Ghost in the Shell: Just For Tonight
Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost in the Shell or any of the characters; I am merely borrowing them for this story.
Note: I know it has been a while since I posted anything, but I've been very busy during the last two years. However, I had started this story several years ago and wanted to post it. It's not as involved as Defining the Indefinable, but I put forth the same love and effort in writing it, and perhaps I enjoyed it more. I hope you all enjoy it.
Note: This story is based on a scene that occurred within the second GITS movie when Togusa takes in Batou's dog after he is hacked. Will Togusa get along with his unexpected house guest?
Just For Tonight
Neon light filled the dark alley, illuminating it in an eerie blue light. A stray cat yowled as Togusa kicked open the door of the yakuza office and ran out into the alley. Gripping his revolver tightly in both hands, he made his way to the base of a narrow staircase. It was engulfed in shadows, and he leaned against the cracked brick wall, considering if he should wait for his cyborg partner or charge on ahead. Togusa could hear the repetitive shots of a sub machine gun reverberating in a nearby room; Batou was not far off. By the sounds coming from within the red walls, Togusa could only assume that Batou was clearing a path of carnage. Whatever happened to 'avoid shooting' Togusa thought bitterly as he waited alone in that god-forsaken alley. Within moments Batou came beside him.
"What's up?" Batou asked, sliding against the opposite wall. In the blue light his silver eyes glowed a metallic blue.
"Narrow, dark stairs," Togusa replied huskily. He turned to the large cyborg for response. "What's the program?"
"We take turns," Batou answered, moving to the stairs. "I'll lead."
"No, I'll lead," Togusa almost laughed as he placed one foot onto the steps and started his climb. "You're so damn big I can't cover you."
Togusa clutched his firearm in one hand and brought it beside his face. He flattened his back against the wall as he made his way up the steps. Batou came behind him at the base of the stairs.
Togusa was less than halfway up the stairs when two grenades came bouncing down toward him like two rolling dice, deciding his cruel fate. They thudded heavily down each step. Togusa stopped in surprise, panicking. A deep gasp escaped his lungs and his entire face morphed in panic, yet he could not bring himself to move out of the way. He no longer saw the grenades, but the faces of his wife and daughter. His body froze, and he was helpless to control his own body even as Batou grabbed him and threw him down the staircase. Togusa was abruptly jerked back into reality as his backside hit the bottom step and his left hand instinctively gripped the handrail to prevent his head from hitting the ground. His face scrunched in pain but he knew that this minor injury was nothing compared to what would have happened to him had the grenades exploded above his head. He heard the explosion as the grenades detonated and saw the cyborg pressing on unharmed.
Trembling, he slid down the staircase and sat upon the bottom step. He could barely hear the sound of a man shrieking in the room above him nor could he heed the sound of the gunfire as Batou slaughtered him. He did not even notice when the crab-clawed cyborg came crashing though the walls. He could only see the faces of his family and the grenades which had almost ended his life floating in his mind's eye. He looked down at his trembling white hands, and wondered if he was still alive. His body shook from both exhaustion and fear, and he placed his grief-stricken face into his hands. He wasn't sure how long he sat there while the battle continued around him, for when Batou finally turned to face him he realized that it was over.
"You still with me, pal?" Batou's voice broke through his trance. Togusa lifted his forehead from his hands and answered in a husky whisper. "All I could see were my wife and daughter's faces."
"That wasn't your wife or daughter." Batou said, unfeeling to Togusa's pain. "It was the grim reaper."
Beads of rain streaked against the windshield, writhing in defiance against the twin blades of the windshield wipers, as the jet-black Volvo cut a path through the heavy downpour.
In the driver's seat, next to Batou, Togusa sat quietly within himself, his russet eyes starring dully into the blurred windshield. Light from neon signs passed quickly over his pallid face, blanching his already flat expression. Togusa could feel Batou studying him through the corners of his coin-shaped eyes, though his gaze was difficult to distinguish. Togusa's brow furrowed and he kept his own gaze straight ahead.
"Still pissed off?" Batou finally spoke, breaking the cold silence. His voice was cold, betraying his irritation with Togusa giving him the silent treatment.
"I am not pissed off." Togusa answered him flatly, his voice seething with anger. "And I hate to sound ungrateful to the man who saved my life . . ."
Togusa's paused a moment as he turned the vehicle sharply around a tight corner.
"But being your partner is definitely gonna take a toll on me." Togusa finished as he straightened the wheel.
"Look, it's only the two of us on this case." Batou said. "A half-assed approach just won't cut it. If Locus Solus has anything to hide they'll come after us."
"So that's why you put on that yakuza gun show?" Togusa turned to face him, glowering.
"Yeah and if the chief was really pissed, he'd have suspended us." Batou finished as they came upon the convenience store where Batou purchased Gabriel's moist food. "Pull over will you."
Without a word, Togusa stopped the car and waited for Batou to step out.
"Later." Batou said quietly and exited the car.
Togusa said nothing in reply.
Togusa was still brooding over the incident even as he pulled his car into his driveway. When Batou had asked him if he was still angry about the incident at the yakuza office, Togusa had told him that he was not. Truthfully, he was still angry enough to heat the interior of the car. It did not matter to him if the Chief was angry. He knew the old ape was just following procedure. What angered him was Batou's reckless response to the situation and how it had almost cost Togusa his life.
As he parked his car, he could still see the grenades bouncing before his mind's eye and hear the explosion as they detonated above Batou's head. Batou had been unharmed, but he could not fathom the possibility of what would have happened to him had Batou not pushed him out of the way.
"What does Batou have to lose?" He grumbled to himself as he turned the key. "He doesn't even have a family. It's easy for him to put his life in danger; he's a fully-armored cyborg."
As he stepped out of the car, his daughter ran from the porch to greet him.
"Daddy!" she hollered like a ban-chi as she rushed into his arms.
"Ah, aren't you excited to see me?" Togusa laughed as he pulled her up into his arms and hugged her tightly. He cringed as the thought of his own death flickered in his mind, only briefly, and then borrowed back into his subconscious. He remembered how Batou had pushed him out of harm's way and wondered how he could stay angry at the man who had saved his life.
"My present! My present!" his daughter cheered. She was excited about her birthday and everyday she expected him to bring her gift. "Did you remember my present?"
"I won't forget." Togusa kissed her forehead and set her down. As he took his daughter's hand in his own and walked with her toward his house, he was filled with gratitude toward Batou for allowing him this moment with his daughter.
'How can I expect him to understand my responsibility?' Togusa looked down at his daughter and smiled. 'He doesn't have a family who needs him.'
Togusa greeted his wife in the doorway. She smiled grateful to have him home eventually that night. It had been getting late and she was prone to worry.
"Dinner's ready." she said, relieved to see her husband home safe and actually home in time for dinner. The table was already set. Broiled meat, steaming potatoes, and flavorful vegetables covered the porcelain dishes. The wafting smell was tantalizing, and Togusa could barely keep himself from the meal set before him.
He was about to dig into his plate when there was a knock at the door. He sighed, his first home-cooked meal in a while and someone was at his door.
Begrudgingly, he rose from his seat, pushed his seat in, and went to the door.
"Yes, who is it?" he muttered as he opened the door. Ishikawa, drenched form the rain, stood at his doorstep.
"Ishikawa?" His mouth hung open. "What are you doing here?"
Togusa almost asked him how he knew where he lived but then again it was Ishikawa.
"I've been keeping tabs on your partner." Ishikawa said huskily. His hair, usually high and puffy, was plastered to his head and he shivered in the cold. "After you dropped him off at the supermarket he was ghost hacked."
"Ghost hacked, Batou?" Togusa asked. It wasn't like Batou to let someone get into his head . . . except for the Major.
"That's right. The Big Guy was hacked pretty badly. Blew off his arm." Ishikawa said as he went to his car and opened the back passenger car door.
"So, what are you doing here?" Togusa asked, a sense of dread rising from the pit of his stomach.
"I need you to take care of a little something while Batou's out." Ishikawa said as he reached into the car and struggled with something within.
"Come here you." He muttered as he pulled out a large spotted basset hound. The dog whined and squirmed in his arms as he carried it to the front door.
"Oh, no, I can't take a dog into my house." Togusa raised his palms as if to defend himself against the obese creature. "There is nowhere to keep a dog."
"I know this is an inconvenience, but the dog can't be left alone." Ishikawa shoved the dog into Togusa's unwilling arms. Togusa gasped as all fifty-five pounds of pure lard were dropped into his arms. "You are his partner after all."
"Yes, but-" Togusa started when his daughter came up behind him in the doorway.
"My present!" she cried as she saw the dog kicking and shoving in her father's arms. "Daddy, you got me a dog!"
"No, its not-" Togusa grunted as the dog kicked him in the stomach as it tried to squirm over to lick the girl's face. Its tail thumped wildly against his arm and its claws left small tears in his suit jacket. Fur was flying everywhere. In the corner of his eye, Togusa could see his wife anxiously eyeing her clean carpets. "We're not keeping him."
"Yeah, a dog!" his daughter could not hear him over the dog's excited bellows.
Togusa sighed, defeated.
"Just for tonight," he told Ishikawa, his voice firm and threatening. "Not one day longer."
"I'm sure you'll have no trouble with him." Ishikawa laughed as Togusa shut the door in Ishikawa's bearded face.
Togusa set the dog down and it immediately tore through the kitchen. He could hear its sharp claws scratching the hardwood floor and its heavy body slamming against furniture as it displayed the same reckless regard for its safety as its master did for his own.
Togusa sighed heavily; all the feelings of gratefulness toward Batou were quickly disappearing as the dog returned to him, one of his leather shoes dripping from its drooling mouth.
"No, not food." Togusa pried the shoe from its moist mouth and cringed as globs of drool transferred from the shoe to his hand. He dropped the shoe onto the ground and wiped his hand on his pant leg. The dog looked up at him with its sappy, sad eyes and whined pathetically.
"I suppose you're hungry, aren't you?" Togusa sighed heavily and retrieved his coat from the coat hanger.
"Hun, it's dinnertime; where are you going, now?" His wife frowned. She hated for her husband to eat his meals cold.
"I need to go to the market and pick up some dog food." Togusa grumbled as he buttoned his coat. "Hopefully, after Batou stormed through there, it is still open."
It was several minutes passed eleven o'clock at night when Togusa finally returned with a bag of moist dog food in his arms. He had had to drive to several stores in order to find the one brand that Gabriel would eat. Unfortunately, the supermarket had been closed due to Batou's rampage, but Togusa, ever-vigilant, had found another store on the other side of town that carried that same brand of dog food, as well as the daily supplements.
As he stepped into the doorway, his foot squished against something moist and sticky on the carpet. Togusa gasped and froze in place. The hairs on the back of his neck bristled in anticipation of what he knew would be on the bottom of his shoe and now imbedded in his carpet.
"Damn you Batou." He hissed as he lifted his shoe to confirm his worst fears--dog feces.
Minutes later he was bending over the bathtub, rinsing his shoe out with the shower hose, watching the water run brown.
"Disgusting," he hissed as he scrubbed the fecal matter from the grooves in the bottom of the shoe. "Batou's house must be a mess."
Once his shoe was cleaned and his wife was through sobbing over her stained carpet, she reheated his meal and set it out on the table for him. She sat across from his empty chair and waited patiently for Togusa to take his place on the other end of the table.
"You don't have to wait up for me, hun." Togusa said, feeling guilty for causing her the trouble. He could tell she was upset, but as always she held her anger back. "I still have to take care of the beast."
"Alright," she said as she stood and pushed her chair in. "Don't be up too late."
"I won't." Togusa frowned as he prepared the hound's dinner. Beneath him, the basset hound whined impatiently for its dinner and thumped its tail hard against the kitchen floor.
"Be patient, dog." Togusa hissed, counting out the vitamins before he dropped them into the food dish. The dog seemed to whine a correction so he dumped in several more tablets. He contemplated whether he should stir them into the food or not, but decided not to bother with it.
"Here," he placed the bowel in front of the dog, but it just stared at him with those big dumb brown eyes.
"What, do you expect me to feed it to you?" Togusa asked it. The dog tilted its head in response.
"I thought you liked this brand." Togusa said and shoved the bowel closer to the dog. "I drove to three stores in order to find it, so eat it.
The dog whimpered in response.
Togusa sighed and retrieved the dog food bag. He read over the label again and checked to make sure that this was the correct brand.
"I know this is what he buys." Togusa said and turned the bag over. "Did I measure it out correctly?"
It was then that he heard the sound of rattling dishes coming from the dining room table. Togusa turned to see that the dishes that had previously been covered with delicious food were now licked clean; Gabriel had eaten his dinner.
It was nearly midnight before Togusa climbed into bed. He was careful not to disturb his wife as he slid between the blankets and settled into his spot on the mattress. He shifted several times before he found a comfortable position in which to rest. Finally, he nestled himself comfortably at the edge of the bed and began to drift into sleep.
He jerked awake as an unexpected weight fell upon his legs. He sat up in his bed and pulled the covers aside. When he saw the dog lying with her face smashed to his leg, her paws hugging his knees, he let out a gasp of frustration.
"No, not in my bed! Go back down stairs!" He shouted, thrashing under the dog's massive weight.
Gabriel looked up at him with her large brown eyes. In her expression was the same look of loving sadness and worry that Togusa's own daughter had when he left for work. Gabriel whined slightly, but not in complaint. She was pleading for her caretaker. She was just a lonesome baby. Togusa's expression softened and he sighed in defeat. "Alright, just for tonight."
Author's Note: Well, I hope you all enjoyed this story. I had a lot of fun writing it. I always wondered what had happened the night Togusa had to keep Gabriel over at his house. Thanks for reading and please R&R.