Para Bellum 9/10 (Sequel to Le Jeu Sinistre)
Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:26 am
Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Panic. This is a parody.
Chapter Nine: The Heaviest of Things
Kyosuke pulled up in front of the convenience store.
“I’m thirsty,” he said. Waiving the revolver and thumbing the hammer back, he grinned as his friend. “Whaddya’ say we score some booze and whatever the fudgie’s in the register?”
“fudgie yeah, bro,” Shiro said, tucking his cheap, Chinese made pistol into the waistband of his pants. The two punks got out of the stolen car, leaving the small, stolen fortune in the back seat and started into the store.
They had no idea that their pretty crime spree, which had begun in Sapporo three days earlier, was about to come to a very abrupt halt.
~
Life. The state of having functioning metabolic processes.
Was that the true definition of life? Could one be alive without really being ‘alive’?
It was a queer question but, then again, Sousuke had a lot of time to think about queer questions.
The Arbalest had gone down in the Pacific Ocean, about three hundred kilometers off the coast of Okinawa. BlitzCorps, being loath to lose an expensive piece of equipment, wasted no time in recovering it, Sousuke and all.
While the Arbalest was being repaired and drained of water, Sousuke was sent to a small Catholic hospital, Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow, in Hokkaido that had a bit of a reputation for keeping quiet about things. It was just outside a small, boring little suburb of Sapporo so there was little chance of anything happening. There were quite a few teenagers around, however, that Sousuke could see from his hospital window. This was due to the extremely prestigious Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow junior high and high school, situated less than a block from the hospital.
After blacking out from the crash, Sousuke woke up in his hospital room. It was raining and he had lain there, in his bed, listening to the tap-tap-tap on his windows. He had wondered if he was dead. If that was so, it really wasn’t as bad as everyone said it was.
And, he had thought to himself, if he was dead, was he in Heaven or Hell? Probably not Heaven because, if he was there, it was extremely overrated. And if he were in Hell, it wasn’t nearly as horrible as the religions of the world made it seem. Sure, it was boring and the rain was loud but that was tolerable.
Eventually, it dawned on Sousuke that he wasn’t physically dead and just in a hospital. A pretty young nurse came in and made small talk with him while she took his blood pressure and changed his IV. He ignored her and kept staring at the dark, gray October sky.
When she left, he was alone again.
It was a peculiar feeling. A trait of Sousuke’s, and one that he valued highly, was his ability to think objectively in almost any situation. He carefully analyzed his current condition and came to the conclusion that he was more or less okay.
There was, however, one problem. He just didn’t care.
Sousuke honestly didn’t care whether he was alive or dead. He didn’t care if the pretty young nurse talked to him sweetly, nor did he care about the rain outside. He just didn’t give a damn. He might as well have been dead.
But he wasn’t. At least, his body was alive.
Around noon, the same nurse brought him a tray of food and urged him to eat. Sousuke had nothing better to do so he complied and ate the sandwich provided and sipped at the cream of broccoli soup.
After that, the nurse disconnected his IV tube and said that he was free to walk around, as long as he didn’t go too far. Once she had left, Sousuke stood, stretched, did some jumping jacks and left his room to wander the halls of the hospital.
It was like most of the other hospitals he had been in. Painfully clean and sparkling white, with that strange, dreadful smell that followed you wherever you went.
It was the smell of death. Not just death but of a struggle in vain against death. The smell of those who hope and pray that the science of human hands can deliver them from the clutches of heaven or hell.
It wasn’t exactly the kind of atmosphere Sousuke wanted so he went to the recreation center. That wasn’t much better. It was pretty empty, save for a few individuals playing pool and three watching the news on TV.
Most of the men playing pool were bald and their faces had a gaunt, sunken in look, like a skeleton’s. Immediately, Sousuke assumed they were cancer patients but you wouldn’t know it from the friendly, Kansai dialect ridden banter of their game.
One of the people watching the TV was a young girl, who sat, perched delicately in a wheel chair because she had no legs. Not far from her sat an older woman, her elbow attached to an IV, staring dully at the news program. Her eyes were more like inanimate marbles than anything else and the only thing that gave proof to her living was the slow, gargled breathing. And in a chair next to her sat a clean cut, good lucking young man. At first glance. When Sousuke looked him over a second time, he noticed a slight fidgeting and trembling. He had bags under his eyes and his arms were scarred.
On the TV, the news anchor was talking about the stand off at Jindai High, which had concluded only four days earlier. The government had managed to cover things up pretty well: They blamed it on al-Qaeda.
Still, he kept watching, in hopes that they would show an interview with someone he knew. There was no such luck but the report stated that there were no casualties except for one teacher (who, they said, had bravely sacrificed himself to protect his students), although three students, two teachers and the school nurse were missing, presumed kidnapped.
It was obvious that the hostage situation was the only real news in the country and that the stations were getting desperate to prolong it. They had started by calling in experts on terrorism and, when they ran out of those, they called in military experts. And when those ran dry, they started showing interviews with authors who had written novels about the military.
They were just finishing up a piece with Gatoh Shouji when Sousuke left, in digust.
~
The nine-millimeter service pistol in Tessa’s hand was wet. She had spent the night, doubled over, drunk on her sorrows and a bottle of whiskey she had swiped from the quarters of one of the men she had lost. She had known him personally and he wouldn’t mind if she drowned her tears with his bottle.
Her room smelled like sweat and liquor. She had stripped down to her underwear and gave into the sadness that had overwhelmed, screaming and sobbing, gnashing her teeth and smashing up her room. In between her bouts of sanity and destruction, she had taken great swigs from the bottle and this had only made things worse.
Now, she lay, half-naked, covered in sweat, tears and Jameson’s Irish Whiskey, cradling her Sig against her stomach. Tessa was not having a good day.
It wasn’t just the fact that Sousuke and Kaname were dead, nor was it the fact that she had lost more than half of her attacking force. Something deeper was bothering her.
At the beginning of the battle, Tessa had, in her hands, the power to end the fight right then and there. The Excalibur, like the Sandalphon, was armed with an experimental high-powered cannon, code named “Jabberwocky.” It was more than capable of knocking a large, inconvenient hole in the middle of any offending battleships, radioactive monsters or continents.
For whatever reason, the Sandalphon hadn’t armed its own and the Excalibur could very easily have used the Jabberwocky to finish the battle. Tessa was very much aware of this fact yet she hadn’t given the order.
Of course, if she had, the attacking forces almost certainly would’ve been wiped out along with the Sandalphon. They were required to hold the other ship at bay. If they hadn’t been there, the Sandalphon could’ve focused the full attention of its fire on the Excalibur and torn it asunder.
Now, normally, Tessa would’ve been willing to make that sacrifice. She may have been a sensitive, seventeen year old girl prone to crying but she was a sensitive, seventeen year old girl prone to crying who had taken on terrorists without blinking an eye and who had personally given the orders to blow up Rome.
In other words, she was prepared to make certain sacrifices. But only certain ones.
Those did not, however, include sacrificing Sousuke or Kaname, for that matter.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Tessa had violated the number one rule of military command: She had allowed her personal feelings to get in the way of battle and, as a result, not only had she been defeated, she had lost what she had sought to protect.
And that was why she drank herself silly, collapsed on her bed and was seriously considering implanting a small piece of lead in her own skull.
Suicide was a coward’s way out, true, but Tessa was feeling a lot like a coward at that moment. Her fear of losing Sousuke and Kaname had not only caused her to lose them but the battle as well. An end to the pain was the most attractive option.
There was a dull dread and fear in her gut. The fact was, life without either of the two didn’t seem worth living. The two people she loved most were gone and there was nothing she could do about it.
Grasping blindly for the bottle, Tessa brought it up to her lips and emptied the last few drops into her mouth. In the last twelve hours, she had ingested more alcohol than she had in her entire life. She wanted to throw up.
There was, at that moment, a knock at the door. Groaning, Tessa hurled the bottle at the wall. It shattered.
“C’min…” she gurgled, finding it different to speak coherently.
The door opened and Kurz and Melissa walked in cautiously, having just heard the bottle. Kurz had some stitches along the side of his head, the result of getting slammed around in his cockpit a bit too much and Melissa had a large, angry looking bruise by her eye but, otherwise, both were looking fine.
“Hey, Tessa,” she began. “How’re you holding up?”
“Just peachy,” she growled back. Tessa turned her head, hocked back and spat out a large, disgusting wad of phlegm mixed with whiskey. “How do you think I’m holding up?” she muttered, this time more clearly.
“Um, well, we came to see if you need anything,” Kurz said.
“Whiskey,” Tessa answered, looking them straight in the eye.
“Um, no,” Kurz said.
“Gin.”
“Nope.”
“Vodka.”
“Would if I could.”
“Beer?”
“You’ll be an alcoholic by the time you’re old enough to drink,” Melissa muttered.
“Shut up. I’m not going to live that long,” she muttered, waving the pistol a bit.
“Tessa, give me the gun,” Kurz said, holding out his hand.
“No,” the captain whimpered, cradling it to her chest.
“Tessa, give us the gun. Do it.” Melissa said, advancing on her.
“No…” she whined. Melissa leapt on the bed, pinning the girl. In her drunken and dazed state, Tessa was no match for the Sergeant Major and in a matter of moments, she had her arm, twisted behind her back. She dropped the gun into Kurz’s waiting hand.
“Just go away…” Tessa said pathetically, totally defeated.
“Not until you take a shower, put some clothes on and command your ship!” Melissa yelled. She was sitting, straddled on top of Tessa, who was curled up, her arms over her head. Had it been any other time and place, Kurz would’ve been in heaven.
“It doesn’t matter anymore…”
“Yes, it does! We’re still relying on you to get us out of this mess!”
“I can’t!” screamed Tessa. She flung herself over, throwing Melissa off in a surprising display of strength. “I can’t! Can’t you see that? I can’t do anything anymore!”
Melissa tumbled to the floor but recovered quickly. She glared at Tessa and nodded.
“Fine. I get it.” She turned to Kurz. “Go tell Kalinin and Mardukas that they have command now. The Captain is just a sorry, spoiled little kid, too busy wallowing in her own-“
“Shut up!” Tessa yelled, flinging herself at Melissa. The two fell to the floor and rolled around, scuffling for a few seconds before the sergeant came out on top, pinning Tessa again.
“Look at you,” Melissa said, her voice full of contempt. “What would Sousuke say if he saw you like this?”
“Sousuke…” Tessa whispered. Suddenly, she burst into tears.
“Umm… Sis… Maybe we should lay off…”
“No,” Melissa said breathlessly as she stared down at Tessa. “What would Sousuke think if he saw his Captain like this? Tell me, damn it!”
Tessa didn’t answer. The sobs racked her body and she gasped for air in between them.
“He’d be disgusted. Do you know why? Sousuke was a pro. He was more of a pro than any of us. They say that pros don’t take things personally but that’s not true. Sousuke took everything personally but he knew how to control himself and that’s what made him great. If he were in your position, he wouldn’t cry or drink or even stop for a moment. He’d wipe the blood off his face, slap another magazine into his gun and say ‘Let’s go.’ So, if you’re going to whine and sob and act like a little kid, get the hell off this ship because I don’t want you anywhere near the place where he served. Do you understand me?”
Nobody said anything for several moments. The clock on the wall ticked obnoxiously for almost a minute in the silence.
“Get off me,” Tessa said finally, wiping her face with the back of her hand. When Melissa didn’t move, she said, “That was an order, Sergeant Major.”
Smiling, Melissa complied and helped Tessa to her feet.
“My gun,” she said simply, looking at Kurz. When he didn’t move, she growled, “Give me my gun back, Sergeant Kurz.” He did so.
Running a hand through her hair, getting out the snags, Tessa took a deep breath.
“I’m going to take a shower and dress. I’m going to call a meeting of the entire crew on the bridge of the ship in two hours.”
“There’s something you should know,” Kurz said quickly.
“Hm?”
“We’ve got reinforcements coming,” Melissa said, grinning. “That’s what we came to tell you. The US Navy is sending a fleet and so are the Soviet Union and the Royal Navy. All in all, we’ll have more than thirty ships.”
Tessa swallowed.
“Are you serious?”
Melissa nodded.
Tessa took a few deep breaths and then nodded back.
“Right. I’d like to address the crews of the fleets as well.”
Melissa nodded, smiling. “Understood, Captain.”
~
Sousuke was sitting up in his room, watching TV. He had finally gotten sick watching coverage of the aftermath of the hostage situation so, instead, he watched the cable channels that the hospital provided.
He was just about to turn to a channel specializing in Osaka-style comedy routines when the door opened and in walked Sagara Yamato.
“Err… Good afternoon,” the old man said uncomfortably. Sousuke did not answer.
“How are you doing, Sousuke?” he said, taking a seat next to his bed. Still, Sousuke said nothing.
There were several moments of silence, as they both listened to the skits on TV. They were slightly reminiscent of American Three Stooges productions.
“Is it heavy, my son?” Yamato said suddenly, in Arabic. Sousuke looked up, surprised. It took him a few moments for him to comprehend what was said because he was used to the more guttural and slang ridden Egyptian and Levantine dialects.
“It is the heaviest of things,” Sousuke replied. Inwardly, he smiled to himself: By talking in a different language, they could somehow distance themselves from that hospital room. They could be different people.
“I see,” Yamato sighed heavily.
“You did not kill him,” Sousuke noted. “Gauron.”
“I wounded him but he escaped.”
“I see.”
“And the girl? What happened to her?” Yamato asked, as if he didn’t know.
Instead of answering, Sousuke stood and made for the door.
“Where are you going?” his father asked.
“Out.”
Yamato said nothing and watched his son leave.
“Go with God,” he muttered, the traditional goodbye tasting bitter on his tongue.
~
Sousuke left the hospital and quickly realized that his hospital gown would not do. He wasn’t exactly sure why the people at the front desk hadn’t said anything when he left but he wasn’t about to complain. No, his main task at hand was to get some acceptable clothes for going about town.
A block away from the hospital, Sousuke found a bank and, upon closer inspection, he realized they were affiliated with Deutsche Bank. From there, he didn’t have much trouble taking out five-hundred dollars American from his personal account and getting it changed into Yen. The people at the bank looked at him a bit strangely but said nothing.
Money in hand, Sousuke went to the nearest clothing store and purchased a good pair of jeans, an undershirt and a sweater. Again, the people looked at him a strangely, especially when, after purchasing his clothes, he went back into the dressing room and put them on, after which he threw out his hospital gown.
Now, dressed for success, Sousuke walked back to the hospital. He had no intention of going back to his room. Rather, he had had his eye on a small café across the street. Now, with nice wad of cash in his pocket, he was ready to see what they had to offer.
Going in, he sat bought a cup of coffee, a bagel and a copy of the Mainichi Daily News. Predictably enough, it was filled with articles about the hostage incident but, with a bit of digging, Sousuke found the sports page and read up on the results of the latest sumo tournament.
He hadn’t been there fifteen minutes when a small group of chatty teens came in. Sousuke assumed they were from the high school and a quick glance told him that they were at least as old as he was.
Going back to his paper, Sousuke ignored them until a girl’s whine cut through the unceasing talking.
“Oh… Damn, I left my purse at home. Damn it…” the girl said, digging through her pockets for money. She was short, with hair cropped short and close, like a little kid.
“Miyu-chan, you’re always forgetting things… I swear…” another, taller girl said. Her hair was even shorter and except for her very feminine chest and hips, she might have been able to pass for a young boy. “Well, I’m not paying for you this time. My dad gets mad when I pay for other people, you know that.”
“Pleeeeeease,” Miyu begged. “Just enough for some coffee, Sakura-san?”
“No. I’m cutting you off, here and now,” Sakura said.
“Geeze, she can be cold…” a boy behind them said. The other boy and girl with them laughed.
“Excuse me,” Sousuke said, addressing the cashier more than the group themselves. “I’ll pay for her coffee.”
The cashier shrugged. “Whatever.”
“You really shouldn’t,” Sakura said quickly. “She’ll never learn if-“
Sousuke pulled out the wad of cash and counted out the necessary bills to pay for not only Miyu’s coffee but everyone else’s orders.
“Woah…” one of the boys whispered. “He’s loaded. Do you think he’s a bank robber?”
“I dunno… I’ve never seen him around here before so maybe…”
Sakura elbowed both of them in the gut and pushed Miyu forward.
“Be polite,” she said. Miyu nodded quickly and bowed respectfully.
“Thank you very much… err… I don’t know your name but thank you. It’s very nice to meet you… Uhh…”
“Sagara,” Sousuke said, inclining his head.
“Sagara-san, thank you!”
“Uh, yeah, thanks,” Sakura echoed. She reached into her pocket. “How much do we owe you?”
“It’s on me,” Sousuke said simply and went back to his seat. He cleaned his place, stuck his newspaper under his arm and started for the door.
“Hey, wait!” Sakura said, running up to him. “We’ve got to pay you back somehow! It’s rude to just walk off like that!”
“Sorry.”
“I haven’t seen you around. You’re not a student at the school, are you?”
Sousuke shook his head. “I am not.”
“No offense but we don’t see too many new people around here. So why are you here? Are you a patient at the hospital?”
Hesitantly, Sousuke nodded. “Yeah, something like that.”
“But you’re out.”
“I’m not sick.”
“Then why were you at the hospital?”
Sousuke was at a loss for words. He couldn’t reveal the real reason, of course, but he didn’t have a suitable lie.
“I’m sorry but I can’t tell you that.”
Sakura lowered her eyes.
“You can’t tell me or you don’t want to tell me?”
“Both.”
“I see.”
Thinking things were over and done with, Sousuke turned to leave again.
“Hey!” Sakura yelled after him. “We’re going to the arcade now. Do you want to come?”
“Hm?” Sousuke glanced back at her.
“Since you’re new here, we could help get you acquainted with the town, you know?” Suddenly, her mood seemed to change. Putting her hands on her hips, she looked away. “But if you don’t want to, I can’t force you, of course.”
“No, I’d like that,” Sousuke said. He tossed out his paper and the group left the café.
~
“What do you think?” Miyu whispered excitedly to her friends. “Does Sakura like that Sagara-san?”
“Didn’t she just break up with Yoshiki?” someone said. “Maybe she’s just on the rebound.”
“I dunno… Sagara, he’s not bad looking. He looks pretty tough and he’s really aloof. Sakura likes boys like that, doesn’t she?” someone else said.
The two people that the conversation concerned, Sousuke and Sakura, were pitting all their skills against one another in the most refined and respected form of combat known to man.
Soul Calibur.
“Gah… Damn, you’re good…” Sakura muttered as Ivy danced across the screen, racking up hit after hit.
“You’re as good as Chidori…” Sousuke muttered back. The sudden thought of Kaname seized hold of something deep inside of him and, with a burst of digital strength, Mitsurugi brutally disemboweled Ivy.
“Wow…” Sakura whispered. “I didn’t see that coming…”
“Hmm,” Sousuke nodded, going through his pockets for more coins.
“Hey, who’s Chidori?”
“Err… What?”
“You said ‘You’re as good as Chidori’… Who am I as good as?” Sakura asked, leaning against one of the machines.
“No… Just someone…”
“C’mon, now I’m interested!” she said grinning. “That’s a last name, right? So is it a boy or a girl?”
“Girl.”
“Your girlfriend?” Sakura asked slyly, a Cheshire cat grin adorning her face.
“Yes,” Sousuke said simply and started towards the concession stand.
“Err… Really?” Sakura asked, catching up with him. “Is she here too?”
“No.”
“Then where is she? Does she know you’re here?”
“I don’t know where she is… But I guess she doesn’t know…”
After ordering a Coke, Sakura continued grilling Sousuke.
“It doesn’t sound like you care much about her…” Sakura said carefully.
“That’s not true.”
“Then what’s the problem? You don’t know where she is and she doesn’t know where you are and it doesn’t seem like either of your cares. Did something happen?” Sakura asked, getting annoyed.
Sousuke locked eyes with the girl.
“She’s dead.”
Slowly, Sakura covered her mouth with her hands.
“O… Oh my god, I’m sorry, I didn’t know, I’m so sorry…” she rambled. Sousuke shrugged and sipped his Coke.
“It’s all right. You didn’t know.”
“Is that why you were at the hospital? Oh my god, I’m sorry…”
“Yeah… Something like that.”
“When did it happen? Oh, sorry, I shouldn’t ask that…”
“What’s today?”
“Huh? The twenty-eighth.”
Sousuke leaned against the wall of the arcade. “Then it was three days ago.”
The two stood in silence amidst the noise and bleeping of the machines and the trash-talking coming from the kids playing them.
“I thought I had problems… I just broke up with my boyfriend today because he’s an asshole… But he’s still alive so… I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I know but…” Sakura seemed to be at a loss for words. Sousuke drank his soda without saying anything.
“What did she have?” Sakura asked suddenly.
“Hm?”
“She was at the hospital right? Did she have cancer? Or was she in an accident? I shouldn’t be asking but I’m curious…”
“She wasn’t at the hospital.”
“Then…” Sakura asked, confused.
“She was murdered.”
~
Sakura stopped the line of questioning after that. When the group got bored at the arcade, they elected to go to a local convenience store to buy what teenagers the world over love: Beer and cigarettes. Normally, Sousuke would’ve been opposed to the idea but he didn’t really care.
Sakura and Sousuke avoided one another once getting there. She went with Miyu to look at cosmetics while he slunk off to read fishing magazines and look at the Arm Slave technical journals. The kids were the only ones in the store at that hour so it was pretty quiet.
The night would’ve gone on rather unspectacularly had Kyosuke and Shiro not entered the store at that very moment.
“Yo,” Shiro said in reply to the cashier’s greeting. He went up to the counter while Kyosuke disappeared into the store.
“Yeah, see, me ‘n ma’ bro, we a bit lost, you follow? We from Osaka and dunno our way ‘round here, youknowhum’sayin’?”
The cashier nodded. He could hardly understand the Kansai dialect, let alone being spoken rapidly by some teenage punk but he was a polite man.
“Yeah, so, here’s out it’s gonna’ work, right?” Shiro pulled his pistol from his jeans and stuck it right in the man’s face. “You gunna’ put all da’ in that there register on the counter right here, okay?”
Meanwhile, Kyosuke had scoped out the store and taken inventory of everyone inside. He came back up to the counter and leapt up on it, next to the growing pile of money. Sticking his gun into the air, he fired a single shot.
“Alright, you fudgie, this is a goddamned robbery! Get all yo’ asses up here now or I’ll fudgie blow your heads off!”
The store was small enough that Kyosuke had a good view point to see everyone in there. Several of the teen screamed and tried to hide but he fired again, this time into the floor.
“Get the fudgie up here and nobody’ll get shot, ya’ hear?”
One by one, they appeared by the counter, standing in a tightly knit group. Sousuke, however, was not to be found.
“Where’s Sagara-san?” Sakura asked one of the boys. He shrugged.
“He was with you last…”
“Hey!” Kyosuke screamed. “No whisperin’!”
“C’mon, bro…” Shiro muttered, watching the cashier finish up. “You ain’t holding out on us, are ya’?”
“I’m serious, this is all we got…”
“Right… Now, gimme’ yo’ wallet…”
Taking the hint, Kyosuke looked at his group.
“Yeah, give us all yo’ wallets and whatever cash you got on ya’.”
As they were emptying out their pockets, Sousuke came walking up to the counter, holding three magazines. He seemed totally relaxed and at ease with the world.
“Sagara-san?” Sakura said when she saw him. In spite of their predicament, she yelled out, “Get out of here! Go for help!”
“Shut up, bitch!” Kyosuke yelled. He jumped down from the counter and grabbed Sakura, jamming the gun into her jaw.
“Yo, buddy,” Shiro said calmly, regarding Sousuke. “Give us yo’ cash.”
Sousuke placed his magazines on the counter and spoke to the cashier. “Could you ring these up for me, please?”
“Hey, bro, you deaf or just stupid?” Shiro said, waiving his gun in Sousuke’s face.
“I’m not having a very good week,” Sousuke said slowly, turning to face Shiro. “My life has been upset greatly and very recently, I lost someone very close to me.”
“Awww… Cry me a fudgie river and gimme’ yo’ cash,” Shiro cursed.
“Normally,” Sousuke continued, undeterred. “I would’ve maimed both of you by now but you’ve caught me in a bit of a transitional period. I’m beginning to think I’ve lost my taste for combat.”
“The hell you talkin’ ‘bout?”
“So, I’m going to give you two a choice: You can give back the money and leave this store and live. Or I will take out all my anger and frustration from the past few days on you, right here and now. It’s your choice.”
The two robbers stared at Sousuke for a second before breaking out laughing.
“Look at this little punk! He thinks he some sorta’ bad ass!” Kyosuke cackled.
“’It’s your choice.’ What kinda’ bullshit is that?”
“Sagara-san…” Sakura whispered.
“Hey, boy, this bitch, she’s getting all sentimental ‘bout you!” Kyosuke laughed, giving the girl a good jerk.
Sousuke sighed, reaching into his pocket. “I warned you.”
“Yeah, you warned us, mother-“
Sousuke drew a box cutter, which he had taken right off the shelf and, easy as you please, drove it into Shiro’s stomach.
The thug doubled over and Sousuke delivered a punch that knocked him over, onto the counter. Working quickly, he grabbed his wrist, broke several fingers and relieved Shiro of his gun. He checked that it was cocked and took aim on Kyosuke. He did this all in the space of three seconds.
The punk was in a state of shock and awe. Suddenly, Sakura delivered an elbow to his gut. He two doubled over and, as she dashed away, Sousuke fired once, capping him in the shoulder.
His body jerked back up and Sousuke fired again, hitting him in the thigh. His legs gave out and he fell to the ground next to his companion. The both groaned in mutual pain, almost in unison.
“Call the police and an ambulance,” Sousuke said, his composure not broken at all. He put the gun down on the counter and, after the call was made, the cashier rang up his purchases and he left.
The group of students was left standing, stunned for a few seconds before they ran out after Sousuke.
“That was incredible!” one boy said. “Where did you learn to do that?”
“Are you a cop or something? A black belt? That was awesome!” Miyu bubbled.
The praise continued until they got to a subway station. The group parted ways but Sakura stayed back for a minute.
“You don’t see that everyday,” she said in admiration. “Thanks a lot. This is the second time today you’ve done something for me.”
Sousuke shook his head. “It’s alright. I should’ve had more control.”
“Will they die?”
“No. As long as they got to a hospital in time, they should be fine.”
“Won’t the police want to question you?”
“I doubt I’ll be in this country long enough for them to find me,” Sousuke said.
Sakura narrowed her eyes.
“I want to know the truth… Where did you learn to do that? Why are you here? Who killed Chidori?”
Sousuke sighed heavily. He summarized for her the events of the past week and his involvement in the Rome incident six months ago.
“And you’re the only civilian who knows,” he finished.
Sakura stared at him.
“Oh my god…”
“I suppose that’s one reaction,” Sousuke said, shrugging.
“I’m sorry but… It’s so incredible.” She shook her head. “You’re… You’re a hero, you know that, right? With the investigation into what happened in Rome…”
“I don’t exactly feel like a hero,” he said.
“What are you going to do now?”
Sousuke didn’t respond right away. He looked up at the night sky and sighed.
“I’ll go back, if I can. I don’t want to fight again but it seems like I’m cursed to, at least until I kill Gauron. Honestly, I’m afraid to, without Chidori but that can’t be helped.”
As the next train arrived, Sakura wrapped her arms around Sousuke.
“Chidori was very lucky… I’m jealous…” she whispered in his ear before breaking the embrace.
When she went to board, Sakura called back to Sousuke.
“If you ever come back to Sapporo, look me up, okay? Do you promise?”
Sousuke nodded. “I promise.”
“And…” Sakura bit her lip. “If you ever find Chidori out there, in heaven or hell or between… Bring her too. I’d like to meet her.”
Sousuke nodded. “Understood.”
~
When Sousuke returned to his hospital room, his father was still up, waiting for him.
“Good evening,” he said, looking up from his magazine.
“Father,” Sousuke said, speaking in Arabic again. “I want to go back to the battle.”
Yamato raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” He noticed the blood on Sousuke’s clothes but he said nothing.
“Yes. Can you arrange it?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you.”
“My son, the heaviest of things…” Yamato said slowly. “Is it any lighter?”
“In some ways, it is. In others, it is heavier. It is, however, a burden that I can bear. There are still people I want to protect.”
~
Tessa stood on board the flight deck of the USS Providence, one of the three carriers the US Navy had brought, the other two being the Freedom and the Justice. Because it would be impossible to get the crews of the entire international fleet in one spot, she was being broadcast via a wireless closed circuit connection to everyone else in the battle group. Almost the entirety of the crew of the Providence were assembled before her, with strong contingents from each ship in the entire fleet with them.
Stepping up to the podium, she began to speak. In the space of a few hours, she had cleaned herself up remarkably well and had shaken off her hangover completely.
“On October 25th, 1415, the English armies under the command of Henry V won a great victory against French forces at Agincourt.”
Tessa gave a curt nod to a group of British sailors, who smiled smugly.
“On October 25th of this year, my battleship engaged the Sandalphon. However, this time, the battle ended in a stalemate. This is my fault and my fault alone. The men and women under my command performed their duties admirably and with a courage and sense of duty I have never seen before. An old quotation from the Second World War describes those under my command at this most recent battle: It was a time and place where uncommon valor was a common virtue.
“However, now, we are readying ourselves for another great struggle with the Sandalphon. It is a formidable foe, yes, but not an invincible one and I hope you all realize this: This is a battle we shall win. I know this already because I know that you all share the uncommon valor of my men. With this courage and heroism prevalent in our ranks, the Sandalphon does not stand a chance.
“This will not be an easy battle, though. Many of you will lose your lives. I would willingly die if it would mean our victory but things are never that simple. It is only with the sacrifices of many shall we gain victory.
“But I say to you, it is for a pure and great reason that you would lay down your life. The enemy we face is enemy to civilized people the world over. Be they American or Soviet, Communist or Capitalist, White or Black, Catholic or Protestant, this is an enemy that does not discriminate. This is an enemy that seeks to subjugate and control and oppress the people of this civilized world in which we live. I cannot, in good faith, sit idly by as my friends and family suffer under their boot and because you all are here with me, I know you feel the same. This is a powerful enemy we face and, if that power grows unchecked, it shall consume the world until there is nothing left.
“To tell you the truth, right now, I feel overwhelmed by pride. I am proud to be here, serving amongst you. Because, you see, what we do on this day shall be remembered for all of history. They may forget our names but they will never forget what we did on this day. They will never forget how we stood up and fought for our families, for our friends, for ourselves.”
Tessa licked her lips.
“And if you survive this battle, you will go back to your homes, to your jobs and to your businesses. And people will say ‘Look, he fought the Sandalphon!’ And every year, on the anniversary of this day, you will toast yourself and your comrades and your brothers and sisters for, indeed, today, we are all bound by the blood we will shed.
“And on the yearly holiday, commemorating this day, you will tell your children of the battle you fought and won today and of the brave warriors who so gladly sacrificed themselves for the future. For our future.
“This day shall be remembered, in history books and in literature and our battle too will be remembered! My friends, my brothers, my sisters, we shall become immortal on this day because, hundreds of years in the future, those who owe their freedom to us will look back and say, ‘Truly, they were heroes.’
“This will be a difficult battle, one filled with bitterness and suffering. I ask you now, let that bitterness forge your will like steel. It is in this way that we will triumph. Only when we, as the protectors of human freedom, go forth, without fear, can we be victorious.
“So, I ask you all, rid yourselves of fear because there is nothing to be afraid of. As Franklin D. Roosevelt said after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, we have nothing to fear but fear itself. I tell you now, I am not afraid! I know our victory is forthcoming! And I am proud to serve with you all! I am proud to stand tall with all of you, for it is we who shall bring forth the future and it is we who shall see a great victory on this day!
“Remember this day and what you do, my brothers and sisters. For it is our pride and our pride alone to say, once all is said and done, ‘We served and we fought on the day and it was on that day… that we saw victory!’”
The assembled forces burst into cheers and applause. Tessa bowed, saluted and made her way off the makeshift stage. The massive din of the applause continued for several minutes after the speech.
~
Somewhere onboard the Sandalphon, Kaname lay awake. She was naked and sweat caked on her body. The thin sheet over her was soaked through and she stared up at the ceiling blankly.
“Are you frightened?” a voice asked her.
“Yes…” Kaname whispered, in a moment of clarity.
“Good…” cooed the voice and all was dark again.
End of Chapter Nine
Author’s Notes: Wow. This was long.
This chapter takes many cues not only from Pulp Fiction but from Shakespeare’s Henry V. I’d like to apologize for the extensive use of profanity, which may not constitute a PG-13 rating but, frankly, shit happens. Heheh.
On a completely unrelated note, I’ve been reading and watching Tenjou Tenge. That’s easily one of the coolest pieces of anime/manga I’ve even seen. It’s got an incredibly deep plot, bloody violence and enough sex to outdo those softcore Cable movies. It’s really superb and the opening to the anime includes a girl doing the Charleston. How often do you see THAT in anime, huh?
Also, I’ve been watching Samurai Champloo, which is even better. It comes from the same guys who brought us Cowboy Bebop so you know it’ll be good. The first three episodes are both action packed and hilarious. Plus, the music is great.
That’s about it. The next chapter will be the last so thanks for reading in advance. I’d like to apologize for my constant misuse of words that sound alike but are spelled differently. I plan this stuff out in my head beforehand so it doesn’t always copy down well.
One more thing: I don’t know if there actually is an “Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow” but anyone who went to a Catholic school should get a chuckle out of that.
Chapter Nine: The Heaviest of Things
Kyosuke pulled up in front of the convenience store.
“I’m thirsty,” he said. Waiving the revolver and thumbing the hammer back, he grinned as his friend. “Whaddya’ say we score some booze and whatever the fudgie’s in the register?”
“fudgie yeah, bro,” Shiro said, tucking his cheap, Chinese made pistol into the waistband of his pants. The two punks got out of the stolen car, leaving the small, stolen fortune in the back seat and started into the store.
They had no idea that their pretty crime spree, which had begun in Sapporo three days earlier, was about to come to a very abrupt halt.
~
Life. The state of having functioning metabolic processes.
Was that the true definition of life? Could one be alive without really being ‘alive’?
It was a queer question but, then again, Sousuke had a lot of time to think about queer questions.
The Arbalest had gone down in the Pacific Ocean, about three hundred kilometers off the coast of Okinawa. BlitzCorps, being loath to lose an expensive piece of equipment, wasted no time in recovering it, Sousuke and all.
While the Arbalest was being repaired and drained of water, Sousuke was sent to a small Catholic hospital, Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow, in Hokkaido that had a bit of a reputation for keeping quiet about things. It was just outside a small, boring little suburb of Sapporo so there was little chance of anything happening. There were quite a few teenagers around, however, that Sousuke could see from his hospital window. This was due to the extremely prestigious Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow junior high and high school, situated less than a block from the hospital.
After blacking out from the crash, Sousuke woke up in his hospital room. It was raining and he had lain there, in his bed, listening to the tap-tap-tap on his windows. He had wondered if he was dead. If that was so, it really wasn’t as bad as everyone said it was.
And, he had thought to himself, if he was dead, was he in Heaven or Hell? Probably not Heaven because, if he was there, it was extremely overrated. And if he were in Hell, it wasn’t nearly as horrible as the religions of the world made it seem. Sure, it was boring and the rain was loud but that was tolerable.
Eventually, it dawned on Sousuke that he wasn’t physically dead and just in a hospital. A pretty young nurse came in and made small talk with him while she took his blood pressure and changed his IV. He ignored her and kept staring at the dark, gray October sky.
When she left, he was alone again.
It was a peculiar feeling. A trait of Sousuke’s, and one that he valued highly, was his ability to think objectively in almost any situation. He carefully analyzed his current condition and came to the conclusion that he was more or less okay.
There was, however, one problem. He just didn’t care.
Sousuke honestly didn’t care whether he was alive or dead. He didn’t care if the pretty young nurse talked to him sweetly, nor did he care about the rain outside. He just didn’t give a damn. He might as well have been dead.
But he wasn’t. At least, his body was alive.
Around noon, the same nurse brought him a tray of food and urged him to eat. Sousuke had nothing better to do so he complied and ate the sandwich provided and sipped at the cream of broccoli soup.
After that, the nurse disconnected his IV tube and said that he was free to walk around, as long as he didn’t go too far. Once she had left, Sousuke stood, stretched, did some jumping jacks and left his room to wander the halls of the hospital.
It was like most of the other hospitals he had been in. Painfully clean and sparkling white, with that strange, dreadful smell that followed you wherever you went.
It was the smell of death. Not just death but of a struggle in vain against death. The smell of those who hope and pray that the science of human hands can deliver them from the clutches of heaven or hell.
It wasn’t exactly the kind of atmosphere Sousuke wanted so he went to the recreation center. That wasn’t much better. It was pretty empty, save for a few individuals playing pool and three watching the news on TV.
Most of the men playing pool were bald and their faces had a gaunt, sunken in look, like a skeleton’s. Immediately, Sousuke assumed they were cancer patients but you wouldn’t know it from the friendly, Kansai dialect ridden banter of their game.
One of the people watching the TV was a young girl, who sat, perched delicately in a wheel chair because she had no legs. Not far from her sat an older woman, her elbow attached to an IV, staring dully at the news program. Her eyes were more like inanimate marbles than anything else and the only thing that gave proof to her living was the slow, gargled breathing. And in a chair next to her sat a clean cut, good lucking young man. At first glance. When Sousuke looked him over a second time, he noticed a slight fidgeting and trembling. He had bags under his eyes and his arms were scarred.
On the TV, the news anchor was talking about the stand off at Jindai High, which had concluded only four days earlier. The government had managed to cover things up pretty well: They blamed it on al-Qaeda.
Still, he kept watching, in hopes that they would show an interview with someone he knew. There was no such luck but the report stated that there were no casualties except for one teacher (who, they said, had bravely sacrificed himself to protect his students), although three students, two teachers and the school nurse were missing, presumed kidnapped.
It was obvious that the hostage situation was the only real news in the country and that the stations were getting desperate to prolong it. They had started by calling in experts on terrorism and, when they ran out of those, they called in military experts. And when those ran dry, they started showing interviews with authors who had written novels about the military.
They were just finishing up a piece with Gatoh Shouji when Sousuke left, in digust.
~
The nine-millimeter service pistol in Tessa’s hand was wet. She had spent the night, doubled over, drunk on her sorrows and a bottle of whiskey she had swiped from the quarters of one of the men she had lost. She had known him personally and he wouldn’t mind if she drowned her tears with his bottle.
Her room smelled like sweat and liquor. She had stripped down to her underwear and gave into the sadness that had overwhelmed, screaming and sobbing, gnashing her teeth and smashing up her room. In between her bouts of sanity and destruction, she had taken great swigs from the bottle and this had only made things worse.
Now, she lay, half-naked, covered in sweat, tears and Jameson’s Irish Whiskey, cradling her Sig against her stomach. Tessa was not having a good day.
It wasn’t just the fact that Sousuke and Kaname were dead, nor was it the fact that she had lost more than half of her attacking force. Something deeper was bothering her.
At the beginning of the battle, Tessa had, in her hands, the power to end the fight right then and there. The Excalibur, like the Sandalphon, was armed with an experimental high-powered cannon, code named “Jabberwocky.” It was more than capable of knocking a large, inconvenient hole in the middle of any offending battleships, radioactive monsters or continents.
For whatever reason, the Sandalphon hadn’t armed its own and the Excalibur could very easily have used the Jabberwocky to finish the battle. Tessa was very much aware of this fact yet she hadn’t given the order.
Of course, if she had, the attacking forces almost certainly would’ve been wiped out along with the Sandalphon. They were required to hold the other ship at bay. If they hadn’t been there, the Sandalphon could’ve focused the full attention of its fire on the Excalibur and torn it asunder.
Now, normally, Tessa would’ve been willing to make that sacrifice. She may have been a sensitive, seventeen year old girl prone to crying but she was a sensitive, seventeen year old girl prone to crying who had taken on terrorists without blinking an eye and who had personally given the orders to blow up Rome.
In other words, she was prepared to make certain sacrifices. But only certain ones.
Those did not, however, include sacrificing Sousuke or Kaname, for that matter.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Tessa had violated the number one rule of military command: She had allowed her personal feelings to get in the way of battle and, as a result, not only had she been defeated, she had lost what she had sought to protect.
And that was why she drank herself silly, collapsed on her bed and was seriously considering implanting a small piece of lead in her own skull.
Suicide was a coward’s way out, true, but Tessa was feeling a lot like a coward at that moment. Her fear of losing Sousuke and Kaname had not only caused her to lose them but the battle as well. An end to the pain was the most attractive option.
There was a dull dread and fear in her gut. The fact was, life without either of the two didn’t seem worth living. The two people she loved most were gone and there was nothing she could do about it.
Grasping blindly for the bottle, Tessa brought it up to her lips and emptied the last few drops into her mouth. In the last twelve hours, she had ingested more alcohol than she had in her entire life. She wanted to throw up.
There was, at that moment, a knock at the door. Groaning, Tessa hurled the bottle at the wall. It shattered.
“C’min…” she gurgled, finding it different to speak coherently.
The door opened and Kurz and Melissa walked in cautiously, having just heard the bottle. Kurz had some stitches along the side of his head, the result of getting slammed around in his cockpit a bit too much and Melissa had a large, angry looking bruise by her eye but, otherwise, both were looking fine.
“Hey, Tessa,” she began. “How’re you holding up?”
“Just peachy,” she growled back. Tessa turned her head, hocked back and spat out a large, disgusting wad of phlegm mixed with whiskey. “How do you think I’m holding up?” she muttered, this time more clearly.
“Um, well, we came to see if you need anything,” Kurz said.
“Whiskey,” Tessa answered, looking them straight in the eye.
“Um, no,” Kurz said.
“Gin.”
“Nope.”
“Vodka.”
“Would if I could.”
“Beer?”
“You’ll be an alcoholic by the time you’re old enough to drink,” Melissa muttered.
“Shut up. I’m not going to live that long,” she muttered, waving the pistol a bit.
“Tessa, give me the gun,” Kurz said, holding out his hand.
“No,” the captain whimpered, cradling it to her chest.
“Tessa, give us the gun. Do it.” Melissa said, advancing on her.
“No…” she whined. Melissa leapt on the bed, pinning the girl. In her drunken and dazed state, Tessa was no match for the Sergeant Major and in a matter of moments, she had her arm, twisted behind her back. She dropped the gun into Kurz’s waiting hand.
“Just go away…” Tessa said pathetically, totally defeated.
“Not until you take a shower, put some clothes on and command your ship!” Melissa yelled. She was sitting, straddled on top of Tessa, who was curled up, her arms over her head. Had it been any other time and place, Kurz would’ve been in heaven.
“It doesn’t matter anymore…”
“Yes, it does! We’re still relying on you to get us out of this mess!”
“I can’t!” screamed Tessa. She flung herself over, throwing Melissa off in a surprising display of strength. “I can’t! Can’t you see that? I can’t do anything anymore!”
Melissa tumbled to the floor but recovered quickly. She glared at Tessa and nodded.
“Fine. I get it.” She turned to Kurz. “Go tell Kalinin and Mardukas that they have command now. The Captain is just a sorry, spoiled little kid, too busy wallowing in her own-“
“Shut up!” Tessa yelled, flinging herself at Melissa. The two fell to the floor and rolled around, scuffling for a few seconds before the sergeant came out on top, pinning Tessa again.
“Look at you,” Melissa said, her voice full of contempt. “What would Sousuke say if he saw you like this?”
“Sousuke…” Tessa whispered. Suddenly, she burst into tears.
“Umm… Sis… Maybe we should lay off…”
“No,” Melissa said breathlessly as she stared down at Tessa. “What would Sousuke think if he saw his Captain like this? Tell me, damn it!”
Tessa didn’t answer. The sobs racked her body and she gasped for air in between them.
“He’d be disgusted. Do you know why? Sousuke was a pro. He was more of a pro than any of us. They say that pros don’t take things personally but that’s not true. Sousuke took everything personally but he knew how to control himself and that’s what made him great. If he were in your position, he wouldn’t cry or drink or even stop for a moment. He’d wipe the blood off his face, slap another magazine into his gun and say ‘Let’s go.’ So, if you’re going to whine and sob and act like a little kid, get the hell off this ship because I don’t want you anywhere near the place where he served. Do you understand me?”
Nobody said anything for several moments. The clock on the wall ticked obnoxiously for almost a minute in the silence.
“Get off me,” Tessa said finally, wiping her face with the back of her hand. When Melissa didn’t move, she said, “That was an order, Sergeant Major.”
Smiling, Melissa complied and helped Tessa to her feet.
“My gun,” she said simply, looking at Kurz. When he didn’t move, she growled, “Give me my gun back, Sergeant Kurz.” He did so.
Running a hand through her hair, getting out the snags, Tessa took a deep breath.
“I’m going to take a shower and dress. I’m going to call a meeting of the entire crew on the bridge of the ship in two hours.”
“There’s something you should know,” Kurz said quickly.
“Hm?”
“We’ve got reinforcements coming,” Melissa said, grinning. “That’s what we came to tell you. The US Navy is sending a fleet and so are the Soviet Union and the Royal Navy. All in all, we’ll have more than thirty ships.”
Tessa swallowed.
“Are you serious?”
Melissa nodded.
Tessa took a few deep breaths and then nodded back.
“Right. I’d like to address the crews of the fleets as well.”
Melissa nodded, smiling. “Understood, Captain.”
~
Sousuke was sitting up in his room, watching TV. He had finally gotten sick watching coverage of the aftermath of the hostage situation so, instead, he watched the cable channels that the hospital provided.
He was just about to turn to a channel specializing in Osaka-style comedy routines when the door opened and in walked Sagara Yamato.
“Err… Good afternoon,” the old man said uncomfortably. Sousuke did not answer.
“How are you doing, Sousuke?” he said, taking a seat next to his bed. Still, Sousuke said nothing.
There were several moments of silence, as they both listened to the skits on TV. They were slightly reminiscent of American Three Stooges productions.
“Is it heavy, my son?” Yamato said suddenly, in Arabic. Sousuke looked up, surprised. It took him a few moments for him to comprehend what was said because he was used to the more guttural and slang ridden Egyptian and Levantine dialects.
“It is the heaviest of things,” Sousuke replied. Inwardly, he smiled to himself: By talking in a different language, they could somehow distance themselves from that hospital room. They could be different people.
“I see,” Yamato sighed heavily.
“You did not kill him,” Sousuke noted. “Gauron.”
“I wounded him but he escaped.”
“I see.”
“And the girl? What happened to her?” Yamato asked, as if he didn’t know.
Instead of answering, Sousuke stood and made for the door.
“Where are you going?” his father asked.
“Out.”
Yamato said nothing and watched his son leave.
“Go with God,” he muttered, the traditional goodbye tasting bitter on his tongue.
~
Sousuke left the hospital and quickly realized that his hospital gown would not do. He wasn’t exactly sure why the people at the front desk hadn’t said anything when he left but he wasn’t about to complain. No, his main task at hand was to get some acceptable clothes for going about town.
A block away from the hospital, Sousuke found a bank and, upon closer inspection, he realized they were affiliated with Deutsche Bank. From there, he didn’t have much trouble taking out five-hundred dollars American from his personal account and getting it changed into Yen. The people at the bank looked at him a bit strangely but said nothing.
Money in hand, Sousuke went to the nearest clothing store and purchased a good pair of jeans, an undershirt and a sweater. Again, the people looked at him a strangely, especially when, after purchasing his clothes, he went back into the dressing room and put them on, after which he threw out his hospital gown.
Now, dressed for success, Sousuke walked back to the hospital. He had no intention of going back to his room. Rather, he had had his eye on a small café across the street. Now, with nice wad of cash in his pocket, he was ready to see what they had to offer.
Going in, he sat bought a cup of coffee, a bagel and a copy of the Mainichi Daily News. Predictably enough, it was filled with articles about the hostage incident but, with a bit of digging, Sousuke found the sports page and read up on the results of the latest sumo tournament.
He hadn’t been there fifteen minutes when a small group of chatty teens came in. Sousuke assumed they were from the high school and a quick glance told him that they were at least as old as he was.
Going back to his paper, Sousuke ignored them until a girl’s whine cut through the unceasing talking.
“Oh… Damn, I left my purse at home. Damn it…” the girl said, digging through her pockets for money. She was short, with hair cropped short and close, like a little kid.
“Miyu-chan, you’re always forgetting things… I swear…” another, taller girl said. Her hair was even shorter and except for her very feminine chest and hips, she might have been able to pass for a young boy. “Well, I’m not paying for you this time. My dad gets mad when I pay for other people, you know that.”
“Pleeeeeease,” Miyu begged. “Just enough for some coffee, Sakura-san?”
“No. I’m cutting you off, here and now,” Sakura said.
“Geeze, she can be cold…” a boy behind them said. The other boy and girl with them laughed.
“Excuse me,” Sousuke said, addressing the cashier more than the group themselves. “I’ll pay for her coffee.”
The cashier shrugged. “Whatever.”
“You really shouldn’t,” Sakura said quickly. “She’ll never learn if-“
Sousuke pulled out the wad of cash and counted out the necessary bills to pay for not only Miyu’s coffee but everyone else’s orders.
“Woah…” one of the boys whispered. “He’s loaded. Do you think he’s a bank robber?”
“I dunno… I’ve never seen him around here before so maybe…”
Sakura elbowed both of them in the gut and pushed Miyu forward.
“Be polite,” she said. Miyu nodded quickly and bowed respectfully.
“Thank you very much… err… I don’t know your name but thank you. It’s very nice to meet you… Uhh…”
“Sagara,” Sousuke said, inclining his head.
“Sagara-san, thank you!”
“Uh, yeah, thanks,” Sakura echoed. She reached into her pocket. “How much do we owe you?”
“It’s on me,” Sousuke said simply and went back to his seat. He cleaned his place, stuck his newspaper under his arm and started for the door.
“Hey, wait!” Sakura said, running up to him. “We’ve got to pay you back somehow! It’s rude to just walk off like that!”
“Sorry.”
“I haven’t seen you around. You’re not a student at the school, are you?”
Sousuke shook his head. “I am not.”
“No offense but we don’t see too many new people around here. So why are you here? Are you a patient at the hospital?”
Hesitantly, Sousuke nodded. “Yeah, something like that.”
“But you’re out.”
“I’m not sick.”
“Then why were you at the hospital?”
Sousuke was at a loss for words. He couldn’t reveal the real reason, of course, but he didn’t have a suitable lie.
“I’m sorry but I can’t tell you that.”
Sakura lowered her eyes.
“You can’t tell me or you don’t want to tell me?”
“Both.”
“I see.”
Thinking things were over and done with, Sousuke turned to leave again.
“Hey!” Sakura yelled after him. “We’re going to the arcade now. Do you want to come?”
“Hm?” Sousuke glanced back at her.
“Since you’re new here, we could help get you acquainted with the town, you know?” Suddenly, her mood seemed to change. Putting her hands on her hips, she looked away. “But if you don’t want to, I can’t force you, of course.”
“No, I’d like that,” Sousuke said. He tossed out his paper and the group left the café.
~
“What do you think?” Miyu whispered excitedly to her friends. “Does Sakura like that Sagara-san?”
“Didn’t she just break up with Yoshiki?” someone said. “Maybe she’s just on the rebound.”
“I dunno… Sagara, he’s not bad looking. He looks pretty tough and he’s really aloof. Sakura likes boys like that, doesn’t she?” someone else said.
The two people that the conversation concerned, Sousuke and Sakura, were pitting all their skills against one another in the most refined and respected form of combat known to man.
Soul Calibur.
“Gah… Damn, you’re good…” Sakura muttered as Ivy danced across the screen, racking up hit after hit.
“You’re as good as Chidori…” Sousuke muttered back. The sudden thought of Kaname seized hold of something deep inside of him and, with a burst of digital strength, Mitsurugi brutally disemboweled Ivy.
“Wow…” Sakura whispered. “I didn’t see that coming…”
“Hmm,” Sousuke nodded, going through his pockets for more coins.
“Hey, who’s Chidori?”
“Err… What?”
“You said ‘You’re as good as Chidori’… Who am I as good as?” Sakura asked, leaning against one of the machines.
“No… Just someone…”
“C’mon, now I’m interested!” she said grinning. “That’s a last name, right? So is it a boy or a girl?”
“Girl.”
“Your girlfriend?” Sakura asked slyly, a Cheshire cat grin adorning her face.
“Yes,” Sousuke said simply and started towards the concession stand.
“Err… Really?” Sakura asked, catching up with him. “Is she here too?”
“No.”
“Then where is she? Does she know you’re here?”
“I don’t know where she is… But I guess she doesn’t know…”
After ordering a Coke, Sakura continued grilling Sousuke.
“It doesn’t sound like you care much about her…” Sakura said carefully.
“That’s not true.”
“Then what’s the problem? You don’t know where she is and she doesn’t know where you are and it doesn’t seem like either of your cares. Did something happen?” Sakura asked, getting annoyed.
Sousuke locked eyes with the girl.
“She’s dead.”
Slowly, Sakura covered her mouth with her hands.
“O… Oh my god, I’m sorry, I didn’t know, I’m so sorry…” she rambled. Sousuke shrugged and sipped his Coke.
“It’s all right. You didn’t know.”
“Is that why you were at the hospital? Oh my god, I’m sorry…”
“Yeah… Something like that.”
“When did it happen? Oh, sorry, I shouldn’t ask that…”
“What’s today?”
“Huh? The twenty-eighth.”
Sousuke leaned against the wall of the arcade. “Then it was three days ago.”
The two stood in silence amidst the noise and bleeping of the machines and the trash-talking coming from the kids playing them.
“I thought I had problems… I just broke up with my boyfriend today because he’s an asshole… But he’s still alive so… I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I know but…” Sakura seemed to be at a loss for words. Sousuke drank his soda without saying anything.
“What did she have?” Sakura asked suddenly.
“Hm?”
“She was at the hospital right? Did she have cancer? Or was she in an accident? I shouldn’t be asking but I’m curious…”
“She wasn’t at the hospital.”
“Then…” Sakura asked, confused.
“She was murdered.”
~
Sakura stopped the line of questioning after that. When the group got bored at the arcade, they elected to go to a local convenience store to buy what teenagers the world over love: Beer and cigarettes. Normally, Sousuke would’ve been opposed to the idea but he didn’t really care.
Sakura and Sousuke avoided one another once getting there. She went with Miyu to look at cosmetics while he slunk off to read fishing magazines and look at the Arm Slave technical journals. The kids were the only ones in the store at that hour so it was pretty quiet.
The night would’ve gone on rather unspectacularly had Kyosuke and Shiro not entered the store at that very moment.
“Yo,” Shiro said in reply to the cashier’s greeting. He went up to the counter while Kyosuke disappeared into the store.
“Yeah, see, me ‘n ma’ bro, we a bit lost, you follow? We from Osaka and dunno our way ‘round here, youknowhum’sayin’?”
The cashier nodded. He could hardly understand the Kansai dialect, let alone being spoken rapidly by some teenage punk but he was a polite man.
“Yeah, so, here’s out it’s gonna’ work, right?” Shiro pulled his pistol from his jeans and stuck it right in the man’s face. “You gunna’ put all da’ in that there register on the counter right here, okay?”
Meanwhile, Kyosuke had scoped out the store and taken inventory of everyone inside. He came back up to the counter and leapt up on it, next to the growing pile of money. Sticking his gun into the air, he fired a single shot.
“Alright, you fudgie, this is a goddamned robbery! Get all yo’ asses up here now or I’ll fudgie blow your heads off!”
The store was small enough that Kyosuke had a good view point to see everyone in there. Several of the teen screamed and tried to hide but he fired again, this time into the floor.
“Get the fudgie up here and nobody’ll get shot, ya’ hear?”
One by one, they appeared by the counter, standing in a tightly knit group. Sousuke, however, was not to be found.
“Where’s Sagara-san?” Sakura asked one of the boys. He shrugged.
“He was with you last…”
“Hey!” Kyosuke screamed. “No whisperin’!”
“C’mon, bro…” Shiro muttered, watching the cashier finish up. “You ain’t holding out on us, are ya’?”
“I’m serious, this is all we got…”
“Right… Now, gimme’ yo’ wallet…”
Taking the hint, Kyosuke looked at his group.
“Yeah, give us all yo’ wallets and whatever cash you got on ya’.”
As they were emptying out their pockets, Sousuke came walking up to the counter, holding three magazines. He seemed totally relaxed and at ease with the world.
“Sagara-san?” Sakura said when she saw him. In spite of their predicament, she yelled out, “Get out of here! Go for help!”
“Shut up, bitch!” Kyosuke yelled. He jumped down from the counter and grabbed Sakura, jamming the gun into her jaw.
“Yo, buddy,” Shiro said calmly, regarding Sousuke. “Give us yo’ cash.”
Sousuke placed his magazines on the counter and spoke to the cashier. “Could you ring these up for me, please?”
“Hey, bro, you deaf or just stupid?” Shiro said, waiving his gun in Sousuke’s face.
“I’m not having a very good week,” Sousuke said slowly, turning to face Shiro. “My life has been upset greatly and very recently, I lost someone very close to me.”
“Awww… Cry me a fudgie river and gimme’ yo’ cash,” Shiro cursed.
“Normally,” Sousuke continued, undeterred. “I would’ve maimed both of you by now but you’ve caught me in a bit of a transitional period. I’m beginning to think I’ve lost my taste for combat.”
“The hell you talkin’ ‘bout?”
“So, I’m going to give you two a choice: You can give back the money and leave this store and live. Or I will take out all my anger and frustration from the past few days on you, right here and now. It’s your choice.”
The two robbers stared at Sousuke for a second before breaking out laughing.
“Look at this little punk! He thinks he some sorta’ bad ass!” Kyosuke cackled.
“’It’s your choice.’ What kinda’ bullshit is that?”
“Sagara-san…” Sakura whispered.
“Hey, boy, this bitch, she’s getting all sentimental ‘bout you!” Kyosuke laughed, giving the girl a good jerk.
Sousuke sighed, reaching into his pocket. “I warned you.”
“Yeah, you warned us, mother-“
Sousuke drew a box cutter, which he had taken right off the shelf and, easy as you please, drove it into Shiro’s stomach.
The thug doubled over and Sousuke delivered a punch that knocked him over, onto the counter. Working quickly, he grabbed his wrist, broke several fingers and relieved Shiro of his gun. He checked that it was cocked and took aim on Kyosuke. He did this all in the space of three seconds.
The punk was in a state of shock and awe. Suddenly, Sakura delivered an elbow to his gut. He two doubled over and, as she dashed away, Sousuke fired once, capping him in the shoulder.
His body jerked back up and Sousuke fired again, hitting him in the thigh. His legs gave out and he fell to the ground next to his companion. The both groaned in mutual pain, almost in unison.
“Call the police and an ambulance,” Sousuke said, his composure not broken at all. He put the gun down on the counter and, after the call was made, the cashier rang up his purchases and he left.
The group of students was left standing, stunned for a few seconds before they ran out after Sousuke.
“That was incredible!” one boy said. “Where did you learn to do that?”
“Are you a cop or something? A black belt? That was awesome!” Miyu bubbled.
The praise continued until they got to a subway station. The group parted ways but Sakura stayed back for a minute.
“You don’t see that everyday,” she said in admiration. “Thanks a lot. This is the second time today you’ve done something for me.”
Sousuke shook his head. “It’s alright. I should’ve had more control.”
“Will they die?”
“No. As long as they got to a hospital in time, they should be fine.”
“Won’t the police want to question you?”
“I doubt I’ll be in this country long enough for them to find me,” Sousuke said.
Sakura narrowed her eyes.
“I want to know the truth… Where did you learn to do that? Why are you here? Who killed Chidori?”
Sousuke sighed heavily. He summarized for her the events of the past week and his involvement in the Rome incident six months ago.
“And you’re the only civilian who knows,” he finished.
Sakura stared at him.
“Oh my god…”
“I suppose that’s one reaction,” Sousuke said, shrugging.
“I’m sorry but… It’s so incredible.” She shook her head. “You’re… You’re a hero, you know that, right? With the investigation into what happened in Rome…”
“I don’t exactly feel like a hero,” he said.
“What are you going to do now?”
Sousuke didn’t respond right away. He looked up at the night sky and sighed.
“I’ll go back, if I can. I don’t want to fight again but it seems like I’m cursed to, at least until I kill Gauron. Honestly, I’m afraid to, without Chidori but that can’t be helped.”
As the next train arrived, Sakura wrapped her arms around Sousuke.
“Chidori was very lucky… I’m jealous…” she whispered in his ear before breaking the embrace.
When she went to board, Sakura called back to Sousuke.
“If you ever come back to Sapporo, look me up, okay? Do you promise?”
Sousuke nodded. “I promise.”
“And…” Sakura bit her lip. “If you ever find Chidori out there, in heaven or hell or between… Bring her too. I’d like to meet her.”
Sousuke nodded. “Understood.”
~
When Sousuke returned to his hospital room, his father was still up, waiting for him.
“Good evening,” he said, looking up from his magazine.
“Father,” Sousuke said, speaking in Arabic again. “I want to go back to the battle.”
Yamato raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” He noticed the blood on Sousuke’s clothes but he said nothing.
“Yes. Can you arrange it?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you.”
“My son, the heaviest of things…” Yamato said slowly. “Is it any lighter?”
“In some ways, it is. In others, it is heavier. It is, however, a burden that I can bear. There are still people I want to protect.”
~
Tessa stood on board the flight deck of the USS Providence, one of the three carriers the US Navy had brought, the other two being the Freedom and the Justice. Because it would be impossible to get the crews of the entire international fleet in one spot, she was being broadcast via a wireless closed circuit connection to everyone else in the battle group. Almost the entirety of the crew of the Providence were assembled before her, with strong contingents from each ship in the entire fleet with them.
Stepping up to the podium, she began to speak. In the space of a few hours, she had cleaned herself up remarkably well and had shaken off her hangover completely.
“On October 25th, 1415, the English armies under the command of Henry V won a great victory against French forces at Agincourt.”
Tessa gave a curt nod to a group of British sailors, who smiled smugly.
“On October 25th of this year, my battleship engaged the Sandalphon. However, this time, the battle ended in a stalemate. This is my fault and my fault alone. The men and women under my command performed their duties admirably and with a courage and sense of duty I have never seen before. An old quotation from the Second World War describes those under my command at this most recent battle: It was a time and place where uncommon valor was a common virtue.
“However, now, we are readying ourselves for another great struggle with the Sandalphon. It is a formidable foe, yes, but not an invincible one and I hope you all realize this: This is a battle we shall win. I know this already because I know that you all share the uncommon valor of my men. With this courage and heroism prevalent in our ranks, the Sandalphon does not stand a chance.
“This will not be an easy battle, though. Many of you will lose your lives. I would willingly die if it would mean our victory but things are never that simple. It is only with the sacrifices of many shall we gain victory.
“But I say to you, it is for a pure and great reason that you would lay down your life. The enemy we face is enemy to civilized people the world over. Be they American or Soviet, Communist or Capitalist, White or Black, Catholic or Protestant, this is an enemy that does not discriminate. This is an enemy that seeks to subjugate and control and oppress the people of this civilized world in which we live. I cannot, in good faith, sit idly by as my friends and family suffer under their boot and because you all are here with me, I know you feel the same. This is a powerful enemy we face and, if that power grows unchecked, it shall consume the world until there is nothing left.
“To tell you the truth, right now, I feel overwhelmed by pride. I am proud to be here, serving amongst you. Because, you see, what we do on this day shall be remembered for all of history. They may forget our names but they will never forget what we did on this day. They will never forget how we stood up and fought for our families, for our friends, for ourselves.”
Tessa licked her lips.
“And if you survive this battle, you will go back to your homes, to your jobs and to your businesses. And people will say ‘Look, he fought the Sandalphon!’ And every year, on the anniversary of this day, you will toast yourself and your comrades and your brothers and sisters for, indeed, today, we are all bound by the blood we will shed.
“And on the yearly holiday, commemorating this day, you will tell your children of the battle you fought and won today and of the brave warriors who so gladly sacrificed themselves for the future. For our future.
“This day shall be remembered, in history books and in literature and our battle too will be remembered! My friends, my brothers, my sisters, we shall become immortal on this day because, hundreds of years in the future, those who owe their freedom to us will look back and say, ‘Truly, they were heroes.’
“This will be a difficult battle, one filled with bitterness and suffering. I ask you now, let that bitterness forge your will like steel. It is in this way that we will triumph. Only when we, as the protectors of human freedom, go forth, without fear, can we be victorious.
“So, I ask you all, rid yourselves of fear because there is nothing to be afraid of. As Franklin D. Roosevelt said after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, we have nothing to fear but fear itself. I tell you now, I am not afraid! I know our victory is forthcoming! And I am proud to serve with you all! I am proud to stand tall with all of you, for it is we who shall bring forth the future and it is we who shall see a great victory on this day!
“Remember this day and what you do, my brothers and sisters. For it is our pride and our pride alone to say, once all is said and done, ‘We served and we fought on the day and it was on that day… that we saw victory!’”
The assembled forces burst into cheers and applause. Tessa bowed, saluted and made her way off the makeshift stage. The massive din of the applause continued for several minutes after the speech.
~
Somewhere onboard the Sandalphon, Kaname lay awake. She was naked and sweat caked on her body. The thin sheet over her was soaked through and she stared up at the ceiling blankly.
“Are you frightened?” a voice asked her.
“Yes…” Kaname whispered, in a moment of clarity.
“Good…” cooed the voice and all was dark again.
End of Chapter Nine
Author’s Notes: Wow. This was long.
This chapter takes many cues not only from Pulp Fiction but from Shakespeare’s Henry V. I’d like to apologize for the extensive use of profanity, which may not constitute a PG-13 rating but, frankly, shit happens. Heheh.
On a completely unrelated note, I’ve been reading and watching Tenjou Tenge. That’s easily one of the coolest pieces of anime/manga I’ve even seen. It’s got an incredibly deep plot, bloody violence and enough sex to outdo those softcore Cable movies. It’s really superb and the opening to the anime includes a girl doing the Charleston. How often do you see THAT in anime, huh?
Also, I’ve been watching Samurai Champloo, which is even better. It comes from the same guys who brought us Cowboy Bebop so you know it’ll be good. The first three episodes are both action packed and hilarious. Plus, the music is great.
That’s about it. The next chapter will be the last so thanks for reading in advance. I’d like to apologize for my constant misuse of words that sound alike but are spelled differently. I plan this stuff out in my head beforehand so it doesn’t always copy down well.
One more thing: I don’t know if there actually is an “Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow” but anyone who went to a Catholic school should get a chuckle out of that.
Alittle toned down for what Sousuke
