M . I . A .
Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Panic
Kaname woke up to a cool quiet morning; feeling fully refreshed and was happily basking in her thoughts.
She rolled over into the empty space next to her. She didn't mind the empty space; she had grown used to it. Sosuke usually left early to go back to his apartment, and then they would meet outside her apartment block and go to school together.
With a sigh she got up and walked into her bathroom.
After a nice relaxing shower she came back out and got ready for school. Kaname was just leaving when she spotted a note lying on her coffee table with a gun on top of it.
'Sosuke must have forgotten it… ' thought Kaname as she moved the gun aside and picked up the note.
She let out a gasp as she read the note:
To Kaname
I am sorry but I have been called away by Mithril for a very important mission. I do not know when I will be back. Stay safe until I return.
Sosuke.
Kaname gulped back a few tears before reminding herself that it wasn't the first time this happened.
She carefully put the note away before leaving to go to school.
Kaname soon got into a routine after that. Every morning before going to school she would check the mail box. At the weekends she would go clean Sosuke's apartment.
Around a month passed. Kaname had not doubt that Sosuke would come back. He never broke his promises.
One rainy Saturday morning around a month since Sosuke had left; Kaname was quietly watching the television when a knock came at the door.
She rushed to answer it, in the vain hope that it was Sosuke at the door. She opened the door and saw two men in army uniforms.
"Excuse me, can we come in Miss Chidori; we are with Mithril." Said one of them while showing their badges.
Kaname nodded and let them in. She closed the door before joining them in the lounge.
"Please have a seat Miss Chidori."
Kaname sat down, and a feeling of uneasiness started to come over her.
"What is this all about?" she asked.
The two agents looked at her sadly, before one of them spoke:
"I'm sorry Miss Chidori, but Sergeant Sosuke Sagara is missing in action and presumed dead," the agent from Mithril said apologetically.
Kaname froze, a hand covering her mouth in shock. Sosuke… dead? "Are you sure?"
'Quite, ma'am. The report came in just this afternoon.'
Kaname's mind was working a mile a minute. 'But he swore he'd be safe! He swore he'd come back!'
The agent's stood there just looking at her. As they started to speak the door burst open and Kurz and Mao ran inside, still in their AS suits.
Kurz screamed at the agents: "GET OUT!!!!!" which they did immediately. Mao was hugging Kaname and as soon as Kurz had slammed the door closed he went to the two girls.
"Kaname? Don't worry he is still alive, we are sure of it, we will find him. I promise." Said Kurz as he held the young girl's hand and looked for a reaction.
Kaname just burst into tears, Moa and Kurz held her as she cried.
Kaname sat in her apartment, an open bag of crisps next to her as she searched the internet for information on cellular respiration for school. It had been a slow month, mostly consisting of her going to school, avoiding everyone there, and dodging phone calls from worried friends. She talked when she had to, went out as little as possible, and tried as much as possible to lay low. A few had even come by; trying to get her to come out, but she had had enough of them. They kept saying that she could always write to Sosuke, for them they thought he had just transferred to another school in another country, they had no idea that he was missing and supposedly dead. That fact was killing her.
Kurz and Mao had stayed with her for a week after she received the news. They explained to her that Tessa and Kalinin were already making plans for a search mission. They were all sure that Sosuke was alive. It was that small bit of hope that was keeping her going.
Tessa had offered to come spend a few days with her, but Kaname turned her down. Right now, the young girl was seriously giving thought to moving to her fathers. Where she was now was becoming to unwelcome for her. Everything reminded her of Sosuke. In fact, she had become so miserable, she had even caught some kind of a virus a week or so before.
Kida was curled up at the feet of her computer chair, and every so often Kaname would bend over to scratch her ears. The kitten was loving and caring, Kurz had bought her for Kaname hoping that looking after the Kitten would distract her from the grief she felt, and indeed Kida kept Kaname busy. It was also helping her cope as well.
A knock at the door made her jump a little in her chair, despite the fact that she was expecting whom it was. "Come in, Mao," she called. The door opened, admitting the older woman entry into the flat.
"You really shouldn't leave the door unlocked," Mao cautioned as she walked into the living room.
"I know," Kaname replied, getting to her feet. "Ready?"
"I guess," replied Mao. "I'm still wondering why you asked me to come with you."
"I don't want to go alone," Kaname admitted with a frown. "I get nervous when I go alone, even when it's nothing." Mao nodded and retrieved Kaname's coat for her. Locking the door behind them, the two women exited the apartment building and hailed a cab.
"How's Kurz and the others doing?" Kaname asked once they had given the address to the cab driver.
"Good. Tessa figured out that it wasn't love; just a school girl crush." Mao cracked her knuckles as she spoke-- an increasingly bad habit she picked up from Kurz now that they were sharing a room on the ship. "I'm glad they are all alright," Kaname said with a smile, looking out the window.
"Yeah," Mao agreed. "You know that she and the others are really worried about you. Tessa is still bent on having you come live at the base for a while with all of us. She is adamant to have you near her; she also wants you to join Mithril sooner or later."
Kaname shook her head. "I can't go back there… At least not yet."
Mao smiled sadly at the young girl. "It reminds you to much of him doesn't it ?"
"Yes, but hey there is a chance he is still out there" She didn't sound entirely convinced about that, and Mao didn't blame her; she had seen what the battles were like. It was then that the cab pulled up next to the address they desired. Mao paid the fare, saying Kaname could get the payment home, and they entered the building. The two women took the elevator to the sixth floor and walked down to the office at the very end of the hall.
A waiting room graced them, sterile and quiet and empty. The only life was the woman behind the desk, to which Kaname walked over. "Kaname Chidori, I have an appointment," she said. The woman checked a clipboard and nodded.
"Have a seat. " she said. "The doctor will be with you in a minute."
She and Mao sat in silence for a few tense minutes before Kaname was called into the office. Mao waited in the quiet, sterile room. She didn't like doctor's offices, so she fidgeted unbearably for the entire twenty minutes it took Kaname to see the doctor and come back.
Kaname immerged a while later, looking decidedly ill. She was pale and trembling and muttered that she had puked while with the doctor. Mao worriedly paid the bill for her and helped her friend to a cab. "Don't worry, Kaname," Mao said with a reassuring smile. "I'll get you home." Kaname nodded, but was still shaking badly all the way. "Did the doctor give you a prescription that we can get on the way back?"
Kaname shook her head.
Mao found this odd, but didn't comment. Instead, she paid the fare and walked Kaname up to her apartment. Only once they were inside did Kaname burst into tears. Mao, who was getting increasingly frightened and worried, sat Kaname down on the couch and faced her.
"Kaname, what's wrong? What did the doctor say? Is the virus that bad?"
Kaname shook her head, sobbed again, and then sniffed deeply to get herself under control. "I'm not sick," she said brokenly. "I'm pregnant." Mao was utterly silenced. Kaname continued talking, just because the silence was killing her. "It must've happened the night before he left. The doctor said I was about two months along." Suddenly a fresh wave of tears broke on her. "Oh God!"
Mao, roused from her shocked state, gathered the girl in her arms and held her. "It's going to be okay, Kaname," she assured. As Mao rocked Kaname to sleep, she realized the reality. She didn't need to ask who 'he' was she knew: Sosuke
Kaname was pregnant with Sosuke's child. This only made Mao more determined to find Sosuke and bring him back to Kaname.
A month later on the Tuatha De Danaan
A private conference was going on. Tessa was there, so was Kalinin, and Kurz.
Kalinin took a breath before talking:
"The executives want to terminate the search for Sergeant Sagara and pronounce him dead."
As he expected Kurz exploded.
"NO !!! I refuse to believe that he is dead. He is alive and we are going to find him."
Captain Tessa interrupted:
"There is nothing we can do against this order; by the rules unless Sosuke has a living relative then we can terminate the search. If Sosuke had a living relative their choice would be the one we follow and the executives have no say in the matter. He hasn't got any living relatives."
All three went quiet until two seconds later Mao burst through the doors.
"We aren't going to stop this search." She said.
Kalinin looked at her before saying:
"We can't change this order, unless he has a living relative, we can do nothing."
At that Mao smirks:
"But Sosuke does have a living relative. And this overrules the executives; I spent the past week checking that this would be enough. "
"Sosuke has a living relative? Who?" asked Kurz in surprise.
"Kaname is pregnant. She is carrying Sosuke's child: a living relative. But since the child is not born yet, the choice is that of the child's mother. And I have here a written testimonial by Kaname Chidori clearly stating that she does not allow us to terminate this search."
Mao slid the file across to Kalinin.
He looked at the file, then at Mao and smiled
"Well I better get this sent to the executives. Good work Mao. "
Just as he was walking out of the door he said over his shoulder:
"Thank You."
Tessa hugged Mao before dismissing them. Outside before Kurz could talk to her, Mao ran off away from him.
When Mao went back to her quarters that evening, she slowly took off her jacket and hung it on the coat rack next to the door. She placed her keys in the bowl on the desk. It was the same routine she did every night, but tonight it exhausted her for some reason.
Kurz was back as well; she could hear him singing in the shower-- horribly off-key, too. It relaxed her though. Mao reminded herself to be grateful for what she had. A great job, and friends who really cared about her. She had a blessed life compared to what she was living before. In the end, the rewards far outweighed the struggles.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Kurz walked out of the bathroom, wrapped in her fluffy bathrobe with a towel wrapped around his head. Mao only raised an eyebrow.
He grinned. "My robe is in the laundry," he explained.
She only shook her head and held out her hands to him. Kurz's, smile faded into a look of concern, walked over and took her hands. "What's wrong?" He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was fighting back tears.
"Everything is just so screwed up," she confided, biting her bottom lip. "Kaname's hurting so much."
Kurz opened his mouth to protest, and then closed it in shock.
"I just want everything to be okay, but I don't know what to do. I feel so lost." Mao said with a watery sigh. Kurz turned back to her with a soft frown. The tears held at bay since Kaname broke the news to her finally spilled.
"Come here," Kurz said as he wrapped his arms around her. "It'll be okay."
"I don't see how," she mumbled against his shoulder.
"We'll find a way. We find him. Just you wait and see."
With that Kurz held her as she fell into an uneasy sleep.
Tuatha De Danaan almost seven months later
The alarm went off.
Mao leapt up from her seat by her bed and rushed to the door, stopping only to grab Kurz. The two of them rushed to the briefing room. They had only just sat down.
The commander strode quickly out from the other room.
"Let's go men! The moment we've been fighting for is here. The enemy's secret meeting location has been uncovered, and we have to strike quickly, or our opportunity will be lost.
Everyone get all your material and get ready for hand to hand combat. The AS's are not going to be used here. Any Questions ?"
Seeing no reaction the commander nodded and then said:
"Good. Move Out !"
The men quickly crept towards the room, with Mao leading the way. When they reached the door Mao took a quick look around, and seeing all of her men poised and ready, she counted quietly to 3 and kicked the door in.
The crew burst in, and obviously took the enemy by surprise, as their wands were nowhere to be seen. This quickly changed as the villains stood up, unmasked, wands appearing in their hands. A grey-haired man with a cruel sneer rivalling that of Gauron stood at the head of the table and was the first to speak. "Well, if it isn't the agents of Mithril? I wondered when I would be seeing you again."
Mao nodded in acknowledgement. "Curious, I don't see your leader around here anywhere. What, did he not survive our last encounter?" This last comment was said with a shadow of a smirk on her face.
The man flinched at the mention of their leader who had been killed by Sosuke on the very same mission from which he disappeared
Mao's comment was answered not with words, but with the man shooting at her, which she easily avoided. "GO!" she yelled out as the fight really got underway. When the man had started shooting, the others took this as a sign to attack as well, and were now throwing everything they had at Mao's colleagues.
To duck a shot, Mao leapt behind an overturned table, and saw that Kurz had found safety there as well.
"Nice abstaining from pissing the enemy off, Mao." He said sarcastically.
"Well, you know, I try." Mao was going to further continue the battle of wit when she heard a grenade being thrown their way. "Move!" she yelled, and pulled him out of the way, before the table was blown into long jagged shards.
Mao took a look around and realized that the enemy was not going to be taken alive. They would rather fight to the death because it was the 'honourable' thing to do. 'Take them out!' she yelled. But before she could see that her orders were being followed out, she was knocked down from the side by a piece of the ceiling that had been blown apart by an ill-aimed bullet.
Mao could hear the fighting around her, and occasionally heard the cry of someone going down, but she couldn't see the situation because wood and plaster were piled around her. Mao struggled to get up, but her legs were pinned to the ground by a heavy beam. She sat up and started to attempt to move the beam. It was too heavy for her. Around her she saw her comrades fighting for their lives. She once again attempted to move the beam. Suddenly behind her one of the enemies grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. The man looked down at her and held the gun to her head. Kurz saw from across the room.
"MAO !!!!!!!!!!!!"
The enemy grinned at her and said:
"Say goodbye pretty girl" as he pulled back the safety clasp on his gun. Mao closed her eyes and waited for the shot that never came. Instead she heard a volley of gun shots and opened her eyes in time to see the body of the man who was about to shoot her fall to the floor.
All the fighting stopped. Mao quickly surveyed the faces of all the people in the room. Her men all looked in shock. Kurz was smiling like crazy. The enemy all looked petrified.
Just then she heard a sound which meant that the safety catch on a very deadly chain gun had just been released.
The leader of the enemy yelled: "How did he get out?!! Kill him now!!!"
And at the same time Kurz yelled "Hit the decks!!"
Mao followed Kurz's advice just in time. The moment she hit the floor the gun opened fire and the bullets hit the frozen enemies killing them all instantly.
As the dust settled Mao opened her eyes and looked up at the person who had shot the gun.
As her gaze fell on that person her eyes started to fill with tears.
She caught a glimpse of Kurz's hair and was vaguely aware of him removing the beam from her legs.
She didn't take her eyes off the young man who had saved them all:
"Sosuke…" she whispered.
Sosuke looked down at her, before smiling slightly. Then his eyes closed and he fell forward right into Kurz's arms.
Kurz smiled down at Mao:
"Let's get back to base, he's alive but still we need to get him checked over."
Mao nodded. With that she stood and started to order the others around. As her orders were carried out, Kurz slung Sosuke's unconscious body over his shoulder in a fireman's hold.
With that they got back into their ship and started their dive back to the Tuatha De Danaan.
Kalinin was waiting at the entry hatch for Mao and Kurz. All the other men were back already, they were the only two missing. Normally he wouldn't worry so much. But all the other men seemed to be in shock. And he was worried about why.
His thoughts were interrupted as the entry hatch opened and Mao jumped down.
"Mao were have you been? Where is …"
Kalinin went quiet in shock as he saw Kurz climbing down the ladder. That was nothing new. But what shocked Kalinin was the unconscious solider over his shoulder that had been missing for almost 8 months now.
"Sir !! Look who we found at their hideout." Said Kurz happily.
Mao was already asking for a medical team over the phone.
Kalinin shook himself out of shock and allowed a smile to break his normally neutral appearance.
"Finally… about time we found him." He said before going to help Kurz.
Sosuke blinked once, twice. He woke up staring at a metallic ceiling. He sat up slowly and looked around him. He immediately recognised the medical bay of the Tuatha De Danaan. He saw Kurz asleep in a chair at the end of the bed. Mao was asleep in the chair next to Kurz, her head resting on his shoulder.
The door opened revealing Kalinin. Seeing Sosuke awake he went over to him.
Sosuke as ever saluted his superior officer even though he was lying down in a bed.
"At ease Sergeant. You gave us quite a scare. We already know what happened to you. There was one of the enemies who survived your attack. He told us everything. He is being taken care of as we speak."
Sosuke nodded. Kalinin spoke again but only in a softer voice.
"You were greatly missed. Kurz and Mao haven't left this room since they found you and that was three days ago. The captain isn't here yet, and hasn't answered any of her calls, so she doesn't know about your return yet. In any case you are healthy and the medic said you can leave once you wake up. "
Sosuke nodded, before speaking.
"Sir? How is Kanam...Chidori?" he asked.
Kalinin was about to answer when a big form threw itself onto Sosuke.
"SOSUKE !!!!!!" yelled Kurz who had woken up to see him awake, and upon impulse had jumped forward to hug the younger man, who was now trying to breath from within Kurz's tight hold.
"Kurz !! Let him breath." Said Mao who was standing next to the bed, since when Kurz had moved she had woken up since she had been leaning on him.
Kurz let go of Sosuke who barely had time to get his bearings before Mao pulled him into a hug.
After they had talked a bit, Sosuke asked the pair of them the same question he had asked Kalinin, who had already left.
"How is Chidori?"
Back in Japan, at Kaname's apartment. Tessa was making her and Kaname a cup of tea.
Kaname was in fact sitting on the couch watching the TV while rubbing her 9 month pregnant stomach.
Her brow was furrowed slightly as she watched the show. She was about to reach up and pick up the remote to change the channel, when a sharp pain flowed through her protruding belly and her hand flew down to clutch it, as if almost trying to protect it.
'Could it be the baby?' Kaname thought, worried, as she wasn't due for another two weeks. "I guess Chidori's and Sagara's alike never really liked to wait around, if they didn't have to. Sosuke always did things as quickly as possible. I suppose the baby isn't any different." But Kaname's mind lost all thought of humour, as the pains started to get sharper and more frequent. She let out a loud cry as one particular pain made her slide down to the ground and try to curl into a ball.
Kaname heard something shatter in the kitchen and looked up to see Tessa rushing over to her, looking worried. "Oh, Kana, it's ok." She said, kneeling down beside her exhausted friend. "Just calm down and breathe. It'll be okay. "
A small smile crept on to Kaname's face but it was quickly wiped away when the biggest pain yet hit her.
"It's coming fast, isn't it? Shh, Kana, its okay. Just hang in there. We'll get you to the hospital and then it'll all be over soon. They'll give you something for the pain. Shh, Kana, it's all right. I'm here." Tessa said soothingly, treating Kaname as if she were the baby, not the one actually having it. "C'mon, Kaname, let's get to the door. C'mon, that's it. "
"Don't treat me like a child, Tessa."
"Sorry, sorry. " Tessa looked up at Kaname.
"It's ok, Tessa. I'll be fine." Kaname said, becoming the one who was doing the comforting. But her grip quickly tightened on her friend's hand, and she screamed again.
"This baby isn't going to wait around, I see, so let's go."
Tessa helped Kaname out of the door not forgetting to grab the travel bag that was sitting at the door ready to be grabbed, and taking a tighter grip on Kaname, she started to help her down the stairs. Halfway down the paramedics, from the emergency ambulance Tessa had paged, met them and quickly took over and loaded Tessa and Kaname into the ambulance before rushing off to the hospital.
"How is Chidori?"
When Sosuke asked that question both Mao and Kurz went silent. Puzzled and slightly perturbed by his friends' reactions, Sosuke asked the question again.
"How is Chidori?"
Mao and Kurz looked at each other before looking back at Sosuke.
Mao opened her mouth to speak, but just then the door burst open and Kalinin rushed inside.
"Mao!! Kurz!! It's Time!! Let's go."
Mao gasped and Kurz asked "Seriously she's..."
"Yes! The captain is with her right now. Let's move."
"Come on Sosuke!!" called Mao as she threw him a bag, "You can get changed in the car."
"What is going on?" asked Sosuke as he ran down the corridors with the others.
"Kaname's gone into labour!" answered Kurz.
"She's pregnant?" asked Sosuke in shock.
"Yep. Now hurry up and get in the pod. You're gonna be a daddy."
As Sosuke scrambled into the pod the only thought in his mind was:
'I'm a father?'
As the pains got worse, it got harder and harder for Kaname not to scream.
"Pain medication not working?" Tessa asked sympathetically.
"What the hell do you think?" she cried.
Tessa chuckled softly. "Well, just stick it out. It won't be long now, Kaname. "
"Oh Tessa." Kaname's eyes filled with tears at the comforting comment, but her mind quickly switched to her lover. "I want Sosuke!"
"I know you do... You miss him and we all miss him too, but he's gone, not coming back. "
Two nurses came in and started to prep Kaname for her trip to the delivery room.
"Look, Kaname, you're ready. It's time to go. I'll be with you the whole way. Don't worry. "
"Are you ready, Kaname?" Tessa asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be" she said.
At that moment, the prep was done, and as she gripped Tessa's hand, Kaname was wheeled out of her room.
Sosuke raced through the hospital along with Kurz, Kalinin and Mao to the birthing wing, ignoring the comments when they occasionally hanged into someone or something on their way through.
They barged up to the desk. "What room is Kaname Chidori in?" demanded Kalinin.
"Let me check. Just a minute." the nurse drawled, taking all the time in the world.
"No, damnit! Now! " cried Kurz.
The nurse looked up in annoyance, intending to give the rude man in front of her a piece of her mind, but froze as she caught sight of the gun holster under Kurz's jacket. Not able to say anything, she just pointed in the direction of Kaname's room.
"Thank you!" They called over his shoulder as they ran through a waiting room full of amazed classmates. But before they were fully through, Kyoko said, "Sosuke? didn't you leave?"
"Do I look gone to you? " Sosuke yelled back, and then continued his search for Kaname.
They reached her room just as she was being wheeled out of it on her way to the delivery room. Tessa looked up as she was comforting Kaname to see Sosuke, Kurz, Mao, and Kalinin running up to the gurney. She stopped speaking and her mouth dropped open.
"Tessa? What happened? What's wrong? " Kaname whispered worriedly, as she only had a view of what was happening directly above her.
Sosuke quickly saluted Tessa as he took her vacated spot beside Kaname. Tessa's face broke out in a huge grin of relief, realizing that Kaname was going to be okay, and was no longer alone. She quickly ran over to Kalinin and the others to find out what had been going on.
"Kaname…" Sosuke whispered as he looked at his lover for the first time in almost nine months.
"Sosuke..." But then Kaname's mind fully comprehended what she was seeing. "You're here? You're really here? I knew you would! I was just so worried that you would never come back. I was so scared. I thought you were dead... " As she said this she started to cry.
"Shh, it's okay. I'm here now, and I'm not leaving you ever again. "
Kaname's then smiled. "You mean, no more missions, no more going missing? You'll get a regular job?"
"Well, something like that. But no more leaving, unless you come with me. "Sosuke took one of her hands in his and rubbed it gently.
Kaname tried to yank it away, but he was too strong. "Ooh, let go! Your hands are cold. Let me go. "
Sosuke just held on tighter, until they reached the delivery room door. The two nurses pushed Kaname's gurney through and Sosuke was about to follow her but was stopped by a doctor.
"I'm sorry sir, but you can't go in there until you're wearing scrubs. Standard hygienic procedure. "
"Yes sir; just point the way."
When Sosuke had donned his scrubs, he entered the delivery room. His thoughts were broken when he heard Kaname cry out in pain, and quickly went to her.
"Can't you give her anything for the pain? You must have something. "
A passing nurse stopped, and said, "we already gave her something, but she must be immune because it hasn't worked. Just to be safe, we're not going to give her anything more. But don't worry sir, it won't be much longer. "
Knowing that that was all the information he was going to get, Sosuke turned back to Kaname. "I'm here Kaname. Just keep breathing. Feel free to squeeze my hand as tight as you need to. " With his free, un-bruised hand, Sosuke smoothed the hair off of Kaname's damp brow.
"I'm glad you're here." she whispered.
"So am I." he whispered back, smiling broadly.
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Kaname had been in labour for almost 14 hours already and slowly everyone was getting annoyed, including the soon-to-be parents.
"Sosuke, as soon as I've gotten this kid out of my body, I'll kill you for putting it inside of me," Kaname growled, as yet another wave of pain hit her.
Sosuke' face paled even more than it already was and comfortingly squeezed Kaname's hand. "Don't worry Kaname, it will be over soon…"
"He is right, Miss. Chidori. I can see the child's head," the doctor told them. "Just one more push and it is over… I'll count till three. One… Two… Three!"
With an ear-piercing scream Kaname gave one last push, before she collapsed into the pillow and the wail of a baby erupted through the room. "You did it, Kaname! You did it!" Sosuke said overjoyed.
"Well done Miss Chidori. You have a little baby boy." Said the doctor. "Sir, come here please." Sosuke walked over to the doctor. He looked down at the baby, his son. "Sir if you would do the honours of cutting the umbilical cord." Sosuke took the pair of scissors the doctor was handing him and proceeded to cut the umbilical cord.
"Can I see him?" the new mother asked weakly. She had never thought that giving birth to a child could be this exhausting.
"One moment… We're cleaning and weighing him," the doctor said. Sosuke followed the doctor.
"Here you go sir" the doctor said once he finished and handed the boy to his father, who then carried him over to the bed.
"Here, little boy… Here's your mother…" He carefully laid him down in Kaname's arms and sat down next to her on the bed.
"He's beautiful…" Kaname said softly, as the baby sleepily opened his eyes and gazed with his big blue eyes directly at Kaname. "Sosuke. Despite the eyes he looks just like you…" she told him grinning.
"Do you already have a name for the boy?" the doctor wanted to know.
"Sosuke how about Akira?" asked Kaname.
Sosuke looked down at his son who had gotten hold of his finger and was now sucking it. He smiled.
"That is fine Kaname. His name shall be Akira."
"What is his full name going to be?" asked the doctor.
Kaname looked up at Sosuke, who understood that she was letting him choose.
After a few moments silence Sosuke spoke:
"Akira Kalinin Sagara."
"And the parents names?"
"Kaname Chidori…" started Kaname but Sosuke cut her off.
"Kaname and Sosuke Sagara" he told the doctor.
"You are married?"
"Negative, but we will soon if she will accept." Answered Sosuke while he stared at Kaname.
Kaname started to cry. "Of course I will Sosuke"
He pulled her close up against him and whispered into her ear:
"I love you, both of you."
Two months had passed since little Akira was born. It was a warm afternoon in June. Everything was prepared for a special day aboard the Tuatha De Danaan. In the large main Hangar several lines of white chairs were built up with an aisle in the middle, all decorated with white and red roses and garlands in the same colours. In front of everything stood some kind of altar, also completely held in white.
A few people were already sitting on the chairs and other guests were arriving. And in the middle of everything Captain Tessa was frantically running around, giving lasts orders or taking care of other things. Right now, she was talking to an elderly man, who was dressed completely in black, the priest. Suddenly she looked at her wristwatch and cursed under her breath. Just thirty more minutes and there were still so many things she had to do… "Excuse me, father," she said politely. "But I also have other places to be."
The older man smiled gently at her. "It's okay. Just do what you have to do…"
Tessa smiled back. "Thanks…" She turned around and walked over to another woman, who was holding a small baby in her arms. "Mao!"
"What is it, Captain?" Mao asked, having slight problems with the hyperactive wriggling baby in her arms.
"Can you please welcome the guests, while I'm inside and check on the others?"
"I would, but what can I do with little Akira here?" she wanted to know, slightly raising the baby.
"Mmh…" Tessa looked around, searching for anyone who could look after a small baby without getting into too much trouble. But unfortunately they were all inside, taking care of other things. Suddenly her eyes rested on a wall, where a certain Major was leaning at, scowling over the fact that he had been forced to wear a tuxedo. She smirked. "Give him to me. I think I found someone who could look after him." Quirking an eyebrow at the younger woman, Mao reluctantly handed over the baby. "Thanks…" Tessa said and walked over to Kalinin. Mao just stared after her, shaking her head, before she had to welcome new guests.
"Kalinin," Tessa said, all too sweetly for his liking, as she stopped in front of him.
"Yes ma'am?" he asked, not even opening his eyes.
"Here!" She shoved Akira into the arms of the Major, who just glowered at her, as he held the small bundle. "Watch over him. We others have more important things to do." For example looking after the bride!
Kalinin growled and watched the woman walking back into the hallway. What was she thinking, leaving him with this small child? He held the boy at arm length and scowled at him. But the next thing he knew was looking into an almost exact mirror image scowl on the child's face. Already at the young age of two months, young Akira was able to copy his 'grandfather's' scowl. Kalinin couldn't help but letting a small chuckle escape his lips.
Amused by Kalinin's sudden change of mood, Akira started to grin, like just Chidori could, and started to squeal happily. Laughing again at the resemblance to the other part of Akira's family and carefully looking around that no one was watching, Kalinin brought the boy again closer to his body, but not close enough for anyone to become suspicious.
Inside a private cabin stood a young woman, dressed in a beautiful tight pale pink dress. The women's hair was stuck up into a bun, with just letting her bangs and a few other strands hanging out. She was calmly reading.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Who is it?" she asked.
"It's me, Tessa" came the muffled answer. "Can I come inside?"
"Sure, the door is open," the woman answered.
Tessa opened the door and quickly closed it behind her, making sure that no one else got a chance to take a look inside. A huge smile spread over her face and she felt tears in her eyes, when she saw the young woman in front of her. "Oh my, Kyoko… you're really beautiful…" she said and hugged her.
"You think so?" she asked uncertainly.
"Oh yes," Tessa said confidently, when they pulled apart. "I'm sorry. Where is Kaname? The ceremony starts in twenty minutes."
"In the bathroom," Kyoko answered and checked the clock at the wall. "For quite some time already…" she added uneasily.
Tessa went to the door to the bathroom and knocked on it. "Kaname? Are you okay?" She waited, but there was no answer. "Kaname?" she called again, but again nothing happened. She tried to open it, but it was locked. Looking worriedly at Kyoko and the two guards which had followed her, she asked, "Can please one of you break the door open?"
"Yes ma'am" One said indifferently and forced the door open. Tessa frantically looked around, just to find out that a hatch was open and that… "Kaname's gone!"
"What?" Almost all colours were drained of Kyoko's face. Kaname cannot be gone! How could they hold a wedding with the bride missing? "Kyoko! You stay here in case she comes back!" ordered Tessa, trying to remain calm. "You guards check out the other rooms, like the kitchen, and other places and so on and I go to the boys. Maybe they have an idea where Kaname could be."
The others nodded and the guards followed Tessa out, while Kyoko stayed in the room. She sighed. How could Kaname do that? Sosuke would flip, when he found out that his bride had run away… This was supposed to be the happiest day in their lives and then she just disappeared! Oh boy, she just hoped that Kaname had just gone to take some air and would be back in time… That meant within the next fifteen minutes!
On the other side of the Tuatha De Danaan, two men were waiting impatiently in a room for the ceremony to begin. One with messy brown hair was pacing from one side to the other, chewing nervously on his already short fingernails, making it actually impossible to chew on them, but the man didn't notice nor care. Another one with blond hair was sitting on a chair, watching his friend in amusement. The two of them were neatly dressed into black tuxedos.
Their heads jerked up, when all of sudden Tessa opened the door and stepped inside in a hurry. "Has anyone of you seen Kaname?" she asked worriedly, not noticing the states of at least two of the two men.
"Kaname?" Sosuke' stopped pacing, momentarily forgetting his worries, staring wide-eyed at Tessa. "What about her?"
Tessa found herself being stared at by two puzzled soldiers. "She's gone and we can't find her anywhere…" she told them.
"What are you talking about? What do you mean with she's gone?" Kurz asked exasperated and turned to Sosuke. "If you have done anything to make her run away, I'll…" he growled, letting Sosuke squirm slightly under his glare.
"Listen, all of you," Tessa said firmly, placing her hands on her hips. "We don't know if she had run away. She could've just as well gone outside to get some fresh air. Fact is just that she sneaked out of the bathroom. So, what I want to suggest, is - Sosuke and Kurz, you two go outside and to the priest, waiting for everything to begin... In the meantime I'll tell Kyoko to get ready and then help the guards in looking for her. Understood?" The two men nodded and left the room, followed by Tessa.
The woman in question was sitting where she didn't want to be found – sitting on the head of the Sosuke's AS. From there she could perfectly overlook everything that was happening in the main hangar, but no one could see her. Her knees were drawn up, so that the long white dress was sitting gently on the machine's head. This was the dress of her mother's and it fitted her perfectly. It was really beautiful. It was a white princess-cut gown which bared her creamy shoulders. On her head was a small and delicate-looking tiara holding her veil made entirely from satin. She had her hair swept back, parted to the side, revealing a glimpse of her tender skin. On her chest, in the middle of her bodice, was a pin in shape of a rose. She was also wearing white gloves that were going past her elbows, a white pearl necklace and she had her hair stuck up.
Everyone had been looking forward to that day. Her wedding. But now she was having doubts… Could she really do this? Could she pull this wedding through? Would she be able to stay with Sosuke for the rest of her life?
To be blunt, she was not just having doubts. She was scared… What if it didn't work out between them? But she also had to think about their son. Akira. Would it be better not to get married in the first place than letting him go through the divorce of his parents? She didn't know. And she had just a few more minutes to decide over her future…
Mao had just sent the last guests to their seats. She let out a pleased sigh. Looking at the altar she saw Sosuke and Kurz standing up there ready.
She smiled and slowly stretched her arms above her head and looked straight up at the ceiling. That's when she saw her, sitting on Sosuke's AS all alone. Mao vaguely wondered how she had managed to get up there unnoticed. Worried as to why she was there, since the wedding would start in a few minutes, she quickly ran to the AS in question and started to climb upwards as quickly as her dress allowed her to.
Kaname just stared down at the place where the wedding should be held. Sosuke and Kurz were at to the front and her father was standing at the beginning of the aisle. But her father wasn't alone there. Kalinin was there, too, obviously waiting to walk Mao, her maid of honour down the aisle. Just until a few minutes ago he had been looking after her son, before her sister took the baby. She let a small smile appear on her lips. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, Kaname knew that Kalinin adored Akira.
Being too deep in her thoughts, she never heard how two feet set down just behind her. "Are you having second thoughts?"
This voice tore Kaname out of her thoughts. She quickly turned her head to look behind her and her eyes went wide, "Mao?" she asked barely above a whisper.
"Hi…" she said. "Why are you up here? Shouldn't you be down there?" she asked, motioning to the hangar, where everyone was now gathered, even Tessa.
"I…" Kaname hesitated.
"You're what? Are scared? Kaname, everyone is scared and has doubts, when the big day has arrived. You do love Sosuke, don't you?" Kaname nodded, still looking down to the others. Tessa was now running around, waiting for her to finally arrive. It was time… "See? Then I don't think there's anything to hold you back…" Mao told her, smiling cheerfully and took her hand. "Come on, Kaname… Sosuke is waiting for you."
"Okay …" Kaname answered smiling, suddenly feeling a lot better. They smiled at each other and then slowly started to climb back down to the ground, landing behind them. "Hey!" Mao greeted them, getting their attention. "Look whom I've found on the top of Sosuke's AS!"
Her father, Tessa and Kalinin turned around surprised. Tessa was the first to react:
"KANAME !!! Where have you been?"
"Tessa, it's okay she's here now so sir now take your beautiful daughter and walk her down this aisle. We'll talk later. There's a wedding to celebrate after all," Mao said cheerfully.
As if on cue, the wedding march began to play, letting all heads turn to the aisle. Especially the one of the groom, who had been talking to his best man the whole time. The first ones to walk down the aisle were Kalinin and Mao, since she was the maid of honour. They smiled at the two men at the altar and they smiled back. Sosuke could almost feel his heart pounding against his chest, as he spotted Kaname at the other end of the aisle.
Then suddenly all heads turned back to the aisle, as the bride was on her way to the front. Kaname… Sosuke thought lovingly, as her father walked her down. His heart seemed to stop beating as soon as he saw her. She was beautiful… He smiled at her, all the nervousness he had felt before was gone. Kaname raised her head and smiled almost shyly at him. Their eyes never left each other until they stopped in front of Sosuke and after one warning glare her father gave Kaname to Sosuke.
The rest of the wedding was rather uneventful. The priest had said a few words to each couple, touching their friends and family to tears with them and finally the moment, everyone had waited for, came.
"Kaname Chidori," the priest said, "do you take Sosuke Sagara as your husband, love him and honour him in sickness and in health until death do you apart?"
"I do," Kaname answered confidently, smiling at Sosuke.
The priest nodded and turned to Sosuke. "And you, Sosuke Sagara, do you take Kaname Chidori as your wife, love her and honour her in sickness and in health until death do you apart?"
Sosuke smiled back at Kaname. "I do."
"The groom may now kiss the bride," the priest announced and not even second later, the couple was engaged in a loving and soft kiss, earning cheers from all guests, including a loud wail from Akira, who had been woken up by the sudden noise.
It was the beginning of another adventure, a new story, but no matter what they were together. They loved each other and their son; that was all that mattered.
The End