Le Jeu Sinistre Chapter 6/9
Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2003 11:30 pm
Disclaimer: I don’t own Full Metal Panic, nor do I own the hilarious and witty word “Fumoffu.” I do, however, own the “Campaign to Incorporate the Hilarious and Witty Word ‘Fumoffu’ into Modern English Vernacular.” Just think! Sitcoms would have a field day! “Did you do your homework?” “Fumoffu!” *hilarity ensues* Or how about “Whatever happened to those weapons of mass destruction in Iraq?” “Fumoffu!”
Chapter Six: Invoke
When Kaname awoke, it was noon. In her depression, she had gone to bed shortly after seeing Sousuke and Tessa outside and, after tossing and turning for several hours, finally fell asleep.
The guestroom she was given was quite nice. The carpet was like walking on soft fur and the bed was fluffy and comfortable. The windows let the sunshine in just right so as to give the room a happy, content feeling.
All of this was lost of Kaname as she stumbled out of the room because she felt like shit.
She managed to get downstairs and into the kitchen where Mrs. Weber was… cooking.
“Oh! Kaname, dear, come here and taste this…”
“Mrs. Weber…” moaned Kaname. “I’m not feeling well. I don’t think…”
In an instant, Mrs. Weber had crossed the large kitchen with a speed impossible for a woman of her age and size. Her hand was suddenly at Kaname’s forehead.
“Mmm… Poor thing. I would say you have a fever. Well, back to bed!”
“But…”
“If you don’t get rest, you won’t get better, now will you? I’ll send someone up with food for you, don’t worry!”
With one pudgy hand, Mrs. Weber grabbed Kaname’s arm. She tsk-tsked disapprovingly.
“Kurtzle says you live alone. It doesn’t seem like you eat that well… A woman’s body needs…”
Kaname tuned out and didn’t hear the rest of what Mrs. Weber said. The older woman marched her back up to the guestroom and put her to bed. Kaname curled up in a fetal position, burying her head against the pillow.
Soon, she had sunk into an uneasy sleep. Then, before long, she was dreaming…
She was standing in a city. A destroyed city. It was like the hollowed out, gutted skeleton of once beautiful city. Kaname walked along the deserted roads, the wind blowing through her hair, spreading it out.
The winding roads led her all through the dead metropolis. Charred and crushed buildings lay everywhere. Soon, she came to what appeared to be a large square that had remained more or less untouched by the destruction. In the center, there was what looked like the monument or a statue. A cross, she realized.
As she started towards it, a cold needle pierced Kaname’s heart. There was something on the cross. She picked up the pace and when she saw the blue hair of the crucified person, she started to run.
The corpse made for a grotesque sight. The body was naked and splattered with dried blood. It hung awkwardly off the wood, held to it only by the nails in the hands and feet and the supporting rope. A crown of thorns adorned the head.
And, to top it off, it was Kaname’s own face staring right back at her with dead eyes.
She hadn’t noticed it at first, but there was someone sitting at the foot of the cross. A man, dressed in Roman armor. When Kaname noticed him, he rose slowly, drawing his sword.
He looked her directly in the face and smiled. He was middle aged, mid to late forties. Hair beginning to gray. And he had the kind of smile that could make a tiger piss itself.
The gladius drawn, the soldier turned slowly and drove the blade into the corpse’s side. Blood oozed out and as Kaname began to scream, he whispered something.
“All hail the Queen of the Whispered…”
~
When her eyes shot open and she began to scream, Kaname was vaguely aware of someone near her. She tried to sit up, thrashing in the bed, trying to erase the vision of her own naked corpse from her mind. The person was holding her down now. Not roughly but gently.
Slowly, she calmed down. Panting, her eyes began to focus and Kaname realized who was holding her down. Holding her, really.
Sousuke.
“Chidori.”
Kaname looked at Sousuke closely. He was obviously worried. His brow was furrowed and he looked a bit pale. Were his wounds alright? Didn’t matter…
“Are you alright, Chidori?”
“Sousuke…”
“If you-“
He never finished the sentence. Kaname broke into sobs and pushed her face into Sousuke’s neck. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and leaned back, pulling him into bed with her. The young soldier held the crying girl gently for nearly ten minutes. Soon, she had used up all her tears and choked out a few dry sobs.
“What’s wrong?” asked Sousuke.
Kaname didn’t answer. The image of the crucified body, still fresh in her mind… It was like a hand was squeezing and crushing her heart, filling her with dread every time she thought of it.
“Sousuke…” Kaname whispered. “Have you… Have you ever seen death?”
What a stupid question, she thought to herself.
“Yes.”
“What was it like… the first time you saw it up close?”
“I was very young so I did not understand it. It was just there. It just was.”
Kaname closed her eyes.
“Have you seen your own death?”
“Yes. Many times.”
“How old-“
“Six. I was separated from my group and I was ambushed by a group of bandits. I believe they wanted to eat me. They were starving.”
“What happened?”
“They shot me several times and tried to finish me off. I was sure that I would die but I managed to kill one of them and blind another. I was able to crawl away and find my unit again.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why?”
“No… For how I’ve treated you. For everything I’ve done. Hitting you, yelling at you, ignoring you… It’s unforgivable.”
“I don’t mind.”
Kaname didn’t pull out of Sousuke’s arms, nor did he make any attempt to let her go.
“Your fever appears to be down,” Sousuke observed.
“Sousuke. I’m scared.”
The brown eyes that had seen hundreds of men die softened as they went over Kaname’s face.
“Of what?”
“I don’t know. My dream…” She told him everything, from the destroyed city to the square and the cross and the soldier… Sousuke listened in silence.
When she had finished, Sousuke grunted. “You were delirious. Nothing more.”
“You think?”
“Yes. There’s no other reasonable explanation for it. Have you seen any strange movies lately? Perhaps the movie on the plane?”
Kaname yawned. “Maybe…”
Carefully, the young man disentangled himself from her. Kaname once again got under the covers, looking up at Sousuke.
“Thanks.”
“I only did what I could.”
Finally, Kaname smiled. “It doesn’t matter… As long as you’re near me, I can feel better.”
Nodding, Sousuke replied. “I’ve felt that way for awhile.”
And with that, he turned on his heels and left, leaving Kaname to get some more sleep.
~
It was finally evening. Kaname lay awake in her bed, staring up at the dark ceiling. Her mind was a total blank. Her fever was gone but it had taken its toll. She felt too tired to even think.
Then, the door to the room creaked open. Kaname was too tired to turn her head so her eyes pivoted over to see Tessa slip into the room.
“K-Kaname-san….?” whispered Tessa tentatively.
“Hey,” Kaname whispered back.
“Oh, did I wake you?” Tessa asked quickly.
“Nah… What’s up?”
“Well… Mrs. Weber said you were feeling sick so I thought…” She trailed off. “She wanted me to bring you food so…”
“I couldn’t eat another bite if she forced me. And she probably will, won’t she?” Kaname smiled slightly, still staring at the ceiling.
Tessa laughed a bit. “Since coming here, I’ve gained four pounds. I can’t believe it…”
“What? How much did you weigh before?” Kaname sat up on her elbows a bit, her weariness fading.
Blushing a bit, Tessa said, “Ninety-nine pounds… but…”
Kaname laughed. “You can stand to eat as much as you want here. You know that, don’t you?”
Tessa smiled back. “I guess you’re right. When I was a Captain-“ She paused. “When I was a Captain, I didn’t always have time to eat so I guess I’ve been underweight.”
An uncomfortable silence filled the room, much the same way as six bottles of beer fill a College Freshman’s stomach. That is to say, completely and about to burst.
“So, how’s Sousuke?” Kaname blurted out. Tessa immediately blushed and turned away.
“I haven’t talked to him much today…”
“But you talked to him last night, didn’t you?”
Frowning in surprise, Tessa said, “How did you…?”
“I saw.”
Again, the Drunken College Freshman Style Silence.
“I feel guilt because of it…” Tessa said softly.
“Guilty?”
“Yes… I feel like I took advantage of him. He’s a lot like a child, you know? I told him I was cold just to get close to him… But that’s the only way I could.”
Kaname giggled. And then, she burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand.
“W-what’s so funny?” demanded an incensed Tessa.
“That way you’re acting… It’s like you molested him.”
“I didn’t molest him!”
“You wouldn’t know that from the way you act!”
Both girls started giggling. Tessa covered her face with her hands, laughing hard.
“You’re the worst!”
“Ha! Don’t pretend you don’t like it!”
The girls were laughing even harder now, any hard feelings forgotten. As she wiped the tears away from her eyes, Tessa’s face lit up like a lamp.
“Kurtz’s father will be coming here soon! You should come down to meet him?”
Kaname glanced across the room to a mirror. “My hair’s a mess… And my face…”
“Then get ready now!” insisted Tessa, tossing the covers off Kaname. A few minutes later, she had washed her face, combed her hair and changed.
“There! Good as new!” Tessa said brightly.
And then, there was a great yelling noise.
“DUMBASS!”
~
When the two girls had gotten downstairs, they saw Kurtz, a nasty bruise the color of dirt on the side of his face, sprawled on the ground, a stocky, sweaty and balding white haired man dressed in a business suit standing over him.
“Now, explain to me one more time…” growled the man. “Why is Mithril trying to kill you?!”
“I don’t know!” whined Kurtz. “I didn’t do anything!”
“Well, you obviously did or else a great big secret para-military organization wouldn’t be out to kill you!”
“Umm…”
The man looked up, noticing Kaname and Tessa for the first time.
“And who’re these too?” He didn’t yell this time.
“I-I’m There…Theresa… Testarossa…” stuttered Tessa.
“Chidori Kaname,” Kaname said quickly.
“I hope my terminally stupid son didn’t lure you two in here with promises of-“
“Goddammit, dad…”
Mr. Weber kicked his son in the face. “You’ll speak when spoken to!”
“This is child abuse!”
“It isn’t abuse when the child deserves it!” He smacked his son again.
“Just stop-“
“What was that? Did I hear a ‘Please, sir, I want some more’?” yelled Mr. Weber winding up for another punch. Suddenly, someone behind him coughed and he glanced over his shoulder.
Standing there was Melissa, coughing, looking a bit vexed. And next to her was the biggest man either Tessa or Kaname had ever seen. Less a man than a giant, really. He stood nearly eight feet tall, with long blond hair that made him look like a model. Only, his face wasn’t so much that of a model as that of a middle-aged Viking who had been on many a raid. In each hand, he held a large brief case.
“Weber, where should I put these?”
“Oh, my room is fine. I’ll unpack when I’m done here.”
The Viking lumbered off, carefully ducking to get through a doorway.
“Now, where was I…” Kurtz had started to crawl away and Mr. Weber leapt forward with surprising grace for a man of his size, grabbing the young man from behind. And Melissa coughed again.
“Yes?” said Mr. Weber, a bit annoyed that his son’s beating was being delayed. Melissa saluted.
“I am former Sergeant Major Melissa Mao. Your son’s superior.”
Mr. Weber immediately sensed he had found a kindred soul. He grabbed Melissa’s hand, shaking it vigorously.
“Well, it is a pleasure to meet you. I’m sure you can understand…”
Melissa grinned. “Of course I can…” She turned away to kick Kurtz once as he again tried to crawl away. “But, I believe I can explain why we’re all here better than Kurtz can…”
~
Ten minutes later, everyone, Sousuke and The Viking included, had assembled in the living room. Melissa explained as best she could, with Tessa’s help, the predicament they were in. Mr. Weber scratched his chin thoughtfully.
“Whatever the reason may be… It’s obvious that you’re all in a very dangerous position.”
“Yes…” Tessa murmured, her attention distracted by the very large man who had just knocked over a small table accidentally.
“Oh, I haven’t introduced my bodyguard yet. Snae-Ulf!”
The Viking looked up from where he was squatting (he was about the same size as a gorilla when he squatted), trying to pick the table up.
“Aye, Weber?”
Mr. Weber cleared his throat, beaming with pride. “May I present Snae-Ulf, arguably the largest and strong man in all of Europe! He’s the only man I trust with my life. He’s got enough strength to kill an elephant with his bare hands, let alone a group of assassins! He-“
“Inferiority complex?” whispered Melissa to Kurtz, who nodded.
“Paranoid too,” whispered Snae-Ulf from where he knelt, now trying to put back together a bookshelf he had put his foot through when he wasn’t looking.
Later, as they were about to get ready for bed, Tessa, Melissa and Kaname decided to do a bit of exploring. As they walked down one particularly long hallway, they came to a room, which featured Mr. Weber yelling at Kurtz in it.
“This should be good,” Melissa whispered, pushing the door opened a crack so they could hear well. Not that it would’ve made a lot of difference.
“…and I’m not letting you go off an play soldier again!”
“But WHY?!” whined Kurtz.
“Kurtzle,” another voice said. Mrs. Weber had taken a break from cooking, apparently. “Your father has a point. Why don’t you settle down and get married? That nice Melissa girl…”
“Melissa?!” Kurtz yelled in pure disgust. “That’d be like marrying my own sister!”
“That bastard…” hissed Melissa. “I’ll tear his balls off…”
“Well, what about the girl with the strange hair?”
“Which one? Kaname or Tessa?”
“My hair’s not strange!” said Tessa, sounding a bit hurt. Kaname growled.
The arguing continued for a few more minutes before the three girls decided it was enough and went to bed.
~
Kaname was sleeping. Not just sleeping but sleeping well, something she hadn’t done for several days. Alas, it was not to be.
She was woken by someone shaking her roughly. Sousuke.
“Chidori, we’ve got to go.”
“Huh?”
“Mithril is mounting an attack on the Weber Estate. We don’t have much time. Please, get up.”
“Oh, god…” muttered Kaname as Sousuke heaved her out of bed and marched her downstairs.
Except for Sousuke (who apparently slept in his camouflage gear) and Mr. Weber, who was dressed in a strange hunting uniform, everyone wore their pajamas. For Kurtz, it was a simple T-shirt and a pair of boxers. Melissa wore what Kaname guessed was some nice underwear under the long nightshirt. And Tessa wore pink Bonta-kun pajamas.
“Ahh…” Mr. Weber said, as he slapped a magazine into a Luger and holstered it. Gunshots roared outside and the window in another room suddenly shattered. “I have felt this alive since… since… Rhodesia!”
Melissa gave Kurtz a “What the hell?” kind of look and he returned with a “Don’t ask” kind of look.
“Mr. Weber,” Sousuke began, as he did an operations check on his assault rifle. As it turned out, the Weber family had a great deal of firearms in the house… “You said you have developed a plan?”
“Ah, yes…” He smiled broadly. “The helicopter launch pad is roughly one kilometer from here. Snae-Ulf is already there, along with the other security guards so it should remain safe for now. If we can get there soon enough, we’ve won.”
“Do we know how many troops they have?” asked Tessa. She was fastening a kevlar vest over her pajamas.
“As far as we can tell, between fifty and one hundred, as well as four Arm Slaves and several helicopters and tanks.”
“Do we have any anti-tank or AS weapons on hand?”
“Beyond grenades, no.”
“Damn…” Tessa shook her head slightly.
Kaname raised her hand slowly. “Umm… What’s going on?”
Everyone but Sousuke ignored her. “Mithril is mounting-“
“Yeah I know but…”
“Put this on.” He thrust a vest at her. The déjà vu hit her and Kaname just stared at the thing. Growing frustrated, Sousuke worked her arms into it and began fastening it.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered softly. “I’ll protect you.”
“Sousuke…”
But, then, it was like he had never said it. Soon, they were out the door and running for their lives through the dark forest.
~
Things didn’t go well.
They were pinned down almost immediately. Using a car as a barricade, they were able to hold out for awhile.
“Dammit… This is hardly fair…” muttered Mr. Weber. He had chosen to use a hunting shotgun instead of something more practical...
“They haven’t attacked with their Arm Slaves yet. We can be thankful for that…” whispered Tessa. She was shooting, her arms extended over the top of the car, blindly into the night. Next to her, Sousuke was silent as he fired burst after burst of automatic fire.
And Kaname was curled up in a ball, hating her life.
Soon, when a break in the shooting came, they started running again. And then they were pinned down again. And then, they ran again. And then, pinned down again. This time, using a few trees for cover.
“Bastards…” muttered Mr. Weber. Kurtz glanced at his father to see a dark red spot on his shoulder.
“Dad…”
The older man just glared at his son. “Listen to me,” he said as he reloaded his two Lugers and the shotgun. “You’ve been a screw up so far in life. Change or else I’ll come back to haunt you.”
“What’re you saying?”
Suddenly, Mr. Weber stood up.
“I’m saying that I’m going to go down in a blaze of glory and let you get away! RUN!”
Charging out from behind the trees, Mr. Weber pulled off the standard “run and gun” maneuver pioneered by such great men as Chow Yun Fat and John Woo. As he disappeared into the night, Kurtz stared, expressionless.
“Come on…” Melissa whispered, grabbing Kurtz’s sleeve gently. With her help, he stumbled off after the rest of them.
Somewhere, at this point, Sousuke, who had been half-dragging Kaname, got lost. Perhaps he zigged when he should’ve zagged. Before long, he and Kaname would pinned down and low on ammunition.
“Chidori,” Sousuke grunted, as he emptied another magazine. “I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this up.”
I am pathetic, Kaname thought to herself.
“I’ve only got one magazine left. Can you run, Chidori?”
Sousuke’s always helping me. He’s always protecting me. It’s like I can’t do anything for myself. I don’t deserve this. I’m always horrible to him. Why?
“Chidori?” A bullet suddenly tore through the air, slicing into Sousuke’s chest, shattering part of the kevlar vest. He gave a groan of surprise and fell back.
Thinking that they had killed him, the bullet was soon followed by two soldiers, dressed in full combat regalia. Sousuke, having dropped his rifle, drew his combat knife.
“Chidori! Run!”
He leapt forward at the first, bearing the bullets to the stomach well and striking quickly. The knife cut through the soldier’s gut with ease. As he fell back, Sousuke pulled the knife out and spun, chopping through the other soldier’s throat, but not before taking two pistol rounds to the waist.
“Chidori…” Sousuke wheezed, sinking to his knees. Kaname looked at him and gave a yelp. She crawled over to him.
“Sousuke…” she whispered.
“Run…”
Even as he’s dying, he tries to save me. I hate this… Kaname thought. Slowly, she pulled Sousuke close to her, trying to shield him with her own body. He pushed her away.
“Run!” he ordered. With new found strength, he picked up his rifle and took aim. When she didn’t run, he looked at her fiercely, his eyes, blurred by blood, blazing.
“Chidori, run and don’t look back. If you’re captured…”
“I don’t care! I don’t care if I die! I don’t care if I’m captured! I just don’t give a damn! Can’t you see?”
Sousuke didn’t, apparently.
“Sousuke…” The tears were running freely now. “I only care about you. Don’t you understand? I… really like you… So, you can’t die now… Because… because…” Suddenly, a bit of her old self shone through the funk. “Because if you do, I’ll never ever EVER forgive you! Do you understand? We still need to watch The Godfather together! And you have to pay!”
Sousuke was totally speechless for a few moments. Then, he grinned.
“Understood.”
And then, the side of his head exploded into blood.
“Sousuke…”
As his body crumpled, Kaname tried to grab it but it slipped out of her fingers.
“Sousuke…”
The soldiers, realizing that the only resistance was dead, began to move in.
“Sousuke…”
They hailed her now.
“Surrender and you won’t be hurt!”
And then, Kaname snapped.
Slowly, she stood up, looking at the soldiers closing in on her. An Arm Slave and two helicopters were backing them up.
“We repeat. Surrender now and-“
And then, the Arm Slave blew up. Kaname smiled.
“You’ve just made a very, very, very big mistake…” she whispered as the helicopters smashed into the ground…
~
In Italy, Padre sat at his desk, feet up, reviewing a file.
“Sagara Yamato… A decorated Japanese colonel, pilot and kenjutsu master. Famous for his ruthlessness, skill and determination in combat. Believed to have personally killed over five hundred enemy combatants in the ground war and shot down forty-three enemy air craft.”
Padre smiled.
“But, alas, he was killed during the fierce fighting on pacific island. After charging an American squad and being badly wounded, he limped back to the airfield and took off, managing to crash into a support ship, sinking it. But his sacrifice had more far reaching effects… During the last few months of the war, he was elevated to God-like status among the Imperial soldiers. It was believed that if you painted his name on your plane, his spirit would guide you to victory from beyond the grave.”
Padre gave a short, bitter laugh.
“Amazing how history repeats itself…”
At that moment, a young man peeked into the room.
“Your holiness, the Prime Minister of France is here for his appointment. And… they’ve delivered… ‘her’…”
Pope John Paul III smiled. “Excellent.”
End of Chapter Six
Author’s Notes: Wow. Actually finished this one sorta’ quickly. I can’t really think of a whole lot to say beyond this: The plot is going to get really deep from here on out. Expect to see, among other things, the relationship between Tessa, Sousuke and Kaname resolved, Pradre’s “true” identity revealed, the secret history of Mithril and, finally, the true nature of the Whispered.
Plus, there’s gonna’ be a really big battle. And the death of one of the most hated figures in America today.
Chapter Six: Invoke
When Kaname awoke, it was noon. In her depression, she had gone to bed shortly after seeing Sousuke and Tessa outside and, after tossing and turning for several hours, finally fell asleep.
The guestroom she was given was quite nice. The carpet was like walking on soft fur and the bed was fluffy and comfortable. The windows let the sunshine in just right so as to give the room a happy, content feeling.
All of this was lost of Kaname as she stumbled out of the room because she felt like shit.
She managed to get downstairs and into the kitchen where Mrs. Weber was… cooking.
“Oh! Kaname, dear, come here and taste this…”
“Mrs. Weber…” moaned Kaname. “I’m not feeling well. I don’t think…”
In an instant, Mrs. Weber had crossed the large kitchen with a speed impossible for a woman of her age and size. Her hand was suddenly at Kaname’s forehead.
“Mmm… Poor thing. I would say you have a fever. Well, back to bed!”
“But…”
“If you don’t get rest, you won’t get better, now will you? I’ll send someone up with food for you, don’t worry!”
With one pudgy hand, Mrs. Weber grabbed Kaname’s arm. She tsk-tsked disapprovingly.
“Kurtzle says you live alone. It doesn’t seem like you eat that well… A woman’s body needs…”
Kaname tuned out and didn’t hear the rest of what Mrs. Weber said. The older woman marched her back up to the guestroom and put her to bed. Kaname curled up in a fetal position, burying her head against the pillow.
Soon, she had sunk into an uneasy sleep. Then, before long, she was dreaming…
She was standing in a city. A destroyed city. It was like the hollowed out, gutted skeleton of once beautiful city. Kaname walked along the deserted roads, the wind blowing through her hair, spreading it out.
The winding roads led her all through the dead metropolis. Charred and crushed buildings lay everywhere. Soon, she came to what appeared to be a large square that had remained more or less untouched by the destruction. In the center, there was what looked like the monument or a statue. A cross, she realized.
As she started towards it, a cold needle pierced Kaname’s heart. There was something on the cross. She picked up the pace and when she saw the blue hair of the crucified person, she started to run.
The corpse made for a grotesque sight. The body was naked and splattered with dried blood. It hung awkwardly off the wood, held to it only by the nails in the hands and feet and the supporting rope. A crown of thorns adorned the head.
And, to top it off, it was Kaname’s own face staring right back at her with dead eyes.
She hadn’t noticed it at first, but there was someone sitting at the foot of the cross. A man, dressed in Roman armor. When Kaname noticed him, he rose slowly, drawing his sword.
He looked her directly in the face and smiled. He was middle aged, mid to late forties. Hair beginning to gray. And he had the kind of smile that could make a tiger piss itself.
The gladius drawn, the soldier turned slowly and drove the blade into the corpse’s side. Blood oozed out and as Kaname began to scream, he whispered something.
“All hail the Queen of the Whispered…”
~
When her eyes shot open and she began to scream, Kaname was vaguely aware of someone near her. She tried to sit up, thrashing in the bed, trying to erase the vision of her own naked corpse from her mind. The person was holding her down now. Not roughly but gently.
Slowly, she calmed down. Panting, her eyes began to focus and Kaname realized who was holding her down. Holding her, really.
Sousuke.
“Chidori.”
Kaname looked at Sousuke closely. He was obviously worried. His brow was furrowed and he looked a bit pale. Were his wounds alright? Didn’t matter…
“Are you alright, Chidori?”
“Sousuke…”
“If you-“
He never finished the sentence. Kaname broke into sobs and pushed her face into Sousuke’s neck. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and leaned back, pulling him into bed with her. The young soldier held the crying girl gently for nearly ten minutes. Soon, she had used up all her tears and choked out a few dry sobs.
“What’s wrong?” asked Sousuke.
Kaname didn’t answer. The image of the crucified body, still fresh in her mind… It was like a hand was squeezing and crushing her heart, filling her with dread every time she thought of it.
“Sousuke…” Kaname whispered. “Have you… Have you ever seen death?”
What a stupid question, she thought to herself.
“Yes.”
“What was it like… the first time you saw it up close?”
“I was very young so I did not understand it. It was just there. It just was.”
Kaname closed her eyes.
“Have you seen your own death?”
“Yes. Many times.”
“How old-“
“Six. I was separated from my group and I was ambushed by a group of bandits. I believe they wanted to eat me. They were starving.”
“What happened?”
“They shot me several times and tried to finish me off. I was sure that I would die but I managed to kill one of them and blind another. I was able to crawl away and find my unit again.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why?”
“No… For how I’ve treated you. For everything I’ve done. Hitting you, yelling at you, ignoring you… It’s unforgivable.”
“I don’t mind.”
Kaname didn’t pull out of Sousuke’s arms, nor did he make any attempt to let her go.
“Your fever appears to be down,” Sousuke observed.
“Sousuke. I’m scared.”
The brown eyes that had seen hundreds of men die softened as they went over Kaname’s face.
“Of what?”
“I don’t know. My dream…” She told him everything, from the destroyed city to the square and the cross and the soldier… Sousuke listened in silence.
When she had finished, Sousuke grunted. “You were delirious. Nothing more.”
“You think?”
“Yes. There’s no other reasonable explanation for it. Have you seen any strange movies lately? Perhaps the movie on the plane?”
Kaname yawned. “Maybe…”
Carefully, the young man disentangled himself from her. Kaname once again got under the covers, looking up at Sousuke.
“Thanks.”
“I only did what I could.”
Finally, Kaname smiled. “It doesn’t matter… As long as you’re near me, I can feel better.”
Nodding, Sousuke replied. “I’ve felt that way for awhile.”
And with that, he turned on his heels and left, leaving Kaname to get some more sleep.
~
It was finally evening. Kaname lay awake in her bed, staring up at the dark ceiling. Her mind was a total blank. Her fever was gone but it had taken its toll. She felt too tired to even think.
Then, the door to the room creaked open. Kaname was too tired to turn her head so her eyes pivoted over to see Tessa slip into the room.
“K-Kaname-san….?” whispered Tessa tentatively.
“Hey,” Kaname whispered back.
“Oh, did I wake you?” Tessa asked quickly.
“Nah… What’s up?”
“Well… Mrs. Weber said you were feeling sick so I thought…” She trailed off. “She wanted me to bring you food so…”
“I couldn’t eat another bite if she forced me. And she probably will, won’t she?” Kaname smiled slightly, still staring at the ceiling.
Tessa laughed a bit. “Since coming here, I’ve gained four pounds. I can’t believe it…”
“What? How much did you weigh before?” Kaname sat up on her elbows a bit, her weariness fading.
Blushing a bit, Tessa said, “Ninety-nine pounds… but…”
Kaname laughed. “You can stand to eat as much as you want here. You know that, don’t you?”
Tessa smiled back. “I guess you’re right. When I was a Captain-“ She paused. “When I was a Captain, I didn’t always have time to eat so I guess I’ve been underweight.”
An uncomfortable silence filled the room, much the same way as six bottles of beer fill a College Freshman’s stomach. That is to say, completely and about to burst.
“So, how’s Sousuke?” Kaname blurted out. Tessa immediately blushed and turned away.
“I haven’t talked to him much today…”
“But you talked to him last night, didn’t you?”
Frowning in surprise, Tessa said, “How did you…?”
“I saw.”
Again, the Drunken College Freshman Style Silence.
“I feel guilt because of it…” Tessa said softly.
“Guilty?”
“Yes… I feel like I took advantage of him. He’s a lot like a child, you know? I told him I was cold just to get close to him… But that’s the only way I could.”
Kaname giggled. And then, she burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand.
“W-what’s so funny?” demanded an incensed Tessa.
“That way you’re acting… It’s like you molested him.”
“I didn’t molest him!”
“You wouldn’t know that from the way you act!”
Both girls started giggling. Tessa covered her face with her hands, laughing hard.
“You’re the worst!”
“Ha! Don’t pretend you don’t like it!”
The girls were laughing even harder now, any hard feelings forgotten. As she wiped the tears away from her eyes, Tessa’s face lit up like a lamp.
“Kurtz’s father will be coming here soon! You should come down to meet him?”
Kaname glanced across the room to a mirror. “My hair’s a mess… And my face…”
“Then get ready now!” insisted Tessa, tossing the covers off Kaname. A few minutes later, she had washed her face, combed her hair and changed.
“There! Good as new!” Tessa said brightly.
And then, there was a great yelling noise.
“DUMBASS!”
~
When the two girls had gotten downstairs, they saw Kurtz, a nasty bruise the color of dirt on the side of his face, sprawled on the ground, a stocky, sweaty and balding white haired man dressed in a business suit standing over him.
“Now, explain to me one more time…” growled the man. “Why is Mithril trying to kill you?!”
“I don’t know!” whined Kurtz. “I didn’t do anything!”
“Well, you obviously did or else a great big secret para-military organization wouldn’t be out to kill you!”
“Umm…”
The man looked up, noticing Kaname and Tessa for the first time.
“And who’re these too?” He didn’t yell this time.
“I-I’m There…Theresa… Testarossa…” stuttered Tessa.
“Chidori Kaname,” Kaname said quickly.
“I hope my terminally stupid son didn’t lure you two in here with promises of-“
“Goddammit, dad…”
Mr. Weber kicked his son in the face. “You’ll speak when spoken to!”
“This is child abuse!”
“It isn’t abuse when the child deserves it!” He smacked his son again.
“Just stop-“
“What was that? Did I hear a ‘Please, sir, I want some more’?” yelled Mr. Weber winding up for another punch. Suddenly, someone behind him coughed and he glanced over his shoulder.
Standing there was Melissa, coughing, looking a bit vexed. And next to her was the biggest man either Tessa or Kaname had ever seen. Less a man than a giant, really. He stood nearly eight feet tall, with long blond hair that made him look like a model. Only, his face wasn’t so much that of a model as that of a middle-aged Viking who had been on many a raid. In each hand, he held a large brief case.
“Weber, where should I put these?”
“Oh, my room is fine. I’ll unpack when I’m done here.”
The Viking lumbered off, carefully ducking to get through a doorway.
“Now, where was I…” Kurtz had started to crawl away and Mr. Weber leapt forward with surprising grace for a man of his size, grabbing the young man from behind. And Melissa coughed again.
“Yes?” said Mr. Weber, a bit annoyed that his son’s beating was being delayed. Melissa saluted.
“I am former Sergeant Major Melissa Mao. Your son’s superior.”
Mr. Weber immediately sensed he had found a kindred soul. He grabbed Melissa’s hand, shaking it vigorously.
“Well, it is a pleasure to meet you. I’m sure you can understand…”
Melissa grinned. “Of course I can…” She turned away to kick Kurtz once as he again tried to crawl away. “But, I believe I can explain why we’re all here better than Kurtz can…”
~
Ten minutes later, everyone, Sousuke and The Viking included, had assembled in the living room. Melissa explained as best she could, with Tessa’s help, the predicament they were in. Mr. Weber scratched his chin thoughtfully.
“Whatever the reason may be… It’s obvious that you’re all in a very dangerous position.”
“Yes…” Tessa murmured, her attention distracted by the very large man who had just knocked over a small table accidentally.
“Oh, I haven’t introduced my bodyguard yet. Snae-Ulf!”
The Viking looked up from where he was squatting (he was about the same size as a gorilla when he squatted), trying to pick the table up.
“Aye, Weber?”
Mr. Weber cleared his throat, beaming with pride. “May I present Snae-Ulf, arguably the largest and strong man in all of Europe! He’s the only man I trust with my life. He’s got enough strength to kill an elephant with his bare hands, let alone a group of assassins! He-“
“Inferiority complex?” whispered Melissa to Kurtz, who nodded.
“Paranoid too,” whispered Snae-Ulf from where he knelt, now trying to put back together a bookshelf he had put his foot through when he wasn’t looking.
Later, as they were about to get ready for bed, Tessa, Melissa and Kaname decided to do a bit of exploring. As they walked down one particularly long hallway, they came to a room, which featured Mr. Weber yelling at Kurtz in it.
“This should be good,” Melissa whispered, pushing the door opened a crack so they could hear well. Not that it would’ve made a lot of difference.
“…and I’m not letting you go off an play soldier again!”
“But WHY?!” whined Kurtz.
“Kurtzle,” another voice said. Mrs. Weber had taken a break from cooking, apparently. “Your father has a point. Why don’t you settle down and get married? That nice Melissa girl…”
“Melissa?!” Kurtz yelled in pure disgust. “That’d be like marrying my own sister!”
“That bastard…” hissed Melissa. “I’ll tear his balls off…”
“Well, what about the girl with the strange hair?”
“Which one? Kaname or Tessa?”
“My hair’s not strange!” said Tessa, sounding a bit hurt. Kaname growled.
The arguing continued for a few more minutes before the three girls decided it was enough and went to bed.
~
Kaname was sleeping. Not just sleeping but sleeping well, something she hadn’t done for several days. Alas, it was not to be.
She was woken by someone shaking her roughly. Sousuke.
“Chidori, we’ve got to go.”
“Huh?”
“Mithril is mounting an attack on the Weber Estate. We don’t have much time. Please, get up.”
“Oh, god…” muttered Kaname as Sousuke heaved her out of bed and marched her downstairs.
Except for Sousuke (who apparently slept in his camouflage gear) and Mr. Weber, who was dressed in a strange hunting uniform, everyone wore their pajamas. For Kurtz, it was a simple T-shirt and a pair of boxers. Melissa wore what Kaname guessed was some nice underwear under the long nightshirt. And Tessa wore pink Bonta-kun pajamas.
“Ahh…” Mr. Weber said, as he slapped a magazine into a Luger and holstered it. Gunshots roared outside and the window in another room suddenly shattered. “I have felt this alive since… since… Rhodesia!”
Melissa gave Kurtz a “What the hell?” kind of look and he returned with a “Don’t ask” kind of look.
“Mr. Weber,” Sousuke began, as he did an operations check on his assault rifle. As it turned out, the Weber family had a great deal of firearms in the house… “You said you have developed a plan?”
“Ah, yes…” He smiled broadly. “The helicopter launch pad is roughly one kilometer from here. Snae-Ulf is already there, along with the other security guards so it should remain safe for now. If we can get there soon enough, we’ve won.”
“Do we know how many troops they have?” asked Tessa. She was fastening a kevlar vest over her pajamas.
“As far as we can tell, between fifty and one hundred, as well as four Arm Slaves and several helicopters and tanks.”
“Do we have any anti-tank or AS weapons on hand?”
“Beyond grenades, no.”
“Damn…” Tessa shook her head slightly.
Kaname raised her hand slowly. “Umm… What’s going on?”
Everyone but Sousuke ignored her. “Mithril is mounting-“
“Yeah I know but…”
“Put this on.” He thrust a vest at her. The déjà vu hit her and Kaname just stared at the thing. Growing frustrated, Sousuke worked her arms into it and began fastening it.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered softly. “I’ll protect you.”
“Sousuke…”
But, then, it was like he had never said it. Soon, they were out the door and running for their lives through the dark forest.
~
Things didn’t go well.
They were pinned down almost immediately. Using a car as a barricade, they were able to hold out for awhile.
“Dammit… This is hardly fair…” muttered Mr. Weber. He had chosen to use a hunting shotgun instead of something more practical...
“They haven’t attacked with their Arm Slaves yet. We can be thankful for that…” whispered Tessa. She was shooting, her arms extended over the top of the car, blindly into the night. Next to her, Sousuke was silent as he fired burst after burst of automatic fire.
And Kaname was curled up in a ball, hating her life.
Soon, when a break in the shooting came, they started running again. And then they were pinned down again. And then, they ran again. And then, pinned down again. This time, using a few trees for cover.
“Bastards…” muttered Mr. Weber. Kurtz glanced at his father to see a dark red spot on his shoulder.
“Dad…”
The older man just glared at his son. “Listen to me,” he said as he reloaded his two Lugers and the shotgun. “You’ve been a screw up so far in life. Change or else I’ll come back to haunt you.”
“What’re you saying?”
Suddenly, Mr. Weber stood up.
“I’m saying that I’m going to go down in a blaze of glory and let you get away! RUN!”
Charging out from behind the trees, Mr. Weber pulled off the standard “run and gun” maneuver pioneered by such great men as Chow Yun Fat and John Woo. As he disappeared into the night, Kurtz stared, expressionless.
“Come on…” Melissa whispered, grabbing Kurtz’s sleeve gently. With her help, he stumbled off after the rest of them.
Somewhere, at this point, Sousuke, who had been half-dragging Kaname, got lost. Perhaps he zigged when he should’ve zagged. Before long, he and Kaname would pinned down and low on ammunition.
“Chidori,” Sousuke grunted, as he emptied another magazine. “I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this up.”
I am pathetic, Kaname thought to herself.
“I’ve only got one magazine left. Can you run, Chidori?”
Sousuke’s always helping me. He’s always protecting me. It’s like I can’t do anything for myself. I don’t deserve this. I’m always horrible to him. Why?
“Chidori?” A bullet suddenly tore through the air, slicing into Sousuke’s chest, shattering part of the kevlar vest. He gave a groan of surprise and fell back.
Thinking that they had killed him, the bullet was soon followed by two soldiers, dressed in full combat regalia. Sousuke, having dropped his rifle, drew his combat knife.
“Chidori! Run!”
He leapt forward at the first, bearing the bullets to the stomach well and striking quickly. The knife cut through the soldier’s gut with ease. As he fell back, Sousuke pulled the knife out and spun, chopping through the other soldier’s throat, but not before taking two pistol rounds to the waist.
“Chidori…” Sousuke wheezed, sinking to his knees. Kaname looked at him and gave a yelp. She crawled over to him.
“Sousuke…” she whispered.
“Run…”
Even as he’s dying, he tries to save me. I hate this… Kaname thought. Slowly, she pulled Sousuke close to her, trying to shield him with her own body. He pushed her away.
“Run!” he ordered. With new found strength, he picked up his rifle and took aim. When she didn’t run, he looked at her fiercely, his eyes, blurred by blood, blazing.
“Chidori, run and don’t look back. If you’re captured…”
“I don’t care! I don’t care if I die! I don’t care if I’m captured! I just don’t give a damn! Can’t you see?”
Sousuke didn’t, apparently.
“Sousuke…” The tears were running freely now. “I only care about you. Don’t you understand? I… really like you… So, you can’t die now… Because… because…” Suddenly, a bit of her old self shone through the funk. “Because if you do, I’ll never ever EVER forgive you! Do you understand? We still need to watch The Godfather together! And you have to pay!”
Sousuke was totally speechless for a few moments. Then, he grinned.
“Understood.”
And then, the side of his head exploded into blood.
“Sousuke…”
As his body crumpled, Kaname tried to grab it but it slipped out of her fingers.
“Sousuke…”
The soldiers, realizing that the only resistance was dead, began to move in.
“Sousuke…”
They hailed her now.
“Surrender and you won’t be hurt!”
And then, Kaname snapped.
Slowly, she stood up, looking at the soldiers closing in on her. An Arm Slave and two helicopters were backing them up.
“We repeat. Surrender now and-“
And then, the Arm Slave blew up. Kaname smiled.
“You’ve just made a very, very, very big mistake…” she whispered as the helicopters smashed into the ground…
~
In Italy, Padre sat at his desk, feet up, reviewing a file.
“Sagara Yamato… A decorated Japanese colonel, pilot and kenjutsu master. Famous for his ruthlessness, skill and determination in combat. Believed to have personally killed over five hundred enemy combatants in the ground war and shot down forty-three enemy air craft.”
Padre smiled.
“But, alas, he was killed during the fierce fighting on pacific island. After charging an American squad and being badly wounded, he limped back to the airfield and took off, managing to crash into a support ship, sinking it. But his sacrifice had more far reaching effects… During the last few months of the war, he was elevated to God-like status among the Imperial soldiers. It was believed that if you painted his name on your plane, his spirit would guide you to victory from beyond the grave.”
Padre gave a short, bitter laugh.
“Amazing how history repeats itself…”
At that moment, a young man peeked into the room.
“Your holiness, the Prime Minister of France is here for his appointment. And… they’ve delivered… ‘her’…”
Pope John Paul III smiled. “Excellent.”
End of Chapter Six
Author’s Notes: Wow. Actually finished this one sorta’ quickly. I can’t really think of a whole lot to say beyond this: The plot is going to get really deep from here on out. Expect to see, among other things, the relationship between Tessa, Sousuke and Kaname resolved, Pradre’s “true” identity revealed, the secret history of Mithril and, finally, the true nature of the Whispered.
Plus, there’s gonna’ be a really big battle. And the death of one of the most hated figures in America today.
