Spriggan Fan Fiction ❯ The Solitary Trooper ❯ Mizerable ( Chapter 7 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
THE SOLITARY TROOPER
By: rx79guntank
Disclaimer: All characters of Striker/Spriggan are under the copyright of Hiroshi Takashige and Ryoji Minagawa. All other characters unless stated otherwise are obviously owned by me.
Author notes: Finished after much laziness and procrastination (romance scenes are hard to write. I'd rather prefer action…) It was originally supposed to be the second part of the 6th chapter, so it's a bit lopsided. Oh yeah, I do apologize if it's a bit boring it's a character development chapter (sorry, no action scenes in this one…) I'll make it up in the next chapter, I promise!!
Oh yeah, one of my friends suggested that I give an opening and ending music to the story since he says reading the story is like watching an anime. Lol, a bit unusual, but if you do really want to know, I'd think the opening song would be Re-sublimity by KOTOKO and the ending song would be 1/3 no Junjou no Kanjou by Siam Shade. Might be a bit funny, but I feel these songs fit the style of the story perfectly.
And to thank a few:
lonely whisperz: Thanks for giving a review, Shaz! Glad you liked it!
Groove: Yeah, lol, The Matrix is kind of an inspiration for me as it has excellent examples of stylish urban battles. The movie `Versus' by Ryuhei Kitamura is too. Watch them!
Ominae & katwarrior: Much thanks for your support. I'll try to keep it up in this chapter. I've streamlined my editing processes, so less grammar mistakes this time!
Finally, enjoy, and please do leave a review guys!
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Part 7: Mizerable
“Would you like an aperitif (1), sir?”
“Wha-? Apeshit? Could you please repeat what you just said…?”
“An aperitif, sir. It's a drink that you enjoy as an appetizer to your meal,” Sighed the neatly-dressed waiter. Despite the usual civilized high-class customers that the restaurant was meant for, there had to be the occasional uncouth buffoon.
“Ah, right.” Explanation given, Jonathan went back to reading the menu, confused at the foreign language and even more at the prices. Mai, seated next to him was on the brink of strangling him… just keeping a sweet smiling face for their guests opposite them.
Saruta Moroha and Hina Matsuuga. A perfect celebrity couple, she noted sourly. (Refer to chapter 4 for more info) Mai had mixed feelings for them. She knew that this was one of Hina's attempts to humiliate her publicly, but the attraction of dining with the most eligible bachelor in Japan at one of Tokyo's most exclusive Italian restaurants almost lost her in the glitz. No, she thought, deliciously hungry bishonen boyfriend or not, she was not going to let herself get humiliated. And Jonathan was going to be her secret weapon. Just calm down and try to enjoy dinner. After all, you don't get to go to these places often…
“You needn't bother yourself with such trivialities, Jonathan.” Saruta announced and snapped his fingers. “For I have already asked the sommelier (2) to provide us a selection.”
The waiter left, replaced by the sommelier with a bottle of wine, whispering something into Saruta's ear. He nodded, and the sommelier left.
“Eiswein (3),” “Wine harvested from the frozen grapes of the fields of Germany, producing a highly aromatic and sweet nectar worthy of the finest of purveyors.” He smiled. “You can be always assured that La Cantinetta Enoteca Pinchiorri (4) will always take care of its guests.” One could almost see the sparkle in his smile as he said that. Jonathan just felt his tired ears. That was long…
Seeing an opportunity, Hina glomped onto Saruta's arm, smiling devastatingly.
“As you can see, my Saru-chan has impeccable taste… What about yours?” She said, glancing towards Jonathan, aware that while Saruta was dressed up for the occasion in an elegant white 3-piece suit, Jonathan (looking clueless) was still in his normal outfit of his AM jacket, shirt and cargo pants, something that Mai was also painfully aware of as she glared at Hina, her anger rising.
“If you'll excuse us, me and Jonathan need to go to the bathroom…”
“But I don't need to go…”
“Just… COME!!!” Mai sheepishly smiled and left, violently pulling Jonathan along.
“It looks like young people these days don't waste any time…” Saruta observed. And I too shouldn't as well… Enjoy your `moments' Jonathan. Mai will soon be mine.
----------------------------------------------------------------- ------“What do you think you're doing?!”
“What do you think I'm doing what?!”
The upset voice of Mai echoed out from the lady's toilet. The middle-aged couples that frequented this place and were on their way to the bathroom, decided that maybe they should come back later. La Cantinetta Dell'Enoteca Pinchiorri as the lengthy full name of the restaurant went was Tokyo's premier Italian eatery, situated on the modern artificial island of Odaiba (5). Owned and managed by master chefs from Italy itself, only the really wealthy could manage to dine there. People like Saruta. It was an extremely fitting place for his next conquest.
“Look at you… can't you be a bit more presentable? This is an exclusive restaurant, you know…” Mai said softly, leaning uneasingly on the black marble sink. She'd better come up with a plan soon to top Hina and worst; she didn't want Jonathan to find out about it, lest she hurt his feelings.
“Exclusive? Everyone looks like dead people in here… It's as if the only people that go here are walking mummies and undertakers”, Jonathan winced, recalling the images of black-suited and middle-aged patrons. “Besides, who thought about coming here in the first place?! Do you know how expensive the prices are here? I've never seen so much zeroes in my life before!!!”
“Well, you're supposed to be rich aren't you, Jonathan?”
Jonathan sighed in exasperation. This is getting out of hand…
Before we continue, it might be best if we went into the real reasons of the fights that pop up whenever Mai and Hina, no, in fact when two females encounter each other. What makes them break out in shallowness and envy and spout out such phrases like “Isn't she wearing the same thing as I am?” and “My boyfriend's a model at Calvin Klien. What does yours do?” Many sources (including shoujo manga (6)) have indicated this behavior is somewhat related to the female self-esteem process… Does a girl really feel better when she is proven superior to another one? It would be just simple to chalk it down to pure envy and competition but then again it'll be just one of the many mysteries of female psyche that males would never understand. In any case, the showdown here was nothing more than a battle of boyfriends; to see which one was the coolest and which one gave the most loving.
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Mai had spent a few hours before the date dolling up herself to the likes which even she was amazed. A long full-body bath, followed by copious amounts of hairspray and Anna Sui (7) perfume did the part for her body, while she rummaged through her wardrobe (in the nude; she didn't have time to put anything on) for her most elegant and fanciest outfit; a long black frill dress, complimented with a white-laced corset top and a black lace choker. Her makeup with pink glaze lipstick and a long thin bonnet completed her look.
After giving herself a twirl in front of the mirror, Mai came to the sudden realization that she looked somewhat like Suigintou (8) from Rozen Maiden… She sighed. This was a date, not a cosplay event… And to add to the strangeness of it all, Mai found out that in her haste she was early by almost two hours; two hours of boredom. Mai gave a little scream of confusion and frustration. Why was she acting so nervous, she thought aloud. It was not even a real date… Jonathan was just another guy she'd take advantage of and then dump when she'd had her fun, she kept telling herself. But the events of the past few weeks started to give her serious doubts. Playing with the necklace Jonathan bought for her, her eyes widened. Could it be that I'm falling for him…?
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“You just don't want to lose to her don't you?” Jonathan broke the silence in the room and his words rang in Mai's ears.
Come to think of it… We've been always trying to see who was better… ever since we were kids. “She always wanted to be in the spotlight; she always wanted to take what was mine… I though, when I left Aomori it would all end. Now it's happening all over again.” Mai said softly.
“So Hina is doing all this just to piss you off?”
“When I was just a child, I had no friends. I would be alone in the playground, everyday, with nobody to talk to.”
Why are you all alone?
I-I don't have anyone to play with…
Ah~ that's bad… Alright, you can be my friend!
H-honto ni?
Yeah! We'll be bestest of friends!!
“I-I don't know what happened… As we got older, we got further apart. Some people said that it was jealousy… I don't know. She's just so nasty now… I hate her.” Mai sank her head slowly into her arms. Her past, it was so vague it hurt to remember it.
“I guess that's the reason for all of this nonsense. It must have been pretty bad.” Watching Mai standing there, head bowed and silent, he felt a bit disheartening. It was a total departure from the Mai that he knew. She's just like a broken doll…
“Well” Jonathan began loudly to get Mai's attention. “I guess I could act all dashing and high class-like,” He paused. What the hell was he saying?! “Well just for tonight.” His face was beet red as he finished, holding out his hand to her.
Mai took it and drew herself closer with wet eyes, “Really?” and Jonathan got even redder. It was a first time a girl had been this close to him and Mai was just practically in his face.
“Well, I don't usually lie…”
“Jonathan…” Mai gazed into his eyes.
“Wait, are you going to cry?”
That killed the moment. The sudden flare in Mai's eyes made Jonathan knew he was going to regret this…
“You… idiot!”
And all of a sudden he felt he had an appendicitis coming on… Wait, that was just Mai's pinch breaking the skin…
“You're such a klutz! No wonder you're still single!”
“What?! I said I'd help you, and now this is the thanks I get?!” Jonathan winced back loudly, expecting another argument to ensue. But surprisingly, Mai's soft hands pulled him up.
“Since you promised, shouldn't we be going now, Darling?” Mai blushed.
Jonathan smiled. “I guess we shouldn't be worrying them too much…”
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“Is this the toilet Reiko? That Foie Gras (9) is giving my stomach problems-“
As the middle-aged patron opened the door, he decided that perhaps it would be best he chose a toilet which didn't have an embarrassed, blushing couple coming out of it.
Fitting for such a restaurant, the dinner served such delicacies like veal, caviar, scallops and foie gras. Like as he promised, Jonathan acted every the part of the loving boyfriend, lavishing Mai with attention, laughing at her jokes and even tenderly feeding her in a display of affection. Saruta ignored Hina's pleas to rectify that situation, but he did notice that Mai tended to blush a little when she caught him looking at her. Good, he thought. He would make his move later.
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“Mai…”
Mai, who was washing her hands in the ladies' room jumped up a little, and was even more surprised to find Saruta looking at her from behind in the mirror.
“Saruta,” she turned with a gasp.
He advanced nearer, smiling. Being caught in a place like this with an impossibly handsome man like Saruta in a place like this… She didn't know whether to scream. (Not that she was feeling unfaithful to Jonathan's promise at any way)
“I hope you enjoyed your dinner?”
“I-I did. I-It was nice…” Mai stammered, a complete reversal from what happened earlier. Saruta was just inches from her face… And slowly, he put an arm around her waist, and pulled her into a deep kiss.
W-what? n-no…
Mai pulled away, shocked.
“You… Hina…”
“From the first time I saw you, Mai, you captured my heart. And I will not rest until you are mine…” Saruta said, beginning his courtship like a melodramatic J-drama. In his mind he could feel Mai slowly giving in as he gave suggestions to her mentally. Normally women would throw themselves willingly to him at his feet, but for Mai he wanted it to be different. Like many of his other conquests, he wanted to take what he wanted by slow force, utterly destroying his opponent thoroughly and ruthlessly. “I know your deepest desires, Mai…” He caressed her chin tenderly, “Your dreams, your wants… I know that you dream of a knight in shining armor to take you away from this place, to protect you from harm…”
“Y-yes…” Mai whispered softly, trembling, her eyes gaining a blank and glazed look. Slowly, all her memories began fading away as his influence grew stronger.
“But, she…”
“Hina?” Saruta laughed. “We can forget about her. I only have eyes for you…” Suddenly at that last sentence, Mai felt her mind becoming clear. What happened? What am I doing?! It had been nothing but a deception, she thought, not for her, but even for Hina… and she pushed Saruta off, disgusted at what had happened.
“Why, is there anything wrong Mai?”
“Get off me.” Mai was breathing rapidly, confused and angry at what had happened. Her head was feeling lightheaded and blank from the daze she came out from and she knew that Saruta was the cause of it all.
“I've already been spoken for… As I said, Jonathan's is my boyfriend.” “I don't know what you're trying to do, but nothing is going to change what I feel about him.”
Saruta felt his hair and smiled. “So is that the path you wish to take?” He wasn't troubled by this; as the saying went, `the more difficult a target, the more exciting the challenge' he thought. Eventually you would still be mine…
“Very well then,” he said, turning to leave while Mai looked defiantly at him. “If you wish to remain with that so-called boyfriend of yours, do be my guest…”
“But I'd warn you though. Jonathan is not what as he seems…”
As Saruta left, his last words echoed disturbingly in Mai's head. Jonathan is not quite what he seems? What in the hell does he mean by that…?
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“What a sleazeball! I can't believe we really went for that stupid dinner with Hina and that slimy boyfriend of his!!! “
“Well, at least the food there was nice…” “Besides, isn't it you who wanted to go there in the first place?” Jonathan whispered sarcastically. Unfortunately, for him, Mai heard it as well and proceeded to pinch him a new one…
Jonathan and Mai walked along the night lights of Odaiba, like the many other romantic couples there (Well, actually Mai demanded that stroll. Jonathan wanted to go home)She was uneasy after Saruta's advances and said she needed a walk to calm her mind, which was the reason why they were there looking out onto Tokyo Bay, enjoying the sea air and the night scenery of Tokyo and the changing colors of the Rainbow Bridge.
“Oh, wow. They even have the Statue of Liberty here!” Jonathan exclaimed. While he marveled at the sights of Odaiba, Mai watched him carefully from the side. Jonathan doesn't look any different…
“Jonathan?”
“Yeah?”
Mai hesitated a little. “Where do you come from?”
That got his attention. Not that question. “Uh… why?”
“I dunno… It's just that I've never heard which part of America you're from…” Mai's look now took a turn for the mischievous; “So where? New York? San Francisco? LA? TELL ME!!!”
Jonathan groaned; not this again… He wondered if all girls acted this annoying. Jonathan wasn't in a talking mood, so he looked around for a diversion and saw it.
“Hey, didn't you always say you wanted to go to Venus Fort?” Jonathan quickly pointed to a majestic Venetian-looking entrance for a shopping centre behind them. Thank god I googled up this place before I came…
Venus Fort was a stylish women's-only shopping centre, modeled in an 18th Venetian setting. Like it was mentioned, it was extremely popular with women and couples due to its romantic setting; a pale-blue artificial sky constantly kept the ambience of a warm late-afternoon throughout the place and the shops tailored for ladies and couples kept the mood up. As soon as Mai heard Jonathan's suggestion, she squealed with delight. She had always wanted to go there but somehow it slipped her mind. But since he mentioned it…
She grabbed his arm and dragged him in with all the strength of a rabid fangirl. At least this time he went in a bit willingly. At least spending some money would be better than talking about `that'… Jonathan reasoned.
But soon, he was starting to regret that decision. Mai for some reason had to visit all the shops in Venus Fort and buy something from each one of them. And if Jonathan showed any sign of slowing down, Mai would yank him back on his feet and drag him on. Déjà vu, he thought bitterly.
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It was as if it was mocking him… A colorful, conspicuous-looking vending machine with a curtain stared Jonathan in the face while he rested on a bench, nursing his aching feet.
The more he looked at it the more it became annoying.
“Puri-kura? (10) Whatever the hell is that?”
It looked like a passport photo booth, just not as daunting. Well, anything to pass the time he thought. He put in the required currency and waited.
The long wait made his mind drift… did all girls have to be like that? You know, annoying, mood swings, the black hole of all money? How could those guys talk about how nice it is to go out on a date? It was horrible! And yet somehow deep inside he managed to find the strength to resist, as if he actually wanted to! What the fuck?! He was a soldier, and he fought and carried out missions by the book. Why choose now to break them?
BEEP!
A short melody announced that the machine was ready to take the photo. Jonathan followed the instructions and aligned himself with the camera target on the screen…
“Cheese!”
“Mai? What are you doing here?!”
And with a flash, that moment was instantly forever captured…
“You know, it's kinda miserable to take photo stickers of only yourself…”
“Actually I was going to do that…” Jonathan answered sheepishly. Mai picked up the processed photo stickers and stifled a giggle, looking at Jonathan's surprised look captured when Mai suddenly appeared.
“You look so dumb in this! Couldn't you have smiled?”
“You frightened me! What was I supposed to do?!”
“Since we were both in it…” Smiling, Mai took one and pasted it in her locket. Jonathan flushingly noticed that it was the one he bought for her… “And here's yours, you big confused baka!!” she put one on Jonathan's cheek, and he blushed at the display of affection.
“I-I… Stop making fun of me!!”
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Lights quickly illuminated the once dark room in the Park Hyatt Tokyo where Jonathan made his residence. The impulsively polite people at the reception and other guests hardly blinked an eye when he carried Mai through, even wishing him good evening. Now, Jonathan dumped Mai on the bed that he called his, breathing heavily with exhaustion and quickly made a beeline to the toilet where he proceeded to brush his teeth vigorously.
“Jona-chan, hurry up!!! *hic* I'm getting hot here…” A yearning, horny voice drifted out from the bedroom. Jonathan felt it would be better for him to ignore that…
Basically after Mai had finished shopping, Jonathan went to get a drink from the vending machine. What looked like an innocent can drink, coupled by Jonathan's inability to read Japanese, led to Jonathan accidentally led to Mai drink and entire can of Sake (Yes, those things exist), with disastrous results. Long story short, Mai got drunk, kissed Jonathan, vomited into his mouth, fainted, and with no choice, Jonathan brought her back to his hotel room. Besides, with her like this it would be safer there anyway.
I need more mouthwash…
Cleaning up, he saw that Mai was already sleeping soundly. There was only one single bed in the room and Mai was curled up fetally on it, hugging the pillow tightly.
I guess it'll be the floor, Jonathan thought.
“Don't go…”
Surprised, Jonathan turned. Mai was talking in her sleep.
“Don't leave… I'm so lonely…” A single tear fell from her closed eyes as she murmured, stuck in some painful dream.
Alone, just like me…
Thought ringing in his head, Jonathan covered a blanket over her to comfort her.
No family, no lover, no friends, just people that you can't trust… that's how your life goes, Jonathan.
He took a last look at Mai's angelic sleeping form and looked out to the night scenery of Tokyo outside his window. He dimmed her lights in order for her to sleep better and relaxed in the relative dark peace that the night offered.
I'll protect you forever, Mai. No matter the cost.
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Blue skies and bright sunlight…
Mai woke up with a gasp.
Her head hurt as if someone hit her with a hammer on the head repeatedly. She remembered accidentally drinking Sake, then feeling giddy and happy at the same time, and now she was in this hotel room…
Hotel room?!!
Mai panicked, her heart beating faster and faster. The bastard! All the things he said, and did… and now this?!! My virginity! Noo!!!
Her panic faded to relief, however as she noticed that she was still in her yesterday clothes, and even had a blanket covered around her. She breathed a sigh of relief… But where was Jonathan? She didn't see him around and there was no one night stand note, so, where could he be? To Mai's surprise, he was just sleeping soundly on the floor right next to bed. Poor guy… was he there all night?
Mai realized that Jonathan didn't do anything to her. He had just brought her back for the night after she had fallen drunk. It was Mai's turn to watch him now as she laid on the edge of the bed, slowly ruffling his sleeping hair and thinking about her feelings for him. Did she really like Jonathan? After a thought and a blush, she smiled and guessed she did; she really did.
He looks so cute when he's sleeping…
While Mai continued to ruffle his hair, Jonathan was having a nightmare that a giant cat was repeatedly rolling him on the head with its paw…
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“How is Jean doing? Has he woken up yet?”
“We've sedated him to perform the dialysis to remove the drugs from his system; Ironic, but better than to let him see his own blood… “He'll be up in a day or so.”
“Had a rough night?” Yamamoto noticed something on Jonathan while they sat in Yamamoto's office, a few floor below from Jonathan's room during his morning debriefing, fighting off his morning drowsiness.
“What?”
“Carpet mark.”
Yamamoto motioned to the left side of Jonathan's face. There was an indentation on his cheek where he made contact with the carpet the entire night.
“Uh, yeah, I had a hard fall this morning when I got out of bed…” Jonathan answered quite embarrassingly. Better not to tell them about last night.
“Hey,” he swung over Yu who was also present in the room and looking at his uniform, “Aren't you supposed to be in school already? You're going to be late, kid…” he said in an attempt to divert the topic. Judging from Yamamoto's laugh and Yu's scowl, it looks like it worked…
“So this is where you hang out! Cool!!!”
Everyone in the room stopped at the sudden high-pitched voice. To everyone's surprise and shock, Mai suddenly burst into the room and minding everything in it, touching everything and asking loudly in wonder what that did, what this did… The three men remained stunned in silence at her sudden appearance in this supposedly secure room, but their facial expressions already communicated what they were going to say.
How did she get here?! This is a restricted area!!!
I don't know!! She must have followed me here!!
Followed you? Wait… If she followed you, then that means she was with you last night…
Both Yu and Yamamoto looked at him in one of those ways when they know you did something wrong and you couldn't tell what was it.
“What? What's wrong? Well, she got drunk last night and I just brought her home… And besides, I was going to take her out to breakfast when she showed up…”
The both of them continued staring at him…
Mai suddenly popped up next to Jonathan…
“Is he your boss?” She pointed to Yamamoto. “I can see my reflection on his head!”
Jonathan quickly grabbed her and led Mai out of there.
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The journey from Tokyo to Fukuoka usually took a few boring hours of weaving through mountain roads, but with the introduction of the Shinkansen bullet train, you could be there in the same time you took to watch a movie.
Such was the convenience of modern technology…
In the famous Nozomi line that ran the gamut between these two great cities of Japan, there were two main types of bullet trains are used. One was the stylish-looking 500 series train and the other, the duck-billed 700 series (11), which formed the majority of the services. One such 700 series train plowed on its daily course to Fukuoka. As it was in the summer, most of these runs were filled with people seeking to escape on their holidays, and this was no exception.
It was on that day that class 1-A of The Mizuno College of Arts; Mai's class, decided to go on their annual class trip. The predominantly-female class filled their reserved car with laughter and chatter, but Jonathan didn't mind. Mai was up in the seat in front contributing to the noise with her friends but then, whatever made her happy… Jonathan thought.
Moving away from the city… was it a good idea? The attacks had been concentrated there and going rural seemed like a good idea… Besides, Mai pestered him enough to go on to this trip anyway.
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“And she really did that?! It's a wonder Yamamoto stayed so calm!” Tea laughed over her drink. Jonathan smiled in return over his can of coke. It was later at night after Mai's sudden intrusion in Yamamoto's office when Tea suddenly showed up at Jonathan's door inviting him for a drink. That was a surprise, he thought. A senior agent visiting him at this time of the night and yet with such a cordial invitation… Well, he didn't really know Tea a lot; just having met her in one or two occasions, so he agreed, having nothing else to do anyway.
Jonathan eyes widened in amazement when he saw the place Tea had chosen. The New York Bar (12), one of the Tokyo Park Hyatt's best drinking places had a nice dim lighting, lounge music, and tables that had the entire view of Tokyo from high up. Even Jonathan hadn't been in there before.
“Have a seat. The drinks are on me.”
Jonathan nodded and took one by one of the window tables.
“So how is your stay here in Japan?”
Mentally, Jonathan sighed at being asked that question again, but he answered it anyway, detailing his experiences both good and bad for the past weeks. Helping him was the fact that he felt a kind of ease at around Tea, as if she was sort of a caring sister; strange but true.
Then came the bombshell.
“So do you love her?”
Jonathan nearly spit out his coke.
“W-what?!!”
“You heard me, Jonathan.” Tea said knowingly, “With all that time between the both of you, there's bound to be something…”
“No there isn't!!!” Jonathan shouted back, off-guard, much to the attention of everyone else in the bar. “Bodyguards aren't supposed to get in relationships with the ones they're supposed to protect! Everyone knows that…” Although it feels like I'm the biggest breaker of that rule… “Besides, it's part of my cover to get close to her to protect her. The mission parameters said that Mai is not to know of the threat towards her or…”
“But what about her feelings towards you?” Tea hardly looked up from her drink of Scotch whisky. “Right now you are her pillar of strength… How would she feel if the feelings that came from the person he loved were fake? Have you ever thought about that?”
Jonathan stammered as the enormity of the situation hit him. “I-I…”
“You military people are all the same,” Tea sighed. “Always focusing on `the mission' and caring little for anything else. No wonder women hate and love you at the same time…”
This time, Tea looked at him with a slight hint of disdainment in her eyes, as she began getting annoyed at this hopeless social reject.
“Just think of what you will be doing to her, Jonathan, and I hope you'll make the right choice. By the way, you should go for that class trip. It'll take some stress off you head. Don't worry about Jean; we'll handle things here. We'll call you as soon as he wakes up.” She winked.
Jonathan nodded quite cautiously in agreement. It was advice that he felt he was compelled to follow, and even stranger, was the thought that how did Tea find out about that? Mai had only told him…
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“Jona-chann!!!”
The train of thought was broken by Mai's suddenly squeal of her pet name for Jonathan (made without his knowledge and approval) in his ear. He hoped she'd stop doing that…
Since she had nobody to show off to (and on holiday) Mai had dispensed with her familiar Goth Loli dresses for something breezier and easier to wear, namely an ubiquitous white t-shirt and shorts. She straightened the shirt over her belly and got herself comfortable in the large long-distance chair as she waited for Jonathan's response. She noticed as well that Hina didn't come along for the trip.
Could it be that she…?
“What is it? Aren't you supposed to be talking with your friends in front?” Jonathan's irritated tone at her kind of broke the expectations that Mai had.
“Jonathan!” Mai sulked, “Can't you be a bit more cheerful? We're on holiday! And if you're feeling shy, it's alright; everyone knows that you're my boyfriend anyway!” She ended with a cheerful smile.
Boyfriend? Using such words without telling people again… It seemed that these incidents were starting to happen so often that Jonathan was already getting immune to them… But once again Tea's words came painfully rebounding back once again. So what are you going to do when the mission ends? Would you take the easy way out? Are you going to sneak away in the night? Tell her the truth? And what then, Jonathan? What would happen to the one that you have come to love?
Jonathan tried his very best to push it out of his mind to quell his conflicting heart. Relationships are a pain… Somehow, he hoped, he would find a way to end that mess.
“Want a tangerine? I just got it from the vending machine! It's cold!” Mai plopped a freshly-peeled slice right onto his hand. The sudden interruption of his thought and the simplicity of Mai's act made him smile. She was so charming… He just couldn't bring himself to hurt her like that.
“Thanks…”
“Did you just say thank you, Jonathan?”
“Uh… Yeah?” A sweatdrop fell; She heard that? But I said it silently…
“No…” Mai smiled. “It's just that you've always been so serious and grumpy… It's the first time I've heard you say that…” she said, blushing. “It's nice to see you happy once in a while.”
And she did. She was aware that Jonathan was troubled, confused, and with secrets to hide… who didn't? She felt a lingering sense of loneliness in him that she felt in herself as well, and that brought her closer. She knew that Jonathan would not hurt or harm her… unlike others she knew. And as he had his duty to protect and defend her, Mai also felt the same way too…
It was what they called love.
“Yeah, I guess so…” A warm smile was returned.
The journey took longer than expected and most of the students fell asleep, including Mai who wrapped herself adorably around Jonathan's arm in a sleeping habit. But Jonathan let her sleep on. It was best to treasure these moments while they still lasted, he noted sadly.
Just a few weeks ago he welcomed the end of the mission. Now he dreaded it more than life itself.
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The small fishing town of Unagami (13) was a quaint, peaceful place, rather well known for its seclusion and white sandy beaches that were one of the only few of its kind in mainland Japan. The warm sun here and vivid blue sky dotted by white cotton-clouds showed that one did not have to go all the way to Okinawa to experience heaven.
Also well known there was Miyakonoshima, a verdant, uninhabited island covered by forests, connected to Unagami by a large sandbar that could only be accessed during low tide. Old Shinto stone shrines dotted the forest in the island, where the locals from Unagami would usually go there to pay their respects to the local patron spirits; wishing for a good catch or to pray for those who died in the seas around them.
The original reason of the trip was to observe and to study the traditional stone shrine art on the island, but like all school trips this quickly degraded itself into an orgy of fun. It was not like the lecturers in charge were complaining anyway. It was rare that they got free trip to the beach. As soon as they checked into the guesthouse they bailed en-masse; the call of the sea too hard to resist. Only the blur-minded and the antisocial were left with the unenviable task of sorting out the mass of luggage left behind while the rest went out and played. Such was the life of the social outcast…
Summer at the beach was a like an annual holy event for the young males all over the world. The appearance of nubile wet young female bodies in the sun drew them to the waterfronts of the world where they paid their respects to the god of summer. In any case, it basically was just open season for males to fulfill their hormonal urgings to find the best future mothers of their children. The males in Mai's class would be happy at the fact that they were the minority and had more than enough of their choice of females to go around, but alas, but only a few of them had a real chance. One or two were the popular ones in the class, but the rest were real hopeless otakus who just enrolled in the easiest course in college to pass. The fiercely independent girls in the class didn't help too.
But even stranger was the real enigma of Jonathan. Ever since his appearance, the equilibrium of the class was shattered. The teachers loathed him for his apparent lack of respect towards them (Too lazy to greet them) and the fact that all he did during the class was sleep. The girls in class liked his mysterious air; reinforced by his constantly serious attitude, unwillingness to talk, and foreign origin, a perceived cute naiveté towards social life and cool black overcoat outfit (his AM jacket) but his connection to Mai as her boyfriend (purely speculative) kept their attentions at bay. The guys however hated every fiber of his being as they saw him as seriously unhealthy competition.
But one thing remained that made everyone scratch their heads in confusion. Why the hell did he wear that jacket of his all the time!? They wondered. The jacket was to be on him, everyday, 24/7, as if it was a part of his body, but they did not know that Jonathan depended on his AM jacket for his own survival.
That, combined with his looks, led to many to dismiss him off as some sort of gaijin weirdo with strange habits and bad fashion sense, which was even more reinforced on that day on the beach in Unagami. This time, Jonathan had traveled light, packing light armaments and keeping his AM jacket in his baggage to avoid being conspicuous, keeping only his M93r with him instead of his usual repertoire of handguns. Still, everyone kept looking at him. While everyone enjoyed the water in their swimsuits, Jonathan remained fully clothed on the beach wearing a t-shirt and cargo pants (hardly suitable attire) and just hanging around the beach, just walking around.
Look all they want… Jonathan was instead looking around to secure the area, identifying every part of the surroundings to be able to gain the territorial advantage in case someone attacked. The mountains and forests backing Unagami from the sea made escape tough, but Jonathan reasoned that a defensive retreat to that Miyakono Island could buy enough time for ARCAM reinforcements and to ensure the safety of class. Originally, he felt that with only Mai, he could get away pretty easily, but he'd be catching hell from her if the entire class died in the process…
And Tea! Putting all those weird thoughts in my head! I can't even think straight anymore when I look at Mai! That's why I don't understand girls!! God damn you Tea!!!!
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Back in Tokyo, Tea stifled a sneeze. (14)
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I didn't know if god had decided to punish Jonathan for his blasphemy when that very instant a wet beach ball knocked him down in the head and into the sand…
“Stop dreaming Jona-chan!!!”
Jonathan grumbled and threw it back. And wiped the thin trickle of blood from his nose. The fall had bruised it, and the sight of Mai playing in the waves in the bikini she bought at Shibuya just helped the blood flow…
“D-damn, that bikini is just barely covering her breasts…”
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“Having a good time, are we?” A grey-suited shadowy figure (15) in the forest overlooking Unagami town watched the events happening on the beach down below. Scanning the people on the beach with his binoculars, he zoomed on the lingering form of Jonathan with a blush on his face arguing with Mai undoubtedly about her attire… Amused, the figure watched as Jonathan promptly lost that battle of wills and subjected himself to another round of Mai's playful teasing. The figure smiled. Watching lovers always gave him warm feelings in his heart.
“Ah, the energy of youth… How I envy you, Jonathan, to be able to fall in love…” But as soon as Mai left, Jonathan spun and shot a glance at the watching figure, on his tree 500 meters away.
“Perceptive bastard…” He smiled. Jonathan was exactly the kind of opponent he was looking for… At once he snapped his fingers and immediately, masked men in Special Forces gear joined him on the branch.
“You have Saruta-sama's orders. Let's make this a summer that Jonathan would never forget…”
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And at that moment in miles away in a school in San Juan in the Philippines, a young man (16) prepares to leave on a journey, his destination Japan.
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Misc. Notes:
1) An apéritif is an alcoholic drink usually enjoyed as an appetizer before a large meal. Usually cheap wine like sherry is used, but with Saruta's stature, he can afford to use something a bit more risqué…
2) A waiter in fancy restaurants that usually specializes in wine. Usually they will recommend a wine that will go best with the food that the customer is having.
3) A type of wine produced from grapes that have been frozen. Unlike other grapes that have been subjected to the Botrytis Cinerea fungus that makes it bitter, the grapes used to make eiswein are frozen before the fungus sets in, retaining it's sweet taste.
4) A very expensive and exclusive Italian restaurant on the artificial island of Odaiba specializing in cuisine from the Florence region of Italy. Nicely decorated with Italian sculptures and features, it has braches in central Tokyo and in Florence, Italy itself. Info here:
http://www.ep-tokyo.com/en/odaiba/index.html
5) As mentioned, a large artificial island off Tokyo Bay featuring many hypermodern buildings. The area is now a very popular shopping and entertainment destination with such attractions like the Fuji TV headquarters, Venus Fort, the Rainbow Bridge connecting it to the mainland, and The Statue of Liberty.
6) Comics for girls in Japan which mostly feature stories about romance.
7) Perfume by the designer of the same name. Mai favors it as she feels it goes with her Goth Loli style.
8) The main villain of the anime Rozen Maiden. Also the most popular character there. I you want to get an idea what Mai was wearing at that time, take a look at the picture of Suigintou.
9) Livers of geese or ducks which have been overfed. Known for its rich, buttery and delicate taste, and is a staple in exclusive restaurants. (Now we know why Hannibal Lecter loves'em.) As it is expensive, it is used sparingly in cooking.
10) Photo stickers! I still don't understand them…
11) The 500-series and 700-series are design types of Shinkansen bullet trains. The 500-series is more futuristic and serves the more high-class lines while the 700-series is the more generic, everyday type.
12) The best bar in Tokyo, and just a short walk from Jonathan's room. Also seen in the movie `Lost in Translation'.
13) The setting of Unagami and Miyakonoshima was kind of partly based on the setting in book 3 of the comic series `Otogi Matsuri' and the beach in book 5 of Love Hina. The location of a mystical and secluded forest makes a suitable place for battle, don't you think?
14) The quaint Japanese belief that when you sneeze for no reason, someone must be talking bad about you. I love this one.
15) The shadows in the darkness in chapter 3 are now beginning reveal themselves… From now on, life is going to be even tougher on poor Jonathan…
16) Who is this? A cameo; more to come in the next chapter…