Full Metal Panic Fan Fiction ❯ Blood From Metal ❯ Chapter 1

Blood From Metal

 

By: Alpha Zulu Mark II

 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, I don't claim to own any of them, and this fic is meant only to explore an idea; so, bite me!

 

Chapter 1

 

“Ahead dead slow, helm,” came the clear, confident voice of the captain of the ultra-tech sub Tuatha De Danaan. On the bridge, the first officer silently watched as his commander and until recently, student, brought her ship into dock with the deft skill and adroit grace that he himself would not have believed her capable of.

 

“Aye, Ma'am,” confirmed the helmswoman, the sub disengaging its main motors and switching to maneuvering vents and multi-angle thrusters as it eased closer to the bumpers that dotted the docking slip that the unique ship had in the hidden Merida island base in the Pacific Ocean.

 

In the captain's chair, the young woman sat, eyes closed, absently twirling her braided platinum hair between the fingers of her hand; it was a sign that most on the crew who spent any sort of time around her had come to recognize as her being deep in thought. “All stop,” she said suddenly. “Back one quarter for two seconds, then shut down engines,” she ordered with the kind of certainty that made many one the ship wonder if she wasn't precognizant.

 

“Aye, aye,” recited the helmswoman immediately, “all stop, back one quarter for two seconds, then shut off engines.” The stealthy battle sub ghosted to a dead stop. Smiling, her eyes still closed, Tessa exhaled happily.

 

“Less than a half meter off this time,” she said to no one in particular.

 

“Ma'am?” asked her First Officer, Commander Richard Mardukas, Royal Navy (retired). His young captain shook her head, opening her pale grey eyes as she glanced at him.

 

“It's nothing, Commander,” she assured him, standing. “Have the dock log prepared for the chief of maintenance,” she went on, dismissing the odd comment. “Crew is to be given a twenty four hour liberty before reporting for duty cycles. I want to see Lieutenant Grouseaux's after-action report on my desk before oh three hundred hours, too.”

 

Commander Mardukas saluted the short girl smartly, palm-out, British style. “Aye, Captain,” he confirmed her orders. Standing, the captain of the submarine barely reached the tall man's chest.

 

“Very well; you may stand down the crew, Commander,” she said, saluting him back as she stepped around him. “Please excuse me,” she murmured, moving past him. Mardukas bowed his head to her. Turning to the bridge crew, he frowned at them, seeing them half-way out of their duty station seats.

 

“Not so fast,” he barked gruffly. “You are not relieved until you have completed your docking checklists, shut down your stations, run your error logs for the dock crews, and logged out of your stations,” he reminded them.

 

“Aye, aye, sir,” sighed the crew as one. Mardukas was a thirty five year veteran of the Royal Navy, and while he was aware that MITHRIL - and Captain Teletha Testarossa in particular - was not the tradition-bound, highly caste-conscious military outfit he was used to, he nevertheless was a stickler for protocol, discipline and by-the-book operations.

 

She has matured dramatically in the last two or three years, the older professional submariner thought to himself, absently ticking off each task in the checklist in his mind as the crewman completed it. When I was first recruited to be the First Officer for her, I was worried that she would get us all killed before our first cruise was over, but now… he found himself smiling fondly. Captain Testarossa grows on a person fast, he chuckled silently.

 

His chuckle died as he recalled what had happened to the small, platinum-haired nineteen-year-old girl in the last two and half or so years. There was no doubt that Tessa had grown up fast on a battlefield that no one outside of MITHRIL knew existed. The situation with Sousuke, Chidori entering the picture, Gauron, the mission to Himajistan, the take-over of her sub by Gauron, the assassination attempts on Chidori, the problems with MITHRIL upper command, the traitors in the ranks, losing crew in the Chinese operation, the appearance of AMALGAM…yes, she had grown up fast.

 

Still, I can't help but think that in spite of all that, she has become much stronger and far more of a proper captain for us all, Mardukas mused. This last six-month cruise had been a good example of that. Several times, she had swiftly and decisively dealt with unforeseen complications without the tiniest bit of hesitation. She had also dealt with a couple of discipline issues, put some over-reaching junior officers in their places, argued Command down on two different occasions, and even managed to orchestra a completely surprise party for his birthday.

 

He blinked, remembering that he was now sixty years old. Sixty, and working for a nineteen-year-old captain of a sub that is twenty years ahead of the rest of the world's navies, he thought, a wry smile touching his lips. Oh, you'd never have convinced me of that back when I was the age of these kids! At the thought of kids, he was reminded that on his desk in his cabin was a letter from granddaughter, asking him when he could come spend some real time with his great grandchildren.

 

Maybe, he thought to himself, maybe I've seen enough oceans. Maybe it's time to finally go home to England. Maybe get to know the grand kids and great grand kids while there's still time, he considered. Does Tessa really need me here now? he dared to wonder.

 

-

 

Tessa sat back in her chair in her cabin/office on her pride and joy, the De Danaan. She had designed this ship from nothing but a blank piece of blueprint paper to the fully-designed and spec'd construction plans. It had all come straight out of her head, courtesy of her gifts as a Whispered. Leaning back, her bright, shiny braid over her right shoulder, she once more absently toyed with the tip of her braid, her hand - almost of its own accord - brushing the end of the braid against her cheek. In her hands was Lieutenant Grouseaux's action reports that she would be signing off on and passing up through channels.

 

Her review of the reports was interrupted by a knock on her door. “Come,” she called out, the door opening to reveal a grinning Chinese-American woman, dressed in olive drab BDU pants, combat boots, and a tight, black tee shirt; complete with her pack of Marlboro cigarettes tucked into the rolled-up sleeve of her top. “Please come in, Melissa,” said Tessa.

 

“Thank you, Tessa,” replied the woman, entering the cramped space and dropping into the narrow two-place seat in front of Tessa's desk with an un-lady-like flop, her boots coming to rest on the corner of Tessa's desk. Habitually, she deftly fished her pack of smokes out and shook one out.

 

“No smoking, Melissa,” Tessa reminded her without looking. Sighing, the older woman tapped the cancer stick back into the pack and re-stowed the red and white pack. “So, what brings you here, Melissa?” wondered Tessa. “Come to protest Lieutenant Grouseaux's criticism of Urzu's performance in the interdiction mission last month?” she half-teased her best friend and something of a surrogate big sister.

 

“What?” asked Mao, frowning. “What the hell could he be bitching about now?” she demanded, scowling. “Sousuke did everything but mop up those half-assed pill boxes all by himself, so what is there for him to gripe about?” she wondered. Tessa smiled behind the papers in her hand.

 

Clearing her throat, she began to read: “'Upon insertion to AO, Urzu six engaged the enemy forces utilizing the Lambda driver in the ARX-11 AS unit. The performance of the unit negated the need for further risk of lighter-armed and armored M9 units. Recommendation for battlefield unit citation to be awarded upon review of records',” Tessa let the papers drop down far enough o watch Mao as she processed what was in the report.

 

“He…unit citation?” she parroted dumbly, completely caught off guard. Tessa giggled.

 

“Yes,” she said. “I am recommending Urzu team for a Field Performance badge,” she said, signing the papers. “And that, Sergeant Major Mao, means that you will finally become an officer,” she grinned at Mao. “Sousuke and Kurz will become Sergeant Major and Sergeant, respectively. Oh, and let's not forget the additional pay increase, either,” she baited her friend. Mao blinked.

 

“But, I get upped to LT, then what about…?” she began. Tessa smiled at her taller friend.

 

“Lieutenant Grouseaux will be promoted to Captain, and with that promotion, he takes his turn at the MITHRIL recruit training facility for the Pacific and South East Asia theater,” Tessa anticipated her friend. “Which means that you will be assuming command of Urzu as a commissioned officer.”

 

“Wow,” breathed Mao. And they said at my court martial that I would never make officer, she thought vindictively. Well, maybe they were right, but who wants to be an officer in the Marines, anyway? she told herself. Something else occurred to her as well. “We'd need a new member,” she said softly. Tessa nodded.

 

“Yes,” she said quietly. “Assuming that the commendation is approved by Command, that is,” she qualified. Mao gave her smaller friend a sharp smile.

 

“This calls for a celebration!” she exclaimed. “Drinks are on me, Tessa-chan!” she generously decreed, shooting to her feet. “I'm gonna go find that loser Kurz,” she said. “Meet us in the base bar as soon as you can, Tessa,” she instructed the younger woman.

 

“I might have to pass,” said Tessa, her expression growing distant. “I have a lot of things that need to be seen to before I can do anything else,” she explained. “Besides, this is still just a recommendation; Command has the final say,” she reminded her `big sister' once more.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Mao brushed off the reminder. Honestly, any reason to party was good enough for her. “Just make the time, ok, Tessa,” said the older woman, suddenly serious. “It's been six months on this boat, and you need to get some fresh air, a change of scenery and let off some steam.”

 

“I'll try, Mao,” the smaller woman replied.

 

“And we're going to lay out on the beach tomorrow afternoon; work on our tans,” added Mao. Seeing Tessa start to beg off, she raised her forefinger warningly. “No excuses, Tessa-chan,” she said firmly. “If you don't get more sunlight, you'll begin to mold.”

 

“Melissa!” complained Tessa, getting a wicked laugh from the woman as she scampered out the door.

 

“Bar. ASAP. Beach. Tomorrow,” the woman demanded as the door closed. Sighing, Tessa tucked the files into the correspondence file, sealed them, and set them aside. Taping a button on her desk, she locked her cabin and engaged the white-noise anti-surveillance devices. Picking up her phone, she dialed a number, waited for the chirp!, the engaged her encryption. After confirming the security of the call, she got down to business.

 

“It's me,” she said intently. “How is she recovering?”

 

-

 

“Kana,” came a calm, deep-baritone voice. “Kana, you need to wake up now, or we will be late.” Sleepily, an arm swung at the source of the voice. Unsurprisingly, it didn't meet any resistance, since the owner of the voice had instinctively leaned back and down to avoid the clumsy, half-asleep blow.

 

“Go `way,” slurred the sheet-covered form in the middle of the bed. Sighing, the man stepped back to the edge of the bed, sitting down on it before gently shaking the girl's shoulder.

 

“Come on, Kana,” he urged her, “we are behind schedule, and it was you who threatened violence if we were late for school today,” he reminded her. Gradually, the figure in the bed stirred.

 

“Ugh,” moaned the form, straightening and sitting up, the sheet and cover sliding down to reveal a dark-haired girl in a sloppily-buttoned pajama top. Covering her mouth with her hand, she yawned before blinking sleepily at the young man sitting on the bed beside her. “What time is it?” she asked, suppressing another yawn.

 

“It is just past oh seven fifteen hours,” reported the young man seriously. The girl blinked as she processed that.

 

“We're going to be late,” she said casually. The young man said nothing, watching her. He was all to aware that she was sluggish and suffered from low blood pressure in the mornings; and they had had a rather late night the evening before. The girl's eyes opened wide. “We're going to be late!” she screamed, throwing back the sheets and trying to jump from the bed.

 

Usually, this would be an easy feat for her, given how athletic she was. But, since she was still mostly asleep, she was far clumsier than normal, and she ended up getting tangled up in the sheets and falling toward the wood floor in her apartment. Before she could hit, she felt arms wrap around her, and a moment later, she was snuggly held to the young man's chest. Mm, she thought happily, there are worse ways to wake up. “Thanks, Sousuke,” she breathed, holding on to him as she kicked her legs free of the tangling sheets.

 

“No problem, Kana,” he replied, releasing her once she was on her feet. Smiling at him, she caressed his cheek as she moved past him, toward her bathroom, one hand already unbuttoning the two buttons that held her pajama top on. Sousuke watched her bare legs as she walked, finding the sight enthralling.

 

“I'll be out as quick as I can,” she called back over her shoulder, tossing her pajama top into the laundry basket as she bent over to skin off her panties, tossing them after the pajama tops. She half-closed the door to the bathroom with one hand as the other started the shower. “Can you get me some toast or something for breakfast?” she called out.

 

“Affirmative,” he replied. It was still a little strange to him to be living in Kaname's apartment, but the girl had not taken `no' for an answer in the aftermath of the Hong Kong incident. Upon their return to Tokyo, Kaname Chidori had told him flat out that she never wanted him to be out of her sight again. To that ends, she had insisted that he leave his Spartan apartment surveillance post and move into her own comfortable apartment with her. Each argument he had made had ended with a coldly-logical counter-argument from the girl: the closer he was to her, the safer she was. He had no logical argument for that, and so, Kaname had had her way.

 

At school, nothing was said about their living arrangements, though he suspected that at least a few of Kaname's girl friends - like Kyoko and Rin - had figured it out, but they didn't seem to be talking about it to anyone. He was absolutely certain that Kana wasn't talking about it; and secrets were his stock-and-trade, after all. That had happened nine months ago.

 

For the first few months, Kana had routinely awaken in the middle of the night, suffering from nightmares, though she refused to share what they might have been about with Sousuke. He had been sleeping on the couch at first, but when Kaname had taken to running into the living room and clinging to him, he had discovered a nasty tendency for the two of them to fall onto the hard floor. It took Kana a week to convince him to sleep in her bed with her. She had only rarely had nightmares after that. Sousuke would have to honestly admit that it was better than sleeping on the floor.

 

Pushing those thoughts aside, Sousuke swiftly prepared a basic breakfast for Kana as the girl showered. The habit of Kana to leave the bathroom door half-open while showering and to change clothes in front of him was not something that Sousuke would normally find distracting; he was used to harsh conditions and mixed-gender field operations. But with Kana, it was different somehow. Probably because she has been more open about how she feels since the Hong Kong incident, he decided.

 

His thoughts were interrupted by Kana's voice. “Mm,” she hummed, drying her hair as she exited the bathroom, “that smells good,” she said. “What is it?” wondered the girl. Sousuke glanced at the plate in his hand. Clearly, I was not focusing on the task at hand, he realized.

 

“It is toast, scrambled eggs, and sausage,” he said, identifying the breakfast components. Since he had started to live with Kana, he had been getting a daily lesson in food. Before, his meals were MREs, water, or beef jerky. Now, he was eating far more normal foods. Looking up as he set the plate at her normal place at the table, he saw her running a brush through her hair, still naked from the shower.

 

“Sousuke, can you give me a hand with this? We're running behind already,” she called out, waving the brush. Her back was to him, but she seemed to know whenever he was looking at her.

 

“Understood,” he said, swiftly moving into the bedroom and taking the brush from her hand, picking up where she left off. Tending to her upper-thigh-length hair was a time-consuming chore on occasion, but when she had wondered out loud if she should shorten it, he had found himself objecting. Her long hair is impractical, and requires significant upkeep, he thought, brushing her hair swiftly and efficiently as she selected her clothing for the day. And yet, I do not want to see her cut it short, he mused, reaching the end of her mane. She had black hair so deep and rich that in direct sunlight, it shone an ultra-rich purple color.

 

“Tie me up?” she asked, holding a bit of ribbon over her shoulder, her hand holding a bra as well. Sousuke took the ribbon, gathered a handful of her silky hair about a the level of her upper butt cheeks, and swiftly tied the ribbon around it, giving her the usual long-ponytail effect she preferred. “Thanks, Sousuke,” she said, tossing her head as she reached behind herself to fasten her bra. It took her only a moment to settle the garment, and then she was stepping into her panties and reaching for her skirt. “I'll be there in a moment,” she said, zipping up her skirt as she reached for her school blouse.

 

“I will pour you a glass of orange juice,” said Sousuke, moving back into the kitchen.

 

“Thanks,” came her voice. “We might have to run to make the bell,” she warned him, quickly finishing up her morning preparations and entering the kitchen.

 

“Not a problem,” said Sousuke. “We are both excellent runners,” he reminded her. Kana smiled at him, giving him a fond giggle before devouring her food like a trainee in boot camp. Bare minutes later, she was putting the dish in the sink.

 

“Let's go, Sousuke,” she said, grabbing her bag as Sousuke picked his own up. “We have graduation planning to attend, and Student Council elections to supervise,” she reviewed their day out loud as they rode the elevator down to the lobby of her building. Stepping into the street, they moved toward the train station, Kana checking her watch as they walked. “It's hard to believe that in just one month, we will be graduating,” she said, almost to herself.

 

“Yes,” offered Sousuke. Graduation was not his prime concern; while Kana understood that, it was somehow important to her that they do the exercise together, so he went along with her. They stepped onto their train a split second before the doors closed, Sousuke checking his watch as he scanned the people around Kaname for threats before gently wrapping an arm around her waist, Kaname leaning into him, a smile on her face.

 

Just like a normal couple, she thought, relishing the warmth.

 

-

 

Tessa awoke to a splitting headache. Oh, that doesn't feel good, she thought, wincing as she held her hands to her head to try stop the painful throbbing. How did this happen? she wondered, frowning a little. Let's see, she tried to recall, I finished my paperwork, I reviewed the maintenance and repair list with the support manager of the base, then it was that deal with the medical supplies that Pam wanted, Tessa struggled to remember what happened next. After a moment, she recalled. Oh, that's right; I swung by the base bar to see Melissa.

 

Nothing more needed to be said. Tessa was not a drinker, and had little tolerance for alcohol. She had learned very early that drinking was a dangerous thing for a Whispered. Even knowing this, she had decided that one beer would satisfy Melissa's need to celebrate the possible promotion for her and the Urzu team.

 

So, how did one beer become this? wondered the girl, looking down to find that whoever had put her to bed had more or less undressed her, leaving her in her panties and unbuttoned uniform blouse. Her skirt, hose, shoes, hair ribbon, jacket and bra were haphazardly scattered across the floor of her room on base. It took her a moment to realize that she was looking at more clothes than she had had on the night before.

 

“Those aren't mine,” she muttered, wincing at the effects of that whisper on her tender head. It took the hung-over girl a few heartbeats to realize that the olive drab fatigues, black tee shirt, combat boots and utilitarian sports bra were the normal wear of her best friend, confidante and `big sister', Sergeant Major Melissa Mao.

 

Looking around, she realized that the body pillow that she had been so comfortably snuggled up to was, in fact, the Chinese-American woman. Mao was still asleep, from the look of it. Taking several deep breaths, Tess began to climb out of her large bed. Rank has its privileges, after all! she thought happily.

 

Mao was not as asleep as she had thought, as the woman instantly sat up when the bed shifted under Tessa's negligible weight. Blinking, she smiled as she saw Tessa's expression. “Morning, Tessa-chan,” she said, smirking. Tessa grimaced.

 

“Please be quiet, Melissa,” the girl whispered. “My head hurts, and you are to blame,” she accused. Melissa blinked innocently at her boss and friend.

 

“Me? How could I be responsible?” she asked the girl. Tessa scowled at Mao cutely.

 

“I'm not sure, but I know you are!” she accused. Giggling, Mao climbed out of the bed, seemingly completely unaffected by the previous night's drinking. Stretching, she hummed in contentment. Tessa paused to watch the taller woman stretch, noticing the enviable assets that Mao had.

 

“Come on, Tessa,” said Mao fondly, ruffling her commander's loose platinum hair, “let's get a shower and some chow,” she suggested, plucking the uniform blouse from Tessa's shoulders, dropping it to the floor before pushing her own panties down and off. “Soaking under a hot shower will make you feel better,” she promised the smaller woman as she moved past Tessa and into the bathroom. Starting the shower, she glanced back to see Tessa struggling to get her panties off without mishap.

 

As the younger woman straightened, Melissa noticed that something had changed since last she had seen Teletha naked. Patiently, she waited until the girl was under the spray before asking about it. “I see you have decided to trim your patch,” she said casually. Tessa flinched.

 

“Um, yeah,” she replied lamely. “It…needed it,” she added.

 

“That's pathetic,” noted Mao. “You couldn't come up with anything better?” she teased her boss.

 

“You shave yours!” Tessa defended her small, neat triangle above her bare vaginal lips. Mao clucked her tongue.

 

“I shave because it is more comfortable when in an AS cockpit for extended periods,” she denied the deflection. “And I've been bare as long as we've known each other, while you have never bothered to trim, let alone shave it down to that small thing,” she reminded the girl. Tessa blushed. “So, what's the deal?” she asked Tessa.

 

“I just…felt like it,” she defended her choice. It's not exactly a lie, she added silently. Melissa considered that for several minutes.

 

“Kaname,” she said suddenly, grinning. Tessa's blush grew.

 

“W…what about her?” asked Tessa. Melissa Mao wagged a finger in front of Tessa's crimson face.

 

“I saw you naked after your next to last `vacation' with her and Sousuke, and you weren't trimming yourself, so, this had to be after your latest visit with them. I noticed before that Kaname shaves her bikini line; and a little more. I also know you very well, Tessa,” she reminded the girl. “Want to bet that if I saw Chidori naked, she'd be trimmed like you are?” she taunted the young woman gently.

 

Tessa's silence told her all she needed to know. In silence, Melissa gave her friend a brief hug. “It's very sexy, Tessa,” she assured the girl. To her surprise, Tessa shook her head.

 

“Thanks, but that isn't really why I did it,” she said softly. Melissa frowned.

 

“It's not?” she asked Tessa.

 

“Well, not entirely,” Tessa confirmed. Melissa was at a loss.

 

“Then, why?” she wondered. Tessa didn't answer her question.

 

“By the way, Melissa,” said the girl, her tone business, “I will be taking another `vacation' in a couple of weeks for their graduation,” she revealed. “I need you to take care of some things for me,” she added. Melissa was intrigued.

 

“What kind of `things'?” she asked, curious.

 

-

 

Kaname sat back in the high-back Student Council President's office chair. In front of her was a stack of papers many centimeters high. Standing next to her left shoulder was Sousuke, his attention focused on the people in the room. It occurred to her that this was an odd reverse-image of what she and Sousuke had seen so many times from the other side of the desk. I'm not Hayashimizu, and Sousuke sure as hell isn't Rin, but still… she found herself smiling at the thought. She and Sousuke had stepped into the shoes of the pair who had gone before them.

 

“Problem?” came Sousuke's alert voice. Blinking, Kana looked up to meet his brown eyes. Seeing the focus and attention he lavished on her, she felt her heart rate double as a tingle swept through her.

 

“No,” she said, smiling at him. “Just thinking of Hayashimizu and Rin-chan,” she said. Sousuke considered that for a moment.

 

“What about them?” he asked her, puzzled. Kana sighed.

 

“Tell you later,” she said, seeing that they had an audience. “Well, are we all here?” she asked, raising her voice from the soft, quiet whisper she had been conversing with Sousuke in.

 

“Yes, Student President Chidori,” came the answer from the head of the election committee. Glancing toward the back of the student council room, she saw that the principal had quietly slipped in. She was there strictly as an observer to the elections; it was a formality, but also prevented possible future challenges as to the outcome and handling of the election for a new Student Council President.

 

“Very well,” said Kaname, “let's get this done, then,” she directed. Swiftly, groups of two people each took a chunk of the ballots and began to sort and count them. Every student had voted, and there were plenty to do, yet Kaname and Sousuke didn't touch the ballots. They were, after all, no longer part of the process other than being the outgoing Student Council President.

 

As the votes were counted, verified and secured in the locked ballot boxes, Kaname found herself wondering which of the three front-runners would win the presidency. Unlike the last election, where she was really the only one running, this year, there were three distinct contenders, and two might-pull-it-off runners. Part of her duties had been to monitor the election campaign, and she had done so, in between studies, exams, and unscheduled circumstances.

 

Of the three, she had decided that the sophomore girl would be the most reasonable choice. She was level-headed, fairly popular with both students and faculty, and able to intelligently analyze a situation. Her main problem, as Kaname saw it, was that she wasn't very inspiring when addressing the student body. That was something that the other two candidates excelled at.

 

Both of the other front runners were young men. One of them was a highly popular jock, known for his aggressive - Kaname thought he was more angry than aggressive when playing - playing on the school American football team. He was arrogant, head-strong and a rabble-rousing speaker when addressing the student body about his vision for the school or speaking of his accomplishments on the school team. What concerned Kaname most was that he was an ultra-nationalist of the sort who thought that Japan should use its economic strength to take over weaker Pacific Rim countries; it was her understanding that he thought that eventually, Japan could take out the United States in some kind of pay-back like deal for what happened in World War Two.

 

The other candidate was the head of the debate team, as well as the vice captain of the school chess club. Where the jock was an ultra-nationalist, he was a socialist and earnestly believed in the `brotherhood of mankind' and equality. He lacked the passion that the jock had, but what he lacked in passion and charisma, he made up for in cold, hard debating logic. During the three weeks of campaign time, he had often torn the jock to shreds in debates, getting mixed results from the student body. When debating with the lone woman in the running, he was far more careful of his wording and approach, which led to one of the most boring debates that Kaname had ever heard.

 

It wasn't until Sousuke's hand touched her shoulder that she realized that her silent thoughts had consumed nearly two hours. The counting was done. The results had been tallied, and the winner was decided. Glancing at the result sheet, she wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed that the girl had managed to win by one and a half percentage points. Silently sighing, she signed off on the sheet, bowed her head to the election committee, and watched as they carted off the ballots to be locked in the school record room until the results were announced the day after tomorrow.

 

Standing, she twisted her torso to loosen up her muscles before stretching her arms over her head. “Man, glad that's done,” she muttered to Sousuke.

 

“Same here, Miss Chidori,” came an unexpected voice. Blinking, she realized that the principal had inexplicably stayed in the room.

 

“Madam Principal,” Kaname said, jerking back into a more lady-like posture. “I didn't see you there,” she added, wondering why the woman had stayed in the room. Glancing at her watch, she saw that it was well past the time that even the die-hard clubbers had gone home.

 

“I wanted to speak with you two for a moment, if I might,” said the Principal.

 

“Of course,” said Kaname immediately. The older woman approached and took a seat in front of the desk. Kaname slipped back into the high-back chair. “What did you want to discuss with us?” she asked the woman.

 

“I couldn't help but notice that neither of you have decided what college to try for,” began the principal. Kaname and Sousuke glanced at each other. That was not a topic that was new to them, but for some reason, they had never finished their discussion.

 

“Well, it's been really busy…” began Kaname. The principal raised her hand, interrupting the excuse Kaname was still putting together.

 

“Oh, it's hardly my place to stick my nose into your personal lives,” she subtly poked at them. “I just wondered if you two knew hot interesting the last three years have been for all of us here at Jindai High,” she went on.

 

“Sousuke is getting better, Madam Principal,” Kaname swiftly interjected. “It has been more than two weeks since he damaged a building, and…!” she was interrupted by the soft laugh of the older school administrator.

 

“I have noticed a drop in the number of incidents, Miss Chidori,” she assured the younger woman. “Mister Sagara's sponsors have been most generous, in fact,” she mused out loud. “In fact, in spite of the occasional need for rebuilding or repairing, their backing has allowed this school to flourish. We have a more diverse course curriculum than many of the better schools, and we have even been able to upgrade our facilities far more quickly than any other school,” she explained. “In fact, I wanted to let you in on a secret,” she smiled.

 

“Secret, Ma'am?” Kaname asked blankly.

 

Nodding, the principal confirmed her statement. “Yes,” she elaborated. “You see, due to the support of Sagara's sponsors, we have the opportunity to open a new building and a new department,” she said. “I have decided that this new building will be Chidori building, and the new department will be the `Sagara Program for Educational Endowment',” she smiled, watching the emotions play across Kaname's face. Sousuke, as she had suspected, didn't react. Probably because he doesn't understand the importance of what I am saying, she silently bet herself.

 

“I…I don't know what to say,” breathed Kaname.

 

“How about not saying anything, then?” suggested the Principal. “Like I said, this is a secret until the official announcement at graduation,” she admonished the pair.

 

“Understood, ma'am,” came Sousuke's crisp reply. Rising, the principal gave the two a head-bow before turning to leave. “I suggest you two go home and get some rest,” she said, exiting the room. It wasn't until Kaname and Sousuke were half-way to the train station that Kaname caught the wording of the principal's parting suggestion. She knows, thought Kaname, smiling a little. Reaching over to Sousuke, she took his hand in her own, smiling warmly at him when he glanced over to check on her.

 

-

 

“Captain Testarossa,” came the voice of the head of MITHRIL intelligence. “Nothing was said about you sitting in on this meeting,” he said, his tone curled and vaguely disdainful. Tessa refused to raise to the bait. Tactical and Intelligence had developed bad blood over the last few years due to incidents like Gauron's take-over of the De Danaan - enabled by a mole in Intelligence selling him the key to Dana's systems - and the `Blueno Incident' as Tactical called the China operation the year before. Personally, Tessa held them responsible for what had nearly happened to Kana because their man - Wraith - was `strictly there to observe the subject' and as a result had almost cost Kaname her life.

 

“General,” came her cool reply. Nothing more needed to be said about that issue. The man silently stared at the bright-haired girl, who was in her dress uniform. Tessa stared back, unflinching.

 

“Let's get to it, shall we?” came the voice of the chairman. “General, I am waiting for your report on your research into AMALGAM,” he reminded the man. The general in charge of MITHRIL intelligence broke the stare with Tessa and apparently shuffled some papers before beginning.

 

“To date, we have established that AMALGAM is much like MITHRIL,” he began. “They exist as a group of mercenaries, hidden in the shadows of governmental and industrial complexes. Our intelligence indicates that their structure is likely close to that of a Chinese Triad in practice, with three `heads', if you will, who direct their operations. As of yet, we have not been able to penetrate their outfit,” the general said.

 

“Yet they have no trouble penetrating ours,” muttered Tessa, her eyes on the head of intelligence. He gave her a thin smile.

 

“Currently, we are trying to map their organization more fully, but so far, we have not identified more than a half-dozen mid-level agents and one senior lieutenant in their outfit. That lieutenant was Gates, who headed up their field operations. Our best analysis suggests that Gates was the replacement for Gauron, the `Nine Dragons' terrorist who was responsible for many spectacular terrorist incidents; most of them involving Whispered candidates.”

 

“Like Chidori,” interjected Tessa, her tone poisonous.

 

“It is our belief that AMALGAM was severely damaged by the loss of both of their senior-most operational directors, and is currently pulling back while seeking replacements. Unfortunately, there are far too many choices for replacements in the current world situation,” the general said.

 

“Have you determined yet how many or who is their heads or heads?” asked the chairman.

 

“Not yet,” admitted the head of intelligence. “TECHINT suggests that most of their communication is directed toward a singular figure, who apparently has the codename `Mister Silver',” he said. Tessa flinched, a memory from Kaname flashing through her head. “Much as Gauron was `Mister Iron', and Gates was believed to be `Mister Steel'. It is our current belief that this `Mister Silver' is either their technical or communication head,” finished the general.

 

“I see,” murmured the chairman. “And what of their activities?” he asked the man. More paper shuffling.

 

“We believe that their operations have suffered several set-backs, coinciding with the loss of Gauron and Gates. International sale of Black Technology is down sixty six percent, several hot spots for conflict have cooled in the last year, and there has been a dip in the number of Whispered who have been targeted.”

 

“I see,” repeated the chairman. “How about your investigation into the penetration of MITHRIL by outside agents?” he asked. The general once more seemed to be shuffling paper.

 

“Chairman, as I said last time this came up, it is not a problem that intelligence can deal with effective, since we are a company of mercenaries,” he repeated himself from the year before. “We screen the candidates who are selected, but once they are in, there is no way for intelligence to determine if they are working against the interests of MITHRIL unless that make an obvious move like Blueno did. That is why I still say that detecting traitors is something that the operations commanders should be doing themselves,” he reinforced, looking directly at Tessa.

 

“Then tell me what good you are?” came the clipped reply from the young girl. “Blueno was your man, as was the tech in research who sold Gauron the programming key to Dana. Wraith was your man as well, was he not? The same man who failed to protect Chidori and was only good for being shot by that assassin girl!” Tessa gave him a hard smile. “Matter of fact, Chidori had to save him as well as herself!” she seethed.

 

“I don't have to put up with that from you, little girl…!” began the general hotly.

 

“Enough!” came the firm voice of the chairman. “Captain Testarossa, please stick to the issue at hand,” directed the man.

 

“Sir,” she replied.

 

“As for you, General,” said the Chairman, cutting the smirk off the man's face, “you should be getting better results than this,” he warned the man. “Now, what has research discovered about the remains of the AS units that Tactical ran into in the Hong Kong incident?” he asked the General.

 

“We're sure that the AS units are upgraded Chodarl M models, with a slightly improved Lambda driver. It does not appear to be equal to the driver in the ARX-11 Arbalest, however, though the design is a bit cleaner and simpler. The motor and drive systems are parallel to our M9 mark two units - the ones like certain field units in Tactical use,” he said, flicking a glance at Tessa, “I would say that over all, they are nothing to be overly concerned with. Reports indicate that the Arbalest was able to destroy several of these in Hong Kong,” he concluded.

 

“What about the man-sized semi-autonomous AS units?” asked Tessa intently.

 

“Oh, those things,” came the disdainful reply from the general. “We have checked every lead on them, and still can't find a single shred of proof that they exist, Captain,” he said condescendingly. “Your agent was mistaken, Captain,” he dismissed the topic.

 

“Our reports are perfectly accurate,” came the neutral reply.

 

The general grunted. “Every last tech in research and development - Whispered and normal alike - swear that it is isn't possible to make such a thing, Captain. As a Whispered, you should be well aware of that as well,” he taunted her. “The do not exist, Captain Testarossa,” he pronounced.

 

Tessa said nothing, but her eyes spoke for her.

 

“Chairman, I feel I must address the issue of Chidori with you again,” said the General, turning his attention to the head of MITHRIL. “It is imperative that we take her into custody. Reports from Tactical and from our man Wraith indicate that she is a powerful Whispered, as well as being a confirmed target for the AMALGAM organization. Intelligence is tasked with managing the Whispered issue, and having Tactical waste resources on guarding the girl is both unwise and against organizational structure,” he began.

 

“'Take custody'?” Tessa hissed, “'Manage the Whispered'? General, you talk like they are nothing more than inanimate objects,” she snarled. “Whispered are people, General, so when you talk of `take custody' of her, it is kidnapping and imprisoning. Does your notion of `managing' Whispered include tattooing serial numbers on their forearms and death camps?” she asked tightly.

 

“Of course you would characterize it that way; you're a Whispered yourself, Captain,” snorted the General. “This is for their own good and the good of mankind at large,” he insisted. “You've seen our research and development section,” he said reasonably, “does it look like a concentration camp to you? Did you see anyone torturing the Whispered there?” he asked.

 

“No,” she said, “but the difference is that they chose to be there; Chidori has chosen not to go there,” she spoke distinctly.

 

“General, Captain,” came the chairman's voice. “Thank you both for attending,” he said. “Admiral,” he said, directing his attention to Tessa's uncle and the admiral in charge of MITHRIL Tactical ocean section. “I see that you have reported that the TDD 01 is undergoing repairs and refit in Merida base, correct?” he said.

 

“Yes, chairman,” said the man. “It will be four weeks before the repairs and refit are completed,” he added. The chairman nodded.

 

“Very well,” he said. “I want the crew of the De Danaan to be given twenty one days liberty,” he directed. “Upon completion of the repairs and refits, there will be a shake-down cruise, followed by a new series of missions and tasking,” he said. “Thank you for your time,” he ended the meeting.

 

As the others vanished, Tessa remained, as did the Admiral. “What is it, Uncle?” asked the young woman. She had caught the subtle sign that her uncle wanted to speak with her. Since they were scattered all over the globe, the secure holo-conference was the only way that they could meet face-to-face without actually being face to face in security.

 

“I wanted to ask you if you had any idea who this `Mister Silver' might be,” he said, watching her carefully.

 

“No, uncle,” she said. “No idea at all,” she repeated. “Why would you think I did?” she asked.

 

“It looked like you flinched when Intelligence mentioned him,” said her Uncle. “By the way,” he changed topics, “have you heard anything from Leonard lately? It has been years since he's contacted any of us,” he said wistfully. Tessa shook her head, her face closed down.

 

“No, Uncle,” she said softly. “I haven't.”

 

“Well, if you happen to hear from him, please give him my regards,” said the man with a sigh.

 

“I will, Uncle,” she promised. “Was there anything else?” she asked. “I have some things to attend to,” she hinted.

 

“No, no, nothing else,” he said, smiling at her. “Be safe, Tessa-chan,” he said in parting.

 

Tessa's smile was genuine and warm as she gave him a small wave. “Of course, Uncle,” she returned, ending the link. Standing, she silently moved out of the conference room, deep in thought. As she moved past the security checkpoint, she found that Mao had fallen into step beside her. “Mao,” she said, pushing her thought to the back of her mind, “just who I wanted to see,” she added.

 

“What's up?” asked the woman, eyeing her boss. “Bad meeting?” she guessed. Tessa shrugged.

 

“As expected,” she said. Glancing at her watch, she pursed her lips. “Let's grab our bathing suits, Mao,” she said. “I feel like getting some sun on a private stretch of beach,” she said, catching Mao's eyes. Nodding, the woman followed Tessa toward the barracks section where their rooms were.

 

“I know just the spot,” said the older woman.

 

-

 

“Wow! Where'd you get that from, Kana?” asked Kyoko, spotting a bracelet on Kana's left wrist. Kaname glanced at it.

 

“It's a little something that Sousuke picked up on one of his little trips,” she said nonchalantly. “I think he said it was South American,” added the girl. Whatever it is, it's beautiful! she left unsaid. Unbuttoning her blouse, she put it in her locker before going to work on her skirt. Beside her, Kyoko did likewise.

 

“I wonder when he's going to get you a ring,” suggested Kyoko innocently as she unfastened her bra and put it in her locker, pulling out her school swimsuit before removing her panties. Kaname folded her panties and put them in her locker before pulling out her own swimsuit. She didn't react to Kyoko's suggestive statement at all.

 

“Hard to believe that this is our last PE as high schoolers,” she said instead. “Where are you going after graduation?” asked Kaname, fastening the top of the suit before adjusting her breasts for optimal comfort in the suit. Kyoko tugged on her suit's lower hem as she answered.

 

“I'm going for Tokyo University,” she said.

 

“I'm going to be a career woman!” came Mizuki's unsolicited answer. “From here, it's straight to a company!” she giggled excitedly.

 

“Hope you like making tea,” muttered Kaname. I really need to sit down with Sousuke and finish that talk about what we do next, she told herself once more. Before Sousuke had come on the scene, before she had learned that she was a Whispered, before the madness that her world had become, she had planned to go to college, get a job she liked doing something she liked, and eventually, maybe having a family. Now, she found it nearly impossible to think about `normal' things like that.

 

“Are you coming to Tokyo U with me, Kana?” hoped Kyoko.

 

“I…don't know,” said Kana, avoiding the issue.

 

“You have the grades, you know,” pointed out her friend as the girls closed their lockers and moved out toward the pool, towels over their shoulders. “So, is it Sousuke?” she guessed. Kaname shook her head.

 

“I could just as well ask you if it is Ono-D,” she grinned at Kyoko. Her shorter friend blinked.

 

“How did you…?” she wondered. Kaname leered at Kyoko.

 

“I am the Student Council President, you know,” she said ominously. Actually, Ono-D was bragging to Sousuke, but that's boring, she didn't share with Kyoko. “Can he make it into Tokyo U?” teased Kaname. Kyoko felt her cheeks warm up.

 

“He's actually going to a company training program,” she admitted.

 

“Really?” came the surprised reply from Kaname. She hadn't figured that the rarely-serious, not entirely bright young man would have a plan for his future. Kyoko nodded.

 

“He had been thinking about it for a while, apparently,” she said. “After we started dating, he finally decided and enrolled in the program,” she explained. “How about you and Sousuke?” she asked eagerly. Kaname rolled her eyes and tossed her towel over Kyoko's head.

 

“You're a gossip, Kyoko,” she said, diving into the pool. Her best friend for years pulled Kana's towel off her head, smiling.

 

“Yeah, and?” she replied insolently before setting her glasses aside and diving in after Kana.

 

-

 

“Here we are, Tessa-chan,” said Mao, leading the other woman out of the jungle on Merida Island. As a base for MITHRIL, the island had been left as raw as possible, with most of the facilities underground, and those that were above ground heavily camouflaged and built into the surroundings as much as possible. So it was that the two had collected their swimsuits and made their way to the beach on the far edge of the island in their work clothes - Mao in her fatigues and tee shirt, Tessa having swapped her uniform for a pair of blue jeans and a loose top.

 

Tessa looked at the shallow beach, flanked by rocks and partially overhung by bent palm trees. The water was clear and revealed that the sand stretched out until it hit coral, after which, the water dropped sharply, the deep, rich blue of deep ocean water barely one hundred yards off the beach. Tessa knew that the water outside the reef was more than fifteen hundred feet deep along this edge of the base. “It's beautiful, Melissa,” breathed the girl.

 

“Isn't it, though?” grinned Mao, swiftly stripping off her clothes, leaving them in a pile on the sand. “Come on; get changed,” urged Mao, unrolling a pair of towels for them side-by-side on the warm sand. Tessa quickly shed her outer clothes, having already put on a bikini in her room before donning her outer wear. Kicking off her shoes, she closed her eyes in pleasure as her feet sank into the warm sand.

 

When she opened her eyes, she saw Mao fishing out a bottle of tanning oil from her fatigue pockets. What caught her notice was that Melissa was topless. “Mao!” she hissed. The older woman turned to her, frowning.

 

“What?” she asked Tessa, confused. “You need this or you'll burn like a marshmallow,” she said, shaking the bottle.

 

“Not that! Where's your top?!” Tessa said, her cheeks coloring. Mao shrugged.

 

“Don't need it,” she said indifferently. “Besides, it's not like you haven't seen me naked, right? And this beach is secluded, so we really don't have to worry about being interrupted,” she explained.

 

“But...,” protested Tessa. Melissa was having none of that.

 

“Just pretend that it's a topless beach on the Rivera; or Rio,” she grinned, easily plucking the ties of Tessa's top loose and removing the other girl's top. Tessa immediately crossed her arms over her chest. “Stop being a baby, and let me get this on you before you burn,” chided Melissa firmly, beginning to efficiently work the tanning oil into Tessa's soft, white skin.

 

In short order, Melissa was done, having covered every inch of Tessa's skin with the oil, including the girl's breasts and inner thighs. With Tessa thus protected, she had quickly put some on herself and lay down next to her friend. “So, Tessa,” she said conversationally, “what was it that you needed to talk to me about?” she asked the girl.

 

“Melissa,” said Tessa slowly, “What would you say if I were to suggest that in order to deal with AMALGAM, it might be necessary to go beyond our MITHRIL charter?” she said quietly.

 

Mao was quiet for few minutes, digesting the words of her captain. “I would say, `how far' and `to what degree',” she said at last. Tessa hummed, considering her answer.

 

“Maybe…all the way,” she said softly, not meeting Melissa's eyes. “And maybe…in all ways,” she added.

 

“Well,” breathed Mao. Minutes passed. Melissa thought about the possible meanings and causes of her friend and captain's concerns. “Is this about China and Hong Kong?” she asked at last. God knows that none of us likes that, she thought.

 

“Only partially,” said Tessa. “It started with Gauron and the hijacking of Dana,” she expounded, “but it was only after this latest incident that I understood some important things,” she said. Melissa noticed that Tessa's hands were no longer coving her breasts, but were lying along her sides, hands gripping her towel. What Kana saw and learned, I can never forget, she thought grimly. Sometimes, being able to resonate with her fellow Whispered was a double-edged sword.

 

“Understood?” wondered Mao out loud. “Just what did you come to understand, Tessa-chan?” she asked, slightly worried. This job is not something that just anyone can do, reflected the older woman. I always worried that Tessa was not suited to such unpleasant work. “I heard about the interrogation of Blueno,” she guessed.

 

Tessa's eye twitched. “That was just a side issue to this,” said Tessa. “Uncle said that it was necessary for me to see the darker side of our job, and he was right. Sousuke said…” Tessa trailed off, reconsidering her words. “He said something that I didn't want to hear, Melissa,” she said, “but he said it for my own good,” she added. And when he called me `Tessa' for the first time afterward, I nearly came on the spot!

 

“I'll kick his ass,” hissed Mao, her tone frustrated. “Tessa, he means good, and he's a good soldier, but sometimes…!” she shook her head.

 

“No, Mao,” said Tessa firmly, unconsciously slipping into her command voice. “Sousuke only said what he said because he was worried about me. And it wasn't what he said that brought this all to a head, either,” she admitted. Mao waited. When Tessa said nothing more, she took a stab in the dark.

 

“Something happened to Kaname, and you resonated with her again, didn't you?” guessed the AS leader on the De Danaan. Tessa's wide-eyed look make her chuckle.

 

“H…how did you…?” sputtered Tessa. She had been, after all, that no one knew about that.

 

“Oh, please!” scoffed Mao, “I know my men, and I know you, Tessa,” she said. “Sousuke reports to me, and I have access to some other reports as well. Did you think that I wouldn't put two and two together and come up with four?” she teased her friend. Mao's tone turned serious again. “What was it you two shared, Tessa?” she asked.

 

“I can't tell you, Melissa,” whispered Tessa, her face tight with some emotion that Mao couldn't identify. “Not yet,” she added, seeing the expression on Melissa's face.

 

“Tessa,” began Melissa.

 

“No, Mao,” said the girl, cutting Melissa off. “I can't; not right now,” she repeated.

 

“When?” wondered Melissa, reaching over to snag her pants and fumble around until she had her smokes and lighter.

 

“As soon as I can, I will, Melissa,” promised Tessa. One handed, Mao flicked out a cigarette, dropped her pack of smokes, lit the cigarette and dropped her lighter on top of her fatigues. Taking a deep pull, she exhaled the smoke.

 

“All right, Tessa,” she said. “I trust you have a reason for it, so I'll let it be; for now,” she warned her friend.

 

“Thanks, Melissa,” said Tessa quietly. When Mao's cigarette was done, she destroyed the butt, tossed it aside, and stood up before bending over and grabbing Tessa's arm, pulling the smaller woman up as well.

 

“You're welcome, Tessa-chan,” smiled Mao, “but now it is time for a cooling dip in the ocean,” she grinned, pulling the protesting Teletha Testarossa after her as she splashed into the cool Pacific surf.

 

-

 

Opening their door, Sousuke and Kana entered their apartment, Sousuke - as always - clearing the rooms with his Glock while Kana secured their door. Locks, deadbolt, double chain stays and kick-block, she ran top to bottom, securing the locking devices as she kept an eye on Sousuke's back. “All clear,” he reported a moment later.

 

“Good,” said Kaname, handing her book bag to Sousuke. “I'm going to get changed and then start dinner,” she said, moving into the bedroom. Sousuke put their book bags in their places and moved toward his gear, tucked into the corner unobtrusively.

 

“I will check in with command,” he said to Kaname as he passed the open bedroom door. Getting a muffled reply, he kept Kana in view as he powered up his gear and unlocked it. Logging onto the secure network that MITHRIL maintained, he saw Kana calmly change out of her school uniform and into her house-wear.

 

As she was hanging up her school uniform, she glanced out the bedroom window, noticing dark clouds gathering. It's going to rain tonight, she thought, pausing to watch the clouds for a moment. After her run-in with Leonard, she had suffered mild panic attacks in rain storms for weeks afterward. Now, she was ok. Knowing that Sousuke was watching her from the next room was like a warm, soft blanket on her skin. The fact that she was nearly naked didn't bother her in the least. As long as he's near me, she thought fondly, turning away from the window. Glancing at Sousuke, she saw that he was wearing his headset as he typed on the small keyboard attached to the strange equipment.

 

Almost immediately, she heard the whisper in her mind, concepts, materials, processes and uses streaming through her mind. She was sure that if she went over to the equipment, she could use it; probably better than Sousuke could. The gift of a Whispered, she thought, forcing the voices back into the recesses of her mind. Unclipping her bra, she dropped it into the laundry basket before pulling a loose cotton tee shirt over her head and sliding her long hair out from under it. Smiling, she settled the shirt, catching her reflection in the mirror next to her dresser.

 

The shirt was large on her frame, the medium blue material falling to mid-thigh, the neck opening showing the beginnings of her cleavage when it sat straight, but was more likely to leave most of a shoulder bare as it shifted, revealing most of the upper swell of one breast. Before the incident with Leonard, the Xia twins and Hong Kong, she had worn sweat pants or shorts with this shirt - as well as a bra - but over the last year, she had found herself wearing less and less at home with Sousuke. Turning this way and that, she decided that the shirt and her panties were more than enough clothing. Stifling an excited giggle, she stepped into her house slippers and moved into the kitchen to start dinner.

 

It was only ten minutes later that Sousuke shut down his gear. “So? What did Tessa have to say?” she asked him from the kitchen, where she was preparing steak, potatoes and salad for their supper. Living in America had expanded her tastes in foods dramatically, and Sousuke would eat anything you put in front of him, so she found that it worked out good for both of them. Glancing at him, she smiled as she caught his eyes on her well-displayed legs.

 

“Tessa is going to be here tomorrow night with Mao,” he said, slowly pulling his eyes off her toned legs. “They will be staying with us for our graduation. Tessa requested that I ask if you would be interested in spending some time on Merida Island - or another location of your choice - since she is on a twenty one day furlough,” he passed along. Kaname smiled.

 

“I'd love to,” said Kaname. Since the first time that Tessa had come to visit - as well as verify her status as a Whispered - she had come to an understanding with her former rival. From that understanding, they had become friends. As encounters under pressure happened again and again, the two of them had gone past friends, their shared resonance with each other giving them a bond that neither understood. Kaname liked being around Tessa because Tessa liked being around Kaname because both were Whispered and both were seriously in love with Sousuke. It's so weird, but works surprisingly well, she briefly thought.

 

“I will inform Tessa when she arrives,” said Sousuke. Kana waved her hand.

 

“I'll tell her myself,” she said easily. “Why not get changed into something more comfortable?” she suggested. Nodding, Sousuke moved into the bedroom, emerging four minutes later in shorts and a close-fitting tan tee shirt. Barefoot, he stepped into the kitchen, stopping beside Kaname.

 

“Do you need assistance?” he asked her. She shook her head.

 

“I got it,” she said, a smile on her lips. When Sousuke started to leave, she spoke up again. “That doesn't mean you need to leave, Sousuke,” she noted.

 

“Understood,” he replied. Kaname waited, wondering if he would catch her hints. A few moments later, she had to suppress her impulse to pump her arm in victory. Moving behind Kana, Sousuke carefully wrapped his arms around her waist. A content moan escaped her mouth as she felt him carefully, gently, hug himself to her back. That's what I wanted! she thought happily.

 

Looking down, she noticed that with his arms around her waist, the shirt was pulled snug across her full breasts, her nipples clearly visible through the material. Kana swiftly finished the preparations, standing at the stove as the steak cooked, Sousuke still hugging her. When the food was done, she reluctantly separated from him, the two of them sitting across from each other as they ate. When that was done, Kana swiftly did the dishes, since Sousuke had a nasty habit of breaking or chipping the plates when scrubbing. With that done, the pair retired to the living room, Kana wanting to catch the news and forecast for the next few days.

 

Sitting on the couch side-by-side, Kana felt Sousuke put his arm around her shoulder, and eagerly leaned over against him, turning her hips slightly so she could rest comfortably against him. Glancing down, she saw that the shift had exposed the crotch of her panties, while the neckline of the shirt gave him a clear view of her bare breasts. Through her lashes, she saw him peeking at her several times. Sighing softly, she gradually shifted until her panties were completely exposed and her shirt had shifted until her left breast was nearly completely bare.

 

She could feel herself growing warm with desire. Since they had moved in together, they had become very comfortable with each other, kissing and cuddling and even a time or two, doing some light petting. What they had not done was anything more. The reasons for this were varied, but basically, it came down to two factors: mutual uncertainty of the repercussions of pushing for more if the other wasn't ready, and more importantly, Tessa. Even so, Kana suspected that Sousuke and she were on the same page, as far as becoming lovers was concerned. She was ready, and to the best of her knowledge, he was ready. Maybe I should do it tonight. she thought to herself. Tessa will be here tomorrow night, so it might be better to do it now, so we can work out any issues before she gets here, she contemplated. I had planned to go for the day after tomorrow, the night after graduation, but honestly, isn't a nearly three-year relationship enough?

 

Outside, the dark sky opened up, rain coming down fast and heavy. Suddenly, Kaname was reliving her night on the roof of the love hotel, holding her torn robe around her naked frame, watching the would-be assassin die. `You look beautiful in the rain, Kaname Chidori', she recalled his words. Jerk!! she thought angrily, recalling the stolen kiss from the silver-haired man. She looked out the window, watching the heavy rain come down. “Kaname?” came Sousuke's voice, his concern clearly heard.

 

Blinking, Kaname realized that she had instinctively pulled Sousuke's arms around her, turned and pressed herself to him, chest-to-chest. Her shirt was up around her waist, her panties were crooked on her hips, and her shirt was pulled far enough around that her entire breast was now bare and pressed to his warm, thinly-covered muscular chest. Looking into his eyes, she leaned forward, kissing him soundly as she tightened her hold on him. Tonight it is, she decided. “Sousuke, let's go to bed,” she said, her tone rough around the edges with desire and the aftertaste of her brief nightmare. Holding tightly to him, she fumbled for the remote, turning off her TV before leading him into the bedroom.

 

In the bedroom, Kaname hastily yanked her shirt off with one hand, using her other to shove her panties off. She hadn't bothered with the lights, and neither had Sousuke. It was evident that he was somewhat aware of where this was headed, as he silently, efficiently, tugged off his shirt and shorts while Kaname tossed back the covers and slid into bed. Joining her in bed, he felt her hug herself to him once more, her lips catching his.

 

Mm, this is nice, thought Kana happily as she teased his lips with her tongue, swiftly coaxing his own oral muscle to emerge to play with her own. Gradually, Kana moved her hand down his neck, over his chest and toward his hips. She knew that Sousuke usually wore a pair of cotton boxers, though not always. Just as she had worn her pajamas when they had first moved in together, but now usually wore just the top - or -less - Sousuke had stopped sleeping on the couch or floor, and had joined her in her large bed; first in shorts and a tee shirt, then in the tee shirt and boxers, then in boxers and finally, occasionally, naked.

 

When her hand reached his hip, she smiled around the kiss, finding that he had forgone the boxers that night. I'll take that as a sign, she decided hazily. Her nipples were hard and ached, her pussy was hot and wet, and Sousuke was lying beside her, naked. It has to be a sign, right? she told herself piously. Hesitantly, she let her hand ease down from the crest of his hip toward his groin. She inhaled sharply when her hand encountered his hard length.

 

It wasn't the first time that she had touched it, but it was the first time that she had touched it with the intention of having him use it on her. Tenderly, she closed her warm, soft hand around it and pumped it. Hearing Sousuke groan, she paused, worried that she might have inadvertently pinched him or caught him with the edge of a nail or something. “Kana,” he breathed, his arms closing around her chest as he dipped his head to capture her hard nipples in his mouth.

 

“Sousuke,” she moaned, feeling her nipple being surrounded by warm, wet lips and caressed by the rougher texture of his tongue. “Yes, Sousuke,” she added, resuming her slow pumping. For the moment, they took their time, Sousuke alternating between her breasts, caressing her back and upper buttocks, and Kana slowly pumping his shaft, interspersed with palming the wide, thick tip. She couldn't have said how long it was before Sousuke slid a hand over the curve of her athletic rear, between her thighs, and back up to touch her soaked flower.

 

Beyond words at what she was feeling, Kaname moaned wantonly as his fingers delicately explored her outer lips, quickly becoming soaked with her arousal. Kaname eagerly spread her legs to give him better access. Her hand became slick with his pre-cum. “Kana?” came his voice, lower and rougher than usual. She didn't need to hear anything to know what he was asking.

 

“Please,” she replied, panting. Sousuke gently guided her onto her back, Kaname doing her best to keep her hand on his throbbing length as he tenderly guided her into position. Settled on her back, she spread her legs wide as Sousuke moved between them, finally forcing her hand from his shaft. With her hands free, she wrapped them around Sousuke's chest, feeling him lean down to kiss her, his chest meeting her breasts, the feeling of his smooth, muscular chest exciting her even more. Between her legs, she felt the oddly-soft, yet firm tip of his dick brush against her inner thighs and vaginal lips as he got settled.

 

“Now, Sousuke,” she invited him, tucking her legs up a little higher and wider. There's going to be a wet spot, she realized in a tiny part of her brain. It's a good thing that I broke my hymen a long time ago, that same small, irrelevant part thought. Sousuke freed one hand, reaching down to guide his cock along her dripping-wet slit a time or two, making sure that he was properly positioned before delicately using his fingers to open her outer vaginal lips. A low, exited mewing came from Kana's lips as she felt herself open to him. We're going to do it, she thought, her emotions in a whirl, finally, we're going to do it!

 

With the slick, hot entrance to Kana beckoning him in, Sousuke fought the urge to shove in fast and hard, instead easing himself against her firmly, but slowly, his tip splitting her open, stretching her to his size, claiming her. “Kana-chan,” he breathed when his tip finally lodged completely inside her passage. Beneath him, Kana didn't answer, being in the middle of a small, but intense orgasm from the feeling of being stretched, claimed and penetrated by Sousuke. The feelings grew as Sousuke drove deeper and deeper, hitting her G-spot as he did so.

 

Both of them were sweating from the effort of maintaining control and from the increase in body temperature brought about by their raging hormones. Kaname had a second, stronger orgasm as Sousuke reached the bottom of her sheath and began to pump into her. “God, Sousuke! Yes! Yes!” she squealed happily, feeling a third orgasm build. Sousuke could already feel his balls tightening as her passage grasped and pulled at him, greedy for more of his manhood. He tried to fight it, but his body was insisting on reaching climax as quickly as possible.

 

Wailing wordlessly, Kaname had her third orgasm of the evening, a long, steady release, prolonged by the pistoning length in her pussy. Later, she would wonder why she waited so long to do this, but that was for later. Right now, all that mattered was that she and Sousuke were one. He's ours, and we're his, she thought, not realizing the duality of the thought. Nor did she pick up on the odd `echo' she felt when resonating with Tessa. No, Kaname Chidori had far more important things on her mind and in her pussy, and everything else was secondary to her.

 

Can't hold out much longer, Sousuke thought to himself, his balls tightening. I should pull out, he thought, though he made no move to do so. Kaname had instinctively wrapped her legs around him, and wouldn't have let him pull out in any event. An instant eternity later, he jerked his hips hard, driving deeply into her as he came, flooding her with several heavy spurts of his cum. “Ugh! Kana-chan!” he growled, unknowingly biting her shoulder, though not hard enough to break the skin.

 

Wheezing like he had just run fifteen miles with a full combat pack, Sousuke collapsed on top of Kaname, resting while he tried to regain the strength to roll off her. Kaname's arms were around his chest, and her legs were still holding him fast in place. Minutes passed, and as Sousuke's breathing returned to normal, he gradually became aware that Kaname was asleep, a peaceful smile on her face, her flushed face nearly glowing with happiness. Sousuke watched her, falling asleep without even realizing that his eyes were closing of their own accord. After all, Kana was so beautiful…

 

-

 

Tessa and Mao ran around the corner, Mao instinctively steadying Tessa as they dashed forward toward the base hospital. It was early morning, before chow, even, but Tessa had gotten an emergency summons to the hospital. She had run into Mao, who had been having a morning smoke, and the Sergeant Major had easily picked up on the girl's agitated state. Naturally, she had immediately chosen to follow her friend and commanding officer as she ran toward the hospital.

 

“What is it?!” she demanded of the nurse at the duty station. “What's happened?! Why was I called here so suddenly?!” her voice conveyed her worry.

 

“Captain Testarossa,” the nurse said, her tone professionally calm, “please take a few deep breaths,” she began. Mao's fist landed right in front of the woman, the head of the AS Strike Force on the De Danaan thrusting her face toward the nurses.

 

“The Captain asked you a question!” she snarled, eyes slitted dangerously. “What's happened and to who?” she repeated Tessa's initial question. The nurse swallowed nervously. She was scared of certain members of MITHRIL's lead attack sub, and high on that list was this woman, Melissa Mao.

 

“I…it's Commander Mardukas,” she said. Tessa gasped. “He suffered a heart attack early this morning, but managed to get to us in time,” she hurriedly explained. “He's currently being treated in the emergency room,” she added.

 

“How is he doing?” breathed Tessa, worried.

 

“He's responding well to the medicine, and the doctors say that an angioplasty should take care of it,” the nurse reported, glancing at her screen. “But the doctor called for you because you are his commanding officer, and will have to be briefed about his condition,” she finished.

 

“Which room?” asked Tessa, her tone tight.

 

“He's ER three west,” said the nurse. Nodding, Tessa took off down the hall, Mao in lockstep with her shorter friend. Behind the two, the nurse sighed. That was scary, she thought to herself, reaching for a calming sip of her coffee. Looking at the screen that was showing the latest information about the Commander, she wondered if she shouldn't take a half-day off, the better to avoid a repeat incident with the Captain of the De Danaan and her scary shadow. Still, better Mao than that maniac Sagara, she told herself.

 

Outside the ER, Tessa and Mao met the doctor just emerging. “How is he, doctor?” asked Tessa, getting right to the point.

 

“Oh, he'll make a full recovery,” the man assured her. “But, Captain,” he said, his tone serious, “I am making an official recommendation that he be put on medical leave. He needs recovery time, rehabilitation and most importantly, a great reduction in stress,” he said. “As his commanding officer, you will have a big say in how this plays out,” he noted, “but I am telling you, Captain, he needs several weeks rest - at the minimum!”

 

“I see,” she said, her expression thoughtful. Mao wondered what was going through the platinum-haired head of her friend. Absently, Tessa's hand found her braided hair, tugged it over her shoulder, and began to thoughtfully finger the end of the braid. “Is he conscious?” she asked the doctor suddenly, her braid dropping to her blouse.

 

“Yes, he is,” said the doctor. “Right now, we are administering drugs to treat the situation, but later today, we are going to angioplasty the problem areas; try to get a more permanent fix to the problem.”

 

“I need to speak with him,” said Tessa firmly. The doctor glanced at his watch.

 

“Briefly, Captain Testarossa, briefly,” he cautioned her, tossing his head. Tessa and Mao entered the room, seeing Mardukas lying on a gurney, IVs in his arm, and an oxygen mask over his face. Seeing Tessa enter the room, he reached up and pushed the mask aside.

 

“Ma'am,” he said, starting to salute her.

 

“As you were, Commander Mardukas,” she interrupted him. “How are you feeling, Richard?” she asked him, stopping by his bedside, Mao a step behind her.

 

“I'm feeling surprisingly well, considering that I had a heart attack,” he replied. Tessa hummed in reply.

 

“The doctor has official recommended you for medical leave, several weeks at the minimum,” she cut right to the matter. “I am seconding his opinion, Commander,” she said crisply. “I wanted you to hear it from my own mouth, Richard, so you would understand why I am doing this,” she began. Mardukas smiled at her.

 

“If I may, Captain,” he said delicately, “I think you should hear what I have to say before finishing that thought,” he said.

 

“I am not changing my mind, Commander Mardukas,” warned Tessa. “You are going on medical leave.” He chuckled briefly.

 

“Actually, Captain,” he said, leaning his back as he sighed. “I would like to ask you for your endorsement on my severance package,” he said. Tessa blinked.

 

“You…are retiring, Mardukas?” she asked him. Slowly, he nodded.

 

“I served thirty five years in the Royal Navy, another three in the reserves, and then came to MITHRIL,” he said. “I have great grandchildren I have never seen, Captain, and I haven't seen my children or grand children in more than eight years. I have been thinking about this for a while, and I was actually planning to put in my papers once you got back from your vacation in Tokyo,” he admitted. Tessa blinked again.

 

“I…of course I will sign off on the paperwork,” she said softly. “You have been a patient - and excellent! - teacher to me ever since the De Danaan launched,” she added. He nodded.

 

“And I can honestly say that you have made me proud, Captain,” he responded. “You are a credit to submariners everywhere, and I would proudly serve with you any day.”

 

“When you are recovered, forward the forms to me, and I will sign off on them,” Tessa said. “You…will be missed, Commander Mardukas,” she added softly.

 

“As will you, Captain Teletha Testarossa,” was the formal reply. The doctor stuck his head inside the door.

 

“Captain, Sergeant Major,” he said leadingly, tossing he head toward the hallway. Tessa nodded, starting to turn toward the door.

 

“Captain,” said Mardukas, causing her to pause, “the request is already in your inbox,” he said quietly. Nodding, she glanced back at him, seeing him saluting her. Straightening, she faced him, raising her hand to return his salute. “Requesting permission to debark the ship, Captain,” he said, a tiny tremor in his voice.

 

Tessa saluted him. “Permission granted, Commander Mardukas,” she said, keeping her voice as steady as possible. “I thank you on behalf of myself and my crew for a job well done, Commander,” she said, cutting the salute away sharply. Her periphery vision caught Mao also cutting her salute away, Marine Corp crisp. Mardukas smiled at her as he completed his own salute.

 

Outside, in the hallway, Tessa exhaled an unsteady breath. Mao's hand squeezed her shoulder. Smiling up at Mao, she wiped her eyes, exhaling as she did so. “Well,” she said, her voice cracking slightly, “let's go get some breakfast, Melissa,” she said. “I seem to have a lot to do before we leave for Tokyo all of a sudden,” she added. Melissa nodded.

 

“Sounds good, sir,” she said comfortingly. Man, she's going to need that vacation with Sousuke and Kaname by the time this is done, she though, sympathizing with the girl. Still, she couldn't help but feel proud of the professional manner that Tessa was handing this in. She's come a long, long way from the untested and inexperienced Captain I found myself serving under all those years ago, she reflected. Five years with Tessa made her the senior-most crewmember, time-wise, on the Captain's submarine.

 

Moving toward the mess hall, Tessa was already making mental notes and plans. It didn't escape her notice that this was a coincident that could very easily work in favor of her plans. But those plans hinge on someone I can't trust, and depend on my most trusted friends to risk everything on a plan I don't even know will work! She pushed that thought away. There were things to be done, and she had little time to do it all in before she and Mao wheels-upped for Tokyo the next morning.

 

-

 

Kaname hummed to herself as she showered, unusually energetic and awake for that time of morning. The night before had been better than she had thought it could be, and waking up to find herself naked in Sousuke's arms had been a sublimely visceral pleasure. Why did I wait so long? she wondered, trying to recall her reasons. I mean, other than Tessa, what reason could there possibly have been to wait all this time?

 

“Kana?” came Sousuke's voice. Kaname turned, sliding the shower curtain aside to peek out, spotting Sousuke entering the bathroom.

 

“Morning, Sousuke,” she smiled at him happily. “Sleep good?” she asked, her smile turning into a leer.

 

“Affirmative,” he confirmed, seeing the alert, awake Kaname's eyes on his naked groin. “You are up unusually early,” he noted, feeling his dick harden under her gaze.

 

“Mm,” she hummed, sighing happily. “I feel incredibly good this morning,” she shared with him. “Want to join me in the shower?” she asked him invitingly. “We could wash each other's backs,” she added playfully. Sousuke swallowed with some difficulty.

 

“I fear that we would end up later than usual, if we were to do that,” he said reluctantly, “in spite of our unexpectedly early start,” he sighed. Kaname realized that he was right, though the thought brought a frown to her face.

 

“You are probably right,” she agreed. “I'll be done in just a minute,” she added, ducking back behind the curtain and reaching for the body wash. Might as well focus on the day, she told herself. Plenty of time tonight to make up for lost time, she thought smugly. Reviewing her and Sousuke's day, she realized that it would be light and relatively short, allowing them to come home early.

 

Today was mostly a detail-day, with the seniors getting their graduation details dealt with, having the ceremony practice, clearing up any last details with the faculty and saying good bye to their classmates. Kaname considered that. While she would be sad to be parting ways with Kyoko and Mizuki, she wasn't nearly as depressed as she had thought she would be. It's because Sousuke is going to be by my side, she thought, feeling a tingle run through her body. No matter what, he will be there for me, she thought, smiling. I guess there is no rush in finishing that conversation, since I am pretty sure what the future holds, she told herself, rinsing off and stepping out of the shower.

 

“It's all yours, Sousuke!” she called as she wrapped her towel around her. Sousuke emerged from the living room, swiftly moving past her and into the shower. “I'll make breakfast today,” she added, humming to herself. By the time that Sousuke was out of the shower, Kana was zipping up her skirt. “How do I look?” she asked him teasingly.

 

“Beautiful,” he replied honestly. Kaname stepped over to him, leaned in and kissed him.

 

“Right answer,” she purred when she finally broke the kiss. Moving away from him, she entered the kitchen, already planning out what she would make for breakfast. Before she knew it, she and Sousuke were on their way to school. It was the first time in longer than she could remember that neither of them carried their book bags.

 

As they entered the school gates, the pair saw Kyoko and Ono-D jogging up to them. “My! You two sure are here early!” said Kyoko, smiling suggestively as Kana.

 

“I could say the same to you, Kyoko-chan,” replied Kaname silkily. “Spend the night at Ono-D's place?” she sweetly suggested. Kyoko's cheeks colored.

 

“How did you know…?!” began Ono-D, only to have Kyoko elbow him hard in the short ribs. “Uh, I mean, why would you think that?” he lamely asked, rubbing his ribs. Damn, Kyoko's been around Chidori too long! he silently complained. Kaname's eyes widened slightly at Ono-D's lapse. Kyoko's cheeks were scarlet.

 

“Kyoko-chan,” breathed Kaname, surprised. Kyoko managed to meet her friend's eyes.

 

“So?” she whispered. “When are you and Sousuke going to get serious?” she asked Kaname. Kaname blushed, recalling the previous night.

 

“When we get around to it,” she replied. Kyoko, mistaking her blush for embarrassment, giggled.

 

“You shouldn't wait too long, Kana,” she said, leaning in close to Kaname's ear. “It feels incredible after the first time or two,” she confided to her taller friend. Kaname had to bite her lip to keep from saying what she was thinking. Oh, it felt incredible the first time, Kyoko-chan!

 

“I'll…take your word for it, Kyoko,” she managed. “Seen Mizuki or Shinji this morning?” she asked, changing the topic. Thank god that Sousuke isn't a gossip, she reflected, seeing that Sousuke was - predictably - scanning the area around them for threats.

 

“No, not yet,” answered Kyoko, adjusting her glasses. “Maybe they are running behind because there are no actual classes today?” she suggested.

 

“Probably still in bed,” opinioned Ono-D. Seeing Kyoko's look, he blinked.

 

“I mean, their own beds, of course!” he added hastily. Kaname shook her head.

 

“No, you didn't,” she contradicted him. Man, I guess we really are all on the same page, she thought wryly. Kyoko and she had lost their virginities at nearly the same time, and though Mizuki wasn't a virgin, Shinji had likely lost his at close to the same time that Ono-D had first had sex. She found herself wondering if Sousuke had been a virgin or not.

 

“There they are,” came the man's voice, startling her out of her musing. Pointing down the street, they saw Shinji and Mizuki approaching. Kana noticed that their hands were joined. Yeah, all on the same page, she thought to herself. As they got closer, the two released each other's hands. Like that's going to fool anyone, Kana silently scoffed.

 

The day seemed to fly by, and before they knew it, it was early afternoon, and they were due to practice the graduation ceremony, check in with the school administrators, and then head home early - the better to prepare for tomorrow's graduation ceremony. Sousuke and Kaname had just finished up formally turning over the duties of the Student Council Presidency to the successor, and were on their way out of the classrooms and toward the gym when Kana suddenly stopped, pivoting toward the window.

 

Ever alert, Sousuke was at her side in an instant, hand on gun. “What is it, Kana?” he asked her intently. She was staring at the ground between the classrooms and the gym.

 

“I thought I saw something familiar down there, but it can't be,” she said shrugging. “Must be my imagination,” she dismissed it.

 

“Familiar? What did you think you saw?” asked Sousuke, still suspicious. Kaname opened her mouth, paused to reconsider, then slowly continued.

 

“Thought I saw some platinum hair,” she said. I'm going to have to start being more honest with him, she told herself. They were pretty open, but with the change in their relationship, she realized that it was past time to be honest about certain things with her guardian.

 

“Tessa isn't due until tonight,” he said slowly. “There has been no change in schedule that I am aware of,” he added, considering the possibilities. Kaname waved her hand.

 

“Like I said, I was just seeing things,” she insisted. “I'm probably low-level resonating with her even now,” she admitted. “I mean, I am looking forward to seeing her again and all,” she shored up her earlier claim.

 

“Hmm,” Sousuke replied, his face still troubled. Apparently making a choice, he reached into the other side of his waistband and withdrew a familiar, dark-grey object. “Kana, please keep this with you,” he said, offering her the Glock butt-first.

 

“Uh, I don't know…” began Kaname, uncomfortable with the situation. Yes, she had begged Sousuke to teach her to handle a gun - and he had - but she was still hesitant to so blatantly break the rules of Japan and the school.

 

“Kana, please,” said Sousuke. “I don't want anything to happen to you,” he insisted. Memories flickered through her mind, and Kaname slowly took the gun from him, tucking it into the back of her skirt's waistband, under her jacket.

 

“What about you, Sousuke?” she asked. He shook his head.

 

“Not a problem,” he assured her. “I still have my Steyr TMP with three magazines, my combat knife, four fragmentation grenades…” he began to list his weaponry, only to have fondly-giggling Kana press her fingertip to his lips.

 

“Ok, Sousuke,” she smiled at him. “I'll take your word for it,” she said softly, leaning in to quickly press a kiss to his lips. “Now, let's get to the gym,” she said sternly.

 

“Roger!” he replied, the two of them moving toward the gym. Classes were in session for the underclassmen, so they had the halls to themselves. Quietly, they discussed small, inconsequential matters as they moved down from the third floor to the bottom floor, then out toward the gym. They also discussed where to go with Tessa when she got there for her vacation.

 

Discussing the situation with Tessa, the pair approached the entrance to the gym. Breaking off their discussion, the two entered the gym, finding the small front room empty. “Must be running behind,” offered Kaname, glancing at her watch. “We better head on in,” she advised. Sousuke nodded,

 

When Kaname opened the doors to the main floor of the gym, she saw all the seniors sitting quietly in their chairs, with the principal and their homeroom teacher sitting on chairs on the raised stage. Kaname blinked. Strange, she thought, they shouldn't be this quiet. Beside her, Sousuke was getting a tickle in the back of his mind; it was the same tickle that he got just before someone tried to ambush him.

 

“Kana,” he said tensely, hand back behind his jacket, “we need to…” he began.

 

“Aw, leaving so soon?” came a man's voice from the front, Sousuke jumped in front of Kaname, the TMP up and ready. From the curtains at the side of the small stage area, a tall man in a dark coat and hand emerged. As he moved to the podium, he reached up and pulled off his hat, allowing a long mane of silver hair to fall to mid-back. “And after all the trouble I went through to be here today, my dear Kaname,” he feigned a pout.

 

“Leonard!” she breathed. Sousuke didn't waste any time. Glancing back, he saw two dark figures blocking the doors that they had come in through.

 

“Kana, follow me,” he whispered harshly. “I will clear you a path to the emergency exit,” he said, his hand dipping swiftly in to his pocket. “I have sent an emergency signal to MITHRIL. Run as fast as you can once you are clear; a team will pick you up and take you to Tessa,” he said.

 

“Sousuke, I…!” began Kaname.

 

“Now!” he snapped, pulling the trigger on his gun as he sprinted forward to engage the brother of Tessa. Full-auto, he had less than three seconds of fire from the thirty round mag in the well, but his purpose was to get Kaname out of the gym, and the best way to do that was to throw massive suppressive firepower at the head of the enemy faction. That meant full-auto, and that meant Leonard Testarossa. Behind him, he could feel Kana running.

 

Sousuke had thought that the odds of killing Leonard were pretty good, given his control of the tactical machine pistol and the range they were working with. Hell, he'd have settled for winging the man. But even as he released his support hand in preparation to retrieve a fresh magazine, he realized that he wouldn't be getting that satisfaction. Even as he had opened fire, a dark figure had leapt up in front of the silver-haired young man, Sousuke's barrage whining away as they ricocheted off the guard. “Shit,” he snarled, realizing what he was seeing.

 

Man-sized, semi-autonomous AS units, he recalled the words of Kaname. I don't have anything heavy enough to deal with them if they are armored to any degree, he analyzed the situation even as he changed magazines. Grenades are all I really have to work with, and they will kill a lot of my classmates, he thought. His hand closed on a frag grenade. So be it, he made peace with the choice.

 

“Break now!” he yelled, pulling the pin and tossing the grenade. Behind him, Kana wheeled and dashed hard for the door. Sousuke dove forward, seating the fresh magazine as he did so. Once the grenade detonates, I'll rush forward and try for Testarossa. If I can't get him, I will provide rear-security for Kana, he decided. The dark figure in front of the enemy agent leapt forward, swinging the coat it wore around the grenade in mid-flight. An instant later, it detonated with a thump!, but nothing else happened.

 

Sousuke surged up from the floor, bringing the gun on target. Before he could fire, he heard his Glock firing from the emergency exit. Kana! he thought, jerking his head to check on her situation. The girl was four feet from the door, backing away from another of the dark-coated figures, his Glock in her hand, firing point-blank into the thing, the rounds doing nothing to stop the figure.

 

“It's useless, you know,” came the voice of Leonard over the PA system. “Those toys are not able to even scratch the exo-plating on my children,” he observed casually. “In fact, unless you are packing an M9 under your jacket, nothing you have will stop them,” he added, flicking his head to indicate the one that had caught his grenade. “Their coats are carbon-fiber weave cores with a special sheet of my mimetic metal armor sandwiched with super Kevlar. As you can see, even a contact-distance detonation won't penetrate them.”

 

Sousuke saw that; and he didn't like it. From his side, he heard a gasp, and the Glock stopped firing. Looking over, he saw that the AS had grabbed the gun out of Kaname's hand, crushing the slide like an empty beer can. Shit, shit, shit!! Sousuke silently raged. He was at an impasse. If he opened up on the AS units, the ricochets would likely hurt or kill Kaname. If he didn't, she would be kidnapped by this lunatic. Third Option, he decided, spinning and throwing himself at the AS unit that had grabbed Kaname's arm.

 

Sousuke and the AS unit met with a muffled thud that spoke of a pain. Sousuke dropped his TMP and drew his combat blade as he dove toward the AS unit. Impacting the chest of the machine, he grunted as his shoulder went numb. Ignoring the pain, he drove the knife toward the machine's neck, figuring that the flexible joint there was likely the least-armored section of the entire thing; it was also most likely that damaging that part of the AS would prove most effective in allowing Kaname to get free.

 

He managed to get penetration, though not much. Releasing the knife, he dropped below a grab by the machine, turning the crouch into a kick that hit the hilt of his knife, slamming it further into the machine's neck. It must have done something, because the unit stopped grabbing for Sousuke and reached up to remove the knife. Seeing this, Sousuke whipped around in a round-house kick, catching the blade from the side, snapping the handle off and leaving the blade lodged inside the neck.

 

The problem with the wide, strong kick was that it took time and energy to throw. In that time, another of the AS units got close enough to the damaged one to grab Sousuke. In spite of his best efforts, Sousuke couldn't get free of the machine, and an instant later, he was being held up by the throat. He managed to catch sight of Kaname out of the corner of his rapidly-darkening vision. She was frozen in place, her expression one of horror, as he was being killed in front of her eyes. Kana, I'm sorry… he thought, falling unconscious before he could finish the thought.

 

Kaname watched as the machine squeezed Sousuke's throat. Suddenly, she was back on that roof, in the ice-cold pouring rain, watching Leonard casually - gleefully - watch that assassin girl die. No! Not again! she silently screamed, her fear evaporating under her anger. Not on my watch! she silently screamed. “Stop!” she yelled, her voice reverberating through the gym. “If you kill him, I'll kill myself, Leonard, you bastard!” she spat at the silver-haired young man.

 

“Why would you do that, my dear?” asked Leonard, making a small gesture with his hand. The machine slowly lowered Sousuke to the ground, but didn't release its grip. “He's just a mercenary sent by MITHRIL to keep tabs on you. He's nothing,” he explained to her.

 

“He's my friend,” she snarled back. And my lover, she left unsaid. That was nothing that this asshole needed to know, after all. “They are all my friends,” she went on. “You harm them, you lose the prize,” she stated her terms. Looking around, she saw that the senior class was watching the exchange in dead silence, most of them completely gone with fear. Some of them weren't; at least, not yet. Her eyes spotted Kyoko, near the front. Her hand was held tight to her side, and Kaname saw blood on the side of her school blouse. “If you promise to leave them all - especially Sousuke! - alone, I'll go with you without a fight,” she said.

 

“Why would I do that?” asked Leonard, drawing closer to her. Kaname glared at him with so much venom that she hoped he would wither on the spot.

 

“Because they don't mean anything to you, right?” she threw his words back at him. “They aren't Whispered, are they? I am. You said yourself that Sousuke isn't a threat to you. Or were you lying, and you're really too scared to let him live?” she taunted him hatefully. Leonard's eyes narrowed slightly. “Well?” demanded Kaname, giving him no time to think. “What will it be?”

 

“Fine,” he said, the AS holding Sousuke releasing him. Leonard moved over to the unconscious young man and fished around in his pocket until he found the communication device in Sousuke's pocket. Handing it to the AS, he turned to Kaname. “Let's be off then, my dear Kaname,” he purred. The AS released her arm, and she dusted it off.

 

“I have to see if you've killed my friends or not,” she said acidly. Leonard blinked when she turned not toward Sousuke, but toward Kyoko. Moving over to Kyoko, she knelt down by the girl. “You ok, Kyoko?” she asked, carefully pulling the girl's blouse up enough to see a bleeding cut along her side. It didn't look too deep. Meeting Kyoko's eyes, she mouthed `tell Sousuke to save me' before her attention went back to the wound.

 

“She's in no danger of dying,” came the petulant voice of Leonard. “It is a simple enough ricochet wound that didn't even make it past that rib,” he added. Kaname guided Kyoko's hand to the wound.

 

“Keep steady pressure on it,” she said, standing. Looking over the rest, she saw that none of them seemed to be bleeding, and therefore turned her attention to stage. The principal was slumped down on the stage, and their homeroom teacher, Miss Kagurazaka, was kneeling by the older woman. “Is the Principal ok?” called Kaname, approaching the stage.

 

“I…I think she'll be ok,” replied the stressed teacher. “She fainted; I think,” said the teacher, wobbling a little herself.

 

“There, my dear,” came Leonard's voice. “They are all fine, you see?” he said. Kaname didn't even bother looking at him as she crossed over to Sousuke, kneeling by him and touching his neck. Feeling his pulse, she exhaled in relief. Feeling a hard, cold hand on her shoulder, she stood up before the AS unit could drag her up. “We have more important places to be, Kaname,” he said, draping his arm over her shoulder.

 

“Get your hands off me, jerk!” she spat, knocking his arm off her shoulder. “Just because I agreed to go with you doesn't give you touching privileges,” she warned him. He just inclined his head, extending an arm toward the doors.

 

“My apologies, Miss Chidori,” he smiled. Together, they moved to the main entrance, the AS units withdrawing slowly. As they reached the entrance, the sounds of a helicopter's rotors reached the students. As two of his units took Kaname's arms and escorted her outside, Leonard turned back to the assembled students. “My men have placed charges on all the exits, so if you try to run, you will be killed,” he said, his voice coming over the PA system. “Don't worry, though,” he laughed. “I'm sure that the Boy Scouts in MITHRIL will be along presently to save you all.” Laughing, he exited the gym, the AS units pausing to attach a box-like unit to the doors. Moments later, the sounds of the helicopter vanished, and with them, Kaname Chidori.