Kyouko and Ren made certain to hide their smiles.
Kaname was looking at her newly purchased whistle with dreamy eyes, brushing her finger tips across its polished silver surface. She had to fight back the urge to put it to her lips and give it an authoritative blow.
It was the perfect tool and sign of authority for a Class Representative.
Kyouko looked at Ren and winked.
"Are you certain you want to take this responsibility upon yourself, Kaname? After all, you must be exhausted after the planning you did." Ren's question was purely rhetorical. That was asking a duck whether it liked to swim.
"I'm certain we could find someone else to keep the class in line. Sousuke seems capable, and he is very well disciplined." Kyouko fought back a smile.
"Sousuke?" Kaname was dragged out of her peaceful reverie. "Sousuke!" She started to clench and unclench her fist.
Kyouko had said the magic word.
"Uh huh." Kyouko answered. "He seems to do his best at any task that he's assigned."
"Especially if you are the one assigning it." Ren smiled at her disgruntled friend
"Sure. Right. Great!" Kaname scowled. "He would be the perfect choice...... if you want to blow up the bus...... turn the hotel into a smoldering ruin.....or make an assault on the museum. I can just picture what would happen to priceless paintings and sculptures. Yes girls... we might as well ask a wolf to guard the sheep while you are at it. Hmmpphh."
"Well then, why not Miss Okibasu. She is a teacher, after all." Ren's question was reasonable. "Isn't she the obvious choice, since no parents volunteered for this trip and our other chaperon fell ill."
"Ren, sometimes one person simply has to make sacrifices for the good of another." Kaname stopped short of preening. "You know Miss Okibasu is new to the school, and she's just finished going through a divorce. She simply does not need to take on any more stress at the moment. Miss Kagurazaka already had plans, as did the other veteran teachers. Otherwise, I doubt that Miss O would have signed on with all the problems that she has to deal with.""
"Well then, Kaname, since you will be doing the room assignments for the hotel, are you going to do something like they did on G.T.O.? You know, boys rooming with girls?" Kyouko readied her camera. The flash was charged. "You could put Sousuke in your room. Or in an adjacent room with a door leading to yours...." Kyouko's face was the picture of innocence.
"Sousuke?" Kaname's eyes bulged. She started working her jaw. "Sousuke, in my room?" A plastic whistle would have cracked in her hand. "SOUSUKE!?!?!" She yelled louder and shriller than she wanted too.
It almost sounded as if she were in pain.
The girls blinked as a black flash passed before their eyes.
It was Sousuke.
There was a startled grunt, and the sound of something falling. A box landed on Kaname's head, split open, and emptied its contents.
"Kaname! I have neutralized the attacker. Are you hurt?" Sousuke stood triumphantly, one foot pinning an unconscious pizza delivery man to the ground. Nine out of ten boxes that the unfortunate man had been carrying were scattered across the side lawn of the school. "It was only through good fortune that I was near enough to hear your cry for help."
"Rrrrrggghhh-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h...." Kaname peeled a piece of pizza off of her favorite blouse, and fought to extract a piece tangled in her hair. Pepperoni was stuck to one lobe like an earring. Anchovies looked like they were part of the pattern on her scarf. Her shoes looked somewhat less than appetizing, covered with onions and green pepper.
"Attacker? Attacker? DOES... THAT... LOOK... LIKE... AN... ATTACKER?!! "Kaname reached into her bag to grab her halisen. "The only attacker here was you, Sgt. Stupidity. When was the last time you read about a high school girl being assaulted by a pizza delivery man?" Mt. Vesuvius would have looked at Kaname with unabashed jealousy.
Grinning, Kyouko and Ren took a couple of steps backward. Kyouko stopped....ran back...snagged a few pieces of pepperoni pizza... then returned to a safe distance.
"Miss Chidori, I do not expect you to be well versed in my area of expertice. In Belgrade, summer of '96, three government officials and a small dog were ambushed and killed by a terrorist posing as a pizza delivery boy. In Liverpool, fall of '98, a Sicilan pie contained enough plastic explosive to destroy a district police staition. In Manilla, spring of '99..." Sousuke was not able to finish his lecture.
Swi-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-sh. SMACK!!!
"Yes, Sousuke. How very informative. Here's another news flash one for you. After assaulting an innocent pizza delivery man, a Jindai Highschool student was found with every bone in his body broken." Kaname flexed her tingling fingers..
"Kaname, that is highly unlikely. Of the 206 bones in the adult body, it would be simple enough to break most of the bones in the axial and appendicular groupings. However, it would be unlikely for the three bones in each ear... the incus or anvil; malleolus or hammer; and stapes or stirrup... to be broken in this setting."
"Let's............ just........... see........... about............. that..........." Kaname's brow furrowed.
Sousuke took a few steps backwards out of instinct. Unconvinced by the obvious evidence, he took a moment to make certain that the 'pizza delivery boy' did not appear to have a conceled accomplice or back-up.
Fine.
No danger.
Other than Kaname Chidori.
Watching as Sousuke backed away from her, Kaname put away her halisen. It sometimes felt as if she were using that method a bit too much. She smiled, thinking of another suitable chastisement. She put her whistle to her lips and blew, loud. "Sousuke Sagara, stand at attention. Now, soldier!!!"
As a creature of habit, Sousuke immediately snapped to attention.
Kaname put on an extremely wicked smile.
Kyouko and Ren looked at each other and shook their heads.
What was it going to be this time?
"To the nearest wall, soldier. DOUBLE TIME!!!" Fire in her eyes, Kaname began running Sousuke. "Right... left... right... left... faster!"
Reaching the wall, Sousuke turned to look at Kaname, a question on his face.
"Now, you will bang your head against that wall ten times. Each time you do, you will shout "I will not tackle pizza delivery men ever again." Do you understand me?!" Kaname's hands were folded across her chest.
"But Kaname, that order makes no sense. It could cause me considerable injury...."
"A lot of things can cause injury, Sousuke...." Kaname had tried to go cold turkey. It was too hard. That delivery man could be seriously injured. Somewhere, a large group of people would not be getting their order.
Her hair!
Her blouse!!
Her favorite shoes!!!
WHAM!!!
"Now, Sousuke!" Kaname's voice cracked like a whip.
Ren and Kyouko looked on and sighed. Abusive relationships were so passe. But, they were afraid to bring that up.
Thud.
Sousuke banged his head against the bricks.
"I will not tackle pizza delivery men ever again...unless they look suspicious or..."
"INCORRECT!" Again, the halisen.
SMACK!!!
Thud.
"I will not tackle pizza delivery men ever again... unless they are threatening Miss Chidori..."
WHAM!!!
"WRONG!!!" Paper fan time.
Thud.
"I will not tackle pizza delivery men again."
Thud.
"I will NOT tackle pizza delivery men again."
Thud.
Kyouko and Ren closed their eyes. They couldn't bear watching Sousuke follow Kaname's orders in that fashion.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
"Excellent. Good work, soldier. Now, drop down and give me ten!" Kaname stood with her hands on her hips, a demonic light in her eyes. She walked onto Souske's back after he assumed the position.
"But..."
"NOW!!!" Kaname needed to finish things up without too much more delay. There was so much to get done.
WHACK!!!
"One............ two............ three............four............"
Kyouko and Ren walked by, headed back inside, nibbling on pizza. "Maybe we should select Sousuke to lead us." Kyouko took up a sprinter's stance.
"He did do a great job getting us food." Ren smiled sweetly.
Kaname whirled, glaring at her friends. "Kyouko!" Kaname blew her whistle. "Ren!" She blew it again.
Kyouko took off running.
Ren just shook her head.
x x x x x x x x x x x
The entire class was gathered in the gymnasium.
Each student had his or her suitcase at the ready, as the field trip would take them a fair distance across Japan. Some of the students were clustered together, chattering with excitement. Other students sat on their luggage, watching their watches or fidgeting impatiently. A couple of boys had found a basketball and were shooting hoops.
Sousuke, apart from everyone else, rummaged through his large black sack, checking weapons, communications gear, First Aid kits, and homing beacons. His clothes were crammed down at the bottom of the bag, along with a toothbrush and a shaving kit.
To save space, the shaving cream would double as tooth paste.
The decision had been simple.
It was toothpaste...or an extra clip of 7.62.
Kaname passed back and forth briskly, too wound up to stand still. She had her whistle around her neck. Earlier that day, Kyouko had joked that she, Ren, and Mizuki should try to find Kaname one of those light-up batons that emergency workers used. Kaname had overheard, made several phone calls,but came away disappointed. The whistle would have to suffice.
But, her spirits rose as soon as it was time to show everyone how lucky they were to have her in charge of things.
When Miss Okibasu started to walk to the head of the room, Kaname rushed up and blew her whistle.
Tweeee eeee eeee eeeee eeee eeee eeeeee eeeee eeee eeee eeee eeeee eeeee eeeee eeeee eeeeeeee eeeeee eee eeeeee eeeee eee eeeee eeeee eee eeee eeeee eeeeee eeeeet!!!!!!
"All right everybody, lets all gather round." Kaname stood next tothe cringing teacher, surveying the room.
Twee eeeee eeeee eeee eeeeee eeee eeee eeeee eeeeee eeeeee eeeeee eeee eeee eeee eee eeeee eeee eeee eeee eeee eeeee eeeeee eee eeeeee eeeeee eeeee eeeee eeee eeet!!!!!!
"Now, you should all give your full attention to Miss Okibasu!" The look on Kaname's face made it clear what might happen to anyone who did not toe the line.
Speaking together in whispered tones, a number of boys decided to have fun at Kaname's expense, in typical schoolboy fashion.
"My... my... my... ain't she good at blowing that thing...."
"Yup. You betcha. The rumors might be true after all. Bathroom walls never lie...."
"I bet she got good at that by...."
Thud thud thud
The three boys dropped quicly out of view.
"Wow, Sousuke. That was awesome. If I had blinked, I would have missed it." Shinji had stars in his eyes.
Kaname was red in the face.
She had started off thoroughly embarrassed, then became enraged when she realized what Sousuke had done. Miss Okibasu started to ask the class to settle down, but Kaname got there first.
Tweeee eeeee eee eeeee eee eee eeeee eee eeee eee eeee eeee eee eeeee eee eeeeeee ee eeee eeeeee ee eeee eeee eeee eee eee eeee ee eeeee ee eeee eeeeee eeee eeee!!!!!
"Sousuke Sagara, report to the front of the room immediately." Kaname began tapping her left foot furiously as she took off her whistle and began spinning it around her finger.
Miss Okibasu sighed, but didn't have the energy to say anything.
"What is it Miss Chidori?" Sousuke stood at attention, his bag now at his feet.
"Could you please explain to the class exactly what it was you were doing? And why?" Kaname should have known better.
"Certainly. It is not a problem. Three boys were attempting to disrupt matters, by making inferences at your expense. No doubt they intended to repeat many of the things written about you in the Boys' Room. For example, one piece of graffiti said...."
Tweee eeee eee eeeee eeeee eeee eeeee eeee eeeee eeee eeee eeeee eeee eeeee eeeeeee eeeeee eeee eeeee eeeeee eeeee eeeeee eeee eeee eeee eeee eeeee eeeee eeeeeee!!!!
The class began roaring with laughter.
Kaname went from rose pink to beet red. Miss Okibasu looked crossly at Kaname's whistle. Maya gave Ryo a high five, but pulled her hand away when Mizuki tried to do the same thing. Kyouko put a new battery in her camera.
"Ah. For the sake of expediency, I shall continue, without making references to the poorly scribbled reports of your bulky thighs...misshapen breasts... or nocturnal sexual escapades with various animal species." Sousuke nodded his head, proud that he did not fall into his usual trap of talking about items that were not entirely germane to the situation..
Shinji began squeezing his legs tightly together. He had laughed so hard at Sousuke's innocent comment that he almost peed his pants.
"What I was doing was Bujutsu, the martial arts used by the Samurai. Why I was doing it was Bushido, the Way of The Warrior, a code of action encompassing loyalty, justice, sense of shame, manners, purity, modesty, and honor. Bushido came out of Buddhism, Zen, Confucianism, and Shintoism. Specifically, from Buddhism it got...." Sousuke's impromptu lecture ended before it had a chance to begin.
Tweeeee eeeeee eeeee eeee eeeee eeeee eeee eeeee eeeeee eeeee eeeee eeee eeeee eeee eeeee eeeeee eeee eeeeee eeeee eeeee eeee eeeee eeee eeeee eeee eeeeee eeee!!!!
"Thank you for telling us way more than we ever wanted to know. You... and everyone else... should give your full attention to the Teacher." Kaname put the whistle in her mouth again.
Miss Okibasu took the whistle away.
The class applauded for three minutes straight.
Kaname's posture slumped more and more with each passing moment.
Seeing the look on Kaname's face, the young teacher could not bring herself to appropriate the noisy implement. She handed it back to Kaname with a look that spoke volumes.
Kaname stuffed the whistle into her skirt pocket.
"In orderly fashion, I would like to see the entire class volunteer for the various necessary duties." As Miss Okibasu read off various tasks, everyone remained silent. When she was finished, she looked very disappointed.
Kaname looked irate.
"Miss Chidori, since we failed to get any volunteers, would you please assign the duties." The teacher kept her eyes on Kaname's whistle.
Gleefully, Kaname gave each and every student an assignment, telling them that said duties would last the duration of the trip. Actually, everyone except Sousuke hadbeen given a job..
"Miss Chidori, should I assume that I will be handling the security matters. You did not assign me a duty on this mission!" Sousuke was standing with a rigid posture, eyes intense.
"Sousuke...Sousuke....Sousuke....how could I forget about you?" Kaname said. Under her breath she said, "No matter how hard I try....". She walked over to stand in front of him. "I have the perfect job. While the rest of us are gone, you can stay at Jindai and make certain that our classrooms remain safe. Someone may wish to lay traps while we are gone."
Snickers and hushed titters spread amongst the assembled students.
Sousuke rubbed his chin for a moment.
"I see. That would be an honorable task. It is good to see that you are finally thinking in the appropriate manner. Congratulations." He continued, paying no attention to the look on Kaname's face. "However, I am aware of a problem. If I were to stay here, I would be unable to accompany you on the trip."
Sousuke's face was very serious.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Well, Sousuke, that is simply a sacrifice the rest of us will just have to be willing to live with. Now that we have everything settled..." Kaname smirk would have driven a hyena wild with jealousy.
"Miss Chidori...." The teacher's look clearly showed her disapproval. She tapped her watch, letting Kaname know it was time to wrap things up.
"Well, let's see. Do we need a garbage detail on this outing, Miss Okibasu?" Kaname fought to keep from smiling.
"No."
"Ah. That's probably just as well. Sousuke was in charge of that job on the last trip." Kaname was silent for a while. The trip to Okinawa had gone horribly awry. No one there would want to think about that now.
This trip had been hastily thrown together to make up for the opportunites lost during the kidnapping disaster.
"Let........... me........... see..........." Kaname began, only to be interrupted by Kyouko.
"P-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-t, Kaname" Kyouko was waving furiously, trying to get her friends attention. "Sousuke could help Miss Okibasu arrange details for the food."
"Kyouko?" Kaname pursed her lips.
"Pizza...." Kyouko smiled, turning to give Ren a large smile.
Kaname's hands clenched. She put the whistle back to her lips..
Tweeee eeeee eeee eeeee eeee eeeee eeeee eee eeeeee eeee eeee eeeee eeee eeeee eeee eeee eeeee eeeee eeee eee eee eeeee eee eeeeee eee eeeeee eeeee eee eeee eee!!!!
The class had reached its limit. Like a heard of wildebeest confronted by a hunting lioness, the assembled group of students burst for the door as one.
A few unfortunate students were trampled. Some pulled muscles or tore clothing.
Sousuke calmly headed out towards the bus.
Miss Okibasu took a bottle of tranquilizers out of her purse. Grimacing, she swallowed one dry. Hearing the shrill call of the whistle outside, she took a couple more.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x
A gargoyle scowling from the heights of the Notre Dame cathedral would have seemed more friendly and approachable than Kaname, as she checked each student aboard the bus.
"Too many bags. Choose two to leave behind. Immediately."
"Ditch the Physics book. There will be no school work allowed on board the bus! Sheesh!"
"Your hair is too long. There is time for a quick haircut. Go find the groundskeeper. Pronto!"
"Get rid of that T-shirt. I can't stand Puffy Amiyumi. Bleh."
"You bring enough of that Pocky to feed everyone.? No? Confiscated!"
"Turn that music player off! 'Ghost in The Shell' soundtrack? Ugh. Nerds to the back of the bus. Over there... Gundam fans... off the bus!!!"
"What y-e-a-r did you last bathe in? Run! Go take a shower. Forget about that. Not enough time. Take some soap and jump in the carp pool."
"No. No. No. No. Fashion di-sas-ter. Oh sorry, it's you Miss Okibasu. There was something in my eye. Really, it's OK."
And so it went.
Kaname's tyrannical approach was wearing thin. Still, everyone with a window seat had reason to smile. The end of the long queue of students was nearing an end. Only Sousuke remained.
The anticipation was overwhelming.
What would she do to him?
Twee eee eeee eeee eeeeeee eeee eeee eeeeee. Twee eee eeeee eee eeee eee eeee eee!!!!
"OK, Sousuke. HALT! Put the bag down. Spread'em!" Kaname swung the halisen back and forth slowly, like a pendulum.
Sousuke dropped his bag. If fell heavily and landed on Kaname's foot.
"OUCH!!!" Kaname hopped about on one foot, biting her lip.
"My apologies. Too much starch. I shall inform the woman at the laundromat." Sousuke stood, legs spread wide, arms behind his head.
A number of students jimmied the locks on the bus windows and opened them. "Go Sousuke!" some wit shouted. His call was answered by a lot of cheers and snickers.
"SOUSUKE...you...you..." Aware that she was under observation, Kaname fought to maintain her composure. "We'll get to that damn bag in a minute. First, I need to make certain there are no concealed weapons." She ran her hands in a patting action along Sousuke's legs.
A wolf whistle rang out.
"Oh yeh! Strip Search!" It was Mizuki's voice. A camera flash went off. Kaname did not need to look to know who was responsible. There was a lot of hooting and hollering from the girls on the bus. Kaname fought to maintain her composure.
She couldn't afford to lose control of the situation.
"You missed his crotch. Who knows what he might hide in there?" Another girl had gotten into the act.
"Uh..." Kaname blushed furiously. Her hand trembled and moved in response to her classmate's suggestion.
She stopped.
"If you...uh...need...uh....assistance, Kaname...I uh...can help..." Sousuke began to pull down on the zipper at his fly, beads of sweat forming all over his brow.
"NO!!!" Kaname slapped his hand away. "This is silly, I should just trust you, right?" Kaname stood up, took a deep breath, and flipped back her hair.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-O-O-O-O-O. "The class had voiced its opinion as one.
"I do not wish for you to complain later that I misled you, Miss Chidori..." Sousuke continued pulling down the zipper.
Tweee eee eeee eeee eeee eeeee eeeee eeeee eee eee eee eee eee!!!!
"Hands off, soldier. That's an ORDER!" Kaname slapped the halisen against her leg.
"Yes, Kaname."
"OK. Now. The bag. Sousuke, what is in there? It had better not be weapons. We will not be taking the entire Arsenal Of Democracy with us on a school trip!"
"There is clothing in here, Chidori." Sousuke spoke the truth.
Partly.
"That is an awful lot of clothing. Mighty heavy, too. No weapons, Sousuke?" She watched his face very closely, to see if she could catch him in a lie. If the whole class wasn't watching, she would have tripped Sousuke and jumped on the bag.
"Kaname, clothes can be used as weapons by a Specialist! For example, a woman's brassiere can be used as a sling. Silk stockings and lead weights make a good sap. A woman's silk undergarments..." From the tone of his voice, it sounded as if Sousuke had an exhaustive list.
"BAKA!!! Enough. We don't have time for this nonsense. Just get on the bus without causing any trouble." Kaname would check the bag later. She smiled, thinking evil thoughts.
One never knows just what might get misplaced on a busy school trip.
"Hey, Sousuke. Shouldn't you check Kaname? Fairs's fair...." Shinji felt bold enough to get into the act. "Who knows what she might be concealing."
Sousuke hesitated.
"She could be an imposter." Mizuki smiled. That might work.
Sousuke's eyes narrowed, but he stood still.
"There could be another whistle. Isn't one more than enough?!" A boy from the soccer team looked truly worried.
A number of other students actually cringed.
"Perhaps they are correct..." Sousukespoke without thinking things through. He raised his hands on level with Kaname's chest.
"PERVERT!" Kaname floored him with a fierce backhand swing, causing him to trip over his bag. She hurried onto the bus.
Boys and girls chatted happily together.
This looked as if it were going to be a fun trip.
x x x x x x xx x x x x x
As he stood in the entryway of the bus, Sousukenoted a strange noise coming from the vicinity of the bus driver. A swarm of bees? A bad engine sound?
No.
Snoring.
The door remained open. The bus remained still. The noise grew louder and louder.
"Sousuke, what are you doing? SIT DOWN!" Kaname sounded highly agitated. Her attitude and approach did not have any effect on Sousuke. Her actions did, however, provide a wonderful opening for her fellow students.
Mizuki reached over between the seats in front of her, bumped into Kyouko, then grabbed Kaname's whistle.
Tweee eeeee eeeee eee eeeeeee eeeee eee eeeeee eeeee!!!
"Sousuke! Sit down! On my lap. NOW!!!" Misuki imitated Kaname's voice with near perfection. Her fellow students laughed, giggled, and guffawed.
Kaname was about to reprimand Mizuki when other people picked up the ball and ran with it.
"SOUSUKE!!!" Maya's imitation paled in comparison.
"LAP!!!" Shinji joined in.
"N-O-W-!-!-!" Kyouko shouted louder than she had intended to, causing the snoozing old man to wake up for a brief moment.
Ever so slowly, but scary in the extreme, Kaname turned an Et tu, Kyou look on her friend. Without even looking, she reached out her hand and grabbed the whistle from Mizuki. Three names were added to her shit list. That brought the
total number to six hundred and twelve.
The first six hundred and nine names were all 'Sousuke.'
Ryo felt left out. Grinning, she called out "Psssssst. Kyouko. Kodak moment!!!"
Another name on the list.
The obsession to take picturessuperceded Kyouko's reaction to Kaname's face. The flash went off.
Kaname began to bring the whistle up. She fight the overpowering urge. She needed to show restraint. She had to set the example. She was the Class Representative!
Her arm slowly raised higher and higher.
Her lips parted in anticipation.
Light shone of the whistle, painting small bright spots on the walls of the darkened bus.
She was sweating. Her heart pounded.
It was an addiction.
Sousuke, naturally, was pretty much oblivious to nonsense going on. He continued to stare at the bus driver. "Sir? Sir???" He shook the elderly gentleman.
The man did not budge an inch.
Sousuke pulled a flash bang out of his pocket and tossed it at the driver's feet.
Wham!!!
"Hmmm... wha.... urrr.... oh. How may I help you young man?" The elderly man, eyeglass lens thicker than a coke bottle, blew his nose on his Pink Floyd '72 tour shirt.
"Sir, you were snoring!"
"Yes. Well, people do that when they are asleep, youngster. Right? Any way, don't worry........... it's not narcolepsy." The driver's eyes began closing again.
Wham!!!
"Oh. Yes. Not narcolepsy." He looked more alert this time. A little more.
"That is encouraging...." Sousuke had his hand on another noise maker.
"Course, the doctors don't know what it is...." More snoring.
"SOUSUKE! What are you doing up there?" Kaname stood up, preparing to see what kind of trouble Sousuke was causing.
"It is not a problem, Chidori. I am merely waking up the bus driver. Again."
"Oh. Good." Kaname sat down. Suddenly, Sousuke's statement hit her. "What?"
Sousuke removed a roll of wire from his pocket. He slid on a vulcanized rubber glove, then stuck one end of the wire into a power outlet on the bus dashboard. The other end went to the man's buttock.
"Oooooooh. Holy Mother of...." The driver was awake again. Sousuke left the wire in place.
"Sir, there is a question I feel compelled to ask."
"Shoot, sonny." The old man yawned, his eyelids fluttering.
"Better not put it that way." Shinji's helpful voice filtered up to the front.
"Sir, where have you done your Defensive Driving and Evasive Skills training?" Sousuke took out a small notepad.
"Huh?" The old man's eyebrows rose.
"Vance International? U.S. Marine Corps course? Driscoll Bodyguard Network?" Sousuke nodded his head, wanting to encourage the man to confide in him.
"Nope. None of those..." The old man's hair was still standing on end.
"Bobby Orr Sports? Dr. Ishihara's school? HK International?" Sousuke continued to run down his mental list.
"Can't say that I have." he opened the window and spat.
Again.
Again.
And again.
Spittle hung down from his chin to the floor. A number of girls on the bus began to turn green. "Of course, I always try to 'evade' the cars in front of me. Hitting them leads to a world of trouble. I should know that by now!"
Elsewhere in the bus, Miss Okibasu asked Kaname quietly "You did check his credentials, didn't you?"
"Yes. They said he was quiet remarkable. Always did a 'smash-up job.' I thought that meant...." Kaname had a feeling of dread deep in the pit of her stomach.
"Great. Smash up." One girl sounded truly frightened.
"We're going to die. We're ALL going to die-ie-ie-ie-ie-ie-ie." Highschool boys always tend to be helpful around frightened girls.
"Here I was, thinking you were my friend, Kaname." Ryo's grin was huge.
Kyouko pretended to pass out.
Mizuke tried to climb out a window.
Shinji held up what he was writing: 'My Last Will & Testament.'
Meanwhile, Sousuke continued his enlightening discourse with the old gentleman. "Sir, where then have you received your anti-terrorist training?"
"Sonny, to me anti-terrorist driving is putting the missus in the back seat." More spitting. He missed the window this time. "I'm just a bus driver, not some kind of spy."
"That is most unfortunate. Safety is of paramount importance." Sousuke looked disappointed.
The old man laughed. "Well, Mister particular...why don'tyou drive, then. I'm sure you can do a better job than me..."
"Affirmative. I accept your professional assessment and obligation. You may recline in the first row of seats. It will provide you with a better rest." Sousuke quickly scanned the driver's station.
Nothing too complicated.
Chuckling, the erstwhile bus driver did just as Sousuke suggested.
The young Mithril operative took his place behind the wheel.
"SOUSUKE! What are you doing. This is no time for joking. Go take your seat. NOW!!!" Kaname was standing, hands on her hips.
Luckily, she did not hear what Ren whispered to Kyouko. "He's probably a good driver. Lord knows, he's driving Kaname crazy...."
Kyouko took a picture of Sousuke in the driver's seat.
"Chidori, I am in my seat. The bus driver that you have selected is not qualified, physically or professionally."
"Oh, and you are, Sousuke?" Kaname was incredulous. Even Sousuke wouldn't go this far.
"Yes. In Afghanistan, I had ample opportunity to become adept at driving BTR-60s...... GAZ 46 jeeps...... ZIL 3 ½ ton 6x6 trucks...... the ZIL 130 4x2 version...... BAZ armored ammunition carriers...... T-64 and T-72 tanks...... and a wide variety of old model automobiles. There are other things that I pilot as well. No. Forget I mentioned that. I am NOT a pilot... merely a high school student...." Sousuke closed his eyes a moment.
He had to maintain his cover.
Only Kaname knew of the existence of Mithril. That, and the identity of a certain Sergeant.
"I don't care if you're driven the Sun god's chariot, mister! You don't even have a learner's permit, do you?" Kaname brought the whistle closer and closer to his lips.
"There are few other options, Chidori. Miss Okibasu could drive. But, she is very tired looking. We could call the agency you employed, but I hardly view them as trustworthy. They were kind enough to provide us with a bus, however." Kaname did not like the way that sounded coming out of Sousuke's lips.
"There are people that I know that I might be able to contact. That would lead to a delay of half a day at least. Yes. Perhaps that is indeed a preferable solution. That way I can sit next to you and keep you safe." Sousuke stood up and started to walk.
Kaname froze momentarily. "Sousuke. Sit back DOWN!!!! We are already behind schedule. If you have driven all that military stuff, surely you can drive a bus..."
Miss Okinbasu opened her mouth to speak. Shaking her head, she decided not to. She was still feeling somewhat down, not to mention extremely drowsy.
Whatever happened, happened.
The brakes hissed. The engine roared to life.
Blinker on, Sousuke pulled the bus away from the curb.