They Only Come Out at Night
By: Angelus Erreare
Disclaimer: All the characters featured in this fanfic belong to ATLUS USA. I own nothing.
A/N: This is another fic that is dedicated to my nutty and beautiful friend KuDu. I hope you like it.
WARNING: SEMI-AU, OOC, LANGUAGE, LEMON
Chapter 1: Mysterious Mastermind
xxxxx
Cielo grumbled and groaned, "Oh mon…Why are you punishing us dis way?!"
Heat narrowed his eyes at the green-haired man, "What the fuck is this Gale?"
Gale rolled his eyes as he continued to distribute the files to his teammates. Argilla and Serph had been no problem. They had accepted the files without question and were now scrutinizing it carefully, their noses buried within its pages diligently.
But Heat and Cielo on the other hand…
"You didn't answer my question chicken shit!" growled Heat, dangerously glaring at Gale who looked at him impassively, his eyes cold.
Gale bade his time and sat down at the table, facing Heat and Argilla, in between Serph and Cielo. He rolled his eyes, "If you would just bother to read its contents like Serph and Argilla, I am certain that you would find the answer to your question."
Argilla giggled and nudged Heat on his elbow.
"Shut up woman!" he growled at her, releasing his frustration on her.
He wasn't in luck though; the whole table soon followed.
"This is the newest training manual that I had devised." came Gale's voice, interrupting the lively chuckle that reverberated through the strategy room.
Cielo immediately flailed his hands upwards, his sapphire eyes at the ceiling, "Why oh why?" he whined, "Don't we have enough training already?!"
Serph chuckled at his childish behavior, "If we did, we would've won already."
Heat snarled at that and looked at Cielo with an evil smirk, "What's the matter? Chickening out?"
Cielo glared at him, "Well, it's not like you're any better!"
Heat immediately stood up, "You son-of-a-!"
"That's enough Heat!" Argilla yelled, grabbing his arm, forcing him to sit back down.
Gale and Serph rolled their eyes. Serph sighed, "Okay kids. That's enough. Time to get back to business. Gale," he paused, turning to look at the emerald-eyed man, "you were telling us about the new training manual."
Gale nodded, "Yes. Well, this is the updated version of our current war strategies…We have devised a-"
"Who's we?" interrupted Cielo audaciously; his blue eyes peering at Gale's emerald eyes curiously.
Here, the rest of the table was interested to know. Gale had always devised their strategies and battle plans single-handedly, and now he tells them that he had assistance? That was strange.
Something was up.
Heat raised an eyebrow, "Yeah old man, who's 'we'?"
Serph, who had been unfazed throughout the entire discussion, looked intently at the man beside him. Even if he had not said anything, his eyes divulged all that he wanted to convey; he wanted to know who it was as well.
Gale blinked, "Did I say 'we'? I meant 'I'."
Heat laughed. Wait. Did he laugh? Or did he roar?
Argilla couldn't tell. But she chuckled anyway. She too was eager to know what would happen next…
"Don't give me that crappy excuse old man! You said 'we'!" Heat said, looking at Gale accusingly.
Cielo scratched his head, "I hate to agree with de stupid one, but I have to admit…dat you did say 'we' mon. Come on ja? We won't tell…" Cielo finished, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Here, Serph and Argilla just burst out laughing. Who would've thought that Heat and Cielo would team up to corner Gale, trapping him in a conversational box; his own forte, mind bungling interrogation?
Serph grinned at Argilla and then at Gale, expecting his comrade to break down and crumble at the invisible pressure that his teammates had been pouring on him.
Gale merely looked at all of them, disinterested, "I do not know where you all had your notion of me saying 'we' when I clearly heard myself distinctly say 'I'. We are here to discuss an imperative and crucial part of our battle strategy and you are all too preoccupied at trivial things such as speculating me of collaborating with someone else. Seeing you all this way had not only disappointed me at your lack of military discipline but also had bolstered my resolve to implement this new training protocols ASAP."
Serph chuckled, crossing his arms, shaking his head while closing his eyes. Gale was pretty impressive. Not only did he manage to squeeze himself out of a very small hole of salvation, but he also managed to make his accusers, who were, by the way, telling the truth about the whole 'we' and 'I' thing, look like total incompetent idiots.
Yes. They weren't hearing things. They weren't lying either. Gale really did say "we" and not "I".
He suddenly heard a muttered "Sorry mon." from Cielo and a growl of "Whatever." from Heat and a guilty sigh from their only female companion, Argilla.
He was truly impressed.
That was all the more reason for him to find out who this person Gale had been "collaborating" with.
xxxxx
"That was a close one today…"
Gale sighed, "I know."
"You know, they'd find out sooner or later."
"I know."
The woman beside him chuckled, "But…I suppose this is more fun hmm?" she giggled, kissing his bare chest playfully.
Gale closed his eyes, "It's not about fun."
She sighed as she draped an arm over his bare torso, pulling her naked body closer to him. She knew what he was feeling…
He really didn't want to tell anyone about them simply because…he knew that he and she would receive an earful from their comrades; not to mention, endless publicity and endless jokes about how he had been able to pull something like this off.
She sighed; clearly, this sort of thing, having a lover, was something that was out of character for Gale.
For crying out loud, the guy was considered to be the human ice cube. How would people fare knowing that he suddenly relinquished his cold and wicked ways to settle for something more passionate and heated such as a secret sexual relationship?
For someone like Gale, such a notion was ludicrous and unheard of. But hey, they were wrong. She was there with him, wasn't she?
"I don't suppose that they are ready to know about us…" he trailed off without emotion.
She smiled in the dark. If she had not known him the way she did, she may have been offended by what he said and the way he said it…But seeing that she did know him, rather intimately, she understood and empathized with him…
It was just him. Being cold was a part of who he was…It wasn't a bad thing per se…
If tomorrow he suddenly decided to be a party animal like Cielo and started to prance around like the village idiot, well, he wouldn't be Gale anymore. He wouldn't be the Gale that she well knew and loved…
She could feel the sadness and regret that was welling up from within him. She wanted so much to make it all go away…
She then sat up. Gale arched an eyebrow, "Where are you going?"
She grinned at him, baring her pearly white teeth and straddled him, her palms on either side of his face as she loomed dangerously close to him, their faces an inch apart. She whispered against his lips, "Nowhere…"
Her lips then slowly descended upon his and she slowly kissed him, nibbling on his lips that remained shut. He was being difficult…He was always like this when he had something heavy weighing on his shoulders…Well, this was the only thing that she could do to ease his mind and heart…
She let her tongue flick his lips sensually, shyly asking him for permission. She felt him say yes as he opened his lips and felt his hands on her waist…traveling downwards to her shapely buttocks.
Soon, she was already kissing him fully with him arduously responding. A moment later, she pulled away and positioned herself just above his manhood, who had by now, had been quite attentive.
Then, another moment later, she eased herself on his stiff shaft, openly moaning, "Oh Gale…!"
Gale grabbed her hips to keep her in place as she began to ride him…
Soon the bed rocked back and forth as she aggressively and passionately moved, swaying her body right along with his…She threw her head back, closing her eyes, panting heavily, "Oh…Gale…"
Gale had his eyes shut as he fought back the incessant call of the oblivion in his ears…No…he would not enter nirvana yet…No…not yet…
He could feel his body heat up and hers as well. Her legs on either side of him were glistened in sweat and it molded their skin together…And there…he heard it. She was panting…She was tired, oh so tired…
The minutes ticked painfully by, neither giving up…
But then, the inevitable came…She eased herself on him as she reached her climax, but not getting there before he did…Oh no. They had promised to walk through the gates of paradise together. And now, they had done just that.
"Gale…!!!" she screamed.
"A-Argilla…!" he huskily grunted.
xxxxx
Cielo grumbled as he buried his face in his hands. He had just finished rereading Gale's newest training manual. Not that he didn't understand it the first time it was explained to him. No. Not at all.
It had been days since the implementation of the new warfare strategies. Gale had called it the Trench System.
There, outside of Muladhara, a mile away from the city to be exact, they had set up elaborate trenches that were seven feet deep and six feet wide. They weren't designed or dug in a straight line though. Oh no. If the enemy managed to penetrate their trenches, they would get a clear shot for the soldiers within. No, no. It was more like an elaborate maze.
He wasn't thrilled though. He had been ordered to spend two days and two nights within the trench and within the occasional dugouts when it was unoccupied. It was training for the real thing, they said.
He had been assigned to fill up sandbags for the parapet and the parados of the trench. He frowned at the memory. He didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.
The trenches would protect Muladhara from a ground assault. And seeing that they had dug their trenches on high ground, and that it was raining, it was going to be difficult for enemies to launch their offensive since the wet weather had made the soil damp and severely muddy; a rather large impediment. And then, there were also the machine-gun posts for support. That wasn't what got Cielo though…It was the thought of sleeping there.
There, on that filthy, cold and muddy place, all huddled together, with no space to stretch or to move. It was like being a canned sardine! Well, there went his beauty sleep.
But still, who could sleep when the ground in which you slept could be blown into oblivion at any moment?
'Not me.' Cielo thought sourly.
Well, in short, Cielo didn't like the trenches. He didn't like the Trench System.
This was a new type of warfare for them. It had never been done in the Junkland. And so, there lingered feelings of inefficiency within his stomach.
'Am I doing dis right?' he asked himself.
Suddenly, he found himself back in square one.
Right. He, like everyone else had to be up for the morning drills at 0500 hours. That meant that he really didn't have the time to prepare either. Since they were there on the trench, there was no bathroom, no mess hall, no nothing. They had to get by as if they had been cut off from HQ altogether.
"But I need my sleep ja?!" he whined to himself, "I need to wash and brush my teeth!"
But, within Gale's new training manual, such things didn't have a place there. They were considered as nothing but frivolities. A real soldier was to fight and eliminate all military threats. They didn't have time to perm their hair or brush their teeth. All they needed was a rifle or a machine gun and a good aim. That was all.
Gale had also said that this was also to serve as endurance training…
Cielo raised an eyebrow. Gale.
Suddenly, he remembered two things. One. He wasn't the only one going to be doing this. Maybe it was time to ask his teammates what they thought of this new manual. With any luck, they could appeal to Gale or possibly to Serph, to override Gale's orders or modify Gale's harsh training schedules…
Two. The "we" thing. No. It was not diluted out of Cielo's system. Not by a long shot. It was still fresh in his mind. And it was becoming a vexing and incessant gnawing feeling within his gut; the incessant feeling to know.
He needed to know.
Having the sudden feeling of invigoration, he made to look for his teammates. He had just finished serving his two day and two night duty at the trench. And now, he was just glad to be back at Muladhara.
He walked the streets and gave off a sigh of relief. He let his sapphire eyes glaze through the tall buildings, intently gazing at each and every one of them…as if to memorize them…He smiled.
'For a while dere, I thought I wasn't going to come back here ja?'
Soon, he saw his barrack and smiled to see Argilla and Heat in one of their "conversations".
Cielo sneered at that; that was, if bickering and swearing at one another could be called as a conversation.
He walked up to the two, "Hey guys! Whatcha two up to?"
Heat and Argilla ignored the shorter man and continued to glare at one another. Cielo scratched his head, "Hey…um…dere's no need for dat ja?" getting in between the two, full knowing the risk that he was putting himself in.
Argilla pulled herself away from Heat's death glare and looked at Cielo, "What is it Cielo?" she asked, completely composed, not an ounce of annoyance or anger imbedded in her voice.
Heat sneered and looked away from her, darting his attention to the newcomer, "Yeah? Well, what the hell do you want?"
Cielo sweat dropped. But nonetheless, he had something to ask his teammates; something important. He took a deep breath, "Er…Is it just me or do you guys think dat dese training crap is too strict ja? I mean…look at all de work dat we have to do!"
Heat laughed, "Why? Too tough for a sissy boy like you?"
Cielo glared at him and opened his mouth to speak when Argilla put a hand on his shoulder, "Come on Cielo. It isn't that bad right? Besides, Gale is just doing this so that we can win the war! It's not a bad thing…"
Cielo pouted; she had that effect on him. Whenever she'd talk to him that way, he always used to just give up and go along with whatever new rule that they had…
And now, she was doing it again. And again, he could feel his resolve to question the new protocols waver. Her voice, again, brought him back to the present, "Well, I better get going. According to Gale's manual I have new exercises to do. See you later guys."
And with that, she was off. Cielo looked on after her, not realizing that he was actually alone with Heat.
"She's such a damn wimp."
An idea suddenly popped in Cielo's head. Heat! He was still there! He was against the whole thing too! Well, not exactly "against" but rather, he questioned the protocols…
Heat might be able to help him!
"Say, uh, brudda," Cielo began, wanting to lightly get Heat's attention, who was still eyeing the retreating back of their female comrade.
"What?" Heat suddenly asked, his eyes burning holes through Cielo's face.
Cielo laughed nervously, "Hehehe…er…Remember de protocols?"
Heat rolled his eyes; what the hell was up with this idiot? Couldn't he just hurry up and say whatever it was he wanted to say? He was stammering and it was getting quite annoying.
"Yeah…well, aren't dey a bit too much?" Cielo timidly asked.
Heat snorted, "What? Are you being like Argilla now? You're acting like a damn woman!"
Cielo glared, "Am not! Look, you said something about dat too; dat morning two days back! Besides! I wanna know who's been making dese plans with Gale ja?!"
Heat blinked; he hadn't expected Cielo to lash out at him that way. He had never heard Cielo to raise his voice the way he did just now…He was surprised.
But what surprised him even more was that he had been thinking of the exact same thing. It wasn't that they doubted Gale's new plans…It was just that the change came on too fast, too sudden, too strong that they weren't the least prepared for it…
The change came, in a word, overnight.
The Trench System was something that was completely unexpected. It had popped up on that day and on that day only; not the day before or any other day before that. It was as if the discovery had come to him as a profound realization the night before the briefing…It was…uncanny.
And then there was the mix-up in that morning about the "we" and "I" thing. Heat wasn't the type to dwell on silly on-the-table conversations…But that morning, a few days ago, he knew that something was up with Gale.
It would make perfect sense though as to how the sudden change in their war plans took place. If he had been sharing his ideas with someone else or that someone else had been influencing his ideas, it would be easier to formulate a plan…
But Gale had always worked alone…What changed?
Cielo had a valid point. He didn't like the protocols. Heat on the other hand was fine with them. But what he wanted to know was-who was it that Gale had been speaking to? Which coincides with Cielo's complaint. He wanted to know who had been making the plans with Gale so that he will know who was responsible for making his life hell.
"I know he said 'we' ja?" Cielo said, his eyes openly glaring at him, "I wanna know who's making dese plans!"
Heat smirked, "You read my mind."
xxxxx
The two made their way towards Serph's office. Cielo had wanted to include Argilla in the group but Heat had been sour about it. He said that he didn't want to be near the woman for the time being.
Cielo would've insisted but he was sure that Heat would abandon their "covert" operations should he insist that Argilla be there.
Heat didn't want her there. It was as simple as that. Cielo would just have to ride it out then.
'He's still probably bitter about deir conversation today.' Cielo thought knowingly, remembering the tense and explosive moment that Heat and Argilla had shared.
The two stopped as they reached their leader's office. Heat knocked, "Open up!"
Cielo sweat-dropped. And there, he thought that Heat was going to be polite. He supposed that he expected too much.
The doors slid open and the two walked in.
Serph raised an eyebrow at them, "What is it ladies? Aren't you two supposed to be at your designated duties?"
Heat growled and slammed his palms on their leader's desk, "Cut the crap Serph. We all know that Gale made those plans with someone. We want to know who that person is."
Serph looked at them nonchalantly, "So? What of it?"
Cielo whined, "Dese schedules are harsh mon! I wouldn't even get enough sleep or meal time!"
Serph leaned back on his chair, "Let me get this straight. You want me to override Gale's authority over you so that we may find out who he's been formulating these plans with. And you want to do that because…you both think that the training protocols are too much to handle?" he finished with sarcasm and disbelief.
"In other words, you want me to talk to Gale to loosen up these protocols because they're too hard to follow?"
Heat wanted to strangle Cielo right there. Cielo's statements had made their plea sound completely ludicrous to Serph. How was he to grant them what they asked now? This was the army for Christ's sake! They were supposed to experience hardships and have their physical, emotional and psychological prowess tested! And now Cielo was going to go over to their tribe leader and request an alteration of a protocol simply because it was "too hard"?!
Serph was completely missing the point!
Heat growled and shoved Cielo away, standing right in front of Serph, "Look. It's not about being hard or difficult damn it! I don't care about that! Gale had always formulated plans on his own. Why did he change now?"
Heat grinned inwardly as he saw a flash of skepticism within his leader's eyes; skepticism towards Gale.
"The question is, who changed him? What if he's in cahoots with the other tribes hm? And the fact that he's hiding it from us! You aren't deaf are you bastard?" Heat asked, taunting him.
"You know that he said 'we' that morning at the strategy room and not 'I'! He's hiding something! And if he's just using these protocols to keep us busy while exposing our soldiers to attacks…! Well, you already know what that means right?"
Cielo couldn't believe it! Heat actually took a farfetched idea and stretched it wide open for Serph to view as a valid allegation! Why didn't he think of that?
They wanted Gale investigated right? What better excuse to investigate someone when they were under the pretext of being a double agent?
"Is that so?" came Serph's cold tone.
xxxxx
A/N:
Parapets: The front of the trench, facing the enemy was known as the parapet. It is protected by three feet of sandbags designed to absorb bullets and shells.
Parados: The rear side of the trench, which is piled with three feet of sandbags designed to absorb gun fire bullets and shells. This is built higher than the parapet so that the soldiers aren't outlined with the sky, making them easy targets for enemy snipers.
Dugouts: Protective holes dug out of the sides of trenches. The size of dugouts varied a great deal and sometimes could house over ten men.