A/N - this was written before I watched FMP: TSR, so forgive me. I think Sousuke would go about it in a different way, now that I've seen it. But oh well, hope you can still enjoy this fluffy one-shot!
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or the storyline of the series, Full Metal Panic. Domo.
Full Metal Romance
Shots rang out all around them, smoke and debris attacking from all sides… confusion everywhere.
"Sousuke!" Kaname covered her ears and ducked into a small of a ball as she humanly could. Their clothes were muddy and torn. The trench was filthy. Kaname Chidori was tired and terrified.
"We'll be fine, Chidori-san," he answered calmly, staring straight ahead at the enemies as he finished off his next magazine of bullets. "Just leave it to me."
While Sousuke diligently fired off his rounds, Kaname eased for a few seconds to look up at the man she admired for so long: her protector who felt no hesitation, no discouragement. Even though he sometimes irked her to no end, she loved him wholly. But Sousuke Sagura was first and foremost a sergeant. He was always on duty and on guard (which occasionally caused him to be an extreme idiot).
I wonder if he knows that I love him, Kaname wondered, feeling a rare wave of hopelessness.
Of course he didn't. Sousuke was obtuse as he was militant.
"Get down!" Sousuke's throwing her to the ground stopped Kaname's thoughts for a second.
He shielded Kaname with his body as the tree beside them exploded into flying shrapnel.
Chidori's heart lurched in fear. But once the splinters of wood settled, her heart began to race for an entirely different reason.
She focused on breathing, all too conscious of how close they were. Sousuke was warm…Before Chidori could savor the feeling, Sousuke pulled off her.
"We've got to look for cover!" Sousuke yelled, grabbing Chidori's hand and pulling her along.
Bullets whizzed in all directions, but Sousuke had a deadly aim and fired shot for shot back at the enemy, always hitting his mark.
Sousuke's fellow Mithril troops, Sgt. Webber and Sgt. Mao, were on their way with fully equipped Arm Slaves. "It's almost oh-five hundred hours," Sousuke said. "We're to meet them in fifteen minutes. Don't worry, Chidori. We're almost there!"
Chidori nodded bravely, believing his words. She could feel hope rising within her chest.
They were almost at their rendezvous point - a clearing by the rocks - when Sagura clutched his shoulder and stumbled forward in pain.
"Sousuke!" Terror gripped Kaname. A pool of dark, wet crimson was soaking through Sousuke's shirt.
He struggled back to his feet.
"Sousuke are you alright?" She helped him up, earnestly afraid.
"Negative," he groaned and took her hand again, stumbling on.
They barely made it to the clearing in time.
They were safe within the medical center of a local Mithril base's ship. A doctor had tended to the bullet in Sagura's shoulder with amazing speed and deft. He was bandaged up and told to rest, while Kaname showered and was given a change of clothes, her cuts and bruises tended.
The quiet base was so loud after the throbbing orchestra of combat. Kaname felt restless. She walked down the near-empty corridors of the hospital wing to look for Sousuke.
At last she found his room and carefully opened the door.
Sousuke immediately jerked up, on guard. "Ah…" he said, lying back down on the hospital bed. "Chidori-san."
"Sousuke…" Tears spiked Kaname's eyes so she tightly shut them.
"Don't cry, Chidori," Sousuke said, his voice rough with pain. "Everything's safe. You're alright now."
She looked up angrily. "But you're not, you idiot!" The tears started to spill down her cheeks.
Sousuke's eyes widened in surprise.
"I was really worried about you, baka Sousuke! I was really worried, I…"
"Oh, was that all?" Sousuke closed his eyes and smiled. "I'll be just fine, Chidori. The doctors aboard the Mithril are the best of the best. Why, I'll be healed and ready for combat within four weeks."
"Combat?" she cried angrily again, her voice squeaking incredulously. "I don't care about that! Sousuke, what I'm trying to tell you is that I – I …" Kaname's face flushed in embarrassment. Dare she say it? She took a breath.
"I love you!"
Sousuke looked at her, stunned.
"Don't you have anything to say?" Kaname shouted, immediately regretting her hasty choice to confess right there and then.
"Well, I… I suppose affection is only natural in cases where people are in such close contact with one another," Sousuke said, thoughtful.
"That's – that's not the point! Aren't you even at least a little happy?" Chidori demanded with fading hopes.
"Hum…" Sousuke paused.
Kaname's heart was teetering on the edge of a very sharp knife.
"That's kind of hard to say…"
"Oh, forget it!" Kaname cried angrily and grabbed the front of Sousuke's shirt. Must she explain everything? This boy was as thick as condensed milk. Besides, her heart was already crushed into tiny pieces of shrapnel. Nothing else could possibly hurt her now, so why not?
She pulled him forward and slammed her lips against his, silencing him thoroughly.
Kaname felt humiliated, but tried her best. At first, Sousuke was unresponsive, stunned.
Please let him understand… please let this work! Kaname thought. Her lips were a bit too unpracticed – especially recently – but she fumbled along.
Slowly, like melting snow in the spring, Sousuke warmed up to the kiss.
His lips were soft and tasted like fresh military mints. He began to gently kiss her back.
Thrilled, Kaname decided to give Sousuke some hints on how to go about the business of kissing. She slid her arms up his chest and wrapped them securely around his neck.
Sousuke turned out to be a fast learner. He ran his hands down her arms, and brought them down to her waist.
Kaname pulled him closer, her arms tightening, the kiss growing more eager. She grew braver, daring to let go one of arms from around his neck and ran her fingers through his thick brown hair. She could feel his heart, like hears, racing beneath his hospital linen shirt.
Suddenly, on his own accord, Sousuke pulled her toward him. They both fell over onto the bed, Kaname landing on top. He pulled her closer, until not a centimeter of air came between them. Arms and legs tangled. It was like a strange dance, the two of them making up their steps as they went.
I wonder if he knows how to French ki- but Chidori didn't have time to finish her thought because Sergeant Sagura had proven himself entirely too competent in that skill just then.
A knock form the doorway and the voice of Kurtz startled them into pulling apart.
Kaname accidentally leaned her elbow into to the side and -
"Aurgh!"
"Sorry!" Kaname fretted. "I forgot about your shoulder!"
"It's… okay…" Sousuke mustered.
"I always knew the Florence Nightingale effect worked wonders," Kurtz smirked from the sidelines.
Sergeant Melissa Mao, who stood beside him, smacked Kurtz on the head.
"Ta-ta you two lovebirds! Don't do anything I would! Hum… but if you change your mind, make sure you always use plenty of protection!" He winked, giving a pistol-signal with his thumb and index finger.
"Oh shut up!" Melissa grumbled as she grabbed him by the ear and dragged him painful away.
"Gambatte, Sousuke!" were Kurtz's parting words.
Kaname and Sousuke both thought with some annoyed resignation that Kurtz was going to give them a lot of grief over the matter for a very long time…
Her thoughts were cut short by Sousuke clearing his throat.
"Kaname," he said, looking right in her aquamarine eyes. "About earlier…" Kaname winced and waited for his apologizing words.
Instead he said, "I see you point exactly."
Cut scene:
A helicopter hovered above them, its metal blades pounding loudly above them, blasting air and sand in all directions.
Suddenly two A.S. in invisible mode appeared beside them.
"Did we miss all the fun?" Sergeant Kurtz Webber wanted to know wistfully.
"Hurry up, Sousuke," Sergeant Melissa Mao said as an extra A.S. landed beside them for Sousuke to operate.
Sagura looked at Kaname. "You get into the helicopter, Kaname. I'll come after you once this area is secured."
Kaname looked up at the helicopter above, which whipped her blue hair in a frenzy. Then she looked over at Sousuke, who stood beside her, still clutching his shoulder. A familiar, determined look crossed over her face.
"No."
Sousuke stared at her in surprise. "Kaname-san, I don't have time for this: get in, you must hurry!"
"I'm not going without you!"
"Chidori-"
"I won't leave you! I can't just sit on the sidelines, worrying if you're hurt or if something happened to you!"
Sousuke stood up in a rigid military stance. "I have a duty to my fellow Mithril."
"You can't fight with a wounded shoulder, it's too dangerous!"
They stared each other down, both equally determined.
Kurtz Webber and Melissa Mao, both of whom had been watching the exchange of words take place, were amazed.
Sergeant Mao's voice cut through the silence. "Sousuke, you didn't tell me you were injured; you can't possibly operate Arbalest if you're not physically capable to fight yourself!" she bellowed. "You're officially dismissed from combat. Get in that helicopter right now with Kaname-san, and that's an order!"
Sousuke balked for one moment. Then he nodded grimly. He had no choice.
With Kaname's help, he climbed up the helicopter ladder and inside.