but not usually punching or kicking.” Sousuke looked over at the crowd. A number of the men had begun making cat noises. One sailor bent over in pain, after saying something to one of his female crewmates. “It can also be used to describe two human females insulting one another verbally, or being unpleasant to one another. I am certain that the two of you can see what I am referring to.”
Tessa nodded. Kaname looked over at Sousuke, not knowing if she should feel sheepish for her behavior, or angry at the fact that a certain baka saw fit to lecture her. He was hardly Mr. Socially Adept!
“It was unpleasant, hearing such things.“ Sousuke met Kaname’s eyes without flinching. After a moment, she nodded and began twiddling her fingers. That was unlike her. “Many catfights in fictional situations and commercials end with at least one of the participants missing several articles of clothing. Cat fighting is also a popular subject amongst pornographic films, depicting multiple women in sexually suggestive and combative situations.”
“Heh heh heh hehhh-hh-h…” Kurz smiled. “There seems to be an increase in violent women, and not just those who have had a few too many Mai Tais, Mojitos, and other girly drinks beginning with the letter ‘M.’ Not that I mind.” He struck another pose. “I just wish Sousuke didn’t wait to stop this little fracas until you were down to bras and panties.”
Tessa turned bright red, imagining what that would be like. Looking over at Kaname, she saw the other girl clench her fists.
“Is that what you thought we might be doing, mister?” Kaname stepped over to stare up at Sousuke’s face. “Thought we might put on some kind of show for you? Pervert!” She stepped hard on his toes.
“N-N-N-…” Sousuke winced. That was painful! “…Negative. We had word that the two of you were fighting again. I thought that such behavior was unseemly, and would do nothing to build good morale.”
“Hurting him again…” As embarrassed as she might be, Tessa couldn’t resist slipping that one in. “Tsk tsk tsk…”
“Why do guys like cat fights, anyway?” One woman asked truly looking puzzled. She was speaking to another female crewmate.
“Because men think if women are grabbing and clawing at each other, there's a chance they might somehow kiss.” One engineer thought he would win a round of laughetr and applause from his buddies. He got a number of nasty stares from the ladies present. They wouldn‘t be talking to him again, any time soon.
“No,” another guy said, braving the looks that the ladies gave him. “Men enjoys these little brawls for the same reason they like women’s tennis.” He smiled. “The grunting and the sweating is exciting.” He brought his fingers to his lips and made a gesture. “It just is. We can’t help it…” That set off a growing discussion among the crowd members.
“Couldn’t say it any better myself,” Kurz said. “I used to think that girls were sugar and spice and everything nice.” He chuckled lewdly. “I’m always glad to be proven wrong.”
“You owe me a better explanation, Sousuke.” Kaname’s righteous indignation chased away her embarrassment and culpability for the moment. “And you better not say anything stupid like those other guys did!”
“I am not good with words,“ Sousuke said. “As it has been explained to me, girls will do almost anything to get a guy’s attention. However, fighting is the one thing that girls do that has nothing to do with impressing a man.” He looked at Kaname, and then at Tessa. Clueless as he might be at times, he was well aware of how they felt about him. “Unless I am mistaken, fighting would be the most unladylike thing that a girl could do.”
“That’s…” Tessa took a step forward, wanting to deny the truth. She stopped and hung her head. Seen in that light, her confrontation with Kaname left her feeling rather small.
“Oh? Really?” Kaname put her hands on her hips. Sousuke was right, of course. But, that wasn’t what mattered. “Why don’t you walk over and tell that to Melissa. She might give you something more than a kiss, then.” Lt. Mao was hardly a font of etiquette and social niceties.
“Uhhh…” Sousuke twitched. He felt relieved when Mao gave him a ‘V’ sign. She never made any pretense of being a lady. It was good enough for her just to be a woman.
Kurz started laughing. That had Melissa changing her mind exclusively. She gave her lanky subordinate the finger.
“I am not certain why, but in the past, to be unladylike was like a kiss of death.” Sousuke looked mildly perplexed, remembering some of the things he had heard from women at Merida base. “I suppose it could be like being a mercenary, and betraying the ones who pay you. Few customers would trust you later.“ He scratched his head. “I spoke with a counselor while I was on shore. He tried to explain things to me. He said that is not easy being a woman these days. How he knows that, I cannot say. He was a man.“
“I feel like I’m reading Sherlock Holmes,“ Kurz quipped. “And I hate to read…“
“He’s right,“ Kaname said. “Get to the point, Sousuke.“ She narrowed her eyes. “There better be a point.“
Tessa nodded her head, feeling a bit exposed, seeing how many crew members were still hanging around. When Cmdr. Mardukas showed up, that soon changed. Not only that, but Sousuke stood at attention and began sweating again. The commander gave him an interested ear, too.
“You see… it has always been difficult…” Sousuke found himself seizing up. He always did that around the commander. The exception had been the day that he had confronted General Ammitt. On that notable afternoon, Mardukas had been the one close to fainting. “He said that some women feel the need to put on a front to let others know not to mess with them … but it is still a front….” He coughed, but felt somewhat better when he saw Mardukas nod his head sagely. “It was his opinion, that most women who get into unnecessary physical fights are really scared and fragile on the inside… which is why they feel the need to hide it with an aggressive façade.” He rubbed his chin. “Perhaps if you both realize that… there will be no reason to fight like this again…”
Tessa began shuffling her fee a bit. Sousuke had made a good point. Well, he had repeated something that he had heard; but, it still made good sense.
Kaname rolled her eyes. She ignored the fact that Sousuke’s words rang true. To her, the important thing was that he was trying to sound so smart. Big idiot!
“Do you disagree with me?” Sousuke had caught Kaname’s look. He was getting more and more shrewd in interpreting her behavior. “With the counselor, I mean.” He thought a moment. “It can see why your pride might not allow you to agree with me. But, I would think you would take a professional at his word.”
“I…” Kaname hung her head. She actually managed a smile. Even though it was against her usual code, she enjoyed it when Sousuke stood up to her. “You’re right…” She looked up at him. “I’m actually proud of you. You didn’t screw things up this time.” She should have kept her mouth shut.
“Thank you, Kaname.” Sousuke felt immeasurably better. That made him somewhat glib, relatively speaking. “I needed to find some way to bring a stop to the arguing. It has gone on too long. The ploy with Mao caught your attention, I think.” He looked over at Cmdr. Mardukas. When the stuffy officer turned a scowl Sousuke’s way, after someone told him about the big act, the young soldier began sweating again. “Before speaking with the counselor, I called a number of veterinarians who worked for Mithril.” They were men and women who primarily worked with the trained dolphins in Mithril service.
“Veterinarians?” Kaname frowned. The bloom had already fallen off the rose. What was that big stupid head talking about now.
“I grew up in the alleys of Kabul,” Sousuke said, thinking back to his early days as an orphan, before joining the Afghan freedom fighters. “I had seen many fights between cats. Some were quite brutal, leaving the combatants scarred or worse.” He didn’t see Kurz smile and rub his hands together, expecting fireworks. He also did not catch sight of Melissa shaking her head as she hung one leg over the back of a chair. Her philosophy might come into play here: that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Sousuke might be on the cusp of discovering some new strengths… the hard way.
“So we’re cats, are we…” Kaname curled her fingers into claws. One of her ears twitched. “It was bad enough, you’re calling our little discussion a cat fight…”
“Meow.” Tessa looked over at Sousuke. If she had a tail, it would be twitching.
“Sometimes, the way that cats play does not seem all that different than the way that cats fight.” Sousuke stood straighter, feeling more in control. He Was not about to back down. This was for Kaname’s own good. Tessa’s, too. He need be succinct and to the point, as if this were an official mission briefing. “Cat play usually involves chasing, swatting, hissing and nipping.“ He thought a moment. “The parallels seem to fit.“
“Really?“ Kaname looked deceptively calm. “Funny you should mention swatting…“ She flexed the fingers on the hand that used to hold the paper fan, when she used it. so how can you tell the difference?
“Hissing?“ Tessa felt her face grow warm. She felt very self conscious again.
“First, one should take note of the animals’ prior behavior.” Sousuke began walking back and forth, as if he were lecturing new recruits. “If you know that the two cats in question have never been friendly to each other, then chances are what you are witnessing is fighting.” He looked over at Kaname and Tessa again. “It is difficult to judge your relationship at times.”
“Oh?” Kaname frowned. “Funny you should mention relationships.” If she had whiskers, they would be standing straight out now.
Tessa frowned for a moment. But, an instant later, she smiled. If Kaname somehow decided to dump Sousuke, that would open the door for her. “You tell him, Kaname!” That had Kaname going stiff. She came to the same conclusion. This time she gave Tessa a dirty look.
“That is precisely the type of thing I am making reference to.” Sousuke put his hands behind his back. He nodded, when Mardukas straightened his cap. “Cat fighting is something that should be stopped through distraction, since it can lead to disease transmission. It can also lead to serious wounds, with or without infections.” He ran a hand through his hair. “The distraction was very effective, I think.”
“Yes,” Tessa said, sounding very chipper suddenly. That did not sit well with Kaname.
“Observation is key.” Sousuke spoke louder, more confident. “The veterinarians were quite adamant about that point. If you are unsure if the cats are playing or fighting, rely on your ears and eyes.” He paused a moment, wondering why Melissa had made a gesture like a knife across the throat. He also wondered why Kurz had pulled up a chair, and was just staring at him. “They mentioned particulars. Screaming is a sure sign that the cats are fighting. Your voices had gotten rather loud.”
“Thank you for letting us know, Sousuke.” Kaname laced her fingers together and cracked her knuckles. Their voices had reminded him of the yowling of two cats? Sousuke had just damned himself, as far as she was concerned. Anything else was just icing on the cake.
“One cat being overly dominant is another sign of fighting.” Sousuke nodded, looking at Tessa. “But… to be honest… I was uncertain at first. In cat play, the roles shift. It looked as if Tessa was getting the best of things for a while.”
“I always thought that he was one of my brightest soldiers,” Tessa said, preening. “Despite what some people said.” She looked at Mardukas, who frowned.
“A hissing or two from either cat is normal.“ Sousuke stared at both Tessa and Kaname. The two of them looked defiant at first. Tessa soon looked away and blushed once again. She had been doing a lot of that. Kaname tried to look nonchalant. “But, continued hissing suggests a cat fight is underway… or about to get underway.” He cocked his head. “The two of you were practically hissing.” he held one finger up as he contemplated something. “Perhaps it might also be cogent to call such encounters Snake Fights as well…”
That had Mardukas closing his eyes. Kurz began chuckling. Melissa just shook her head. The crew members who had found some reason to remain began passing money amongst themselves, placing bets on what might happen to Sousuke.
“So now we’re snakes…” Kaname had said that under her breath. The sibilance made it sound mighty close to a hiss.
“Finally…and perhaps most importantly… in cat play, except for accidents, neither of the two cats gets hurt.” Sousuke spoke very sternly. “I was unsure about either of your intentions. Kaname picked up the food, as if it were a weapon. Tessa held her hands up, as if she was contemplating pushing Kaname. Perhaps it is good that we stopped things where we did.”
“I think we can all agree with that.” Mardukas spoke with a sense of finality. Even though Tessa was his commander, the look he turned on her was like one an angry father might give a misbehaving child. It had the intended effect. “And, having heard the Sgt. Major’s explanations, I hope that we will see no more fighting between two… spirited… young ladies.” With that, he saluted Tessa and left for the bridge.
“It is good that there will be no more fighting.” Sousuke picked up a napkin and used it to mop his brow. That whole affair had been more nerve-wracking than defusing a ticking time bomb. “You both are important to me.” He felt a small twinge of pride.
“I think Tessa and I can put our differences behind us,” Kaname said, believing that at the moment. “Funny you should mention someone getting hurt, though.” She smiled sweetly, but her eyes were two glowing embers.
“That is quite a coincidence,”Tessa said. “We have our dignity to think of. And, the two of us have a common… opponent… right?” She looked over at Kaname, who nodded her head.
“Opponent?” Sousuke suddenly felt a chill run up and down his spine.
“Yes,” Kaname said, advancing on him, sashaying just a bit. “I’ll take the chasing and swatting, if you want the hissing and nipping.”
“OK,” Tessa said. “Fine by me.”
“I think I’ll go get a couple of beers,” Melissa said. “This ought to be good.”
“Thanks,” Kurz said, smiling at Mao.
“Who said I was going to give one to you?” She chuckled, seeing Kurz’ face fall.
“Kaname… Captain…” Sousuke said. “The fighting is over.”
“Who told you that, Sousuke?” Kaname sprung up and down on her legs a bit. She smiled when Tessa walked over to Sousuke’s other side. He was surrounded. “Didn’t your experts teach you the most important thing about cat fights?”
“Kaname?” Sousuke coughed. His throat had gone dry for some reason. “Making a loud noise? Such an act will usually startle the cats and send them running in opposite directions. Shaking a can of food treats might also work.”
“Negative,” Kaname said. She was very glad that Sousuke hadn’t tossed a grenade or two. And, if he ever tried shaking a box of Pocky or some other kind of snack, he’d pay big time!
“You should never step in between two angry cats,” Tessa said. “Correct?”
“Correct,” Kaname said, giving Tessa a two-finger salute.
“Uhhh…” Sousuke thought that a strategic retreat might be in order.
THE END
Good work, good work. And you never know how fast you change friends to foe, foe to friends, Sousuke to a dead-man