Gone But Not Forgotten (chapter 11) [FIC]
Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 11:24 am
Shouts could be heard from down the hallway.
No doubt, security guards were on their way. That presented somewhat of a dilemma to Sousuke, who did not like to purposefully injure innocent people if it wasn’t necessary.
Gritting his teeth from the pain caused by a wound in his left shoulder, he made his way through the remnants of the door frame. A relatively intact Arastol lay twitching in the area outside of Silver Industries, thanks to Sousuke’s M107. A fountain of sparks shot upward for a moment, and then stopped, leaving a small cloud of white smoke.
The owners of the building would have a lot of renovation to do. The one robot had been armed with a high-powered flechette gun. A second Arastol had opened fire with a small multi-barrel weapon before getting damaged and triggering a suicidal detonation. Sousuke had barely managed to leap around a corner as the small ball bearings whizzed through walls and windows.
“Kaname.“ He had heard Kaname’s voice. He was certain that he had not imagined it. Kurz had told him that he had spotted what looked to be a swath of blue hair streaming alongside the door of a small white van. It didn’t take much detective work to decide on what suite to check first.
There wasn’t time or need to search the interior of the room. But, he had to take a few moments to make certain that no additional Arastols were inside, and that no obvious traps were waiting. He saw files spread all across the floor, and took note of clothing over near a couch. After that, his full attention went to a missing window. Gusts of wind kicked up loose papers and spun them about the room.
“No doubt they will have some kind of escape chute… low altitude parasails…or a helicopter on the way.” Sousuke climbed up through the window. He frowned when he watched a series of step-like extensions on the external wall slide back flush against the building. That meant he would have to jump down, since he didn’t have a rappelling cord.
Hand on the side of the window frame, he stood and stared a moment, the wind teasing at the end of his shaggy hair. There were two people down on top of the Sky Bridge, each of them wearing a long black coat. The man had silver hair that would have looked beautiful on a woman. That was Leonard Testarossa. The girl had blue hair. It was Kaname.
Machine gun fire struck just below Sousuke’s feet, and quickly worked its way upward. Reacting quickly, he threw himself back into the room in the nick of time, taking a hard fall. Removing the rifle he had slung across his uninjured shoulder, he looked for a place that gave him a sheltered view of the outside world.
There. Holding onto the side of Tower 1. An Arastol. Ducking away from shards of glass that flew about the room when the robot shot in his direction, Sousuke rolled to his knees, and brought the gun up. Just as before he fired, the Arastol jerked. It had been hit. That was probably Kurz, or one of the other commandos who remained on site. Given the fact that the target was still functional, Sousuke put a few rounds into its head and torso.
As the robot fell, Sousuke made his way back to the opening, and then jumped down, wincing when his feet impacted the steel surface. The jerking motion sent the pain of his wound throughout his entire side. Looking at both Towers, he frowned. There were more Arastols; but, they clung to the building a points where they were effectively shielded. On the bright side, they were in no position to attack. Yet.
A flash of light caught his attention. It was a reflection. There was an Arastol near the top of Tower 2, holding onto the base of the structure’s tall conical spire. Looking up past the pinnacle of the Tower nearest to him, Sousuke saw that another Arastol was seeking a similar perch on that building. Tactically, this was a very bad situation. But, time was of the essence. If he wanted to save Kaname here…today… he would have to take a number of risks. He might never be able to track her down again.
“Sousuke!” Kaname began walking towards the young soldier, until Leonard put a hand on her shoulder and applied pressure. She tried to shake free, but felt an inappropriate feeling of calm spread through her. It was that damn Whispered resonance again!
“What a wonderful place to pay us a visit, Mister Sagara.” Leonard waved one arm in expansive fashion. “But, I’m afraid that you’ll have to go downstairs to check with security first. They start giving out tickets to the Sky Bridge at 8: 30 a.m., and the first tickets are for the 9 a.m. visit. The lines can be very long during the weekends, so you may want to return on a weekday.”
“Security will be here soon enough,” Sousuke said, bringing his rifle to his shoulder again. He placed the crosshairs directly between Leonard’s eyes and fired without further adieu. The results were the same as they had been in Kaname’s Tokyo apartment. The miraculous black coat moved to deflect the bullet. The same thing happened to three additional shots that he fired in rapid succession.
Kaname opened her mouth. There was so much she wanted to say to Sousuke. She wanted to feel joy and relief at his being there, but Leonard’s influence was making that difficult. It was just one more thing that ’Mr. Silver’ had stolen from her.
“I guess you can’t teach an old killer new tricks,” Leonard said. He pushed some hair away from Kaname’s face. “You see love, he’s just as violent as ever. At least he’s predictable.”
“Kaname, are you alright?” Sousuke stopped a short distance away from Kaname and Leonard. He felt his throat tighten. He could almost reach out and touch her. But, at the moment, Leonard was the one doing that, his hand on her arm. His chest tightened, too. Just what was their relationship. Where did Kaname’s loyalty lie? Was her heart her own, or did it belong to someone else? Did it belong to Leonard Testarossa?
“Y-Y-Yes,” Kaname answered, even though she wanted to shout ‘No, you big idiot. I’m being held captive up on this stupid building, and some arrogant schmuck is controlling my thoughts and words!’ “Wh-Wh-Why have you come here… fr-fr-frightening me…” She clenched her fists, able to put up that much of a resistance, but nothing more. “Are… are… are you here to k-k-kill me…”
“Kaname?” Sousuke took a half step, and then stopped. He tried to read the look on Kaname’s face, unable to get any clues from her posture. “Kaname, I came here to rescue you.” He did take a step that time. “Everything I’ve done, has been to find you.” He took another step. "My feelings for you have not changed."
Kaname’s heart felt like it was going to burst. Sousuke did care about her. He had come to rescue her. But, she couldn’t tell him that! She pushed harder with her mind, but trembled when Leonard pushed back even stronger.
“What a waste,” Leonard said, sighing. “How many people have died as a result of your mistakes and misconceptions? I mean, it should be rather obvious that Miss Chidori does not want to go with you. Right, my heart?” He ran a hand along her arm, his hair streaming out behind him and blending in with hers.
“N-…” Kaname couldn’t get the word ‘No’ out. “N-…” She shook her head, to no effect. “R-R-Right.”
“That’s…” Sousuke felt as if time had stopped. Part of him recoiled at Kaname’s answer. How could Kaname have fallen for such a monster? Why had he put himself and others through so much, just to find her?
He hung his head and let out a long breath. His gut was telling him a different story. Something just didn‘t seem right in the way that Kaname was answering. There should be more emotion, one way or the other. He eyed Leonard with suspicion. “You are no doubt doing something to control her. Perhaps you have threatened to harm those that she loves.”
“That would salve your injured pride, wouldn’t it?” Leonard smiled. “I suppose if you believe that fantasy, it might keep your tortured heart from breaking for a while longer.” He leaned closer to Kaname. “Do you have any idea what she and I were doing before you rudely destroyed the door?”
“You…” Sousuke looked over at Kaname. He blinked repeatedly, feeling his heartbeat speed up. “It could have been something like I saw earlier… on the balcony… at Carcosa…” He jumped backwards instinctively, when the robots up on high began firing. They were not aiming at him. No doubt they had spotted Kurz and the others.
Kaname wanted to crawl inside herself and curl up into a tight little ball. Sousuke had seen that? He had seen Leonard kiss her? He had seen the way that she had kissed him back? He had no way of knowing it wasn’t her choice.
“Ahhhhh. A voyeur. I can add that to your list of faults.” Leonard ran a hand through his hair. “Do you peek under girls’ skirts, too? Look down their blouses?” He shook his head. “If you knew how things stood between us, why are you here? Is it to murder her, so that she can’t work in our research facilities any longer?”
Kaname struggled to break free of the grip on her mind. She wanted to shout ‘It wasn’t voluntary! They threatened to kill my family! They threatened Kyouko and the others again!’
Sousuke straightened his shoulders, grimacing a bit from the pain. He looked at Kaname a moment, before focusing on Leonard. “At the very least, I will do whatever it takes to make certain that you are no longer a threat.” He looked back at Kaname sadly, his hand twitching. “I will not harm Kaname. People can change. She may not care about me…” He couldn’t bring himself to look Kaname in the eyes. “…But, she might find happiness with someone who is good for her. I owe her that much.”
Tears came to Kaname’s eyes. Leonard’s influence couldn’t stop that. Sousuke really cared about her, the big noble idiot. After hearing Leonard’s twisted words, would he ever be able to trust her again? Would he ever feel the way he once did about her?
“Hmmmm… that’s sounds about right for you,” Leonard said. “She’s happy, now. Before you arrived, we had been close to consummating our love in a very intimate manner. Do you want what’s best for her? If you do, how can you think to take me away from her? Haven’t you done enough to foul up her life? Someone like you cannot begin to comprehend what is best for someone like her.”
‘No,’ Kaname thought. ‘It’s not really like that. It wasn’t my choice. Don’t listen to him. No. Please. No.’
“I cannot match your skills at speaking,” Sousuke said, realizing that Leonard could run rings round him verbally. He took out a wicked looking combat knife. Looking at Kaname for a moment longer, he sighed and began closing the distance between him and his enemy.
“I’m sorry, my sweet.” Leonard ran a hand along Kaname’s cheek. “Out of deference to you, I tried to save him. It’s pointless, with men like him.” He shrugged. “I hope you will forgive me later, so we can start up where we left off before. It looks like I will need to use you as a bargaining chip, seeing how determined the boy is.”
“Wh-Wh-What?” Kaname’s eyes widened. What was Leonard thinking about doing? For that matter, why had he just been standing there? Maybe he wanted to keep her safe, knowing that she could be hurt in the crossfire. Or, he might simply be stalling for time, knowing that the helicopter would be arriving soon.
“Sergeant, I’m certain you have noticed the Arastols situated about the building.” Leonard frowned momentarily, when he saw one of the robots get struck with shot after shot. It must be that damn blonde marksman that he saw driving in. No matter, there were Arastols headed for the ground level as well.
“Affirmative,” Sousuke said.
Kaname brought her hand to her mouth. That ‘Affirmative’ brought so many memories flooding into her mind. Leonard couldn’t dam them up, no matter how much mental pressure he applied.
“Well, should you or one of your compatriots shoot me, the robots will switch over to Miss Chidori as their primary target. Regrettable… but, necessary.” Leonard pushed the hair out of his own face this time, squinting in a fierce gust of wind.
Sousuke lowered his rifle. He had just been about to shoot Leonard in the feet and lower legs as the wind snapped his coat behind him like a large cloak. He looked off to one side when gunshots rang out and another Aratsol fell from its perch on a spire. Another robot took its place.
“I suppose I better not tempt you,” Leonard said, realizing how close he had been to getting shot. He buttoned his coat. “I should also add that I will order the Arastols to attack you, should anything happen to the girl… or if she refuses to accompany me when I leave…”
Kaname froze. That bastard. That clever cold-hearted bastard. So that’s why he didn’t have the Arastols outside of the building shoot at Sousuke. He was a bargaining chip to be used in getting her to leave. Again! How she wished that the smug loser would suffer for his arrogance. In Souske’s anime shows, the bad guys who did things like this often ended up paying for it in the end. But, this was real life. There was no one writing the script so that the hero and heroine would walk off hand in hand into the sunset.
A shot was deflected by Leonard’s coat again. This one had come from below. That prompted Sousuke to call down to Kurz and fill him in on the situation, and warn him that he might see robots approaching from anywhere in the KLCC park area.
“Tell him that I will have the Arastols attack both you and Miss Chidori, should any more of my robotic companions be knocked off the top of either building.” Leonard couldn’t follow through on his threats if his resources were removed. He smiled when Sousuke complied.
Kaname couldn’t believe it. Could Leonard have thought his way out of another difficult situation? Was there anyone who could out-think someone like him?
“I will not shoot you,” Sousuke said. He placed his rifle down on the roof of the Sky Bridge. He kept his knife out. “I will not kill you.” He moved forward, quickly. “But… will your robots fire if I merely subdue you?” They might indeed do so. If Kaname was a traitor, he couldn’t bring himself to kill her. But, he could allow the robots to do so. If she was under Leonard’s influence, then there was a lot more at risk here. But, if he could capture Leonard, he might be able to get him to order the Arastols to stand down.
“You are not skilled enough,” Leonard said, dodging Sousuke’s attack with a ballet dancer‘s grace. The knife slashed where his face had been. He moved to drag Kaname between himself and his foe; but, Sousuke had counted on that.
Instead of risking hand to hand combat with Leonard in this precarious location… with Arastols ready to open fire on him if he proved too great a threat… he grabbed hold of Kaname’s arm and pulled with all his might. She broke free of Leonard’s grasp, and fell hard to the flooring, sliding closer to the edge than either she or Sousuke wanted.
“BAKA!”
Kaname had control of her tongue again. There must be some limit to the distance Leonard could control her from! Sure enough, his presence in her mind was negligible now. She moved further away from the two men. “Sousuke… please… I was under his control before… don’t believe anything he said…” She thought a moment, closed her eyes, and nodded her head. This is something she wanted to do, anyway. It might help convince Sousuke she was telling the truth. Taking off her special coat, she threw it to him.
The wind took the coat. It opened up, almost like a kite or small parachute, blown towards the edge of the structure. Leaping, Sousuke caught it, just before it slipped beyond his reach. Standing back up, he put the garment on and secured it.
“Touche,” Leonard said, nodding to Kaname. He ignored Sousuke at the moment, his gaze going elsewhere.
“Everybody… freeze… put your hands in the air…” That shout came from a security guard who had jumped down to the Sky Bridge. He was standing with his legs spread apart, a revolver in both hands. Another guard stood at the opening in the suite wall. “Let’s take this slow and easy.” Checking to make certain that his fellow guards were covering him, he began to walk towards Sousuke and Leonard, keeping watch on Kaname out of the corner of his eye. Leaving the gun in one hand, he reached behind him and took out a pair of handcuffs. The free cuff swung back and forth like a pendulum.
“Thank goodness you’re here,” Leonard said. “The girl and I are unarmed. I’m Leonard Silver, the one who phoned for assistance.” He raised his hands above his heads. He made a subtle hand gesture, getting the attention of the Arastols. “This young man is a killer. A terrorist. Please see to the young lady’s safety first and foremost.”
“Please shoot the son of a bitch,” Kaname said, feeling all of her past anger coalesce at that instant. “He’s the terrorist.”
“I would suggest you limit your movements,” Sousuke said, pointing. “We are not alone. There are robots above us.”
“Sure, buddy…” The guard didn’t look up. He was not about to fall for that old trick. Unfortunately for him, he had not been one of the men working the monitors when the Arastols showed up on close circuit TV; neither had his companions. “Keep quiet, and leave your hands where I can see them.”
“He’s telling the truth,” Kaname said. “I swear.”
“Whatever you say, Miss.” The guard stopped a moment, taking stock of the situation. His fellow security workers would climb down in a few moments. They could cuff the two men, when there was less chance of them struggling and knocking one of his friends to his death. “Put out your hand. I’ll cuff you first.” He closed one cuff over Kaname’s wrist, ignoring the shrill berating he got as a result. “After that, my pals will take the other two into custody. We’ll sort this out downstairs.”
“They tried to warn you,” Leonard said.
One of the Aratsols had a sniper rifle built into one limb. It sighted carefully and fired. The bullet took the guard in the head, knocking him to the roof. Kaname was left staring with her mouth open, the handcuffs dangling from her arm. She crouched down and placed both hands over her ears when the other robot opened fire with a miniature Gatling gun, peppering the side of Tower 2 and severely injuring the other security personnel.
“Now, where were we?” Leonard asked, catching the distant rumble of approaching helicopter blades. “You can keep the coat, with my compliments. It really looks good on you. Honest.” He smiled. “But, you haven’t really gained anything. If necessary, the crew on the helicopter will destroy the entire Sky Bridge. I can also have them shoot the girl, if she does not come with me.”
Kaname closed her eyes a moment, feeling the rage grow in side of her. The cold feel of the metal around one wrist had her look down at the handcuffs. Her eyes opened wide. An idea crossed her mind. True, it was fatalistic, and she didn’t really want to die. But, she didn’t want to end up in Leonard’s clutches again. More importantly, she wanted Sousuke to live. He cared about her. Even if she couldn’t spend time with him again, just knowing that made her feel like her life had meaning.
“Kaname… don’t…” Sousuke held out one hand when Kaname began walking over towards Leonard. “You don’t have to leave with him.”
“You truly are a smart girl,” Leonard said, watching Kaname. “Don’t worry about Mister Sagara. He has a way with Whispered girls. You. My sister. The young lady in Cambodia. He won’t be lonely for long.”
Kaname almost stopped, just so she could glare at Sousuke. She didn’t. Holding her breath, she kept walking. This was a very big gamble. If Leonard asserted his influence over her again, her idea would go for naught. Part of her prayed that he would. She didn’t really want to do this. But, it was the best way out for everyone, not just Sousuke. Leonard Testarossa was just to great a risk to the world at large.
“In fact, I think it would be wonderful if he fell in love with my poor lonely sister.” Leonard looked up, seeing a faint wavering in the air near the tip of the Towers. The ECS-shrouded helicopter was on its final approach. Sure enough, the wind from its rotors began tossing his hair all about. He needed to speak louder, to be heard. “That might make him my brother-in-law some day. Think of it. The four of us could spend fond times reminiscing.”
Sousuke’s eyes went big, picturing himself with Tessa on his lap, sitting across the table from an affectionate Kaname and Leonard. No way that was going to happen! He braced himself and leaned forward when an exceptionally strong gust of wind buffeted him. The end game was approaching. What should he do?
“Tessa?” Kaname bit her lip. She clenched her fists. Leonard might be joking; but, that was not a subject she wanted to joke about! “Tessa!” Her fury came at just the right moment. As Leonard’s resonance began to wash over her, sapping away her will, her anger held it back. Running over to Leonard, she snapped the free end of the handcuffs on him. Immediately thereafter, she kneed him in the groin as hard as she could. Oh, how she had dreamed about doing that!
“Gahhhh,” the pain distracted Leonard. His attempt to control the irate girl fizzled out.
Souske jumped and slid, picking up his Barrett rifle. Quickly, he sighted on the nearest Arastol, firing. He struck it repeatedly, just as it had been about to fire on Kaname. At the same time, as the men below saw that the hunting season on robots was on again, multiple shots from below struck the other robot, causing it to bounce off the parapet, slide along the curve of the Tower, and then plummet towards the ground.
Making his way back to his feet, Sousuke ran towards Kaname.
“I’ve…” Kaname began pushing on Leonard, knocking him off balance. “Had…” She shoved with all of her might, determined to fight off his attempts to stop her. “…All I can take…” She cried out in pain when Leonard yanked on her hair and reached for the utility knife he saw protruding from her pocket. “…Of you…”
“You wouldn’t!” Even in his most frantic moment, Leonard did not look too concerned. However, inside, he knew fear for the first time in a long while.
“KANAME! NO! STOP!”
Sousuke ran as fast as he could. It looked as if he would get there too late.
“Sousuke… I…” Kaname couldn’t bring herself to say ‘I love you.’ While it might still be true, she couldn’t be one hundred percent certain at that given moment. Also, the finality of her act had struck in full force. She was going to die. She might be taking Leonard with her; but, she was going to die. Why had she done that? It seemed like a good idea at the time.
“No!” Leonard tried his best to push back against Kaname. But, she had gotten the upper hand, and all of his nimbleness was worthless. He didn’t weigh enough to impede her attempt.
“Kaname!” Sousuke pushed off with his legs, using every bit of strength he had. He was soon flying through the air, his hands outstretched, the rifle clattering across the roof. With his left hand, he managed to grab Kaname’s wrist, just as she fell past the edge completely. Leonard was already falling. Tethered to him by the handcuffs, Kaname had no choice but to be pulled downward.
Pain shooting through him, thanks to the wound he had suffered at the hands of the Arastol inside the hallway, Sousuke slammed hard to the Sky Bridge roof, beginning to slide towards the precipice himself.
“K-K-…arrrrrgggghhh…” Sousuke cried out in pain before speaking her name. “Kaname! Grab onto my wrist. I don’t know how long I can hold you.” Leonard’s and Kaname’s weight had pulled his head out over the edge, so he had a good view of them both, along with the portion of the building directly below them all.
“It looks like Eve is going to be responsible for Adam’s fall again, huh?” Kaname couldn’t resist the chance to rub things in Leonard’s face, even at a moment like that.
“You…” Leonard’s pride singed him. It was bad enough to contemplate his death… but at Kaname Chidori’s hands? A teenage girl? At that moment, her being Whispered and a genius didn’t matter anymore. His feelings for her also seemed passé and ill-placed. “You trash!”
“Kaname, grab hold.” Sousuke felt his grip slipping. His palms were sweaty. He had lost too many people in his life already. For a moment, Nami’s image flashed in front of his eyes. He remembered how she died, at the hand of Kurama. If he had acted sooner then, maybe he could have saved her. He couldn’t let Kaname die, too. Nami had been a friend. Kaname was so much more. “Kaname… you are my friend… you are more than that…”
“It’s better this way, Sousuke.” Kaname looked up at him, tears coming to her eyes. “As long as you’re alive, you can be happy some day. I just couldn’t go with him again. And, this really is the only way to make certain he’s gone. Amalgam won’t be so bad without him, right?” She swallowed hard. Once again, she felt an urge to let Sousuke know that she loved him. Did she really have to be certain? No. Not if that was what she felt at that moment. But, would it be fair to Sousuke? Would he hurt even more hearing that, when she fell to her demise?
“Remember what I said before, Kaname.” Sousuke’s eyes were closed. He found it hard to talk, feeling as if his arm was about to leave its socket. The pain in his shoulder wound had him on the verge of blacking out. “When you’re with me… I can do anything…”
Leonard was talking into his communicator, trying desperately to get the helicopter crew to arrange for some kind of rescue. But, for now, they had to keep their distance. The wash from their blades was swinging him back and forth slightly. At that instant, his life depended on the sure grip of someone he had tried to have killed in the past. What a pleasant irony to take with him to the grave!
“Sousuke…” Kaname didn’t know why the thought came to mind. It wasn’t really something she needed to know if she was going to perish, after all. “That girl… Nami…” Both arms stretched, she could sympathize with the men and women who had been drawn-and-quartered in the past. “Was she… Sousuke… was she your girlfriend?”
“Negative,” Sousuke said, his fingers going somewhat numb. Why hadn’t someone from below come up to help him? How come there weren’t other security guards out here? What would he have left in life if he let go? “I had thought that you would be my girlfriend…” He remembered holding her hand that one fateful day.
“Yes,” Kaname said. Tears ran down her cheeks. Some of them fell off, hitting Leonard’s face by chance. “I should have treated you better, Sousuke. I’m… I’m sorry…”
“You left with him to save me, Kaname.” Sousuke’s voice was husky. He knew that he couldn’t hold that much weight any longer.
A shot rang out, from down below. Nothing happened. More shots followed, with the same result. But, a subsequent bullet struck the part of the cuffs where the two chains metal at a swivel. It dented the metal, but did not sever the chains. Two more shots followed, and then a period of silence.
“Come on Kurz!” Sousuke squeezed as hard as he could. When another shot followed, he felt the weight decrease suddenly.
“You’ve won.” Those were the last words that Kaname and Sousuke heard from Leonard Testarossa, as he feel away, the cuffs now in two pieces. Fortunately for Sousuke and Kaname, the Amalgam copter began to veer away from the area, rather than stay and enact some kind of retribution.
“You bet!” Kaname shouted, wondering if she would soon follow. “Sousuke. Please don’t let me fall.” Now, more than anything, she wanted to live. Leonard was dead, or would be soon enough. She had done that much. Now, as the heroine, she deserved a happy ending, didn’t she?
“I’m trying, Kaname…” Sousuke still was having great difficulty. All Kurz’ shot had done was buy him a few seconds more.
“If you let me fall, mister, I won’t ever speak to you again!” Even at the verge of death, Kaname’ Chidori’s spunk had returned in full flower.
“But, you were the one who pushed the two of you off the edge,” Sousuke said in his own defense, taking things too literally as usual. “It is not my fault you are hanging there.”
“Oooooh….” Kaname swung her arm up while contorting her body. She grabbed hold of Sousuke’s wrist just as his hand let go. “Sousuke!” She glowered at the young man above her. “Big stupid head…”
Grunting, Sousuke reached down with his other arm and grasped Kaname’s free hand. “Is this the right time for that kind of conversation, Kaname?” He heard some voices coming in the direction of the suite. There were two of his fellow commandos who had been assigned to Kurz’ squad. They were accompanied by a number of security guards. “I think that your attention would be better spent on holding on as tightly as you can.”
Kaname bit her lip. Of course, Sousuke was right. But, she could never let him have the last word, no matter what. She was safe enough, for now. “Sousuke, when we get safely on the ground, I’m going to beat you within an inch of your life…” She left the sentence hanging for a moment.
“Kaname?” Sousuke actually found himself smiling. That was a rare enough event. Stertched out the way he was… covered with sweat… and dealing with severe pain… he shouldn’t have been capable of grinning. But, that sounded just like the old Kaname.
“…After I kiss you silly…” It was Kaname’s turn to smile. She reserved the right to change her mind at a moment’s notice. But, she would not tell Sousuke that. Her threat of a kiss ought to have a noticeable effect.
“Uhhh…” Sousuke was relieved when the arriving men took over his task, pulling Kaname to safety.
After walking away from the edge, Kaname and Sousuke stood staring at one another. Neither had any idea for how long. Kaname hung her head. Now that she was safe, she found herself smothered by feelings of guilt. Yes, she was alive. Yes, Leonard Testarossa was gone from her life. Yes, that was reason to celebrate. But, she had helped the enemy, giving them the Black Technology locked away inside her head. Whether her motives had merit or not, she was a traitor.
“What is wrong, Kaname?” Sousuke asked, waving away an offer of assistance from one of his fellow soldiers. “Are you in pain? Do you need medical attention?”
“I…” Kaname couldn’t look up into his eyes. “I did bad things, Sousuke…” She began shivering the wind feeling so much colder than it really was. “Maybe you should have let me fall, after all…” The doubts and self-recrimations threatened to overwhelm her.
“Here,” Sousuke took off the coat he was wearing, and gently draped it over Kaname’s shoulders. “Now is not the time to worry about such things.” He reached out and touched her cheek, bringing his finger away wet. “You helped save the two of us. You took down a key figure in Amalgam. And, most important of all, you stayed alive.”
“S-S-Sousuke…” Kaname began to sob. Unable to hold off any longer, she ran to Sousuke and wrapped her arms around him, crying into his chest.
“If you had died, I would not have been able to keep my promise.” Sousuke was not being clueless. He knew exactly what he was saying. He had a good idea what effect it would have. They had both been through a lot. That was nothing new. In the past, when they made their way through difficult situations, Kaname's rather demonstrative reactions seemed to lift her spirits somehow. And as her mood went, so went his.
“Promise?” Kaname’s voice was muffled. Her hands tightened, grasping the fabric of his shirt as strongly as he had gripped her wrist. “Wh-Wh-What promise…” She wondered if he had promised to save the woman he loved, or something romantic like that. She let go, and took a step back, looking up into Sousuke’s eyes. Her lips parted ever so slightly.
“Affirmative,” Sousuke said, pausing for a moment. “I promised Miss Kagurazaka… Ono D… and our other classmates… that I would bring you back to school.” He worked his wounded shoulder, trying to keep it from stiffening up. “While I did not specify, I believe that they were under the impression that you would be alive when I did so.”
“What?” Kaname balled her hands into fists. “What did you say?!”
“I do not think hey would have appreciated my bringing you back to them, if you were dead, Kaname.” Sousuke nodded his head. He tried his best not to smile. He failed.
"Of course not, moron." Kaname failed to hide her own grin. That was typical Sousuke; but, this time there seemed to be a purpose behind his behavior. Not only did that show he was capable of growing and maturing, it also showed that he cared. Somehow, the suffocating pains and fears she had suffered through were pushed even further away, at least for a little while. She walked over and stood directly in front of him. "Well?"
“Kaname?” Sousuke wanted to put his arms around her again, but couldn’t with everyone watching him.
“Do I have to tell you everything, Sousuke?" Kaname sighed in purposefully dramatic fashion. While she was being playful on the surface, she felt the tug of trepidation. At this moment, she felt very vulnerable. “You came looking for me. We almost died. I’m right here in front of you. Now would be a really good time to kiss me!”
“Uhhh…” Sousuke froze. He had never really kissed a woman that he cared about.
“I don’t have all day!” Kaname put her arms around Sousuke’s neck. For a moment, she wondered if she could use Leonard’s trick on Sousuke. No way! Even if she could, she would never do something like that. “Baka…” She put her lips on Sousuke’s, losing herself in the moment when he kissed her in return. When she came up for air, there was a wicked look in her eyes.
"That was..." Sousuke put his hand to his mouth. He was quite aware of the fact that he had needs. he considered that an inherent part of any living creature, himself included. But, he never realized how deep his feelings might run, or the fact that something as seemingly simple as a kiss might be a revelation.
"Yes it was," Kaname said, feeling a touch smug. If she just stunted his growth, that was his fault not hers. "But next time, try not to be such an exhibitionist."
"Kaname?" Sousuke looked totally perplexed. He was completely clothed. So was she.
“Didn’t you see those helicopters, Sousuke?” Kaname didn’t have to toss her hair. The wind took care of that for her. "Kissing me like that, in front of so many people. I’m totally embarrassed.” Sure enough, a number of civilian helicopters were circling the area, News crews chatting away, and cameramen working their equipment.
"You kissed me, Kaname." Sousuke said.
"Are you complaining?" Kaname asked, daring him to say 'Yes'. Not so miraclously, considering the situation, her competitive nature took a step back. Her eyes softened and her posture changed. “I’ve missed you Sousuke,” Kaname said. “I’ve missed you so much.” She smiled, wiping away a tear. “Most of the time…”
"I was lonely without you, as well." Sousuke said.
The two of them stood quietly for a while after that, lost in each other's eyes, as if they had found the one true peaceful place on earth. It wasn't until the security forces insisted that the Sky Bridge be cleared that they headed back inside the building. After that, they took a passenger elevator down to the ground floor.
They found Kurz lounging indolently across the huge machine. He said that Melissa would be along shortly, her mission a success, more or less. Kaname made it a point to thank the lanky sniper with a big kiss. It didn’t make Souske jealous in the least, earning him a dirty look from Kaname.
“I have something that belongs to you,” Sousuke said to her, remembering something. “You left it back at the manor building.”
“Sousuke?” Kaname wondered what it might be. Wait! Could it be some of the jewelry that Leonard gave her? She watched as Sousuke popped the hatch on the A.S. and hurried up to the cockpit.
“Here,” Sousuke said. “Al and I have become partners.” The bird cage swung in his hand as he climbed back down. Hope was sitting on her swing. Catching sight of Kaname, the bird bobbed its head up and down.
“Al?” Kaname wrinkled up her nose. She smiled at the parakeet, before turning a baleful eye on Sousuke. “What kind of idiot would name a bird Al? Especially a girl bird. Geeez.”
“Jerk… jerk… jerk…”
“That’s right, Hope. Did Mommy’s bird miss her?” Kaname hugged the cage to her. She was truly moved, getting the bird back again. First Sousuke, and now Hope. It was like seeing a rainbow after moping through a dreary rainy day.
“KANAME!”
The parakeet’s raucous call had Kaname jumping. But, she soon grinned, looking over at Sousuke. “Did you teach her that?”
“Yes,” Sousuke said. “When the two of us had defeated the enemy Arm Slave.” He felt quite proud of his accomplishment.
“What? You took my Hope into battle?” Kaname gave Sousuke an even nastier look.
“Uhhh…” Sousuke suddenly felt on the defensive.
“Shit… shit… shit…”
Having said that, Hope began playing with her bell. She took no notice of the growling sound coming from the girl holding her cage.
“Sousuke Sagara…” Kaname’s eyes narrowed. Only Sousuke could make her feel this way. For better and for worse!
“Now now, kiddies…” Kurz walked over, holding up his hands. “You two love birds shouldn’t fight.” He waggled a finger inside of Hope’s cage, pulling it out quickly and putting it in his mouth, after the bird nipped him. “You two should be in a cheerful mood. After all, you’ve been apart, and absence makes the heart grow fonder… right?”
Sousuke and Kaname looked at one another and nodded. Sousuke went pale when he saw what Kurz pulled out of the bag at his feet. Kanme looked on with interest, not unaware of Sousuke’s reaction.
“Looking at this always cheers me up,” Kurz aid. He tossed the photo album in the air, and then caught it.
“Kurz… that is mine…” Sousuke held out his hand, ready to stash the book where Kaname could not find it.
“Thank you, Sousuke old buddy. Now that ownership has been established, I will let Angel see it.” Kurz handed the book to Kaname. He blocked Sousuke’s attempt to grab the book from her.
“What’s this?” Kaname asked. Her face fell as soon as she turned the first page. After that, her expression grew darker with each page she turned. “S-… S-…S-…”
“It is not my fault,” Sousuke said, backing away from Kaname. “I was unconscious…” He swallowed hard, seeing the look on Kaname’s face. “It is probably similar to your difficulty with Leonard…” True or not, that was the wrong thing to say at the moment.
“SOUSUKE!”
Kaname’s shout had everyone in the vicinity stopping what they were doing, to look over at her.
“Creep!”
Once again, by chance, Hope’s choice of words seemed to fit the moment.
“It seems she knows you, old friend.” Kurz smiled fondly at Sousuke.
“Yes,” Kaname said.
No doubt, security guards were on their way. That presented somewhat of a dilemma to Sousuke, who did not like to purposefully injure innocent people if it wasn’t necessary.
Gritting his teeth from the pain caused by a wound in his left shoulder, he made his way through the remnants of the door frame. A relatively intact Arastol lay twitching in the area outside of Silver Industries, thanks to Sousuke’s M107. A fountain of sparks shot upward for a moment, and then stopped, leaving a small cloud of white smoke.
The owners of the building would have a lot of renovation to do. The one robot had been armed with a high-powered flechette gun. A second Arastol had opened fire with a small multi-barrel weapon before getting damaged and triggering a suicidal detonation. Sousuke had barely managed to leap around a corner as the small ball bearings whizzed through walls and windows.
“Kaname.“ He had heard Kaname’s voice. He was certain that he had not imagined it. Kurz had told him that he had spotted what looked to be a swath of blue hair streaming alongside the door of a small white van. It didn’t take much detective work to decide on what suite to check first.
There wasn’t time or need to search the interior of the room. But, he had to take a few moments to make certain that no additional Arastols were inside, and that no obvious traps were waiting. He saw files spread all across the floor, and took note of clothing over near a couch. After that, his full attention went to a missing window. Gusts of wind kicked up loose papers and spun them about the room.
“No doubt they will have some kind of escape chute… low altitude parasails…or a helicopter on the way.” Sousuke climbed up through the window. He frowned when he watched a series of step-like extensions on the external wall slide back flush against the building. That meant he would have to jump down, since he didn’t have a rappelling cord.
Hand on the side of the window frame, he stood and stared a moment, the wind teasing at the end of his shaggy hair. There were two people down on top of the Sky Bridge, each of them wearing a long black coat. The man had silver hair that would have looked beautiful on a woman. That was Leonard Testarossa. The girl had blue hair. It was Kaname.
Machine gun fire struck just below Sousuke’s feet, and quickly worked its way upward. Reacting quickly, he threw himself back into the room in the nick of time, taking a hard fall. Removing the rifle he had slung across his uninjured shoulder, he looked for a place that gave him a sheltered view of the outside world.
There. Holding onto the side of Tower 1. An Arastol. Ducking away from shards of glass that flew about the room when the robot shot in his direction, Sousuke rolled to his knees, and brought the gun up. Just as before he fired, the Arastol jerked. It had been hit. That was probably Kurz, or one of the other commandos who remained on site. Given the fact that the target was still functional, Sousuke put a few rounds into its head and torso.
As the robot fell, Sousuke made his way back to the opening, and then jumped down, wincing when his feet impacted the steel surface. The jerking motion sent the pain of his wound throughout his entire side. Looking at both Towers, he frowned. There were more Arastols; but, they clung to the building a points where they were effectively shielded. On the bright side, they were in no position to attack. Yet.
A flash of light caught his attention. It was a reflection. There was an Arastol near the top of Tower 2, holding onto the base of the structure’s tall conical spire. Looking up past the pinnacle of the Tower nearest to him, Sousuke saw that another Arastol was seeking a similar perch on that building. Tactically, this was a very bad situation. But, time was of the essence. If he wanted to save Kaname here…today… he would have to take a number of risks. He might never be able to track her down again.
“Sousuke!” Kaname began walking towards the young soldier, until Leonard put a hand on her shoulder and applied pressure. She tried to shake free, but felt an inappropriate feeling of calm spread through her. It was that damn Whispered resonance again!
“What a wonderful place to pay us a visit, Mister Sagara.” Leonard waved one arm in expansive fashion. “But, I’m afraid that you’ll have to go downstairs to check with security first. They start giving out tickets to the Sky Bridge at 8: 30 a.m., and the first tickets are for the 9 a.m. visit. The lines can be very long during the weekends, so you may want to return on a weekday.”
“Security will be here soon enough,” Sousuke said, bringing his rifle to his shoulder again. He placed the crosshairs directly between Leonard’s eyes and fired without further adieu. The results were the same as they had been in Kaname’s Tokyo apartment. The miraculous black coat moved to deflect the bullet. The same thing happened to three additional shots that he fired in rapid succession.
Kaname opened her mouth. There was so much she wanted to say to Sousuke. She wanted to feel joy and relief at his being there, but Leonard’s influence was making that difficult. It was just one more thing that ’Mr. Silver’ had stolen from her.
“I guess you can’t teach an old killer new tricks,” Leonard said. He pushed some hair away from Kaname’s face. “You see love, he’s just as violent as ever. At least he’s predictable.”
“Kaname, are you alright?” Sousuke stopped a short distance away from Kaname and Leonard. He felt his throat tighten. He could almost reach out and touch her. But, at the moment, Leonard was the one doing that, his hand on her arm. His chest tightened, too. Just what was their relationship. Where did Kaname’s loyalty lie? Was her heart her own, or did it belong to someone else? Did it belong to Leonard Testarossa?
“Y-Y-Yes,” Kaname answered, even though she wanted to shout ‘No, you big idiot. I’m being held captive up on this stupid building, and some arrogant schmuck is controlling my thoughts and words!’ “Wh-Wh-Why have you come here… fr-fr-frightening me…” She clenched her fists, able to put up that much of a resistance, but nothing more. “Are… are… are you here to k-k-kill me…”
“Kaname?” Sousuke took a half step, and then stopped. He tried to read the look on Kaname’s face, unable to get any clues from her posture. “Kaname, I came here to rescue you.” He did take a step that time. “Everything I’ve done, has been to find you.” He took another step. "My feelings for you have not changed."
Kaname’s heart felt like it was going to burst. Sousuke did care about her. He had come to rescue her. But, she couldn’t tell him that! She pushed harder with her mind, but trembled when Leonard pushed back even stronger.
“What a waste,” Leonard said, sighing. “How many people have died as a result of your mistakes and misconceptions? I mean, it should be rather obvious that Miss Chidori does not want to go with you. Right, my heart?” He ran a hand along her arm, his hair streaming out behind him and blending in with hers.
“N-…” Kaname couldn’t get the word ‘No’ out. “N-…” She shook her head, to no effect. “R-R-Right.”
“That’s…” Sousuke felt as if time had stopped. Part of him recoiled at Kaname’s answer. How could Kaname have fallen for such a monster? Why had he put himself and others through so much, just to find her?
He hung his head and let out a long breath. His gut was telling him a different story. Something just didn‘t seem right in the way that Kaname was answering. There should be more emotion, one way or the other. He eyed Leonard with suspicion. “You are no doubt doing something to control her. Perhaps you have threatened to harm those that she loves.”
“That would salve your injured pride, wouldn’t it?” Leonard smiled. “I suppose if you believe that fantasy, it might keep your tortured heart from breaking for a while longer.” He leaned closer to Kaname. “Do you have any idea what she and I were doing before you rudely destroyed the door?”
“You…” Sousuke looked over at Kaname. He blinked repeatedly, feeling his heartbeat speed up. “It could have been something like I saw earlier… on the balcony… at Carcosa…” He jumped backwards instinctively, when the robots up on high began firing. They were not aiming at him. No doubt they had spotted Kurz and the others.
Kaname wanted to crawl inside herself and curl up into a tight little ball. Sousuke had seen that? He had seen Leonard kiss her? He had seen the way that she had kissed him back? He had no way of knowing it wasn’t her choice.
“Ahhhhh. A voyeur. I can add that to your list of faults.” Leonard ran a hand through his hair. “Do you peek under girls’ skirts, too? Look down their blouses?” He shook his head. “If you knew how things stood between us, why are you here? Is it to murder her, so that she can’t work in our research facilities any longer?”
Kaname struggled to break free of the grip on her mind. She wanted to shout ‘It wasn’t voluntary! They threatened to kill my family! They threatened Kyouko and the others again!’
Sousuke straightened his shoulders, grimacing a bit from the pain. He looked at Kaname a moment, before focusing on Leonard. “At the very least, I will do whatever it takes to make certain that you are no longer a threat.” He looked back at Kaname sadly, his hand twitching. “I will not harm Kaname. People can change. She may not care about me…” He couldn’t bring himself to look Kaname in the eyes. “…But, she might find happiness with someone who is good for her. I owe her that much.”
Tears came to Kaname’s eyes. Leonard’s influence couldn’t stop that. Sousuke really cared about her, the big noble idiot. After hearing Leonard’s twisted words, would he ever be able to trust her again? Would he ever feel the way he once did about her?
“Hmmmm… that’s sounds about right for you,” Leonard said. “She’s happy, now. Before you arrived, we had been close to consummating our love in a very intimate manner. Do you want what’s best for her? If you do, how can you think to take me away from her? Haven’t you done enough to foul up her life? Someone like you cannot begin to comprehend what is best for someone like her.”
‘No,’ Kaname thought. ‘It’s not really like that. It wasn’t my choice. Don’t listen to him. No. Please. No.’
“I cannot match your skills at speaking,” Sousuke said, realizing that Leonard could run rings round him verbally. He took out a wicked looking combat knife. Looking at Kaname for a moment longer, he sighed and began closing the distance between him and his enemy.
“I’m sorry, my sweet.” Leonard ran a hand along Kaname’s cheek. “Out of deference to you, I tried to save him. It’s pointless, with men like him.” He shrugged. “I hope you will forgive me later, so we can start up where we left off before. It looks like I will need to use you as a bargaining chip, seeing how determined the boy is.”
“Wh-Wh-What?” Kaname’s eyes widened. What was Leonard thinking about doing? For that matter, why had he just been standing there? Maybe he wanted to keep her safe, knowing that she could be hurt in the crossfire. Or, he might simply be stalling for time, knowing that the helicopter would be arriving soon.
“Sergeant, I’m certain you have noticed the Arastols situated about the building.” Leonard frowned momentarily, when he saw one of the robots get struck with shot after shot. It must be that damn blonde marksman that he saw driving in. No matter, there were Arastols headed for the ground level as well.
“Affirmative,” Sousuke said.
Kaname brought her hand to her mouth. That ‘Affirmative’ brought so many memories flooding into her mind. Leonard couldn’t dam them up, no matter how much mental pressure he applied.
“Well, should you or one of your compatriots shoot me, the robots will switch over to Miss Chidori as their primary target. Regrettable… but, necessary.” Leonard pushed the hair out of his own face this time, squinting in a fierce gust of wind.
Sousuke lowered his rifle. He had just been about to shoot Leonard in the feet and lower legs as the wind snapped his coat behind him like a large cloak. He looked off to one side when gunshots rang out and another Aratsol fell from its perch on a spire. Another robot took its place.
“I suppose I better not tempt you,” Leonard said, realizing how close he had been to getting shot. He buttoned his coat. “I should also add that I will order the Arastols to attack you, should anything happen to the girl… or if she refuses to accompany me when I leave…”
Kaname froze. That bastard. That clever cold-hearted bastard. So that’s why he didn’t have the Arastols outside of the building shoot at Sousuke. He was a bargaining chip to be used in getting her to leave. Again! How she wished that the smug loser would suffer for his arrogance. In Souske’s anime shows, the bad guys who did things like this often ended up paying for it in the end. But, this was real life. There was no one writing the script so that the hero and heroine would walk off hand in hand into the sunset.
A shot was deflected by Leonard’s coat again. This one had come from below. That prompted Sousuke to call down to Kurz and fill him in on the situation, and warn him that he might see robots approaching from anywhere in the KLCC park area.
“Tell him that I will have the Arastols attack both you and Miss Chidori, should any more of my robotic companions be knocked off the top of either building.” Leonard couldn’t follow through on his threats if his resources were removed. He smiled when Sousuke complied.
Kaname couldn’t believe it. Could Leonard have thought his way out of another difficult situation? Was there anyone who could out-think someone like him?
“I will not shoot you,” Sousuke said. He placed his rifle down on the roof of the Sky Bridge. He kept his knife out. “I will not kill you.” He moved forward, quickly. “But… will your robots fire if I merely subdue you?” They might indeed do so. If Kaname was a traitor, he couldn’t bring himself to kill her. But, he could allow the robots to do so. If she was under Leonard’s influence, then there was a lot more at risk here. But, if he could capture Leonard, he might be able to get him to order the Arastols to stand down.
“You are not skilled enough,” Leonard said, dodging Sousuke’s attack with a ballet dancer‘s grace. The knife slashed where his face had been. He moved to drag Kaname between himself and his foe; but, Sousuke had counted on that.
Instead of risking hand to hand combat with Leonard in this precarious location… with Arastols ready to open fire on him if he proved too great a threat… he grabbed hold of Kaname’s arm and pulled with all his might. She broke free of Leonard’s grasp, and fell hard to the flooring, sliding closer to the edge than either she or Sousuke wanted.
“BAKA!”
Kaname had control of her tongue again. There must be some limit to the distance Leonard could control her from! Sure enough, his presence in her mind was negligible now. She moved further away from the two men. “Sousuke… please… I was under his control before… don’t believe anything he said…” She thought a moment, closed her eyes, and nodded her head. This is something she wanted to do, anyway. It might help convince Sousuke she was telling the truth. Taking off her special coat, she threw it to him.
The wind took the coat. It opened up, almost like a kite or small parachute, blown towards the edge of the structure. Leaping, Sousuke caught it, just before it slipped beyond his reach. Standing back up, he put the garment on and secured it.
“Touche,” Leonard said, nodding to Kaname. He ignored Sousuke at the moment, his gaze going elsewhere.
“Everybody… freeze… put your hands in the air…” That shout came from a security guard who had jumped down to the Sky Bridge. He was standing with his legs spread apart, a revolver in both hands. Another guard stood at the opening in the suite wall. “Let’s take this slow and easy.” Checking to make certain that his fellow guards were covering him, he began to walk towards Sousuke and Leonard, keeping watch on Kaname out of the corner of his eye. Leaving the gun in one hand, he reached behind him and took out a pair of handcuffs. The free cuff swung back and forth like a pendulum.
“Thank goodness you’re here,” Leonard said. “The girl and I are unarmed. I’m Leonard Silver, the one who phoned for assistance.” He raised his hands above his heads. He made a subtle hand gesture, getting the attention of the Arastols. “This young man is a killer. A terrorist. Please see to the young lady’s safety first and foremost.”
“Please shoot the son of a bitch,” Kaname said, feeling all of her past anger coalesce at that instant. “He’s the terrorist.”
“I would suggest you limit your movements,” Sousuke said, pointing. “We are not alone. There are robots above us.”
“Sure, buddy…” The guard didn’t look up. He was not about to fall for that old trick. Unfortunately for him, he had not been one of the men working the monitors when the Arastols showed up on close circuit TV; neither had his companions. “Keep quiet, and leave your hands where I can see them.”
“He’s telling the truth,” Kaname said. “I swear.”
“Whatever you say, Miss.” The guard stopped a moment, taking stock of the situation. His fellow security workers would climb down in a few moments. They could cuff the two men, when there was less chance of them struggling and knocking one of his friends to his death. “Put out your hand. I’ll cuff you first.” He closed one cuff over Kaname’s wrist, ignoring the shrill berating he got as a result. “After that, my pals will take the other two into custody. We’ll sort this out downstairs.”
“They tried to warn you,” Leonard said.
One of the Aratsols had a sniper rifle built into one limb. It sighted carefully and fired. The bullet took the guard in the head, knocking him to the roof. Kaname was left staring with her mouth open, the handcuffs dangling from her arm. She crouched down and placed both hands over her ears when the other robot opened fire with a miniature Gatling gun, peppering the side of Tower 2 and severely injuring the other security personnel.
“Now, where were we?” Leonard asked, catching the distant rumble of approaching helicopter blades. “You can keep the coat, with my compliments. It really looks good on you. Honest.” He smiled. “But, you haven’t really gained anything. If necessary, the crew on the helicopter will destroy the entire Sky Bridge. I can also have them shoot the girl, if she does not come with me.”
Kaname closed her eyes a moment, feeling the rage grow in side of her. The cold feel of the metal around one wrist had her look down at the handcuffs. Her eyes opened wide. An idea crossed her mind. True, it was fatalistic, and she didn’t really want to die. But, she didn’t want to end up in Leonard’s clutches again. More importantly, she wanted Sousuke to live. He cared about her. Even if she couldn’t spend time with him again, just knowing that made her feel like her life had meaning.
“Kaname… don’t…” Sousuke held out one hand when Kaname began walking over towards Leonard. “You don’t have to leave with him.”
“You truly are a smart girl,” Leonard said, watching Kaname. “Don’t worry about Mister Sagara. He has a way with Whispered girls. You. My sister. The young lady in Cambodia. He won’t be lonely for long.”
Kaname almost stopped, just so she could glare at Sousuke. She didn’t. Holding her breath, she kept walking. This was a very big gamble. If Leonard asserted his influence over her again, her idea would go for naught. Part of her prayed that he would. She didn’t really want to do this. But, it was the best way out for everyone, not just Sousuke. Leonard Testarossa was just to great a risk to the world at large.
“In fact, I think it would be wonderful if he fell in love with my poor lonely sister.” Leonard looked up, seeing a faint wavering in the air near the tip of the Towers. The ECS-shrouded helicopter was on its final approach. Sure enough, the wind from its rotors began tossing his hair all about. He needed to speak louder, to be heard. “That might make him my brother-in-law some day. Think of it. The four of us could spend fond times reminiscing.”
Sousuke’s eyes went big, picturing himself with Tessa on his lap, sitting across the table from an affectionate Kaname and Leonard. No way that was going to happen! He braced himself and leaned forward when an exceptionally strong gust of wind buffeted him. The end game was approaching. What should he do?
“Tessa?” Kaname bit her lip. She clenched her fists. Leonard might be joking; but, that was not a subject she wanted to joke about! “Tessa!” Her fury came at just the right moment. As Leonard’s resonance began to wash over her, sapping away her will, her anger held it back. Running over to Leonard, she snapped the free end of the handcuffs on him. Immediately thereafter, she kneed him in the groin as hard as she could. Oh, how she had dreamed about doing that!
“Gahhhh,” the pain distracted Leonard. His attempt to control the irate girl fizzled out.
Souske jumped and slid, picking up his Barrett rifle. Quickly, he sighted on the nearest Arastol, firing. He struck it repeatedly, just as it had been about to fire on Kaname. At the same time, as the men below saw that the hunting season on robots was on again, multiple shots from below struck the other robot, causing it to bounce off the parapet, slide along the curve of the Tower, and then plummet towards the ground.
Making his way back to his feet, Sousuke ran towards Kaname.
“I’ve…” Kaname began pushing on Leonard, knocking him off balance. “Had…” She shoved with all of her might, determined to fight off his attempts to stop her. “…All I can take…” She cried out in pain when Leonard yanked on her hair and reached for the utility knife he saw protruding from her pocket. “…Of you…”
“You wouldn’t!” Even in his most frantic moment, Leonard did not look too concerned. However, inside, he knew fear for the first time in a long while.
“KANAME! NO! STOP!”
Sousuke ran as fast as he could. It looked as if he would get there too late.
“Sousuke… I…” Kaname couldn’t bring herself to say ‘I love you.’ While it might still be true, she couldn’t be one hundred percent certain at that given moment. Also, the finality of her act had struck in full force. She was going to die. She might be taking Leonard with her; but, she was going to die. Why had she done that? It seemed like a good idea at the time.
“No!” Leonard tried his best to push back against Kaname. But, she had gotten the upper hand, and all of his nimbleness was worthless. He didn’t weigh enough to impede her attempt.
“Kaname!” Sousuke pushed off with his legs, using every bit of strength he had. He was soon flying through the air, his hands outstretched, the rifle clattering across the roof. With his left hand, he managed to grab Kaname’s wrist, just as she fell past the edge completely. Leonard was already falling. Tethered to him by the handcuffs, Kaname had no choice but to be pulled downward.
Pain shooting through him, thanks to the wound he had suffered at the hands of the Arastol inside the hallway, Sousuke slammed hard to the Sky Bridge roof, beginning to slide towards the precipice himself.
“K-K-…arrrrrgggghhh…” Sousuke cried out in pain before speaking her name. “Kaname! Grab onto my wrist. I don’t know how long I can hold you.” Leonard’s and Kaname’s weight had pulled his head out over the edge, so he had a good view of them both, along with the portion of the building directly below them all.
“It looks like Eve is going to be responsible for Adam’s fall again, huh?” Kaname couldn’t resist the chance to rub things in Leonard’s face, even at a moment like that.
“You…” Leonard’s pride singed him. It was bad enough to contemplate his death… but at Kaname Chidori’s hands? A teenage girl? At that moment, her being Whispered and a genius didn’t matter anymore. His feelings for her also seemed passé and ill-placed. “You trash!”
“Kaname, grab hold.” Sousuke felt his grip slipping. His palms were sweaty. He had lost too many people in his life already. For a moment, Nami’s image flashed in front of his eyes. He remembered how she died, at the hand of Kurama. If he had acted sooner then, maybe he could have saved her. He couldn’t let Kaname die, too. Nami had been a friend. Kaname was so much more. “Kaname… you are my friend… you are more than that…”
“It’s better this way, Sousuke.” Kaname looked up at him, tears coming to her eyes. “As long as you’re alive, you can be happy some day. I just couldn’t go with him again. And, this really is the only way to make certain he’s gone. Amalgam won’t be so bad without him, right?” She swallowed hard. Once again, she felt an urge to let Sousuke know that she loved him. Did she really have to be certain? No. Not if that was what she felt at that moment. But, would it be fair to Sousuke? Would he hurt even more hearing that, when she fell to her demise?
“Remember what I said before, Kaname.” Sousuke’s eyes were closed. He found it hard to talk, feeling as if his arm was about to leave its socket. The pain in his shoulder wound had him on the verge of blacking out. “When you’re with me… I can do anything…”
Leonard was talking into his communicator, trying desperately to get the helicopter crew to arrange for some kind of rescue. But, for now, they had to keep their distance. The wash from their blades was swinging him back and forth slightly. At that instant, his life depended on the sure grip of someone he had tried to have killed in the past. What a pleasant irony to take with him to the grave!
“Sousuke…” Kaname didn’t know why the thought came to mind. It wasn’t really something she needed to know if she was going to perish, after all. “That girl… Nami…” Both arms stretched, she could sympathize with the men and women who had been drawn-and-quartered in the past. “Was she… Sousuke… was she your girlfriend?”
“Negative,” Sousuke said, his fingers going somewhat numb. Why hadn’t someone from below come up to help him? How come there weren’t other security guards out here? What would he have left in life if he let go? “I had thought that you would be my girlfriend…” He remembered holding her hand that one fateful day.
“Yes,” Kaname said. Tears ran down her cheeks. Some of them fell off, hitting Leonard’s face by chance. “I should have treated you better, Sousuke. I’m… I’m sorry…”
“You left with him to save me, Kaname.” Sousuke’s voice was husky. He knew that he couldn’t hold that much weight any longer.
A shot rang out, from down below. Nothing happened. More shots followed, with the same result. But, a subsequent bullet struck the part of the cuffs where the two chains metal at a swivel. It dented the metal, but did not sever the chains. Two more shots followed, and then a period of silence.
“Come on Kurz!” Sousuke squeezed as hard as he could. When another shot followed, he felt the weight decrease suddenly.
“You’ve won.” Those were the last words that Kaname and Sousuke heard from Leonard Testarossa, as he feel away, the cuffs now in two pieces. Fortunately for Sousuke and Kaname, the Amalgam copter began to veer away from the area, rather than stay and enact some kind of retribution.
“You bet!” Kaname shouted, wondering if she would soon follow. “Sousuke. Please don’t let me fall.” Now, more than anything, she wanted to live. Leonard was dead, or would be soon enough. She had done that much. Now, as the heroine, she deserved a happy ending, didn’t she?
“I’m trying, Kaname…” Sousuke still was having great difficulty. All Kurz’ shot had done was buy him a few seconds more.
“If you let me fall, mister, I won’t ever speak to you again!” Even at the verge of death, Kaname’ Chidori’s spunk had returned in full flower.
“But, you were the one who pushed the two of you off the edge,” Sousuke said in his own defense, taking things too literally as usual. “It is not my fault you are hanging there.”
“Oooooh….” Kaname swung her arm up while contorting her body. She grabbed hold of Sousuke’s wrist just as his hand let go. “Sousuke!” She glowered at the young man above her. “Big stupid head…”
Grunting, Sousuke reached down with his other arm and grasped Kaname’s free hand. “Is this the right time for that kind of conversation, Kaname?” He heard some voices coming in the direction of the suite. There were two of his fellow commandos who had been assigned to Kurz’ squad. They were accompanied by a number of security guards. “I think that your attention would be better spent on holding on as tightly as you can.”
Kaname bit her lip. Of course, Sousuke was right. But, she could never let him have the last word, no matter what. She was safe enough, for now. “Sousuke, when we get safely on the ground, I’m going to beat you within an inch of your life…” She left the sentence hanging for a moment.
“Kaname?” Sousuke actually found himself smiling. That was a rare enough event. Stertched out the way he was… covered with sweat… and dealing with severe pain… he shouldn’t have been capable of grinning. But, that sounded just like the old Kaname.
“…After I kiss you silly…” It was Kaname’s turn to smile. She reserved the right to change her mind at a moment’s notice. But, she would not tell Sousuke that. Her threat of a kiss ought to have a noticeable effect.
“Uhhh…” Sousuke was relieved when the arriving men took over his task, pulling Kaname to safety.
After walking away from the edge, Kaname and Sousuke stood staring at one another. Neither had any idea for how long. Kaname hung her head. Now that she was safe, she found herself smothered by feelings of guilt. Yes, she was alive. Yes, Leonard Testarossa was gone from her life. Yes, that was reason to celebrate. But, she had helped the enemy, giving them the Black Technology locked away inside her head. Whether her motives had merit or not, she was a traitor.
“What is wrong, Kaname?” Sousuke asked, waving away an offer of assistance from one of his fellow soldiers. “Are you in pain? Do you need medical attention?”
“I…” Kaname couldn’t look up into his eyes. “I did bad things, Sousuke…” She began shivering the wind feeling so much colder than it really was. “Maybe you should have let me fall, after all…” The doubts and self-recrimations threatened to overwhelm her.
“Here,” Sousuke took off the coat he was wearing, and gently draped it over Kaname’s shoulders. “Now is not the time to worry about such things.” He reached out and touched her cheek, bringing his finger away wet. “You helped save the two of us. You took down a key figure in Amalgam. And, most important of all, you stayed alive.”
“S-S-Sousuke…” Kaname began to sob. Unable to hold off any longer, she ran to Sousuke and wrapped her arms around him, crying into his chest.
“If you had died, I would not have been able to keep my promise.” Sousuke was not being clueless. He knew exactly what he was saying. He had a good idea what effect it would have. They had both been through a lot. That was nothing new. In the past, when they made their way through difficult situations, Kaname's rather demonstrative reactions seemed to lift her spirits somehow. And as her mood went, so went his.
“Promise?” Kaname’s voice was muffled. Her hands tightened, grasping the fabric of his shirt as strongly as he had gripped her wrist. “Wh-Wh-What promise…” She wondered if he had promised to save the woman he loved, or something romantic like that. She let go, and took a step back, looking up into Sousuke’s eyes. Her lips parted ever so slightly.
“Affirmative,” Sousuke said, pausing for a moment. “I promised Miss Kagurazaka… Ono D… and our other classmates… that I would bring you back to school.” He worked his wounded shoulder, trying to keep it from stiffening up. “While I did not specify, I believe that they were under the impression that you would be alive when I did so.”
“What?” Kaname balled her hands into fists. “What did you say?!”
“I do not think hey would have appreciated my bringing you back to them, if you were dead, Kaname.” Sousuke nodded his head. He tried his best not to smile. He failed.
"Of course not, moron." Kaname failed to hide her own grin. That was typical Sousuke; but, this time there seemed to be a purpose behind his behavior. Not only did that show he was capable of growing and maturing, it also showed that he cared. Somehow, the suffocating pains and fears she had suffered through were pushed even further away, at least for a little while. She walked over and stood directly in front of him. "Well?"
“Kaname?” Sousuke wanted to put his arms around her again, but couldn’t with everyone watching him.
“Do I have to tell you everything, Sousuke?" Kaname sighed in purposefully dramatic fashion. While she was being playful on the surface, she felt the tug of trepidation. At this moment, she felt very vulnerable. “You came looking for me. We almost died. I’m right here in front of you. Now would be a really good time to kiss me!”
“Uhhh…” Sousuke froze. He had never really kissed a woman that he cared about.
“I don’t have all day!” Kaname put her arms around Sousuke’s neck. For a moment, she wondered if she could use Leonard’s trick on Sousuke. No way! Even if she could, she would never do something like that. “Baka…” She put her lips on Sousuke’s, losing herself in the moment when he kissed her in return. When she came up for air, there was a wicked look in her eyes.
"That was..." Sousuke put his hand to his mouth. He was quite aware of the fact that he had needs. he considered that an inherent part of any living creature, himself included. But, he never realized how deep his feelings might run, or the fact that something as seemingly simple as a kiss might be a revelation.
"Yes it was," Kaname said, feeling a touch smug. If she just stunted his growth, that was his fault not hers. "But next time, try not to be such an exhibitionist."
"Kaname?" Sousuke looked totally perplexed. He was completely clothed. So was she.
“Didn’t you see those helicopters, Sousuke?” Kaname didn’t have to toss her hair. The wind took care of that for her. "Kissing me like that, in front of so many people. I’m totally embarrassed.” Sure enough, a number of civilian helicopters were circling the area, News crews chatting away, and cameramen working their equipment.
"You kissed me, Kaname." Sousuke said.
"Are you complaining?" Kaname asked, daring him to say 'Yes'. Not so miraclously, considering the situation, her competitive nature took a step back. Her eyes softened and her posture changed. “I’ve missed you Sousuke,” Kaname said. “I’ve missed you so much.” She smiled, wiping away a tear. “Most of the time…”
"I was lonely without you, as well." Sousuke said.
The two of them stood quietly for a while after that, lost in each other's eyes, as if they had found the one true peaceful place on earth. It wasn't until the security forces insisted that the Sky Bridge be cleared that they headed back inside the building. After that, they took a passenger elevator down to the ground floor.
They found Kurz lounging indolently across the huge machine. He said that Melissa would be along shortly, her mission a success, more or less. Kaname made it a point to thank the lanky sniper with a big kiss. It didn’t make Souske jealous in the least, earning him a dirty look from Kaname.
“I have something that belongs to you,” Sousuke said to her, remembering something. “You left it back at the manor building.”
“Sousuke?” Kaname wondered what it might be. Wait! Could it be some of the jewelry that Leonard gave her? She watched as Sousuke popped the hatch on the A.S. and hurried up to the cockpit.
“Here,” Sousuke said. “Al and I have become partners.” The bird cage swung in his hand as he climbed back down. Hope was sitting on her swing. Catching sight of Kaname, the bird bobbed its head up and down.
“Al?” Kaname wrinkled up her nose. She smiled at the parakeet, before turning a baleful eye on Sousuke. “What kind of idiot would name a bird Al? Especially a girl bird. Geeez.”
“Jerk… jerk… jerk…”
“That’s right, Hope. Did Mommy’s bird miss her?” Kaname hugged the cage to her. She was truly moved, getting the bird back again. First Sousuke, and now Hope. It was like seeing a rainbow after moping through a dreary rainy day.
“KANAME!”
The parakeet’s raucous call had Kaname jumping. But, she soon grinned, looking over at Sousuke. “Did you teach her that?”
“Yes,” Sousuke said. “When the two of us had defeated the enemy Arm Slave.” He felt quite proud of his accomplishment.
“What? You took my Hope into battle?” Kaname gave Sousuke an even nastier look.
“Uhhh…” Sousuke suddenly felt on the defensive.
“Shit… shit… shit…”
Having said that, Hope began playing with her bell. She took no notice of the growling sound coming from the girl holding her cage.
“Sousuke Sagara…” Kaname’s eyes narrowed. Only Sousuke could make her feel this way. For better and for worse!
“Now now, kiddies…” Kurz walked over, holding up his hands. “You two love birds shouldn’t fight.” He waggled a finger inside of Hope’s cage, pulling it out quickly and putting it in his mouth, after the bird nipped him. “You two should be in a cheerful mood. After all, you’ve been apart, and absence makes the heart grow fonder… right?”
Sousuke and Kaname looked at one another and nodded. Sousuke went pale when he saw what Kurz pulled out of the bag at his feet. Kanme looked on with interest, not unaware of Sousuke’s reaction.
“Looking at this always cheers me up,” Kurz aid. He tossed the photo album in the air, and then caught it.
“Kurz… that is mine…” Sousuke held out his hand, ready to stash the book where Kaname could not find it.
“Thank you, Sousuke old buddy. Now that ownership has been established, I will let Angel see it.” Kurz handed the book to Kaname. He blocked Sousuke’s attempt to grab the book from her.
“What’s this?” Kaname asked. Her face fell as soon as she turned the first page. After that, her expression grew darker with each page she turned. “S-… S-…S-…”
“It is not my fault,” Sousuke said, backing away from Kaname. “I was unconscious…” He swallowed hard, seeing the look on Kaname’s face. “It is probably similar to your difficulty with Leonard…” True or not, that was the wrong thing to say at the moment.
“SOUSUKE!”
Kaname’s shout had everyone in the vicinity stopping what they were doing, to look over at her.
“Creep!”
Once again, by chance, Hope’s choice of words seemed to fit the moment.
“It seems she knows you, old friend.” Kurz smiled fondly at Sousuke.
“Yes,” Kaname said.
I think I'll read that part over and over and over and over and... 