So I've been working on this one for awhile now. My very first FMP fanfic, so I hope you enjoy it!
Edit: I've been getting gentle ribbing for using (badly romanized) Japanese. I wanted to try and make it more realistic, since it does take place in Japan, but I fail at Japanese. So, yeah, I took it all out. Sorry if you like Japanese in your story! Just pretend, okay?
The Assailant
Kurz was on his twenty-four hour leave. Sousuke discovered his absence when he came back from school that Friday evening. Mao had been listening intently to Chidori coming through the door, so she only waved absently as Sousuke set his bag down. "Any trouble today?"
"Negative."
"It does seem pretty quiet, doesn't it?" She paused to stir her coffee. "It's supposed to rain today," she said, as if that explained it. "I was going to run some errands after you got home from school, but it will take awhile. Keep a sharp eye on Kaname."
"Yes."
She shut the door, leaving Sousuke behind in a quiet apartment. He quickly put his school things away and set in front of the equipment, ready for gathering information. It took every ounce of willpower he possessed not to sink into his chair. It had been a trying week for him. Not only did he have his duties, but he also had a book report in his Japanese literature class that had kept him up late into the night several times. The fatigue was beginning to catch up to him. He started at the simplest noises in the classroom, and he was quite confident that Chidori would've killed him if it wasn't against school rules.
Sousuke sighed, and adjusted the radio. By the sound of it, Chidori was in the shower. He scooted to the edge of his seat and bit down on his lip in an effort to increase his own alertness. He didn't want to fall asleep on duty.
Her shower shut off, and he thought he could hear her whistling as she dressed for bed. Every Friday night, unless she was out with her friends, Chidori would put on a pot of tea and read. This time, she chose a magazine Sousuke didn't recognize. She settled down on the couch, lying on her stomach, and began to thumb through the first few pages.
It finally started to rain. He heard her breathing slow down to match the rhythm of those first drops. She flipped another page in the magazine and pressed it flat with her fingertips, causing the page to whisper. Sousuke squirmed in his seat.
The rain fell harder, and harder still, until the quiet sounds of her apartment became overpowered by the water pounding on his window. Sousuke busied himself with various knobs to hone in on her position.
This was why her voice was unnaturally loud when she gasped, freezing him instantly in place. He could hear the muted rustle of her clothing as she moved. Sousuke, remembering himself, dashed to the telescope and peered through. She was frozen on the couch, her eyes fixed in fear on someone he couldn't see. "Don't you come near me!" her quivering voice commanded over the headphones. Then she screamed.
That was the only signal Sousuke needed. He ripped off the headphones and checked the magazine of his pistol before he sprinted out the door.
The streetlight on the corner was out, and the night seemed unnaturally sinister from the storm. Sousuke dashed across the street, his feet splattering against the pavement with each stride, but he only heard Chidori's terrified voice echoing in his head. There was an unfamiliar car parked in the shadow of Chidori's building and he silently cursed. How did he miss it?
No sign of forced entry at the door. Sousuke pressed his back against the wall, heaving in air and trying to control his thoughts. Chidori could delay the attacker, he told himself. He still had some time. But how much longer before she…?
A trickle of sweat traced his cheekbone, and he gulped in one last breath before kicking down the door.
The hallway was clear, but Sousuke remained tense. Chidori lived on the second floor. There was no way for him to know if there were any accomplices, poised to ambush any potential enemy that came up the stairwell. It was unlikely, but troubling enough to merit proper action. Sousuke made up his mind. He fished in his pocket for a flash grenade. Once found, he pulled the pin with his teeth and tossed it up the stairs before shuttering his eyes. A satisfying flare of light, and he was up the stairs in a moment, racing to her door. One swift kick broke the lock—
He ducked and rolled into the room, coming up on one knee as he took aim. But the intruder wasn't in the room. Sousuke scanned the area once more before directly addressing Chidori. "Are you hurt? Where did he go?"
Chidori, mouth slack, stood frozen with a rolled-up magazine in her right fist. She was in a pair of shorts and an oversized t-shirt, her still-damp hair loosely braided down her back. Sousuke remembered that she had gotten out of the shower less than twenty minutes ago.
"I apologize for the intrusion," he properly amended. "I heard a scream from in here and I thought I could assist you, but I see you've already taken care of the assailant."
She was still staring at him. Despite being drenched, Sousuke started to feel a bit flushed. "Chidori?" he prompted.
Suddenly, she gritted her teeth and shouted, "Are you crazy?"
"I'm sorry?"
"I screamed because I saw a spider!" Chidori angrily pointed at the wall, where—sure enough—a small black arachnid hesitantly climbed the wall. "There's no one else in here. Why would you think—" Then she narrowed her eyes at Sousuke dangerously. "Were you spying on me?"
"N-no," he stuttered, breaking into a cold sweat. "I was merely passing by on the street when I heard a scream. It's just a coincidence."
"Coincidence?" she repeated, her eyes flashing. She tightened her grip on the magazine.
Sousuke immediately backed away, holding his hands before him as she brandished the make-shift weapon. "Chidori, please, I wasn't following—" Then he sneezed. "Excu—" He sneezed again. And again. And again.
"Sousuke?" she asked, losing a bit of the edge in her voice. "Didn't you have an umbrella outside?"
"Negative. I had forgotten it at home." He rubbed at his now-watering eyes while she mutely frowned at him.
"You're dripping on the carpet," she pointed out.
"Oh, I apologize. I'll leave now." He moved towards the door, but Chidori suddenly grabbed his arm.
"Wait. You don't have to go."
"Hm?" He turned towards her with a questioning look on his face. Her fingers were warm against his cold skin, but she immediately released her grip and rubbed the back of her head with a free hand.
"I-I mean, you're still pretty soaked. Aren't you cold? You can stay here until your clothes are dry." Then she laughed loudly, her cheeks turning a bright pink.
"That is not necessary. The cold doesn't bother me."
"But you're already getting"— he sneezed again —"sick. Just sit down for a bit. I have some tea ready, if you like."
He watched her for a moment, trying to understand why she was being so nice to him. Chidori seemed to loathe him when they were at school. Sometimes he'd actually feared for his own life when he faced her. But then there were times like this, when she offered him help, when she blushed and turned her eyes to the floor, almost embarrassed, possibly even shy. He couldn't make sense of it.
"I don't understand," he began.
"That's okay," Chidori interrupted, her cheeks even redder as she turned away from him. "If you don't want tea, you can—"
"No, no. A cup of tea would be nice. Thank you very much."
"Then what don't you understand?" She was watching him intently now, her lips slightly parted as she waited for his answer. He hesitated. This wasn't like in the field; he'd learned that lesson quickly. Gut instincts with her only brought him pain. That's why he shrugged, buying himself more time to think. He rolled the thought over in his head until an acceptable reply formed.
"I don't understand why you're suddenly being so kind." Sousuke shook some excess water off his hands as she gaped at him. "I wouldn't expect you to invite me for tea after I broke down your door." When he looked up, the magazine was still curled up in her hands. She seemed to tighten her grip around it. After a strange period of silence, he began to get fidgety. She still hadn't moved. "Uh, Chidori?"
"Kind?" she repeated robotically. Then her eyes flashing. "Kind?" She took a menacing step forwards, and Sousuke's hands flew up in defense. "I'll have you know that I'm always kind! I'm a pacifist!" The magazine in her hand seemed to plead otherwise. She was backing him into a wall. Sousuke broke into a cold sweat.
"No, I didn't mean—"
"And you will fix my door!" she asserted, pulling the sleeve of her t-shirt back menacingly. Just as she was about to wallop him, he sneezed again. The change was immediate. "Let's get you that tea now," she said brightly, leaving her magazine all but forgotten on the floor. Sousuke was still panting wildly as she took his arm and led him to the couch. "Just wait here; make yourself comfortable!"
And she giggled.
No, he didn't understand her one bit.
She'd given him a few towels to dry off with, and a huge blanket that could probably swallow him if he wasn't careful. Chidori poured him a cup of tea while he wrapped it around his shoulders. She'd set out a few onigiri as well. The tea tasted sweet, although Sousuke was a bit too tense to enjoy it fully. He sipped it robotically as Chidori talked about whatever came to her mind. He kept his eyes on his hands. Inwardly, he was ashamed that he had made such a grave mistake. It could've resulted in an injury—possibly even Chidori's—and he'd never forgive himself if something happened to her. He needed some sleep if he was to function properly in the field.
"Sousuke?"
"Yes?" He looked up to find her squinting at him.
"Are you feeling better? I mean—"
"Affirmative."
"—you don't look very well," she finished, plowing right over his response. She probably knew he was lying anyways. And he really didn't feel that well, under the combined weight of fatigue, shivers, and a small case of guilt. He ran his fingers nervously across his brow—it was sweaty, he noticed—and slowly sighed.
"I was simply worried about my Japanese literature paper," he lied. "I have a hard time in that subject area."
"Oh, the paper? It wasn't too bad…" she started to say, but trailed off and bit her lip. "Well, I know you don't seem to understand it. If you ever need help, you can ask me, Sousuke. I'll do my best."
He looked up at her, and let a rare smile peek through. "I would like that very much. Thank you."
Chidori didn't meet his eyes, but he saw her smiling, too. Just then, a small clock on her mantelpiece chimed. "It's getting late," she said. "You should go home."
Sousuke didn't want to go. He blinked. It was a real feeling, deep in the pit of his stomach. He didn't want to leave her. He liked sitting here, warmed by an itchy blanket, drinking tea and talking to a friend. Something he had never experienced before… but something intimately familiar.
All of these feelings flew through him in a second, and then he was back to thinking like a sergeant. And, as a sergeant, he knew that he must go. "Thank you again, Chidori. For everything." It took his all not to salute her as well.
"Oh, no," she laughed, blushing again and waving off his gratefulness. "It was really no trouble."
"I will see you tomorrow in class."
"Wait, Sousuke." The girl retreated into a nearby closet and appeared seconds later, toting a small green umbrella. "Use this when you go home. You can return it to me tomorrow."
Warily, he took the handle and opened it. Two frog-eyes peaked out and Sousuke stared.
"Don't you say a word," Chidori warned him.
He didn't—he valued his life. Raising the umbrella, he gave a small bow and said, "Good night, Chidori." Before she could reply, he was out the door and starting down the stairs.
The walk back wasn't nearly as frightening as before. Sousuke sloshed through the puddles, his mind on other things.
The apartment was dark when Kurz returned. He stumbled a bit over an object in the vestibule, swore, and fumbled against the wall to find the switch. The offending object that he had tripped over… was a green umbrella. Curious, he pushed it open and saw two frog eyes peeking back.
He knew that umbrella.
Kurz grinned.
"Sousuke, you sly dog…."
Thanks for reading! Please review!