Disclaimer: Yes, I do not own Full Metal Panic. And yes, in my dreams, I'd like to pretend I do.

Author's Note: Might include a little bit of spoilers from Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid. I'm not good with battle scenes, so there's not much of robots-fighting-each-other-and-getting-blown-off stuff here (if there is, just bare with my lack of imagination on that one). Mostly Sousuke x Kaname angst/drama/whatever. I'm still not sure how this will end, but I'd like to keep it below ten chapters - that way, I'm sure I'll be able to at least finish it before my mood gets all whacked-up again. Enjoy.

Summary: Her mouth stopped near his ear, and whispered ever so softly, much like the same way she did last time Sousuke allowed her to cut his hair. -You can't protect me forever, Sousuke- SousukeKaname

-

Save Me

By makka na yuki

-

"You... you're.."

"Alive?" Sousuke finished for her, face filled with sweat in anticipation of getting hit. He had been gone for so long, it seemed like years… Oh, he hoped she'd only use her fan… he didn't think he could handle any broken bones again…

Kaname raised an eyebrow. It still irritated her, that poker face of his. She found herself smiling at the thought.

"…Back" she corrected, a slight twinkle in her eyes. "Nothing can kill you Sousuke, I know that much." She added quickly, as she turned to enter her apartment, with him following suit.

"Oh" was his only reply. Shouldn't she be radiating with fury right now? Or even jumping up and down with joy? Anything else but this, Sousuke thought, unfamiliar with the change in the girl's attitude.

I should check around her apartment for any hidden enemy devices, the young agent thought. Who knows what could've happened in the six months that he was away?

-

He had missed this, Sousuke thought as he looked around her apartment. All those months spent inside the gray walls of the submarine had almost driven him insane. He had left her alone. Thoughts of her dying…

Sousuke blinked at the person sitting casually on one of the dining chairs. "Wraith?" he asked recognizing the agent under the disguise. Sousuke quickly shifted to soldier-mode and looked suspiciously from side to side "Is anything wrong?" Was there an attack?, he knew it! Something bad must've happened!

"Chidori! We have to-" he stopped as a spatula hit the back of his head.

"Geez, Sousuke" the blue-haired girl sighed wagging the offending cooking utensil to his face "Can't you even relax for a bit. Wraith and I were just having dinner"

The undercover agent smiled at the two behind her mask. From an outsider's point of view, everything seemed normal… but then…

"Chidori-san" Wraith said in a deep voice "I just remembered something I had to do. I have to cut our dinner-date short again."

Dinner date? Again? Sousuke questioned silently. How long have the two been meeting like this..?

"No no, it's fine. It was nice talking to you" Kaname said with a small smile "Let me walk you out the-"

"No, I'll do it" Sousuke interjected as he motioned for Wraith towards the door.

-

When he was sure they were beyond hearing range, Sousuke faced the Intelligence Division agent "What are you doing here? You told me once you would never intervene with her life unless there's some business to take care of."

Oh, but it is business, Wraith solemnly thought, more than the young soldier could ever know. "I don't have to tell you anything" the undercover agent stated as she turned to leave.

Sousuke stared worriedly at the retreating back of the seemingly fat man walking away from him.

-

"What was that all about?" Sousuke questioned the long-haired girl as he came back inside.

"Girl bonding" Kaname answered with a wink. "Now sit down and eat. It doesn't seem like they've been feeding you well" she laughed.

Sousuke smiled. He had really missed this. I'm home, he thought.

As the young soldier gulped down his first real meal in days, he couldn't help but wonder…

There was something Chidori Kaname was not telling him.