OUR HEARTS JOURNEY
By: saihei
Disclaimer: I do not own 'Full metal panic'.
CHAPTER 9: "Ayame vs. Sousuke!"
Ayame returned at the hotel after retrieving the Bonta-kun stuff toy. "Hah," She panted. "Good thing, the taxi driver was a nice man, geez..." She began heading toward the elevator. "I'm sure Shizuru was already—what the heck is that sign?!" Ayame exclaimed after she saw a sign board placed before the elevator. "NOT AVAILABLE?!"
Ayame hastily ran toward the hotel's customer service desk. "Since when did your management put that sign?! Come on answer me!"
The lady personnel at the desk smiled and offered a glass of water to Ayame. "Ma'am please calmed down, that sign had only been there for exactly 15 minutes now."
Ayame eyes turned huge in shocked. "15 minutes?! Shit! Are you sure there's no one in there, cause you know, I left my niece in that elevator a moment ago."
The personnel smiled and nodded. "Well ma'am I received a report that there's a child in there, but rest assured, she's currently with a kind young man."
"WHAT?! YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN AFTER TELLING ME THAT MY PRECIOUS NIECE GOT STUCK IN THAT ELEVATOR WITH A STRANGE MAN!" Ayame bellowed and pulled the collar of the smiling personnel. "Open that elevator..." She commanded with clenching teeth. "NOW!"
The unwavering smiling personnel pushed the emergency red button beside her. It only took a few seconds before two security guards arrived and pulled Ayame away from the lady personnel. "Ma'am calm down, you can come with them at the surveillance room to see that your niece is just fine." The personnel told her.
The two guards brought Ayame at the surveillance room. The room was filled with monitors and multiple control buttons. She approached one of the monitors as she recognized Shizuru's hair and the man with her. "Ik!" Ayame yelped. "T-That man! That's Sagara Sousuke!"
One of the guards smiled. "Then it's fine ma'am." The guard examined the position of the two people at the monitor. "Is that your niece's father, look at her, she's sleeping soundly." The guard offered a chair too Ayame. "I think there's no safer place than in her father's arms."
Ayame unintelligently nodded. Of course, she felt relieved after seeing that Shizuru's fine, but with Sousuke cuddling her? That's a different story. She remembered the deal she made with her sister. "I screwed up the plan...no more cell phone."
After a few minutes the he guard stood up and paced closer to Ayame. "Ma'am the elevator was functioning again, would you like to come with us to pick your niece, or maybe you'd rather stay here and wait for them."
Ayame stood up and ordered the guard to move faster.
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Sousuke gently stood up when he heard the door of the elevator began to open. He secured that his movements will not wake the sleeping child in his arms. As the elevator completely opened up, Sousuke saw one of the security guards standing next to a girl who looks familiar to him. He stepped out of the elevator and smiled at them. "Thank you for being in time." The guard nodded and left.
Ayame frowned and paced closer to Sousuke. She beckoned the soldier to give Shizuru to her by forwardly spreading her arms; one of her hands still clasping the bonta-kun doll.
Sousuke frowned and scrutinized the girl before him. "Who are you? How can I be sure that you're related to this little girl?"
Ayame frowned and placed both her hands on her waist. "Are you dumb? Have you forgotten me already?" She moved her hand and point to her face. "I'm your ex-girlfriend's younger sister, duh!"
Sousuke squinted and scrutinized Ayame's facial attributes. He silently agreed. "Forgive me, the last time I saw you was you're just a few inches taller than Shizuru, you obviously gained some height Ayame-chan."
Ayame scowled and silently cursed Sousuke. 'Just a few inches taller than Shizuru?! Is he blind! That's ridiculous! I'm way too tall than my niece okay! Stupid soldier grrrr...' She swallowed some air to compose herself before spreading her arms again. "Shut-up and just hand over my niece!"
Sousuke gently passed the sleeping toddler to Ayame's arms. He saw Ayame's miffed face beamed when she stared down to the little girl. "You must not leave her alone in places she isn't familiar with. It might endanger her safety."
The scowl returned to Ayame's face. She infuriatingly looked back to Sousuke. "Yeah right, but I want you to swear that you won't tell anyone about this incident, or else--"
Sousuke butt in. "I know that, Kaname would never leave you at peace once she found out that you allowed her daughter almost be in danger. Be thankful that I'm the one who found her." The soldier uttered confidently.
Ayame chose not to retort. She just turned away and left Sousuke. 'Grrrr, I didn't know that he's such a jerk! Good thing my sister already dumped him!' She decided to use the staircases as she sauntered up to their room at the 4th floor.
Sousuke straightened his shirt which got a little rumpled because of Shizuru's clasping. He felt his heart beat gladly when he remembered how the small girl found comfort within his arms. 'That was the first time I got stuck inside a compartment without using an explosive to free myself...' He recalled Shizuru's idyllic feature. '...maybe because the child concerns me more...' He stepped back in the elevator and went up to the second floor to meet the captain of Mithrill.
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"Lieutenant Sagara, what took you so long?" Tessa asked and opened the door of her hotel room. She almost jumped from the cozy chair she was sitting on when she heard Sousuke's voice behind the door. "Come in Sagara-kun."
Sousuke nodded and stepped inside the room. His eyes examined the area, looking for any sign that could cause a potential threat toward his superior. "Madam Captain; isn't this place too exposed for your position. There are a hundred ways I could see that might cause an imminent danger to you. I suggest for you to reside at the safe house instead." He finished his assessment and turned to face Tessa. His stern face met a huge smile. "Was there anything delightful with what I said?"
Tessa giggled and shook her head. "No Sagara-kun! It's just...I never thought you could be so worried about me like that!" The frail captain blushed and paced closer to Sousuke. "Sagara-kun..."
Sousuke recognized that reaction. 'The madam captain just giggled and blushed...' He remembered one of Kaname's old lectures. 'If the girl you're talking to suddenly giggled and blushed, it means she likes you...' Kaname's words resounded in his head like a recorded voice. '...you better step away from her or I'll get tooootally pissed off! You got that sergeant?' He could still recall the threatening scowl on Kaname's face and the terrified feeling it brought to his senses. He immediately took a double step backward. "Captain, what are you doing?" He instantly asked with anxiety mingling with his usual stern voice.
Tessa embarrassedly retreated and stiffly sat on the couch. "Anou...I'm sorry Sagara-kun! Please have a seat!" Tessa prodded and watched Sousuke sat on the other couch across her.
Sousuke cleared his throat before talking. "Well captain, as I said earlier, you are more secure at the safe house than in this hotel."
"You don't have to worry Sagara-kun, Mao's with me; she just went back at the TDD to submit her report about her latest mission." Tessa said. "And you'll be staying here too right?" She saw Sousuke's brow twitched perplexedly, she turned crimsoned again when the meaning of her last question sunk in. "Anou! I mean...y-you received an order too about guarding me right?"
The confused look on Sousuke's face vanished as he nodded. "But I requested a two months leave from my department. Lieutenant Commander Kalinin approved it, technically speaking ma'am, contemporarily I am not supposed to receive any orders until my vacation ends." Sousuke affirmed and smiled. "But as my friend, I'll try my best to keep you safe."
Tessa sulked. "Are you that busy here Sagara-kun? You made your vacation sounds like a very delicate mission than a mission to relax." She uttered solemnly. "As your friend, can you tell me what are you really doing here?"
The smile on Sousuke's face faded as he decided to share his predicament to his captain. Tessa saw his shoulder sagged a little from its usual sturdy figure. "This hotel is where Kaname and her family currently reside." Sousuke started, his eyes were pinned down to his joined hands. "My mission...is to know if her daughter is my daughter too."
Tessa's eyes widened with surprised and confusion. "D-Daughter? You mean...you have a child with Miss Chidori?"
Sousuke abruptly raised his head and stared at Tessa. "Captain, didn't you know that I and Chidori Kaname had lived with each other for 2 years. I thought Kurz and Mao told you."
Tessa gulped. "They didn't...I thought...you're so naïve to even think about having an intimate relationship with any girls," Tessa piteously sighed. "Maybe I'm wrong..." She sighed again. 'If I had known this before, I might as well seduce you...hah! What a waste! Like I thought! Kaname is more aggressive than me!' Sousuke's voice snapped her out of her musing. "Come again Sagara-kun."
"Forgive me for being so imperceptive, I did not know that you were untold about my real relationship with Kaname. I'm really sorry Captain." Sousuke sincerely enunciated.
Tessa strongly shook her head. "It's okay Sagara-kun! I've known that you had developed a very strong feeling for her since that day you requested to extend your stay in Tokyo six years ago! Do you still remember that, that was after you killed Gauron at Hongkong?"
Sousuke slowly nodded. "You're such an intelligent woman then, Captain Testarossa." The clueless soldier commented.
As she heard that, Tessa cast another pathetic sigh. 'You're so dense, Sagara-kun.'
"Captain, have you met Kaname?" Sousuke inquired.
Tessa shook her head. "However...Sagara-kun, does Chidori-san was the one who informed you about the child?" The young captain asked curiously.
The young lieutenant slowly shook his head. "It was just all an accident meeting; Kaname strongly declared that the child is not mine."
Tessa somewhat felt glad about that. After all those years her love for Sousuke did not waver. She still hopes that someday the valiant soldier will return her feelings, especially now that her rival was no longer standing between her and Sousuke. "Is that so Sagara-kun, then I supposed, you should leave Miss Chidori at peace. Don't forget that she's no longer under the Mithrill's protection program; you must not interfere in a civilian's personal life." Tessa enunciated with a smile.
Sousuke was dumbfounded as that statement was something he did not expect to hear. He could feel an anguish feeling starting to build within him. His eyes were narrowing as he stood up. "Captain," He took a deep breathe.
Tessa's smile faded. She could see the turmoil illuminating within Sousuke's grey eyes. "Sagara-kun?"
"You have no right to interfere in my personal life as well." Sousuke said firmly. He tried his best to hide his growing anger. 'I won't allow my job to stop me from what I really wanted to do...' "Forgive my words, but I will never let your orders stop me again like you did five years ago, Mithrill's ultimatum won't work this time."
Tessa anxiously gasped. "Five years ago..." Her mind began to ponder back on the time when Sousuke stood up against the council of Mithrill organization. The second time he tried to protect his relationship with Chidori Kaname. 'I thought he had already forgiven me for that...'
"I won't let Mithrill decide for my life again." Sousuke staunchly pronounced.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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A/N:
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JA!
