Authors note:
Well here it is, my first AU ever. Now I must warn you that there will be violence, graphic scenes of torture, drug use, attempted evil lemon and many good lovely lemons. Remember this is rated M for a reason so if any of those things may upset you I suggest giving this a miss. Characters from Digimon adventure and 02 will be used. As for pairings...well the main one is obvious but you will just have to wait and see for the rest muhahaha! There will be one OC that features quite often, she is necessary I tell you!
Updates will take some time since I am starting college soon.
I don't own digimon or any of its wonderful characters but I do own my OC's and the plot.
Mission one: Touch me and you lose your pickle!
Sora was pissed. So far her extremely looked forward to trip into town for supplies had been very disappointing. As if it wasn't enough for her to have fallen in the mud, losing her favorite iced coffee to the unforgiving ground, she had also been attacked by a crow AND had the last of her meager funds stolen by some 'helpful stranger' who had offered to hold her purse while she cleaned herself off. She hadn't given it to him of course, Sora was many things but naive wasn't one of them. No he had stolen it from right under her nose.
In a way that hurt more then if she had fallen for his moronic ploy. Her father hadn't taught her the fine art of self defence just for her to lose her things to some punk. Who wears cover all brown hooded cloaks in this day and age anyway?! Pursuit would be difficult in these lush surroundings without the added hassle of not knowing what the bastard looks like.
Then again she did have the home turf advantage. She had grown up in this thick tropical area. The many trees, ferns, bushes and mass variety of plants were all landmarks to her and she could find her way home even on the darkest of nights. Actually that was a good point, why was that guy out here in the first place? This path was barely good enough to call a sheep trail and if you didn't know what you were looking for you could get lost for good. The trees around her were so compact and leafy even sunlight found it difficult to get in.
Her father had chosen to build their family home in the centre of this place at the base of Garuda Mountain. With the incredibly difficult to navigate tropical forest shielding their home for miles on every side and the unassailable mountain to their back it was one of the safest locations in all of Zui. This is probably the reason her and her mother managed to avoid getting tangled up in the abysmal war.
The war. It had been over for almost four years now but the wounds were still raw. The far larger and superior neighbouring country of Shin had claimed Zui as its own, treating its citizens like lesser beinge and subjecting them to unfair and unjust treatment.
It was hard to believe that before the trigger of the war the royal families of both countries had been exceptionally close. It had been that way for hundreds of years, ever since the beginning when both countries were naught but small tribes languishing under the tyrany of the Luce creatures from the far north. Those tiny people had banded together and drove the Luce to extinction. They had divided up the land amongst them evenly but after many, many years the country of Shin had grown to be three times the size of Zui.
Due to tradition the royal families always strived to meet and when they did it always ended in wonderful friendships. They say this occurred due to the special blood only royaltie possessed passed down by their ancestors who were said to be blessed by the gods. Perhaps because of this both families were extremely cautious when it came to their children. The only time they were seen was on the day they were born and on their official sixteeth birthday debut. She had always thought that was a pretty stupid tradition.
Of course in this day and age most people no longer believed in gods or ancient blessings. No one could deny the royals heritage though as each country had a special crystal at their hearts that acted as an immense power source and could only be activated by the royals of the land. The people of Shin and Zui loved their individual rulers deeply and the countries lived in blissful peace.
Then eight years ago everything changed. The King and eldest prince of Shin were brutally murdered. Yukio Kimura, the prime minister of Shin, had the FBI and police conduct a thorough investigation. They found the culprit was a Zuian who believed Shin and all its people were oppressing the citizens of Zui.
The Queen and youngest prince had been living in an estately manor when the incident occurred. Apparently the King and Queen were having marital troubles but had been unable to separate completely due to their status. The Queen had been devastated when she heard the news and, on the advice of Yukio, decided to declare war on the smaller country less then a year after the culprit was caught.
The King and Queen of Zui had vehemently protested their countries innocence and even sent their prime minister Isamu Sato to hold a peace treaty hearing at a neutral facilty on the border. On the way he was taken out by Shin assassins. Further attempts at keeping the peace failed and soon Zui had a Shinian invasion on their hands.
For three long years Zui kept them at bay thanks to brilliant strategies and the home terrain advantage. However Shin had numbers and power at their disposal and in the end the final stronghold the capital of Agu, where Sora was just returning from, was conquered and the king and queen captured within. Though many called for their execution they kept them alive since only the royal family can control the power source for the land. Originally Shin's plan was to use the prince and princess but they were killed in the takeover.
Sora sighed sadly, this was where her father came in. He was the bodyguard of the royal family and a personal friend to the king. It was rumored that he fell trying to defend the young royalty.
Stomping her feet and slapping her face with her free hand Sora banished those wicked thoughts. Her father couldn't be dead! He was the strongest, most cunning person she knew. If he wanted to protect prince Taichi and princess Hikari he would have succeeded! After all, they never had found their bodies.
And that meant Tai was still alive, her one and only true friend. She grew up in this hidden location with no contact with other children until that impossible head of gravity defying brown frizz bopped his way into her life. He would come in the summer and they would train together under the watchful eyes of her father. She usually won by distracting him with words since he had the advantage in raw power.
Flicking mud out of her reddish/brown hair she begrudingly continued making her way through the thick forest shooing all thoughts of war and replacing them with dinner planning. She was so ingrossed in this activity she was surprised when she finally reached her destination.
Even though she had lived here her whole life the beauty of the place always struck a cord. The beautiful little clearing was laden with flowers of all varieties. Bright purples, pinks, blues, reds, whites, yellows, name the colour and it was there somewhere in the masses. Her house was a pretty little picture as well; two traditional victorian windows shone against the white of the cottage and the large thatch roof. Her father had a thing for mixing traditional styles and that was clearly evident here. The massive window into the kitchen on the ground floor let the beauty of the flower field outside be viewed by all. And the dark green ivy snaking along the brilliant white walls toward the smashed oak door was the icing on the cake.
Wait, smashed? Gaping in disbelief at the clearly demolished door she felt like someone had just slapped her across the face. Reacting quickly she stooped down and placed her plastic bag of groceries silently on the floor. Stealthily sneaking her way into the house she mentally cursed herself for not returning faster.
The kitchen was a mess. Pots and plates lay strewn or broken all over the floor. The oak dining table was on its side and snapped in two. Her mothers many ceramic trinkets were in unsavable states. Seeing no-one was milling about within the room she swiftly moved on. Climbing the stairs quickly she thanked her father for all those painstaking lessons on erasing her presence. She was exceptionally good at it now, if she really wanted to she was confident even sniffer dogs couldn't find her.
Peeking through the ajar door to her room she saw that it too was ransacked. Luckily her mahogany dresser was still intact, though the mirror was destroyed. Her clothes had been strewn about and she realised, to her disgust, that it was mainly her undergarments gracing the floor and funiture.
Fuming at that little discovery she slinked on into her parents room. Her fury only grew at the state of it, eveything was destroyed but the most regrettable thing of all lay beside the open window. Her mothers favourite chair, handcarved for her by her husband, was now lying in ruins. The painstakingly craved decorations of lilies, her mothers favourite, had been scratched out.
She really wanted to scream now, in anger and in fear. Her mother was missing, a quick scan of the remaining rooms told her that. Grabbing an old tan rug-sack she ran into her room and shoved as many clothes as she could manage. The short blue denium shorts and oversized yellow jumper that fell off her shoulder revealing plenty of skin and a thin black bra strap just wouldn't cut it alone for the trip she had planned.
Her black and red sneakers crunched on the ceramics in the kitchen as she ran out. Halting abruptly just before the entrance of the forest she cocked her head to the side. One...no two people heading this way! One was a lot farther back then the other. Registering all this a split second too late as a hand shot out of the underbrush grabbing her wrist.
She didn't scream when the owner stepped out. He was a giant of a man, about six foot six if she had to guess, he was clad in the green camaflodge gear with the Shin army insignia on his lapel. The Shin insignia was a lone wolf's head with what appeared to be a small horn. The view was of the back of the magnificent creature looking over its shoulder. To Sora it had always looked unbearably lonely and sad.
The man's face was nothing special. He kind of reminded her of a grisly bear. When he grinned showing a row of missing teeth she shuddered.
"Hey there little lady, I've been looking all over for you." His breath smelt like malt liquor and Sora wrinkled her nose in disgust since his face was just centimeters from her own. "How about a kiss for makin' me wait?"
She smiled at him and he leaned in closer only to freeze as something cold and sharp nestled against what his elderly mother always referred to as 'the forbidden zone'.
"You were saying?" She whispered sweetly smiling the most evil smile she could muster. It was fairly horrifying if his face was anything to go by. She thanked her father in her mind for giving her this lovely dagger as a parting gift before he left for the war. She was only eleven at the time but had become proficient with its use during his absence. It had a deep red handle with a silver ribbon wound around it. The blade was thin and sharp. She always kept it in a sheath on her back under her clothes for emergencies like this.
"Careful girly, think of your poor ma'" she froze for less then a second but a second was all he needed. Flipping her onto her back from his hold on her wrist he wrenched the knife from her hand and pinned her down. Straddling her he pulled her wrists together above her head so he could keep a hold on her with one hand.
Wriggling this way and that proved useless. He was far too heavy, Sora never had done very well when it came to getting out of holds. The warning her father had given her echoed in her ear "If someone larger then you pins you its all over. Don't get caught!"
"Ya' own me now girly. This is as much a treat for ya' as it is for me...wouldna want ta die a virgin now would we?" Eyes widening in disbelief at his words she struggled even more, legs flaying uselessly kicking up dirt and feet failing to gain any purchase on the ground.
"Fuck you! Get off of me!" Hissing those words at him just made him laugh.
"Awww would yer poor ma' want to hear ya' usin' language like that?"
"What have you done with my mother." Locking eyes with him she searched for answers but found only things that scared her, such as lust and mirth.
"Don't ya' worry yer pretty little head about a thing. Ya'll be joinin' her soon enough...first Imma' gonna give ya' a treat." He watched her breathing heavily from the exertion of trying to get him off. Her revealed collarbone rose and fell with each breath, the thin sheen of sweat that covered her glistened in the waning sunlight.
She screamed internally as he licked up her neck and along the curve of her cheek. He was leaning in for a kiss so she spate at him.
"Yer gonna regret that." he growled, wiping the spittle from his cheek. She started fighting him again when she heard and felt the button on her shorts pop open and the zipper going down. Hearing him undo his own trousers was the last straw. She screamed as loudly as her lungs would let her.
The man grinned, then froze, his face a picture of horror. Eyeing him curiously she tried to get up again, this time he just slid off of her landing face first beside her. Gaping in horror at the sight of her own dagger sticking out the back of his head she suppressed an urge to vomit.
"Sorry I was late! I didn't realise there would be soldiers out here, that was careless of me." The purse thief stood before her with his hands on his hips. The cloak was still hiding his face and she silenced the urge to yell at him; he did just save her afterall, if somewhat more gruesomely then she would have liked.
"You stole my purse." She stated matter-of-a-factly, still shaking from the recent event. He smiled and held out a hand for her.
"Sorry about that, it was just a little test! Afraid you failed."
Sticking out her tongue at him she accepted his help and got shakily to her feet. Why had she just done that? For some reason she felt really comfortable with this stranger, his voice sounded familiar too. She watched him in contemplation as he sauntered over to the fresh corpse and pulled her dagger out spreading brains and blood over the flowers. He wiped the blood off with his cloak and handed it to her hilt first.
"Don't know why I didn't just use one of my own, sorry for contaiminating your blade with blood."
Taking it slowly from him she tilted her head to the side. "...Tai?"
He grinned, throwing off the cloak to reveal his black combat gear beneath. The trousers were riddled with zippers and small pockets, they were tucked into thick lace up combat boots. His black turtleneck was covered with a bullet proof vest and he had black leather golves on. In fact the only shred of color on him beside his tanned complexion and brown hair was a pair of dark blue goggles holding it out of his chocolate brown eyes."Sora Takenouchi as I live and breath!" he proclaimed loudly.
Without hesitating she pounced on him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "I knew you were alive!" She squealed. The abruptness of her movements unstabled him and he landed square on his backside with her on top of him between his legs.
"I missed you too." He said affectionately. Sobbing uncontrollably she pulled him into a tight hug. Stopping almost as soon as she had started she pulled back and looked him in the eyes.
"What happened to my mother?" He winced at her flat, angry tone.
"She's been taken. Recently the Shinian government has been hunting down the family members of anyone associated with Zuian freedom fighters or former monarchy. But that's not the reason I came, I didn't realise they knew where you both were until just now."
"Why did you come then?" Pouting a bit she pulled away from him and hugged her knees.
"For you." She wondered if he realised how stupidly romantic that sounded and gave him a perplexed look. He had never indicated he had liked her before and she wasn't exactly sure how she felt about him. He continued without acknowledging her look. "Have you ever heard of Omni?"
"The only remaining rebel group that hasn't been shut down by the Shinian government? Of course I have."
Smiling his 100 watt smile he pointed a thumb at himself. "You're looking at their leader."
Blinking in disbelief she reached out and pinched his cheek. "What? Doesn't that group only have like, six members?"
"Seven actually, and I need you as my eighth."
"Come again?"
"I need people I can trust Sora, and aside from my team you are pretty much the last one left who fits that critera. The people who took your mother are planning a public execution of her and all the others they have caught. There are twentythree prisoners in total now. I have a plan to save them but I need another member to pull it off. You."
Gazing into his eyes she saw the sincerity within. Her father had never wanted her or her mother involved in the war...but if the government had taken her mother they were already involved right? Tai frowned and she tilted her head at him.
"If you say yes you can't come back here until we have accoplished all our goals. Once you know our names and faces thats it, you're in and theres no turning back."
Biting her thumb she considered her options. To be honest she couldn't care less about the state of this country, she only cared about those she loved. If fighting was the only way to protect them then thats what she'd do.
"Ok, sign me up!" He grinned broadly at her, hopping to his feet he pulled her up with him and produced a black blindfold from one of his many pockets. She didn't even have time to protest as he wrapped it around her eyes.
"Sorry about the treatment but certain members of my team demanded I take a few precautions. Have a good nap!"
"Nap?" She barely got the question out before she felt a sharp prick on her inner arm and everything went black.
When she awoke she was greeted by a dull grey ceiling and a bare lightbulb glaring down at her. Groaning she rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. The thick metal springs of the cot she was lying on squealed in protest as she lifted herself up. She was still fully clothed and on top of the covers.
The room was tiny, maybe three or four metres across either side. The walls were the same dull shade of grey as the ceiling. The room was bare besides her small cot and a little shelf on the left wall. Straight across from her was a metal door which was, to her surprise when she took the few steps needed to reach it, unlocked. From the decor she had assumed she was in a prison of some kind but that was apparently not the case.
Opening the door a crack she peeked out. The door lead to a thin hallway stretching out on either side. To her left she saw the hall stretched on for awhile ending with another metal door identical to her own, the right was the same story. She chose right, for no paticular reason other then it felt natural, and passed by more identical doors all on the right side of the wall spaced a few metres apart indicating they were more rooms.
Treading carefully to erase her presence she came to a halt in front of one of the doors. Just like the rest it was the same rectangular design and cold metal colour but with one crucial difference. Staring her in the face was a garishly pink plaque, it was welded to the wall with bright white metal flowers at each corner. Scrawled across its suface in brilliant white caligraphy was the word "kitchen".
Pressing her ear to it carefully when she heard muffled voices coming from inside. She thanked her stars for her excellent hearing.
"Stop it with that! She is Sensei's daughter, she has all the skills for a top notch agent! I know first hand how tough she can be." She recognised this voice as Tai's, he sounded annoyed rather then angry.
"That was then Tai. You haven't seen this girl in years, what proof do you have she even remembers her training? For all you know she gave it up long ago." This voice was smooth, calm and collected. It was distinctly male, deep and husky. If Sora hadn't been pretty sure she was the topic of conversation and he hadn't been insulting her she would have called it attractive.
"Sora wouldn't do that." Ah, theres Tai again to confirm her suspicions. "She enjoyed the training even more then I did and she beat me almost everytime in hand to hand combat."
"Like I said, that was the past. You were only children then. She didn't even pass Yolei's stupid little thievery test. And am I right in saying you had to save her when you found her?" That voice again, still sounding cool and analytical.
"Hey! That test was totally legit!" This must be Yolei. Her voice was shrill with anger at being insulted.
"Ok then Yama, if you're so against this why don't you handle her training? You can decide for yourself if she is fit to join this team." Her eyes widened in disbelief at Tai's words. She would have to be trained by that jerk?
"...You know I don't work well with others." She almost nodded in agreement with the man's disgruntled tone.
"No excuses, you have a problem with my choice so you need to see for yourself what Sora can do." Why couldn't Tai just let him reject the idea?
"If that's your decision as leader then I won't object. You can stop eavesdropping and come in now." She wanted to freak out at his words. She was sure to hide her presence to the best of her ability, not even her father had found her when she used to do it at home!
"What are you talking about?" She heard Tai say. Movement within indicated someone approaching the door, panicking she tried to move away but the door swung inwardly so quickly she stumbled forward a bit.
"Excellent job as always Yama!" Tai stood in the doorway smiling broadly at her. He was still wearing his combat gear but his bullet proof vest was gone leaving only the black turtleneck in its place. "Why didn't you just come in?" He questioned ushering her onto one of the green foldup chairs situated around the small plastic table.
The room shocked her in its stark difference to the one she woke up in. The ceiling was creamed coloured and the lightshade was a frilly white with decorations of running horses sew onto it. The wallpaper was yellow with various minature images of kitchen utensils such as teapots and kettles speckled along it in an messy pattern. There were a few wooden shelves decorated with small minatures of various animals such as cute sheep and slightly odd looking pigs. It was about twice the size of the other room so still made for cramped conditions with the stove and cupboards lining the wall farthest from the door and the table full of people in the centre. She wasn't quite up to looking at them yet, instead choosing to observe the counters more closely. They had black marble sufaces and cream coloured doors.
"What do you think? I try to keep it as light as possible...its kind of my little sanctuary." She was knocked out of her observations when a young girl with short light brown hair spoke beside her. She had two heart shaped clips to hold the hair out of her pretty face. Her eyes were the same color as her hair. She was wearing a powder blue summer dress under her apron; it was green with ducks holding umbrellas dancing along it. She blushed a little as Sora continued staring. "You might not remember me but we did meet once. I'm Tai's little sister, Hikari."
"Wow you sure got big." Sora said quietly, sounding a little shell-shocked. Hikari smiled at her and trotted over to the kettle beside the stove to pour some tea.
"I believe introductions are in order. This is Calista." Tai kelt smiling as he spoke. He pointed to the woman sitting beside him at the cramped table. She was wearing the same gear as him, the turtleneck was hugging her ample chest almost uncomfortably. Her hands were laced together in her lap. Her hair was inky black extending just past her shoulders and her powder blue eyes watched Sora with trepidation within her heartshaped face. Her small pink lips were drawn into a thin line and Sora felt quite uncomfortable with her apparent hostility.
"That loudmouth over there is Yolei." Tai continued. The young girl sitting beside Calista gave Tai a sneer before smiling pleasantly at Sora. Her long purple hair was gathered on the top of her head in a messy bun. A few loose strands fell over large wide rimmed glasses covering her honey brown eyes.
"And finally we have your new tutor-" Following Tai's finger Sora briefly saw a blur of black clothing rush by slamming the door behind it. The generated wind almost knocked Sora off her relatively flimsy chair. "-Yamato." Tai deadpanned.
"Don't worry he was like that when I first got here too, he just needs to get used to you." Yolei offered sweetly.
"It's not like I really care what he thinks, I don't even know who he is. Tai are you really going to make me work with him? I thought you were going to teach me." Sora sighed sadly. She saw Calista stiffen before rising quickly.
"Please excuse me, I have things to do. It was a pleasure meeting you Miss Takenouchi." Calista's voice had a silky northern accent. Her tone was indifferent as she softly exited the room. Tai rubbed the bridge of his nose and turned to Sora with his brilliant smile. "Do you want something to eat? Hikari makes the best cream puffs you've ever eaten in your life."
"Why not?" Sora smiled taking the offered treat from a large bowl in the centre of the table. She would let it go for now, but hopefully she would be able to convince Tai that he was the best person to look after her training.
She had failed miserably. During the few days Tai had let her adjust to her new, apparently underground somewhere, home she had repeatedly tried to change his mind. Each time he had changed the subject or completely ignored the request.
To make matters worse she hadn't even seen or heard from this Yamato since that first incident in the kitchen. She didn't even know what he looked like for goodness sake! Any and all attempts to enter his room had been ignored and she was this close to breaking the door down.
On the plus side her and Calista had started to hit it off over the most unlikely of things. She had been unpacking her bag, turns out that room she woke up in was actually hers and Tai had slipped her bag under the bed so she hadn't seen it when she woke up, when Calista had peered in through her open door and spotted her froggy pyjamas. After that Calista had engaged her in an odd frog appreciation discussion that lasted for hours. Apparently Calista had a weakness for the small green creatures and soon warmed to Sora in the following days.
"I don't want to do this." Sora moaned, leaning against the wall by her bed. Yolei gave her a sympathetic look from her position beside her on the bed. Calista didn't react, she was standing in front of them with her arms crossed.
"Just give him a chance." Yolei said smoothly patting Sora's thigh before being pulled up by Calista and led out of the room. Sighing Sora ran her fingers through her short hair. She was wearing a thin blue blouse with several ruffles inbetween her modest bust. Her denium blue jeans were frayed at the bottom and the thin white threads lay lazily over her usual sneakers.
Closing her eyes she gingerly felt up the dagger nestling safely in its place behind her back. Her breathing quickened a little as she heard footsteps approach, stopping just beside her bed. Opening her eyes warily she had to stop herself from letting out a pleased squeak.
The man who stood before her was most possibly the most handsome creature she had ever seen. His golden locks were slightly frazzled in an effortless cool guy disarray. His pale skin seemed to glow in the stark light of the room, highlighting his smooth features which were currently contorted into a disapproving frown. He was dressed in the standard gear, the turtleneck hugging him showed off his toned muscles beneath. His cobalt blue eyes were fixated on her reddish/brown ones and he made a "tch" sound of disapproval.
"So you're the infamous Yamato?" She questioned quietly.
"Put this on." Ignoring her he spoke in a cool detached tone tossing her a blindfold and a pair of leather gloves that matched his own. Slipping the gloves on easily she scowled at the offending peice of fabric but put it on anyway.
After being led through various doors, corridors and a short elevator ride he pushed her into some sort of vehicle. The engine purred into life and he sped out of the garage only he could see.
"Where are we going?" She asked hesitantly.
"Training grounds." He answered flatly.
"Oh...what kind of training is it?"
"Weapons. Tai tells me you are already an expert in close quarter combat, I'll test that for myself later but for now we will focus on your weakness. You've never fired a gun before correct? I'll take care of that."
Flinching at his harsh tone she sighed and settled in for what turned out to be a long ride. By the time they reached their destination she was fast asleep leaning against the passengers door. He swung it open sending her tumbling out onto the dusty ground.
"What did you do that for!" She squealed angrily, ripping the blindfold off as she stood. He shrugged and tossed her a standard issue black handgun which she caught with ease.
"Show me what you can do." He stated pointing at several targets attached to some trees a good seven or eight metres away. They were in the middle of a circle of trees. The ground was dry and covered in sandy dust.
Snorting indignantly at him she took aim at the target with her feet apart and both hands on the gun just like she had seen in oh so many cop dramas. The recoil almost knocked her off her feet as she fired, missing the target completely.
Yamato sighed internally. This was going to be annoying, Tai just loved to bug him didn't he? Sora gave him a sheepish look and lowered her weapon.
"Sorry I've never used one of these before." She was genuinely crushed at her performance. She had wanted to prove herself so badly! Maybe it was because this guy had such little faith in her or maybe it was because this was the first time she had ever been tested but she wanted to impress him.
"Maybe this is a bad idea after all." He said flatly turning his back to her. Ducking quickly to avoid her surprising kick to his head he spun around on his heels. She went for a punch this time and he caught it easily. He was shocked when she smirked and pulled her captured hand towards herself unexpectedly dragging him along with it.
He was forced to release her to dodge her knee, flipping backwards he landed nimbly on his feet. Looking at where she previously stood he was amazed to see she had disappeared. If it had been anyone else they would have been unable to avoid her attack from above, but this was the great Yamato Ishida.
He caught her ankle, twirling her in the air so she landed on her stomach. Pinning her down with his knee on her back he grabbed her wrist and twisted it. Growling angrily she tried to right herself but every little move sent waves of hurt through her captured arm.
"You pass." She blinked casting him an astonished look when he released her. He was still frowning but she could have sworn that for a split second he almost looked pleased. "Looks like you actually have some potential."
She almost did a victory dance but resisted the urge, instead accepting the gun he had lifted off the ground and was currently handing to her. She spun around taking aim again when he moved behind her laying his hands over her own and position her legs in the proper stance. She swallowed hard as he gave instructions right into her ear.
"Calm down. Treat the weapon as an extension of your own body. Focus on your target and block out all other distractions." It was difficult to follow his words at first, what with him pressed up against her and all, but she eventually calmed down enough to try.
Everything seemed to slow down and the only thing left in her world was the target. Closing her eyes briefly she breathed a calming breath and fired, hitting it just a fraction away from the centre. Gaping at the new smoking hole she turned to see Yamato's face.
This time he really was smiling. She couldn't help but stare at the radiance of it, he looked good even with his usual scowl but that smile was something else. Catching her look he quickly schooled himself into his usual indifferent image and backed away.
"Again." He ordered. She nodded and committed the smile to memory turning back to the job at hand.
In a flash several days had passed. During this time she never quite hit the target as perfectly as she had when he helped her but she didn't miss again. They were staying in a tiny cabin just beside the training grounds, Yamato told her in as few words as possible that they would remain here until he was sure she was ready for the mission.
So far he was refraining from speaking to her as much as possible. During their meals she would frequently ask innocent questions such as where he was from or why he did what he did. He hadn't answered one and she soon learned that if she tried to press anything he would leave the eating area and lock himself in his room. Tonight she decided on a different tactic.
"Did you know I grew up in isolation? My parents had my best interests at heart but I never got to go to school or anything like that, my mom taught me everything. She's pretty smart." He nodded his understanding, taking another bite of his pasta as she continued. "It wasn't until Tai came around that I realised just how lonely I was. He was like a breath of fresh air in my stagnant world."
She waited a bit to see if he would take the bait, when he didn't she sighed and twirled her fork absentmindly. "When I heard he had died I didn't belive it for a second. Do you know why?" He raised an eyebrow at her and she leaned towards him with her elbows on the table. "Because my dad was with him."
If she hadn't been watching him so closely she wouldn't have noticed him tense up for a few seconds. She resisted smirking in victory as she spoke again after a lengthy silence. "You know my father."
Yamato met her steady gaze. She thought she saw sadness flicker within those cobalt pools before he snapped them shut.
"We should get some rest..." He mumbled pushing himself up with his hands on the table.
"Wait, how do you know him?" Reaching over she laid her hand over his. Things happened so quickly after that she hardly had time to react. Tensing up he yanked his hand out from under hers and using the other he flipped the small table over sending pasta flying everywhere including her hair and clothes. At the same time he kicked the chair from under her sending her slamming into the unforgiving stone floor.
"What the hell was that for!?" She cried angrily, pushing herself off the floor and whipping her head around she froze at what she saw. He was staring at his hand in horror as if it were some kind of foreign object. He looked like a lost child, eyes impossibly wide and frightened. He was shaking, mouth opening and closing wordlessly.
She slowly picked herself off the ground gaze still fixed on his quivering form. He seemed to notice her for the first time as she rose and his shaking immediately stopped, his face once again a mask of indifference.
"Don't touch me." He said in monotone but Sora could still hear a slight quiver in his voice.
"But I touched you before remember? You helped me aim?" She said cautiously.
"No, I touched you."
"Oh...ok. I'm sorry." She whispered, fighting hard to keep her voice from shaking. She thought things were going ok between them, she had even entertained the thought that he might actually consider her a friend.
"Its not your fault. I should have warned you earlier." He rekindled the hope within her with his apologetic tone. "I'm going to get some sleep."
"Sure thing." She smiled as he left before collapsing back onto the floor. What the hell was that? If she had been mildly curious about him before then she was doubly so now. She was determined to find out more about him no matter what. But for now she busied herself with cleaning up the mess he had left behind.
The next day Yamato conducted her training like nothing had ever happened and, not wanting to relive it either, she didn't say anything. She was practicing on moving targets, at least landing a glancing blow on every one.
Yamato was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed watching her carefully. Her progress was exceptional, in the short week they had been here she had improved dramatically, so much so that he believed she could handle the weapon in actual combat. He wasn't looking forward to how smug Tai was going to be when he gave the results on their return.
Quirking one eyebrow he watched curiously as she paused, several targets passed without her firing and he was about to bark at her for stopping when she let out several shots, each one landing dead center. She spun around and gave him a triumphant smile. Blinking in surprise he smiled back before realising what he was doing and quickly looked away.
He was beginning to feel really comfortable around her and this scared him. He didn't let anyone get close, not after the events of his childhood. It had taken him over a year to accept Tai and that might not even have happened if the circumstances had been different.
She started shooting again and he did everything he could not to stare at her. The way her hair swayed in the breeze, the sun glinting off her toned, tanned arms flexing with every recoil. A woman had never looked this good to him before and he had no idea why. When he had first seen her sitting on that bed with her eyes closed he had just thought of her as another face, someone who would mean nothing to him for the duration of their relationship.
His gaze drifted down to the curve of her back, following it down to her firm-what the hell was he thinking?! Shaking any hormonal thoughts he pushed himself off the tree.
"Continue with that, I'm going to take a shower."
Sora watched him go, trying hard not to ogle him too much even though she definitely appreciated watching him leave. Shaking her head much the same way he had she turned back to the task at hand.
"You're ready." Sora gave him a questioning glance, her gun still held out in front of her cocked and ready. "Go get your things, we leave in an hour."
After packing up her small bag she jumped into the jeep waiting for him expectantly. He climbed in beside her at the designated time and started the car.
"No blindfold?" She said flatly. He actually smirked in response. "Do you want one?"
"No!" She squealed. He shook his head, once again scowling, and drove off. Sora noted with surprise when they returned to base they were actually in the centre of Agu in an underground facility. She had been here so many times before and they had been right under her feet! Why hadn't Tai contacted her earlier?
"Welcome back!" Tai was positively jubilant when he spotted them seizing Sora in a tight bear hug. She laughed and shoved him off, watching with curiosity as he moved on to Yamato. They just shared a look and Tai nodded in approval.
"Since you've got Yama's seal of approval its time for the mission briefing." Tai turned serious leading them into the kitchen where everyone else was already seated plus a new face to Sora. He was tall with wide rim glasses over his dark eyes and short dark blue hair. He was wearing a dark blue blazer over a crisp white shirt and dark tie. A large map of the city from above was lying across the table with several red circles dotted over it.
"Alright everyone heres the plan. The execution is taking place here in Koro square." Tai pointed at a large circle in the center of the city. "The officials are planning on making an example of the prisoners so theres going to be a big crowd, we're going to take advantage of this. Joe is going to drive our rescue vehicle disguised as a news truck right up to the stage. We already have the necessary papers in case you run into security." He nodded at the new face who nervously fiddled with his glasses.
"You sure this is going to work?" Joe said shakily.
"Yes, I wouldn't ask you if I wasn't sure." Tai smiled comfortingly before continuing. "Calista will be with you posing as your cameraman, after I intiate the distration by rescuing Yolei's older sister she will take out the remaining security and save the prisoners. You will both use the van to escape, Calista will take a bike and ride behind you to take out any pursuers."
"So you're going to just make it look like you're helping one person to throw them off?" Sora mused.
"Exactly. This is were you come in Sora." Sora paid extra attention as he continued. "We chose Yolei's older sister for several reasons. We already know what she will be wearing, her height and body type. The only problem is her hair but when I nab her I'll give her a helmet. You are going to take her place." He pointed to another red circle futher up the map. "You and Yama will be waiting here, when I drive past you both are going to go out in my place and take out the tail here." He pointed to a circle covering a bridge.
"Why can't you just do it? Why do we need to replace you at all?" Sora questioned. Tai gave her a deathly serious look. "Because you are trained. Yolei's sister is a civilian. Yolei is going to set charges under the bridge and Yamato will be in charge of detonation." Sora nodded, the situation was sinking in giving her a sickly feeling.
Tai switched back to his usual carefree demeanor and flopped down onto his chair. "Oh Sora this is Joe, he's our medic. He's not a full fledged agent and only comes over when we need him. This will be his first time in the field too."
"Pleased to meet you." Joe said politely.
"Why can't I be a part of the mission, its my sister out there!" Yolei whined.
"Sorry kiddo you are way too young to handle this type of situation. Besides how will we get anything done without our brilliant mechanic around?" Tai laughed ruffling the younger girls hair who pouted in response.
Yamato stood and quietly exited. If asked he would never admit it but he was nervous for his new charge. This was new to him as well, never pausing for worry before or during missions for himself but suddenly being all upset over one girl? It was strange and he decided he just needed some sleep.
Noticing him slip out Sora gave a sigh of disappointment. In the two weeks they had spent together she had learned nothing other then he really, really doesn't like being touched.
"I wonder why?" She didn't realise she had said that aloud until she noticed everyone had stopped talking and were staring at her. She yelped in embarrassment, he face turning a deep shade of red.
"What are you talking about?" Tai asked cheerfully.
"Oh its nothing, just a weird reaction I got from Yamato." The room was immediately filled with an awkward silence. It carried on for a few minutes before it was broken by Joe clearing his throat.
"I think I better get going, my wife is waiting for me."
"Yeah, see you in a few days." Tai shook Joes hand before he left. Hikari and Yolei left the room together giggling about something to do with Tai and a cake leaving Sora with Calista and Tai. As soon as the door clicked shut behind them Tai stretched out and Calista leaned forward.
"What did he do?" Calista asked, urgency in her tone. Sora gave them both a quizzical look before responding. "Nothing really...he just freaked out when I touched him."
Tai face palmed and groaned while Calista stood shaking her head. "No one told you? I thought Tai had said something or I would have done it myself!"
"I forgot ok? He's been so much better recently." Tai sighed.
"Whats the matter with him anyway?" Sora asked, the direct approach hadn't worked so maybe she could get some answers out of them.
"Thats for him to tell you in his own time." Tai answered sympathetically. Sighing she nodded in agreement and made to stand but Tai pulled her back down. "What to stay and chat? It's been ages and we haven't yet caught up." sinking back into her seat they started talking animatedly hardly noticing Calista slip out of the room with a frown.
The next few days passed by in a blur of nerves and laughter. Sora spent most of her time hanging out with Tai either in his room or hers, talking about old times and playing games like children. It was a lot of fun but she missed Yamato a bit, the others would visit often especially Hikari and Yolei who loved playing games with them, but he had sealed himself in his room again. The only times she saw him were when he came to eat but he never spoke.
Today was the day. Joe and Calista had already headed out with the van. Looking herself over several times in the mirror Sora sighed loudly. She was worried this wouldn't work, Tai had assured her the yellow T-shirt and tight red trousers combo would be worn by the girl she was replacing but having everything hanging on her clothes was unnerving.
"You ready?" Yamato was leaning against the open doorway watching her through the corner of his eye. Frowning at his cold tone she stomped past him. "Of course I am."
"I'm the senior agent here, anything I say goes you got that?" He demanded. Twitching in annoyance she strode forward. "Yes sir." She said sarcastically.
Tai was waiting beside two identical motorbikes in the underground garage. Yamato shook his hand and Tai pulled him into a hug. Sora waited for him to lash out but he did nothing of the sort, instead pulling back with a smile and patting Tai's shoulder.
"Not today." Yamato said solidly.
"Not today." Tai repeated locking eyes with him. Sora watched with interest as they nodded in unison, Tai gave her a quick hug before putting on his bikers helmet and mounting his vehicle. "Take care of her Yama." With that and a roar from his engine he was gone.
Yamato handed her a helmet with a distinct red stripe before placing his own, identical to Tai's, on his head. It was much lighter then she expected, it almost felt like there was nothing on her head at all. She was fumbling with the clasp so, with a small sigh of annoyance, Yamato did it for her. Delicate fingers lightly brushed her chin and she stood in place for a while afterwards in a surprised daze.
"Did you hear me?" She was snapped back into the real world by his insistant words. "These helmets are specially made by Yolei to double as breathing apparatus. See that little bottle on the side?" He pointed to his own and she instinctively reached up to feel hers. "That's your oxygen. The bridge we are crossing is about forty metres across, when we lead the tail onto it we're going to craah through the wall into the deep moat below. After that we will use an underwater tunnel to get back in the city. Push this button here to activate the apparatus."
She nodded at his orders adrenaline already rushing through her veins at the thought of the mission. Tai certainly had trusted her with what seemed to be the most dangerous part but instead of feeling unlucky she felt honored. Yamato gestured to the seat behind him, swallowing hard she got on.
Teetering delicately on the very edge of the seat so as to not touch him at all she heard him chuckle softly before pulling her hands around his waist. She carefully leaned against him and smiled into his back when he didn't react. They sped off, she enjoyed the feeling of the wind against her legs as they travelled along until they stopped in an alley to wait it out.
Tai wasn't nervous for himself, he'd done many more dangerous missions then this during his time after all, he was nervous for his new team member. He was also worried about Joe who had never really wanted to be involved in anything like this before.
Joe was their medic, he only came to the base when someone was injured so badly Hikari couldn't help with her limited nursing knowledge. So far it had only happened once...and that was quite a few years back.
His worry for Sora was more prominent though. Sure she was in very capable hands but seeing her again had brought back previously buried feelings. Perhaps it was because her father had been such a source of wisdom and strength for him for so long, especially when they were forced into hiding, that his feelings were clawing their way back like a parasite. He had known then, and still knows now, that she has never felt the same way and probably never would.
Then again a guy could dream right? Besides she was reacting well to him, even letting him hang out in her room. Sure it was in a platonic friendship kind of way but still, maybe the thought just hadn't crossed her mind. Deciding he would do something about that after the mission he focused on the task at hand, slowly inching his way along the road toward the podium.
The prisoners were all on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs and black bags over their heads. A large crowd was milling about whispering words of fear to one another. Tai was proud none of his people were cheering, instead most looked horrified or angry.
He focused on the podium as the executioner, a masked man with a rifle, stepped up onto the stage. Growling lowly in the back of his throat Tai moved forward holding the butt of his gun. He froze when a woman with short spiky red hair shooting in random directions stepped up beside the executioner. Her eyes were the same colour as her hair and was wearing a tan colored wife beater, baggy combat camaflodge trousers and black lace up army boots. Following her closely was a shorter boy with short dark brown spikey hair and same colored eyes. He was wearing clothing just like hers but was very tan while she was quite pale. They both had badges with the Shin insignia, the woman had three silver stars above hers while the boy had only one.
Jun and Davis Motomiya, the most feared sibling soldier duo in both Shin and Zui. It was rumored even their comrades feared their cruelty and lust for bloodshed. During the war as mere children they had somehow clawed their way into the soldiers ranks, working their way up to the top. Tai had tangled with them several times and was always lucky to get away.
Shit, this wasn't wihin the calculations! The overseers were supposed to be nothing special! It was too late to bail now, he could only hope that at least Jun would pursue him, he had faith in Calista's ability to handle Davis. He was more rash then his sister and therefore easy to predict.
In one smooth motion Tai leapt onto the stage throwing a smoke bomb at the executioner. Firing two rounds in the confusion he successfully finished off the man. His helmet had special specks allowing him to see through the smoke so he quickly found his target, undid her bonds and flung her over his shoulder. He had to stumble backward when a foot flew at him through the fog followed by maniacal laughter.
Jun. Somehow she seemed able to see him just fine and dodging was nearly impossible with his charge, shooting at her several times bought him the time he needed. Leaping off the stage he ran over to his bike and shoved the helmet onto the girls head just as the smoke dissipated.
"Looks like a rat has snuck its way in." Jun cackled raising her machine gun. Machine gun?! Where in the world did she get that! The crowd screamed at the site of it and started pouring out of the square. Tai swore under his breath and drove into the opening of an alley with machine gunfire hitting the ground just centimetres away from his speeding vehicle. When he heard more cackaling and the roar of another engine he continued on.
Glancing over his shoulder he saw Jun chasing on a motorbike followed by two jeeps, she was grinning madly and had swapped her machine gun for two uzi's. How could she drive and shoot at the same time!? This is why he hated battling these guys, they were insane!
Meanwhile Calista had exited the van, she had seen Davis speed off in an opposite direction from Tai but had no time to worry about that now. Taking out the remaining guards almost seemed too easy as she helped the former prisoners into the van. Some of them were elderly and some were just children. Instead of being thankful how smoothly their job had gone she was nothing but worried as Joe sped off.
Swerving again to dodge more gunfire Tai's passenger screamed and held onto him tighter. The tradeoff point was only a little ways away now but he wasn't so sure about it anymore. Turning the corner he spotted Yamato and Sora and threw his last smoke bomb. He frowned as they sped off, he knew Yamato could handle it, but Sora? He cursed a few more times as he ducked behind the garbage container and shut off the engine. For a few tense minutes he just listened to the squealing of tires and gunfire until everything went quiet. The girl started sobbing into his back and he shook his head. "Please keep her safe Yama!" he pleaded internally.
"Crap." Sora perked up at Yamato's swear as they took over the tail. "What?" She yelled over the roar of engines and crackle of gunfire.
"That's Jun Motomiya. This might get tricky." Yamato somehow still sounded calm even when yelling. Unclasping a gun from his thigh he handed it to Sora. "Shoot the tires."
"What? I've never shot a moving target from a moving vehicle before!" Several bullets went whizzing past her head as she countered.
"You can do it, you have talent!" Dispite the situation and her fear she took the gun with a blush at the compliment. Aiming behind her she saw an insane woman on a police motorbike laughing away and emptying round after round at them. Yamato's movements were jerky and the first shot she fired completely missed. Focusing like she had been taught she took out one of the jeeps tires. It swerved colliding with the second jeep and exploded in a flash of red fire and smoke.
Pumping her fist into the air in a victory gesture proved to be a mistake. Jun had swerved but remained upright during the explosion and took a shot at Sora's head. It hit the oxygen bottle and Sora went reeling onto Yamato's back, the pain from the richochet effect rattling around her temple.
Yamato turned the corner for the bridge and his heart sank at what he saw. Waiting on the other side with several jeeps was Davis Motomiya. How did they know they were going to use this bridge? Cursing he tossed several flash bombs behind him causing Jun to slow to a stop. They would have to hit the water sooner then anticipated.
"Ready for a swim?" He asked. Sora moaned and he turned to see her, it was then he noticed the missing oxygen. "Shit..." Turning the bike on its side to defend from Davis's gunfire he dragged her off with him and crouched down and took off her helmet. She looked at him with confusion as he took off his own helmet and stuck it on her head.
"Wha-what are you doing?" She sounded groggy. He frowned at this.
"Change of plan, you're going on ahead."
"I can't just leave you!" She protested during more gunfire, Yamato thought the bike must look like a pin cushion by now.
"No choice." Picking her up bridle style in ran for the bridge and threw her in without hesitation barely dodging a shot at his head.
"Oh the rat turns out to be gorgeous!" He turned to see Jun walking up to him with her hand up to signal her brother to stop shooting. "Want to come back with me? I'll treat you nice." She oozed in a disturbingly girly tone.
Pulling out his gun he pointed it at her at point blank range. If possible she grinned even wider. "Not a talker huh? It's decided I'm taking you back with me!" Laughing once again she ducked down to avoid his shots pulling her uzi's out from behind her back and returning fire. "Snot for brains shoot his legs I want him alive!" She yelled at her brother.
"Fuck you sis, don't you have enough guys back at the base?"
"Not as hot as him!"
Cringing at the conversation Yamato closed the gap between him and Jun in the blink of an eye. She was still grinning during his succesive punches and jabs, he was lightning fast and landed quite a few but she just laughed them off. Pulling him into an unexpected hug she pecked his cheek before dropping her uzi and producing a knife out of nowhere. Breaking free he only got a gash on his upper arm from the attack and delivered a crunching uppercut to her chin.
Staggering backward she cackled some more and started firing at him again. He leapt and ran toward Davis to dodge her fire but Davis started shooting as well forcing him back into the centre of the bridge. "Come on cutie why not just come like a good little doggy~?" Jun sing-songed.
Grasping his injured arm he felt the blood running through his gloved fingers. Turning to Jun he watched her sway and laugh, walking towards him in an odd staggering pattern. He felt the familiar rush of energy flowing through his body and he bit his lip to contain it, it was clawing at his mind begging him to lose it, to take her out. He didn't want or need it, he could take care of her without it. She came at him and he fainted a punch, instead grabbing her wrist which held her remaining weapon and twisting it behind her back. The uzi was sent clattering to the ground and she howled in pain.
"Bad dog." She was angry now, pure rage taking over her features. He was alarmed when she turned her arm into his hold dislocating it to get free. Jumping away from her backward kick he narrowly avoided several more shots from Davis. She stood before him glaring angrily before shoving her arm back into its socket with a scream that almost sounded like more laughter.
"Dipshit! Only I get to hurt my sister got it!?" With that Davis produced a bazooka. Staring at it in disbelief Yamato ran forward while Jun ran back. Yamato narrowly avoided it as it went sailing past him, using Davis's head as a stepping stone he leapt into the air just as the bazooka hit the bridge detonating the charges. The explosion was massive and sent everyone near the bridge flying, vehicles and all.