So during class, I don't know why, but I thought about skeletons and then about Rumi Aikawa, and then I came up with this story. After all, she is one of the main characters, so why doesn't she take a role in this story?

And as always said before, I don't own any of the Metal Slug characters. They are owned by SNK Playmore.

As the Regular Army Troop Transport Truck came grinding to a halt, causing the soldiers to get thrown about in the back, Jerry was excited. He had just been accepted by the Regular Army! Now he could take some payback for all the misery the Rebel Army had caused to his family. Those jerks had destroyed his family's house during the First Modern War (Metal Slug 1) and when they had rebuilt it, again in the Second Modern War (Metal Slug 2). This had pushed his family into debt, so maybe this job could prevent his dad from going into debtor's prison.

"Hey Jerry, you gonna daydream all day long or what?" A soldier said as Jerry had fallen asleep with his head on the man's shoulders, and he had even started drooling all over the man's new uniform. "Sorry," he said.

The doors of the truck swung open, and the cadets piled out. They then marched over to the training grounds, which was to the left side of the Octagon. The training grounds weren't a part of the Octagon's structure. So the cadets didn't see what the place looked like from the inside. Jerry wondered what could be in there. He had heard many rumors about the legendary PF Squad and the deadly SPARROWS. He was especially fascinated by the fact that Marco Rossi and Tarma Roving single-handedly finished the First Modern War, and almost destroyed the Rebel Army.

Sergeant Tank was a big, tough guy with huge abs, but unlike many of those guys, he knew how to control his temper. "All right recruits," he announced to the soldiers in front of him, "You are now in the Regular Army, and it's time to nut up or shut up. We haven't received any Intel on Rebel activity, but don't be off your guard. They know exactly when to make a surprise attack. Rebels aren't the only things we deal with. We make sure that world is a peaceful place to live in, where children aren't orphaned, women aren't widowed, and blah blah blah. Nobody deserves a life like that, now do they? So you're gonna help us deliver our promise to the world. So get ready fir a lot of action in 2 months time."

Then there were all sorts of drills, exercises, chores (really) which the recruits did, while sweating in the burning sun (I swear I saw a smiley face on the sun). During the break from 100 m jogging, Jerry sat, exhausted. He was drinking a glass of beautiful cold water, when he noticed a girl.

The girl, or maybe the woman, was about average height, had thick, golden blonde hair, and had a really pretty face. She was carrying a large, empty bag with her.

She was wearing a white, buttoned, short sleeves shirt with lots of pockets, and was wearing green shorts.

"Who's that?" Jerry asked a passing soldier. The soldier replied, "That's Sergeant Rumi Aikawa. She and her sister, Madoka, are combat suppliers. That's kind of a bad thing for combatants, because they both SUCK at directions. They get lost all the time. So they don't appear at the right time. And when they DO appear, they're walking absentmindedly, totally unaware of the danger around them, right behind enemy lines, where any enemy could get 'em. Don't know why enemies don't notice them though, even when they're walking right in front of them. If you wanna talk with her, just be warned that she talks incessantly."

Jerry thought a bit about it, and said, "Aw, what the heck."

He then walked over to Rumi, who was looking here and there. "Oh hi," she said, with a Japanese accent, "Can you tell me where the garage is?"

"I'm new here," he said.

"Sorry, it's just that I always forget my way," she said, brushing her hand through her hair.

"I've, uh," Jerry said, "kinda heard you get lost a lot." Rumi looked up. "I know. But as bad as it sounds, it's actually kinda fun."

Who would think getting lost is fun? Not me. "Why?" Jerry asked, "Because getting lost in a battle doesn't sound fun." "It actually is," Rumi chirruped, "The heroes get to go about, yapping about all the awesome stuff they did, and all the rebels they pumped up with lead. But every time I get lost, I encounter stuff a lot more exciting than rebels. And I meet a lot of interesting people as well."

"Really? Could you tell me about one?" Jerry asked. This could be interesting….

"Right," Rumi said, with a big smile, "So it all began in the Second Modern War…"

Rumi kept on saying her story for 89 hours straight without even having a bathroom break, or a lunch break or even drinking water…

"And that was how I found my sock!" Rumi said, and she showed her Hello Kitty theme sock. "Pretty cool, huh?" she said as she turned her head towards Jerry.

But the story had been so long, and Jerry had found it so interesting, that you can guess why only his skeleton was left.

"Oh dear, I've got to stop talking a lot…" Rumi sighed. "He was kinda cute."

THE END