A/N: The final portion of this Chapter will contain R-rated scenes. Those offended by such material or not wishing to read those kinds of scenes are asked to skip ahead after reading up to the red line.
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Kaname woke slowly, without the horrendous pulsing wail of her alarm.
It was Saturday. Not just any Saturday, however. The Saturday.
It wasn’t a holiday. She hadn’t written anything on the downstairs calendar that she and Sousuke shared. There was nothing special going on at school. As far as anyone else would be concerned, it was nothing more than a normal day.
She folded her plush robe over her pajamas. The warmth was wonderful and the materials had her shivering with tactile pleasure. Sousuke had seen her dress like this before, so it shouldn’t raise an eyebrow.
Padding down the stairs eagerly, she caught the unmistakable odor of coffee. Coffee and something cooked. That big idiot must have made her breakfast again. If he had, he was going to get a big kiss. Maybe even without the robe.
Kaname would keep the pajamas on, of course. She needed to retain some degree of decorum.
Until tonight.
Her anticipation was the only thing stronger than her hunger. If she started to salivate when she entered the dining area, she wouldn’t be certain what the cause was.
Sousuke had better NOT do anything to mess this up!
If he did, he wouldn’t have to worry about his future any more.
Kaname smiled as she ran her hand along the polished mahogany banister. It had become an old friend, something she had taken note of consistantly since she had moved in. Every morning for the past two months, she had looked at her reflection in its mirror-like surface…. marveled at the exquisite carvings on the support poles… and slid her hand along it all the way down to the bottom floor.
Moving day.
Now there was a memory.
She had spent a number of weeks agonizing over her decision. There had been a number of good reasons why she preferred her old apartment, but the allure of Sousuke’s building… not to mention the attraction of Sousuke himself… had finally won her over.
That big lunkhead had told her not to worry. He had arranged to have movers do all of the work for her. They did. Very professionally.
They were more than movers.
It was a security company. Each and every item of hers had been handled, examined, and tested where necessary. When she had walked into to check on their progress, she found a huge sweaty hirsute man waving a rod-like piece of equipment over one of her fancy bras.
It’s a rare day when a man like that is shocked by the words coming out of a girl’s mouth.
At least they had everything packed, loaded, and delivered in one piece.
When they were waiting in the lobby of her new building, that’s when the fun really started. The foreman asked where they should carry her things. She lead them to her chosen room.
Kaname had not gone over her choice with Sousuke. She didn’t pick the largest room, or the one with the most amenities. The one she selected was comfortable. It had a quaint charm. There was a beautiful view off of a spacious balcony.
It was perfect.
Sousuke had vetoed the idea. “Too close to the fire escape. The primary armory is located one floor below. The building next door has a room on the same level.”
Instead of arguing, Kaname went on to her next pick, a nice corner room with wonderful antique fixtures and a hand-painted mural. She could feel like royalty in that kind of room. That choice was vetoed as well. “The wiring is antiquated. The building across the avenue has a low roof, ideal for listening posts, a microwave emitter array, or a sniper’s blind. The tallest trees top out above balcony level.”
Grumbling something fierce, she had moved onto her third choice. In some ways, it was the nicest of. It was a series of rooms, actually. A nice living area led to a bedroom, a separate sitting area, and a convenient little kitchenette. Again, Sousuke had a litany of things to comment on.
This time, however, Kaname got what she wanted.
“That’s fine. If all of my choices are bad Sousuke, I’ll just move in with you. I’ll be safe that way. But a girl needs constancy… you’ll have to sleep in the same room every night.” The move she gave him with her hip had caused one workman to drop a lamp. Sousuke acquiesced.
Finally, the movers had been able to finish their job.
Kaname gritted her teeth again just thinking about it all.
That better be one heck of a breakfast!!!
She almost ran into the kitchen. Sousuke wasn’t there. Passing through the swinging door into the dining area, she saw a single place setting on the table. Coffee. Juice. Rice. Eggs. Natto. Ham. Miso soup. And a note.
Feeling a sense of dread, Kaname read the note.
Kaname
Called into work. Emergency construction issue.
Miss you.
Back by lunch (hope).
Sousuke.
Great! Just great! Every time he wrote ‘back by lunch,’ he was back by dinner.
Why today?
Sousuke’s security responsibilities were growing daily, as the building repair work reached crucial stages in regards to internal and external security systems. Kaname knew that he had to do his job. It was why he was in Tokyo, after all; so, she shouldn’t curse the Cold Fusion Project too loudly or too frequently.
Today was the exception.
She had the day all planned out. The day before, she had told Sousuke that she had arranged a special day out for the two of them. They would take a nice walk. They would spend some time at the shooting range. There was a military bookstore that Sousuke liked, and she wanted to see it. There was a lingerie shop she always wanted to visit, and she wanted to bring Sousuke in with her. She had picked out a nice restaurant for lunch and had planned on making a very nice dinner for him.
If Sousuke made it home in time for lunch, they could still do all of the things she chose. If he was much later than that, the whole day would be shot. If that happened, she would have to choose another night.
Damn that job of his!
When she calmed down enough to eat, Kaname sat down at the table and ate the breakfast that Sousuke had prepared. Despite her mood, she had no choice but to smile. It was all very good. The cooking lessons she had given him had paid off.
Washing down the last of the ham with a sip of juice, she thought about Sousuke’s security position. He was committed to say at the University for as long as he was needed. It would be months at the minimum, and that had Kaname feeling somewhat relieved. If the project continued to show success, he could be there for years in different capacities.
Years. That would be good. Very very good.
Pushing her eggs around her plate absentmindedly, she smiled, thinking about the week before. Sousuke had made a difficult decision, and went in to speak to Tessa and Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin. He explained his situation to them. In no uncertain terms, he had said that he wanted to remain where Kaname was.
She had been so proud when she heard that. He had kissed her goodbye… driven off in a white van… and flown off to Da Danaan. After a series of deliberations, he returned home with good news. It wasn’t all that she had hoped for, but she had made her own decisions after a lot of thought.
She was willing to compromise.
Sousuke would be based in Tokyo, no matter what project or team he was assigned to. He would not be pulled away for routine missions. He made himself available for crucial operations and emergency situations. He would remain part of the organization, even if his attachment to the Advanced Research Lab was no longer necessary and he went on to find civilian employment.
Mithril would help him find a job that gave him the necessary allowances. Furthermore, the mercenary group had already done him a large favor. One of the major reasons he had been assigned to duty at colleges was to allow him a chance to further his education.
They were looking out for one of their own.
Kaname had to admit that there were benefits to Sousuke’s continued membership with that secret group.
Those benefits did not extend to today, however.
When she had finished cleaning the table and her dishes, Kaname went upstairs to use her favorite shower. She spent a long time there, enjoying the luxurious comforts. Her thoughts traveled back to the night before, when she had spent a pleasant evening with Kyouko, Ren, and Maya. She had met up with them on the Rikkyo campus after her last class was done, and they had then strolled together to a nice establishment.
There had been a lot of catching up to do.
But, she had the biggest news of them all. Sousuke. They were all surprised to hear that she had run across him again, and that he was well. Part of the excuse that had taken him away from Jindai had focused on health issues. She assured them all that he was fine, and shocked them further by telling them that they were dating. Her attitude towards Sousuke had been rather apparent after he had left, and the girls never though she would speak to him again.
“How’s Sousuke in bed?” Maya had asked with a chuckle at one point.
“She probably doen’t know,” Kyouko had quipped. “Sousuke sleeps under the bed.”
Everybody but Kaname had laughed. Each of the other girls were in intimate relationships, and that made Kaname feel somewhat jealous.
“He sleeps in a bed, now.” Kaname had said, feeling a need to stand up for Sousuke, even though Kyouko hadn’t been bad-mouthing him. “But, we haven’t slept together..... yet” she had admitted. It somehow made her feel bad, as if she were a failure.
“You know, they DO make manuals for that kind of thing.” Ren had been trying to be helpful, not make a joke.
“That’s true. But do you really want to hear him quoting things between every nibble or caress?” Maya had started laughing again, but Kyouko and Ren both realized how upset Kaname was.
It was a sore point with her.
She had decided that she had waited long enough. Here was no reason for her to hold back, given the news that Sousuke had reported. She had been more than ready physically, finding it harder and harder to not just ponce on Sousuke when he said certain things or touched her in certain spots. Her fantasies just didn’t cut it any more.
She knew that Sousuke wouldn’t make the first move.
That’s why it was up to her.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Kaname managed to lift her spirits. She would proceed with her plan, as if Sousuke was going to be home by lunch time.
Having done some cleaning, she turned her hand to decorating. She had already done a lot of work around the parts of the building that she and Sousuke inhabited. To her eye, it looked like a home, not just the building that she lived in. She could take great warmth just from thinking that. Sousuke had approved of the additions and changes, and under a barrage of hugs and kisses, had finally admitted that it made him feel somewhat special as well.
This morning, however, her work would be limited to one room. Her bedroom. She had a particular goal in mind, and wanted to have everything just right in case things went as she hoped they would.
Her earliest efforts, made weeks ago, would come in perfect for her needs.
Holding a number of large parchment wrapped packages, she felt somewhat silly. With all of her compalinst about Sousuke’s otaku nature and his military furnishings, she had decided to do something that might catch Sousuke’s fancy.
Was it too silly? Tacky?
Kaname didn’t think so. She preferred to consider it romantic.
She remembered the talk the two of them had in the sitting area, when Sousuke had talked about knights and other things. She had also gone on to read both of Sousuke’s essays, marveling at his skill as a writer. Over the period of a few weeks, Sousuke had also gone on to tell her a number of heraldic tales, including some from King Athur and the Knights of the Round Table.
After doing some research into heraldry and coats of arms, she commisioned a number of hanging tapestries. They had just arrived last week. She had also gone on a shopping expedition, picking up some attractive candles, a beautiful quilted bedcover with Medieval styling, and a number of fanciful paintings depicting courtly scenes.
It was a lot of time and money to spend on a whim, but she wanted to express her love for Sousuke in a way that words couldn’t do.
She wanted him to show his appreciation in a very intimate and physical way.
Looking around her room, she grimaced at one particular thought: Sir Gawain and the Green night. Sousuke had told her that tale, and it had a number of scenes that had better NOT influence Sousuke.
Kaname wondered if she should have purchased a sword or a headsman’s axe, to show him her displeasure in no uncertain terms, should he do something to let her down.
There were certainly some choice scenes in the story, but Gawain had been too much of a gentleman.
In the middle of his quest, Gawain had stayed at one Lord’s castle. After dinner, he met the lady of the castle. She was incomparably beautiful, and their companionship deepened over the next few days of feasting. After the third day, Gawain thanked the lord and declared himself his servant, but regreted that he must leave the next morning to continue his quest. The lord, however, revealed that the Green Chapel he sought was but two miles away, so Gawain must stay for the remaining three days and relax in bed. Jubilant, Gawain again declared himself the servant of the lord, ready to do his bidding. The lord decided that the next day, Gawain would stay in bed until attending high mass and dinner with the lady of the castle; in the meantime, the lord himself would rise at dawn to go hunting.
On the first day, the slumbering knight was approached by the lovely lady of the castle, but he delicately and diplomatically evaded and parried her sexual advances. As she was about to leave him, she asked for a kiss, and Gawain, as befits the chivalrous knight, granted her that.
On the second day, Gawain welcomed the lady as she entered his bedchamber again, as dogged as ever in her pursuit of him. She was flirtatious, and reprimanded him for forgetting to kiss. The lady alluded to his reputation in Courtly Love and asked to be taught. In the end, Gawain evaded the lady's amorous intentions, with only two kisses being exchanged.
On the third day the lady returned to Gawain's bedchamber while wearing a lovely and very revealing gown. She wakened him from his sorrowful slumber, as he lay dreading the impending day of doom at the Green Chapel. Gawain again escaped her advances, but the lady offered a token of remembrance: a valuable ring of gold, which he kindly refused. The lady then offered him a green silk tunic which can protect the wearer from death. Aware of his impending meeting with the Green Knight, Gawain accepted the girdle, which the lady begged him to keep secret. After receiving a third kiss from her that morning, Gawain dressed, confessed his sins to a priest in preparation for his challenge the next day, and spent the rest of the day in utter merriment, trying to avoid thought of his coming duty.
The next morning, despite the pleas of the castler servants, he left on his journey. At the Green chapel, he heard the sound of a blade being sharpened on a grindstone, and met the terrifying Green Knight, who bore a monstrous axe. The Knight welcomed Gawain, praising him for maintaining his part of the agreement. The horrified Gawain exposed his neck to receive the exchange blow. But, after three attempts that were held short, he survived. The Green Knight explained to the disbelieving Gawain what had just happened: the Green Knight was the lord of the castle. The first two blows did not strike him, because he had turned away the lords wife. The third blow knicked him, because he ahad accepted the sash and kept it secret. The lord went on to reveal that he arranged his wife's advances upon Gawain, but having seen the result, he was convinced that Gawain was the finest man alive. But Gawain was harsher on himself, cursing his cowardice and covetousness and rejecting the green sash which made him guilty.
The Green Knight urged Gawain to keep the sash as a token of their struggle and invited him back to the castle to celebrate the New Year. Gawain declined and considered the dangerous wiles of women. He agreed to keep the girdle to remind himself of the "fault and frailty of the foolish flesh." The Green Knight revealed himself to be Bertilak de Hautdesert, servant to the sorceress Morgan le Fay.
Sousuke had better not refuse her advances. She wanted more than a handful of kisses. She was eager to give him everything she wore, not just some token sash.
If he knew what was good for him, he would be quite pleased with the dangerous wiles of women. No, correction: he would be overjoyed by the wiles of one particular woman. She smiled a moment, looking up at a plaque that hung on her wall. Sousuke had commissioned it for her.
In honor of Kaname Chidori
Steward of Defence
Sagara House
Tokyo, Japan
It had been beautifully engraved, dated, and rimmed by expensive woods. He had gotten it made to celebrate her final victory over the harem girls. They had been persistent, to the point that a number of them had followed Sousuke home, demanding entrance to the building.
Kaname had taken matters into her own hand. She had been ready to use tear gas or a number of concussion grenades. In the end, the high pressure fire hose coiled up in the lobby sufficed.
She treasured that plaque for a number of reasons.
As for her bevy of unwanted suitors, they had made themselves scarce after word went around about the affair at the fountain. Kaname smiled, thinking back to that day.
Unwrapping the packages she had carried in, she marveled at the wonderful workmanship of the tapestries she had ordered. The fabric was made in the same manner that the actual material would have been. The dye job was magnificent. She couldn’t help but smile at the device she had settled on.
She had spent a lot of time reading, and a fair amount of time on the internet, all of which had to be done in the library, to keep it secret from a certain soldier.
Kaname knew more about heraldic devices than she ever wanted to.
A heraldic picture is called an emblazon. The heraldic palette consist of seven basic tinctures: white or silver, referred to as Argent… blue, refrred to as Azure… red, referred to as Gules… yellow or gold, referred to as Or… purple, referred to as Purpure… black, referred to as Sable… and green, referred to as Vert. There were also rare colors, such as sky-blue, brown, cinder-grey, mulberry, pink, and dark blood-red.
A shield or flag usually consists of a field or background, on which one or more distinct charges, or objects are placed. The blazon of such a shield describes the field first, then the charges.
The field could be one color, or multiple, divided in various manners. An ordinary is a charge that consists of one or more strips of some tincture which cover large areas of the shield. Every side of an ordinary is either straight or else parallels a curved edge of the shield.
There were one-edged ordinaries; two-edged ones; and special sub-ordinaries. A pattern with one color bordering the shield and another forming the center was called a bordure. Roundels were small circular areas of color, with a yellow ones called a bezant. She had selected a four-limbed charge, and that meant she had to consider the ways in which such forms can be depicted, known as postures. She had considered rampant or rearing… salient, or leaping… sejant erect, or sitting upright… and sejant affrontry, a Sejant viewed from the front, so the belly of the creature is fully visible
She had settled on sejant erect affrontry, a posture where the charge is sitting upright with the forelegs upraised and spread wide. She chose a Vert field, because of Sousuke’s uniform color. She chose a rim of Or roundels, as they reminded her of the base of a cartridge. The rim color was Sable, to remind them both of the dark days they had spent apart. She chose Gules for the charge, because of her love for Sousuke.
As charge, she had the craftsman make a representation of an Arm Slave picture she had sent them. The final device was ‘Vert, an Arm Slave sejant erect affrontry gules and on a bordure sable a semy of roundels Or.’
Quite a mouthful.
After a few minutes of trail and error, Kaname had the tapestries hung. Looking at the fruits of her efforts, she felt warm inside. It truly had been a labor of love. While she might not keep the items hanging in her room for too long, they would make a nice decoration in Sousuke’s study some day.
She hoped that the big jerk appreciated this.
“I hope this is a night to remember,” she whispered as she put away her tools and the wrappings from her purchases. She grimaced when she told herself she already had a knight to remember.
Now, it was up to Sousuke.
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Just as Kaname had been stuffing the last of her refuse down the garbage chute, Sousuke walked in. She had looked very guilty, causing Sousuke to ask if something was wrong.
She had to make certain that he had no reason to look in her bedroom before that evening.
That big idiot better not find any reason to examine the trash down in the basement, either!
Happy to realize that Sousuke was not only finished early, but done for the day, Kaname literally dragged him out of the front door.
Everything was back on track.
Because Sousuke had been gone for a better part of the morning, Kaname told him that they could save their walk in the park for another day. It made sense to visit the bookshop first, walk over to a nearby café, then take a train over to the shooting range.
The bookshop had looked deceptively small from the outside. Kaname was relieved. While she wanted to spend a day doing the things that Sousuke liked, she dreaded the though of spending any lengthy time watching as Sousuke peered through endless stacks and shelves of books.
Walking into the front door, she was flabbergasted. Not only did the store stretch two units to the rear, but every available bit a space was crammed with books. If that wasn’t bad enough, Sousuke informed her that there was a loft and a small basement. Trying to be a good trooper, she smiled and told Sousuke to take his time.
He read her eyes and told her ‘thank you,’ then promised her that he wouldn’t be more than an hour.
Like a bee visiting successive flowers, the young soldier went from one section to the other. After skimming over a rack of New Arrivals, he moved on to the General section. From there, he moved in order from Ancient warfare to the Medieval section and on to a loft filled with books on Japanese Warfare. Next, he spent a fair amount of time browsing through the titles in the Renaissance area and the Horse & Musket shelves. Seeing that Kaname was growing glassy-eyed, he asked her if she was ready for lunch after he had skimmed over the books on the Napoleonic Wars and other 19th Century topics.
“No, Sousuke. I’m alright. You spent a lot of time with me in the clothing stores last weekend. This is your special time. Tonight will be mine.” She had been yawning when she spoke. She almost bit her tongue when her jaws snapped shut. She had said too much.
“Kaname?” Sousuke had picked up on her last statement.
“Finish looking at whatever you like, Sousuke. After that, “I’ll treat you to a nice lunch. You bought last time.” She counted her blessings when the strong lure of the books reeled Sousuke back in.
Kaname followed after her boyfriend as he went from the stacks covering the Colonial period to areas housing books on Revolutions and Civil Wars from around the globe. She started to drag when he was walking through the aisles dedicated to the First and Second World Wars. After visiting the Ladies room, she found a chair to sit in while he pondered possible purchases on the Korean war, Vietnam War, Falklands War, and other 20th Century conflicts.
Before making his way to the cashier, Sousuke brought the books over to show Kaname. One was “The Confident Hope of a Miracle: the Real History of the Spanish Armada” by Neil Hanson. He excitedly told her that it was a breathtaking overview of one of the most fascinating campaigns in European history, beginning with the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, the event that precipitated the launching of the Armada, and stretching from the first whispers of the threat against England and the English crown, to the return of the battered remnants of the fleet to Spain.
“Marvelous,” Kaname said. It wasn’t something that she would put on her reading list, but Sousuke had a huge smile on his face.
She was just as enthusiastic when he showed her “The Crimean War: a Reappraisal” by Philip Warner. Naturally, she hadn’t known that the work concentrated on the lessons learned by the British army and the successful responses made to the difficult conditions encountered during the campaign.
Sousuke was only slightly disappointed that she had never heard anything about the Charge of the Light Brigade and other famous disasters.
The last book had Kaname sitting upright in her seat too quickly, banging her crown on the fire extinguisher hanging over her head. “The Triumphant Kinght, the High Middle Ages 1314-1485: Story of the knight in the 14th and 15th centuries” by Stephen Turnbull.
The Triumphant Knight!
Was that bit of coincidence a favorable portent?
“Kaname, what’s wrong?” Sousuke had asked, concerned. She told him that she had developed a sharp pain in her leg. That had Sousuke insisting that they take a cab home immediately, but Kaname managed to fend him off.
His bag in one hand and Kaname’s arm around his other arm, Sosuke walked with her to the café fter he had paid for his purchase. Asking him to order for them both, Kaname was happy just to lean against him, drinking in the smell of his cologne. She wanted to see how well he knew her tastes. He was spot on. For himself he chose Grilled Chicken on Teppan-Yaki Mashed Potatoes with Honey Oyster Sauce. For her he selected Grilled Swordfish Sandwich on Sesame Bun with Sesame Chili Mayonnaise.
That had her chuckling, realizing that some cultures considered oysters to be an aphrodisiac. She just shook her head when Sousuke asked her why she sounded so amused.
Kaname had to avoid his inquiry one more time when he picked out their deserts. Vanilla Ice Cream with Passion Sauce and Sesame Sticks for him and Passion-tini Mousse with Raspberries and Cilantro Jelly for her.
Passion sauce?
Was Fate in her corner, or busy laughing at her?
Lunch went very nicely. She spent some time telling him all of Kyouko’s, Ren’s, and Maya’s news, plus whatever details they mentioned on other people they both knew. The most surprising news was that Shinji and Mizuki had been going together for years, and had run off together to elope.
Kaname threw a raspberry at Sousuke when he made it a point to reminisce about his kiss with Mizuki. Kaname salvaged some dignity afterwards by saying it was really no big deal. She would have been more concerned had he kissed Shinji instead.
“You didn’t hear about that?” Sousuke went on to ask with a perplexed face. It took three more raspberries before he admitted he was only joking.
Kaname almost slid out of her chair when Sousuke asked if she had been planning on getting him sticky all along.
Each and every innocent slip or coincidental happenstance was tugging on the strings of her libido. She didn’t know if she could make it home and wait until the evening, or whether she should take him to a hypnotist and drag him to a Love Hotel.
Consequently, Sousuke was a little disappointed at her performance in the shooting range. That didn’t matter as much as it might have, as she was much more confident on her performance later on. Sousuke had wowed the crowds with the Beretta model 87 with extended barrel and the Mark XIX .50AE Desert Eagle Pistol with 10-inch barrel and scope. She wasn’t expecting him to do the same for her that night. The topic had come up between them in the past. He had never had a woman before.
She had blushed rather furiously at one point, when Sousuke asked if she wanted him to give her the gun.
Her attention had wandered repeatedly after that, and she had even ended up clipping a target in the lane to her left. Sousuke halted the shooting at that time, clearly wondering if something was troubling her.
Kaname hated to lie to him, but she was not about to tell him what she was thinking.
Her state of mind what it was, she decided to save the lingerie shop for another day. Besides, it would be more fun when Sousuke had a notch on his pistol, so to speak.
When they finally made it home after visiting the market, she sent him to get a shower, saying it was because he lost the battle of the desserts. She would sneak in and use the shower again while things were cooking.
Humming happily to herself she went about preparing their dinner. For nostalgia’s sake, she chose to make okonomiyaki and unagi. Her choice of the latter had nothing to do with its reputed effect on stamina. After those, she cooked Scallops in Yuzu and Honeyed Chicken Breasts with ginger. For a wild moment, she wondered if she should bring the jar of honey upstairs with her later. She had never been into that type of thing.
At least not yet.
From that point on, all the moments seemed to blur together. Dinner. Some time spent watching a movie together in the TV room. Some drinks on the balcony. Kaname was certain that it had all been pleasant, but the later it got, the more excited she got.
Before she knew it, the time had arrived.
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More coming in this chapter
[FIC] Higher Education (pt 18)
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