[FIC] Whispered Reign (pt. 11)
Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2004 6:26 am
A/N: There is something very wrong with this part... It is very wrong... sigh...
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Whispered Reign: Part 11
November 5th, 2112 Hours (Japan Standard Time)
Choufu-shi, Tokyo, Japan
Kaname’s apartment
It was dark outside. Not to mention that it was cold and wet. The rain had stopped but the air was moist and the wind still blew strong. Forced through tight alleys, the wind howled and wailed. Kaname was grateful that she was indoors and under covers.
Sousuke however, was not quite so lucky. He planned to stay awake all night. The bedroom door was purposely left ajar so that he could keep an eye on her. With the lights out, he sat in the darkness, just another shadow in the living room.
He waited for her to fall asleep before he set to work. Moving about with the aid of his night vision goggles, he placed motion detectors at strategic points. These would trigger a silent alarm which would show on his laptop. His phone was also linked to the laptop so that if he was away from the laptop, he could still be informed of any breech in security.
Putting on his Kevlar vest, he hung half a dozen stun grenades at the side of his vest and slide clips of ammunition into his vest pockets. He had gas masks available in case he had to use tear gas. This was Kaname’s apartment. He had to refrain from using fragmentation grenades or real ammunitions. It was not in his best interest to cause damage to the place anyway.
He waited patiently for the enemy that might not come. Only silence accompanied him throughout the hours of the night.
After many hours of staying alert, the amplified green light of the night vision goggles was beginning to hurt his eyes. So far, he has not heard nor seen any movement. The motion detectors were also idle. He took a look at his watch. It had been three hours already since he had started keeping watch. Today was the 6th of November. Only a few more hours before Mithril's agent would come to pick him up and fly him back to the TDD-1.
He shut off the night vision goggles and pushed it upwards like a visor. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Rubbing one eye, he unzipped his Kevlar jacket. He very much doubted that anything would happen today. He didn't even know what had put him into such a defensive stance in the first place.
Leaving the vest on the couch, he walked over to Kaname's room. Standing at the doorway, he first scanned the room to make sure everything was in order. It came instinctively and although he had meant to check up on Kaname, his eyes still darted towards the windows and any other entry points first before it finally rested onto the sleeping beauty.
Kaname was huddled up pretty tight pulling the blanket around her. Sousuke could see the figure shivering underneath the thick cotton blanket. He went over to her and touched her forehead. It was very warm. But in contrast, her hands were cold as ice.
Her fever's back.
It was time for her to take another paracetamol. He shook her shoulder gently to wake her without startling her. She lived alone anyway and would be surprised in suddenly she saw an unknown shadow in her room. What a fright she would get. And he certainly did not want that to happen. Sick or not, she still could swing a deadly halisen in his direction.
"Chidori, wake up."
She opened her eyes slowly, blinking in the darkness. There was someone in front of her. She didn't recognize the shadow but she knew the voice. The first thing that hit her mind was that the enemy, whoever they were, had closed in on their position. But she immediately came to realize that she was safe in her room. Sousuke's presence was really affecting her. It was either that or her fever.
"Sousuke?"
"Chidori, your fever is back." He switched on the table lamp.
She realized then how cold the room had become. It almost felt like being trapped in cold storage.
"It's been more than four hours already since your last dose of medication. I suggest that you take another."
Her body worn out, she struggled to get up. Sousuke slipped an arm over her shoulder and helped her up into a sitting position. With his free right hand, he passed her the pill followed by a glass of water. Kaname swallowed the pill and handed the glass back to Sousuke.
Sousuke set the glass down on the bedside table and turned back to Kaname, only to find a content and comfortable girl in his arm. She had an arm over his chest, hugging him like an oversized teddy bear.
“Mmmm… you’re so warm…..” The rest were inaudible murmur as she snuggled closer to Sousuke.
“Kaname?” There was no reply.
Sousuke was stuck in that position. He couldn’t remove his arm or risk waking her up. And he wouldn’t want that. Not in her current condition; she needs all the rest she can get. Besides, a part of him is actually hopes that he could be by her side. And if any problem should happen during his mission, times like this would be but a dream.
He might as well keep her company through the rest of the night. He pulled the blanket over her quivering shoulders.
Her breathing was steady and slow. It would seem that fatigue had gotten the better of her. The look on her face; so peaceful. Something he’d rarely see at school or anywhere else for that matter. It was mostly his fault though. If he wasn’t blowing up school lockers, he was setting mines around the perimeter of the school or something like that.
Sousuke brushed away the hair that partially shrouded Kaname’s gentle face.
Operation Guardian Angel. He was the guardian but certainly not the angel. She was. Kaname.
Her rhythmic breathing told Sousuke that she was already deep in her slumber. He could slip off now but decide that he would accompany her for a few hours before departing.
**************
**************
The clock ticked away. It was nearly time for Sousuke to leave. His arranged transport would come to pick him up soon at his apartment. He had to be there on time.
Sitting in that position for a couple of hours had his back feeling a little sore. He straightened himself up slowly. Kaname did not stir. Moving carefully, he slid away letting Kaname slip down onto her soft pillow.
Straightening his back, Sousuke took one last look at Kaname. He pulled the blanket, which had fallen off, up to her neck. Her fever has subsided and he could depart with more ease now although he still had to take a deep breath to summon up the courage to leave her. He shut his eyes and turned around. The longer he stood there, the more reluctant he is to leave.
He stole out the room and closed the door behind him. He took a glance around the place. He’d still have to remove all the motion detectors and pack his equipment. He went to his laptop to deactivate the sensors before removing so that he would not accidentally trip them off.
Stuffing the rest of his equipments into his canvas bag, he noticed a little white box within. That was a small gift he had for Kaname. He took it out and set it gently on the table. Tearing out a piece of paper from his notepad, he wrote a small note which he slipped inside the box.
There was nothing else to do here. Heavy heartedly, he let himself out of her apartment.
Downstairs, the security guard had fallen asleep on his duty using his coat as a blanket. Sousuke frowned at the sight. This man is making a mockery of his responsibility. Perhaps, he would need the sensors since Sousuke would not be likely to use them during his mission.
He shook that thought out of his head. He needed to take things on a less serious note. Kaname always said that he was wounded up too tight.
Kaname. Thoughts of her had him half wanting to run back upstairs and abandon his obligation all together. But he was a soldier. And he will always be. If he did not carry out his task, Amalgam would have won and he would have failed in his personal goal to protect Kaname. He can’t let that happen.
The wind was strong. The road was still wet and the pavement was slippery. There was still someone Sousuke had to meet. The other person who was “protecting” Kaname. Wraith.
Casually, he pulled the pin out from his smoke grenade and tossed it into a trash can. The wind would tear and dissipate the smoke in a matter of minutes but Wraith would have noticed it. Sousuke was sure that this agent would come especially with Mithril under such threat.
“Yes, sergeant?” A voice behind Sousuke spoke.
Instead of spinning around and jamming his gun into the person’s face, Sousuke just took a glance backwards before turning to face Wraith.
“I knew you’d signal for me sooner or later. You want to talk?”
“Yes. I’m sure you are aware of the recent incident involving Mithril.”
“I was informed… yes. I also know that they are sending out their top men to destroy Amalgam’s main base of research and operations. What about it?”
“I am one of those men. And I have a request.” Sousuke hated sounding like he was begging this person to do him a favor.
“Speak.” Wraith did not sound surprised.
“Some soldiers have called this a suicide mission. And I… while I’m away…”
“You want me to look after the girl?” The agent finished Sousuke’s sentence for him.
“I’ve seen how you protect Kaname. Now, I want you to really perform your duty.”
“You don’t have to tell me that. You have my word that I will do the best I can.”
Wraith did not mind making a promise. He rarely kept any of his words anyway. However, this was one of those rare moments. The agency needed the Whispered girl alive and he owed it to the girl to her to defend her.
“Thank you.”
“Teach those bastards a lesson. I wish I could go with you but orders are orders.”
“I will.”
“There’s one thing you probably should know though. Mithril has a bigger agenda than you think. Losing the TDD-1 will not jeopardize its operations. That’s all I have to say.” He turned around and marched off without heeding Sousuke’s request for further explanation.
As the agent walked away, a vehicle turned into the street and Wraith seemingly dissolved into the blinding light. The black van pulled up in front of Sousuke’s apartment. Sousuke looked again. Wraith was gone, disappeared into the darkness.
He switched his attention back to the van. It was likely to be the transport Mithril had arranged for him. But just in case, he did not go straight up to them. Two casually dressed men exited the van and one of them proceeded to go inside the apartment while the other person waited by the van.
Sousuke observed the person waiting by the van. The way he stood, his posture and his built indicated that he had received military training. The same goes for the driver who winded down the window to take a puff.
He was about to light his cigarette when he caught sight of Sousuke. Sousuke had thought that his face wasn’t recognizable since it was quite dark where he stood. The driver waved his hand excitedly at Sousuke gesturing him to come.
“Sergeant! Sergeant Sagara!” The driver was trying not to sound loud but he had to raise his voice so Sousuke on the other side of the road could hear him.
There was no doubt. These were Mithril’s personnel. Sousuke crossed the road over to the van. The other man greeted him.
“Sergeant, I am Corporal Adam. We are here to send you to the airport where a helicopter will fly you to the TDD-1.”
“I understand.”
Just then, his subordinate who went looking for Sousuke came down in a hurry.
“Sir, he’s not in his room. There’s no one… Ohhhh” the soldier realized his mistake immediately when he saw Corporal Adam shaking Sousuke’s hand.
Sousuke took one last look at Kaname’s apartment. It was still dark which means she’s still asleep.
Goodbye, Kaname.
Then, they all jumped into the van which sped off to the airport.
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Whispered Reign: Part 11
November 5th, 2112 Hours (Japan Standard Time)
Choufu-shi, Tokyo, Japan
Kaname’s apartment
It was dark outside. Not to mention that it was cold and wet. The rain had stopped but the air was moist and the wind still blew strong. Forced through tight alleys, the wind howled and wailed. Kaname was grateful that she was indoors and under covers.
Sousuke however, was not quite so lucky. He planned to stay awake all night. The bedroom door was purposely left ajar so that he could keep an eye on her. With the lights out, he sat in the darkness, just another shadow in the living room.
He waited for her to fall asleep before he set to work. Moving about with the aid of his night vision goggles, he placed motion detectors at strategic points. These would trigger a silent alarm which would show on his laptop. His phone was also linked to the laptop so that if he was away from the laptop, he could still be informed of any breech in security.
Putting on his Kevlar vest, he hung half a dozen stun grenades at the side of his vest and slide clips of ammunition into his vest pockets. He had gas masks available in case he had to use tear gas. This was Kaname’s apartment. He had to refrain from using fragmentation grenades or real ammunitions. It was not in his best interest to cause damage to the place anyway.
He waited patiently for the enemy that might not come. Only silence accompanied him throughout the hours of the night.
After many hours of staying alert, the amplified green light of the night vision goggles was beginning to hurt his eyes. So far, he has not heard nor seen any movement. The motion detectors were also idle. He took a look at his watch. It had been three hours already since he had started keeping watch. Today was the 6th of November. Only a few more hours before Mithril's agent would come to pick him up and fly him back to the TDD-1.
He shut off the night vision goggles and pushed it upwards like a visor. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Rubbing one eye, he unzipped his Kevlar jacket. He very much doubted that anything would happen today. He didn't even know what had put him into such a defensive stance in the first place.
Leaving the vest on the couch, he walked over to Kaname's room. Standing at the doorway, he first scanned the room to make sure everything was in order. It came instinctively and although he had meant to check up on Kaname, his eyes still darted towards the windows and any other entry points first before it finally rested onto the sleeping beauty.
Kaname was huddled up pretty tight pulling the blanket around her. Sousuke could see the figure shivering underneath the thick cotton blanket. He went over to her and touched her forehead. It was very warm. But in contrast, her hands were cold as ice.
Her fever's back.
It was time for her to take another paracetamol. He shook her shoulder gently to wake her without startling her. She lived alone anyway and would be surprised in suddenly she saw an unknown shadow in her room. What a fright she would get. And he certainly did not want that to happen. Sick or not, she still could swing a deadly halisen in his direction.
"Chidori, wake up."
She opened her eyes slowly, blinking in the darkness. There was someone in front of her. She didn't recognize the shadow but she knew the voice. The first thing that hit her mind was that the enemy, whoever they were, had closed in on their position. But she immediately came to realize that she was safe in her room. Sousuke's presence was really affecting her. It was either that or her fever.
"Sousuke?"
"Chidori, your fever is back." He switched on the table lamp.
She realized then how cold the room had become. It almost felt like being trapped in cold storage.
"It's been more than four hours already since your last dose of medication. I suggest that you take another."
Her body worn out, she struggled to get up. Sousuke slipped an arm over her shoulder and helped her up into a sitting position. With his free right hand, he passed her the pill followed by a glass of water. Kaname swallowed the pill and handed the glass back to Sousuke.
Sousuke set the glass down on the bedside table and turned back to Kaname, only to find a content and comfortable girl in his arm. She had an arm over his chest, hugging him like an oversized teddy bear.
“Mmmm… you’re so warm…..” The rest were inaudible murmur as she snuggled closer to Sousuke.
“Kaname?” There was no reply.
Sousuke was stuck in that position. He couldn’t remove his arm or risk waking her up. And he wouldn’t want that. Not in her current condition; she needs all the rest she can get. Besides, a part of him is actually hopes that he could be by her side. And if any problem should happen during his mission, times like this would be but a dream.
He might as well keep her company through the rest of the night. He pulled the blanket over her quivering shoulders.
Her breathing was steady and slow. It would seem that fatigue had gotten the better of her. The look on her face; so peaceful. Something he’d rarely see at school or anywhere else for that matter. It was mostly his fault though. If he wasn’t blowing up school lockers, he was setting mines around the perimeter of the school or something like that.
Sousuke brushed away the hair that partially shrouded Kaname’s gentle face.
Operation Guardian Angel. He was the guardian but certainly not the angel. She was. Kaname.
Her rhythmic breathing told Sousuke that she was already deep in her slumber. He could slip off now but decide that he would accompany her for a few hours before departing.
**************
**************
The clock ticked away. It was nearly time for Sousuke to leave. His arranged transport would come to pick him up soon at his apartment. He had to be there on time.
Sitting in that position for a couple of hours had his back feeling a little sore. He straightened himself up slowly. Kaname did not stir. Moving carefully, he slid away letting Kaname slip down onto her soft pillow.
Straightening his back, Sousuke took one last look at Kaname. He pulled the blanket, which had fallen off, up to her neck. Her fever has subsided and he could depart with more ease now although he still had to take a deep breath to summon up the courage to leave her. He shut his eyes and turned around. The longer he stood there, the more reluctant he is to leave.
He stole out the room and closed the door behind him. He took a glance around the place. He’d still have to remove all the motion detectors and pack his equipment. He went to his laptop to deactivate the sensors before removing so that he would not accidentally trip them off.
Stuffing the rest of his equipments into his canvas bag, he noticed a little white box within. That was a small gift he had for Kaname. He took it out and set it gently on the table. Tearing out a piece of paper from his notepad, he wrote a small note which he slipped inside the box.
There was nothing else to do here. Heavy heartedly, he let himself out of her apartment.
Downstairs, the security guard had fallen asleep on his duty using his coat as a blanket. Sousuke frowned at the sight. This man is making a mockery of his responsibility. Perhaps, he would need the sensors since Sousuke would not be likely to use them during his mission.
He shook that thought out of his head. He needed to take things on a less serious note. Kaname always said that he was wounded up too tight.
Kaname. Thoughts of her had him half wanting to run back upstairs and abandon his obligation all together. But he was a soldier. And he will always be. If he did not carry out his task, Amalgam would have won and he would have failed in his personal goal to protect Kaname. He can’t let that happen.
The wind was strong. The road was still wet and the pavement was slippery. There was still someone Sousuke had to meet. The other person who was “protecting” Kaname. Wraith.
Casually, he pulled the pin out from his smoke grenade and tossed it into a trash can. The wind would tear and dissipate the smoke in a matter of minutes but Wraith would have noticed it. Sousuke was sure that this agent would come especially with Mithril under such threat.
“Yes, sergeant?” A voice behind Sousuke spoke.
Instead of spinning around and jamming his gun into the person’s face, Sousuke just took a glance backwards before turning to face Wraith.
“I knew you’d signal for me sooner or later. You want to talk?”
“Yes. I’m sure you are aware of the recent incident involving Mithril.”
“I was informed… yes. I also know that they are sending out their top men to destroy Amalgam’s main base of research and operations. What about it?”
“I am one of those men. And I have a request.” Sousuke hated sounding like he was begging this person to do him a favor.
“Speak.” Wraith did not sound surprised.
“Some soldiers have called this a suicide mission. And I… while I’m away…”
“You want me to look after the girl?” The agent finished Sousuke’s sentence for him.
“I’ve seen how you protect Kaname. Now, I want you to really perform your duty.”
“You don’t have to tell me that. You have my word that I will do the best I can.”
Wraith did not mind making a promise. He rarely kept any of his words anyway. However, this was one of those rare moments. The agency needed the Whispered girl alive and he owed it to the girl to her to defend her.
“Thank you.”
“Teach those bastards a lesson. I wish I could go with you but orders are orders.”
“I will.”
“There’s one thing you probably should know though. Mithril has a bigger agenda than you think. Losing the TDD-1 will not jeopardize its operations. That’s all I have to say.” He turned around and marched off without heeding Sousuke’s request for further explanation.
As the agent walked away, a vehicle turned into the street and Wraith seemingly dissolved into the blinding light. The black van pulled up in front of Sousuke’s apartment. Sousuke looked again. Wraith was gone, disappeared into the darkness.
He switched his attention back to the van. It was likely to be the transport Mithril had arranged for him. But just in case, he did not go straight up to them. Two casually dressed men exited the van and one of them proceeded to go inside the apartment while the other person waited by the van.
Sousuke observed the person waiting by the van. The way he stood, his posture and his built indicated that he had received military training. The same goes for the driver who winded down the window to take a puff.
He was about to light his cigarette when he caught sight of Sousuke. Sousuke had thought that his face wasn’t recognizable since it was quite dark where he stood. The driver waved his hand excitedly at Sousuke gesturing him to come.
“Sergeant! Sergeant Sagara!” The driver was trying not to sound loud but he had to raise his voice so Sousuke on the other side of the road could hear him.
There was no doubt. These were Mithril’s personnel. Sousuke crossed the road over to the van. The other man greeted him.
“Sergeant, I am Corporal Adam. We are here to send you to the airport where a helicopter will fly you to the TDD-1.”
“I understand.”
Just then, his subordinate who went looking for Sousuke came down in a hurry.
“Sir, he’s not in his room. There’s no one… Ohhhh” the soldier realized his mistake immediately when he saw Corporal Adam shaking Sousuke’s hand.
Sousuke took one last look at Kaname’s apartment. It was still dark which means she’s still asleep.
Goodbye, Kaname.
Then, they all jumped into the van which sped off to the airport.