Full Metal Panic Fan Fiction ❯ Codename ANNA ❯ Uneasy Alliance ( Chapter 3 )

Date: May 29

Time: 04:18 hrs

Location: East Berlin, Soviet Germany

 

The sounds of enemy gunfire and the pounding of pursuing footsteps had long since died away. As they walked side by side, bodies linked together for support, the only sound that could be heard were the dull slaps of her bare feet against the wet cobblestone street.

 

With a nod of her head they turned down a dank alleyway and emerged on the other end in a tiny square surrounded on all sides by dilapidated dwellings. Hole-filled roofs and shattered windows greeted the pair as they passed; the gaping dark holes where entrances had once stood resembling great maws hanging open and ready to devour them whole.

 

“Come on, this way,” she demanded in a harsh whisper and pulled Sousuke along at her side. He grunted in pain at the way her forceful movements jostled the broken ribs in his chest but was otherwise silent. Keeping one eye on the deserted streets behind them, he let her lead the way; she knew the city better than he ever could.

 

She eventually led him to a house that resembled the dozen other uninhabitable structures they'd passed along the way and quickly ushered him inside. With a grim nod of her head she tossed the owner a large wad of local currency she'd retrieved from Sousuke's pocket. The hunched dwarf of a man responded with an understanding nod and after carefully tucking the money into the inner pocket of his shabby shirt he led them up a flight of warped wooden stairs to a loft.

 

Each step sent fiery jolts of pain spreading through Sousuke's body but he endured it in silence. The mission was not yet over and he'd not injured any vital organs. There was no reason why, with a little will power, he couldn't fulfill the mission objective in his current state. He told himself this over and over again, his own obstinacy acting like a whip at his back to keep his feet moving.

 

`Anna' deposited him onto a shabby cot and quickly shooed the old man out of the tiny room. When his hunched figure had disappeared down the narrow stairs she heaved a heavy sigh and twisted her long golden hair into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. Hands placed on her hips, she took a long while to examine Sousuke in contemplative silence. Finally she huffed another sigh, this one noticeably lighter than the last, and dropped down on one knee next to him.

 

“What'd you say your name was again?”

 

She spoke in a harsh whisper and her accent made it hard for him to understand her. Despite this, he straightened up immediately and attempted not to grimace when he answered.

 

“Sergeant Sousuke Sagara.”

 

She nodded, satisfied. After a little contemplation he added,

 

“What about you? The intel report only stated your codename.”

 

Her ruby lips smirked and she elected not to answer him. Instead, she stood and waved her hand at the large blood stain spreading across the front of his shirt.

 

“You're wounded.”

 

It was a statement, not a question, yet Sousuke felt himself nod anyway. He watched `Anna' stride purposefully towards a second cot and retrieve a small medical kit from somewhere beneath the shoddy mattress. Opening its lid she unenthusiastically perused its contents and walked back towards him.

 

Her apparent familiarity with the room and its contents struck him as odd at first, but he quickly deduced an explanation. Considering the hostile nature of the territory, it seemed more than practical that their operatives would have a selection of safe houses - residences they could impose upon in a pinch to gather their wits and tend to their injuries. Given their situation he was thankful for the forethought. He wasn't sure how much longer he could've kept pace without tending to his injuries.

 

With her eyes still glued to the assortment of bandages and disinfectants in front of her, `Anna' eased herself down onto the edge of the bed and set the kit on her lap. After taking a moment to retrieve only what she needed, she snapped the lid shut and set the kit on the floor.

 

Sousuke watched her every movement with distinct unease. Forcive habit kept his mind preoccupied with planning several different means of escape. Beneath the collection of gauze wrappings and alcohol filled vials in her medical kit had been a knife, small enough to be hidden in the palm of a woman's hand.

 

Now in addition to planning escape routes and thinking about how best to treat his injuries, he was also trying to decide how he would respond if she tried to turn another weapon against him. Injured as he was, she had him at a distinct disadvantage. She'd made a point of making sure he saw the knife of course, he was sure of it. It was some of the most subtle intimidation work he'd ever seen and was pleasantly impressed despite the circumstances.

 

“So you're from Mithril are you?” she asked rhetorically.

 

Her fingers worked deftly to unravel the various bandages she'd extracted from the medical kit. She laid them out next to one another across her lap in perfect order. Sousuke shifted uncomfortably and grimaced as a particularly intense wave of pain cut across his ribcage.

 

“Yes. My mission is to return you to our base on the de Danaan for protection.”

 

“Protection…” `Anna' snorted derisively and shot him a scornful glance. “I can take care of myself.”

 

“As a Mithril agent you are obligated to return with me just as I am obligated to remain here until you comply with headquarters' directives,” he reminded her. He tried to catch her eye to emphasize the serious of the predicament they were both in but she avoided his gaze.

 

Keeping her eyes glued to the pile of bandages in her laps she slowly separated them by size and type.

 

“So you're their little lapdog are you? When Mithril tells you to bark you howl at the moon? You're a fool Sergeant. You may not realize it yet, but you will eventually. Open your shirt so I can wrap your wounds.”

 

Sousuke complied without protest, but put his hand out to halt her movements when she made to reach for him. Shaking his head, he held out his hand perfunctorily. She eyed his open palm for a moment with something of a sneer before dropping a small vial of alcohol and the bandages into it.

 

“Suit yourself.”

 

With a dismissive gesture she snatched the medical box off the floor and returned it to its hiding place. The sound of the Sergeant's pained gasp as he washed out his wounds with the alcohol reached her unsympathetic ears and she kept her back to him as he bandaged them.

 

She'd been unimpressed by him at first, this Sergeant Sagara, but one quick glance at his injuries had been enough to make her rethink her earlier deductions. They weren't exactly flesh wounds and the fact that he'd kept pace with her certainly said something about his resilience.

 

Too often Mithril sent weak willed soldiers into combat, ones who were tough as nails until they saw the sight of their own blood. She'd met too many men like that and they all disgusted her - a bunch of sniveling babies. There was no place for those types in an organization like Mithril, but this lone soldier seemed different. She didn't trust him, but he'd earned her respect for the time being.

 

Stepping in front of a chest of drawers in the corner of the room, she opened the top drawer and retrieved a wad of local currency and a small knife. After taking a second to thumb through the bills, she slipped both items into her bra and closed the drawer.

 

The cool metal of the knife pressed against the warm flesh of her breast, a vivid reminder that they were far from safe. Even this haven was a temporary respite. Money spoke louder than loyalty in such places, and she was certain its equally shabby owner had already escaped in search of a high bidder who would pay handsomely for his houseguests.

 

Crouching down, she opened the bottom drawer and made a sound of disgust. She'd hoped there would be a fresh set of boots inside but it was empty. Her toes curled against the cold floor, already stark white and numb from the steadily plunging temperatures outside. Standing, she kicked the drawer shut and turned towards her temporary ally. She watched with a critical eye as he tied a final knot in the bandages wrapped around his midsection. He had experience doing this kind of thing it seemed.

 

The knot of anxiety tightening inside her chest told her they didn't have much time before trouble arrived, but given the ashen colour of his skin and the way he was still breathing hard she knew he wasn't ready to move just yet. Taking a seat on the cot across from him, she regarded him with a hard look.

 

“You look Japanese,” she commented while fingering a particularly nasty bruise that swelled her right cheek.

 

After a prolonged silence, “Yes. I am of Japanese descent.”

 

Her head nodded once in acknowledgement. “You don't act Japanese.”

 

His expression hardened and he returned her level gaze with one of his own. “That is your opinion.”

 

“No, it's a fact. You may look the part but you, Sergeant, are no more Japanese than I am.”

 

Sousuke narrowed his eyes at her blunt words. Kaname told him the same thing every day, but it was always with a smile and that little bit of a laugh he liked.

 

This woman's words were different. They felt like a sharp kick to the gut. He'd done his best to adapt and made every effort to appear like a `normal' Japanese high school student yet in one sentence she'd summed up a year's worth of effort on his part as a complete and utter failure. She was no better than `Wraith' with her sharp tongue and he took an immediate dislike to her.

 

Perhaps sensing his foul temperament, she changed her tone.

 

“Where did you grow up?”

 

His jaw was still working furiously, teeth grinding together. He thought of not answering but did anyway.

 

“Helmajistan.”

 

One of her eyebrows arched, but whether it was in surprise or veneration he couldn't tell. She didn't seem the type to be overly expressive about anything. Whether that was the product of a rough upbringing or good training he couldn't tell. The darkness in her eyes told him that she'd seen a lot of death in her life, not all of it occupational.

 

She leaned forward and rested her chin on her hands.

 

“So, you know what it's like,” she mused quietly, more to herself than to him.

 

A thoughtful line formed between his furrowed brow and he waited for her to go on. She shook her head absently, as if pulling herself out of a troublesome memory and met his gaze.

 

“You and I, we are not so different Sergeant. We are the same creature, just with a different face.”

 

He wasn't sure he understood her analogy, but she didn't give him time to question it. She shot a sharp glance at the door and stood abruptly, motioning for him to follow suit.

 

“Time to leave,” she whispered harshly and made her way to the far end of the room where a small step ladder rested against the wall. Sousuke watched her set it up beneath what looked like the opening to an attic crawl space. A sound from below caught his attention and he turned to the stairs.

 

He could hear them now, the shuffling of feet, the whispers of soldiers speaking in a foreign tongue. His senses were impeccable - how could she possibly have known before him?

 

Gathering a pile of fresh bandages from atop the bed, he shoved them inside his shirt and joined her at the ladder. She'd already removed the cover that led to the roof and was pulling herself up out of the hole. She held her hand out for him and he grabbed hold of her arm, using it for leverage to haul himself up onto the roof.

 

The pain in his side was almost unbearable. He felt sick and could feel the warm stickiness of fresh blood wetting his clothes through the bandages. He came back to himself to the sound of her voice telling him to breathe. He obeyed, pulling in a shaky breath before she hauled him to his feet and pulled him along the rooftop.

 

He kept pace along the slippery tiles, his feet sliding only every now and then. From the street below drifted the sounds of angry shouts, random pops of gunfire and vicious dogs barking. Clutching his side, he kept his eyes ahead and trained on the long golden hair of his fellow agent.

 

He found himself thinking of another girl with long hair of a different colour. He wondered what she was doing just then, and what she'd say if she was with him. She was a world away from this place and he was glad for it.

 

He stumbled over a loose tile and `Anna' shot a look of annoyance over her shoulder before hopping across the narrow divide to the next rooftop. Sousuke followed, only a few paces behind. He didn't like her, but there was something reassuring about her presence. He felt certain that if anyone could get them out of the city alive before sunrise, it was her. In fact, he was counting on it.

 

 

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Date: May 29

Time: 17:18 hrs

Location: Tokyo, Japan

 

It was rush hour and the sidewalk was congested with men and women dressed in business attire shuffling home from work. No one seemed to take any notice of the two high school aged girls standing conspicuously outside of “The Big Catch” bait and tackle shop.

 

It was an odd sort of place, completely out of sync with the rest of the clothing shops and eateries along the strip.

 

“What good is a fish and tackle store anyway?” Kaname wondered.

Kyoko was wondering since when did her best friend care about fishing. She glanced between Kaname and the store window before pouting and nudging her friend with an elbow.

 

“I don't get it. What's so great about this place?” she whined.

 

Ignoring her friend's subtle hint that they keep moving, Kaname made her way to the door.

 

“I'll just be a minute! You go on ahead and I'll meet you there.”

 

Kyoko's large green eyes rolled impatiently behind her glasses but she turned nonetheless and continued down the sidewalk towards the ice cream shop.

 

Kaname jerked the door to the store open and listened to the sound of the small chime that sounded above her head. The owner offered her a friendly nod from behind the cash desk and she smiled in return. Behind her the door slid closed, blocking out the sounds of congestion from the busy street.

 

There was a perfectly legitimate reason for her to be in a fish and tackle store. She hadn't wanted to explain the details to Kyoko since it would've undoubtedly led to a round of probing questions, followed by a round of teasing, then a week's worth of “knowing” looks.

 

Sousuke's birthday was coming up and she was determined to find a present for him. Easier said than done. Exactly what kind of gift did you get for a guy whose favourite hobby was piloting an AS? Or for that matter, what kind of gift would be socially acceptable given that their relationship was somewhere in the realm of completely ambiguous?

 

It'd taken weeks, literally, of plotting, planning, sleuthing and frustrated hair pulling before she'd finally settled on a fishing lure. Simple yet practical, and far from anything that could be considered a romantic endearment.

 

As presents went, a fishing lure was relatively inexpensive as well, which was an important consideration for a teenage girl living on her own. So fishing lure it was - the question now was what kind of lure would be best? Large, small, shiny, scented?

 

Her eyes glazed over as she stared at a wall full of every lure she could possibly imagine and her shoulders drooped in defeat. Who knew buying a birthday present could be so impossible?

 

She was just about ready to admit defeat when the store owner appeared at her side wearing the same smile from earlier.

 

“Need a hand?”

 

Kaname shot him a withered look and nodded weakly.

 

“Alright. Are you picking out a gift for someone?” She nodded again and he gave her one of those “knowing” looks.

 

“Ah yes. Not to be rude, but I figured as much. We don't have too many of your sort browsing through here. So where does he prefer to fish?”

 

She thought back to their mini-break on Melida Island and the very brief fishing excursion they'd had at his secret spot. The memory of reeling in the first fish she'd ever caught with his help brought a lingering smile to her lips.

 

“In the ocean.”

 

The man nodded and made a sweeping gesture over the left side of the wall. “Okay, we're going to want to look at these lures then. See how they're bigger than the others? It's because they're designed for large ocean fish. The bigger the bait, the bigger the fish.”

 

Kaname nodded understandingly.

 

“Now, what kind of ocean fish is he hunting? The big ones like sharks or the little guys?”

 

“Little guys, I think…”

 

“Salmon?”

 

She nodded again, not entirely sure if she was right or wrong. That fish they'd caught at Melida was a salmon wasn't it? One large-mouthed scaly fish was the same as any other right?

 

She smiled warily and watched the store owner select a few lures from the wall. He held them out to her and proceeded to explain the benefits of each.

 

“Which one do you recommend?”

 

The man contemplated the wall for a minute before choosing a completely different lure from the previous three. He handed it to her wearing a broad smile.

 

“This one here will never steer you wrong. I've had lots of luck fishing with it before!”

 

Kaname looked down at the silver lure with a dubious expression. “But it doesn't look anything like a fish…”

 

The man threw his head back and laughed unexpectedly. With a gentle guiding hand on her shoulder, he turned her around and guided her towards the register.

 

“Not all lures are built the same but they all do what they're designed to do - catch fish! That one there will work like a charm, trust me!”

 

Kaname didn't argue. What did she know about fishing anyway? She hoped he liked it. She hoped, too, that he didn't already have one exactly like it. She smiled at the man as he handed her a small brown paper bag with the lure inside and her receipt.

 

Relief made her feel light as a feather until the street's congestion hit her like a wall the moment she stepped out of the shop. Ignoring the press of bodies all around her, she held her purchase close and made her way through the crowd to the nearest alley. She ducked down it and pressed her back against the wall.

 

Remembering their fishing trip on Melida had made her miss him. She'd been doing so much better this time, too. When she did think about him she worried and when she worried she was distracted and couldn't do anything worthwhile at all - like homework, studying for tests, or have ice cream dates with Kyoko...

 

`It's better not to think about him,' she'd determined, but so far was failing horribly.

 

A melancholy sigh slipped from her lips and she fished her cellphone out of her pocket. A glance at the blank display screen brought a frown to her lips. There weren't any missed calls. He'd only been gone three days but still… She missed him.

 

Of course a part of her knew that there might come a day when he wouldn't come back, but she didn't like to think about those kinds of things. He would definitely come back. Besides, he owed her a dinner date and she'd already bought him a birthday present. To not come back now would be just plain rude.

 

She flipped open her phone with every intention of calling him to tell him exactly that. Her thumb scrolled to his name in her directory and was poised overtop the call button before she thought better of it and snapped the phone shut.

 

A few months ago she wouldn't have hesitated to call him and yell at him for something like that but things were different now…weren't they?

 

With a sigh she slipped the phone back into her pocket and continued down the street in the direction of the ice cream shop. Whatever he was doing, she hoped he came home soon. Life wasn't nearly as exciting without him around to cause trouble. That's what she told herself anyway (and the tell-tale blush on her cheeks gave the rest away).

 

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