Disclaimer: I make no claim to the series, ideas, or characters of Full Metal Panic.

Defining Normalcy

Chapter 9: To Act on Result

By Adam Lakewood

"So, Kaname, may I inquire as to why you wanted to come to the park?" said Sousuke as he stared out toward the large fountain of the park.

He had to admit, he enjoyed the outdoors, and this did seem like the ideal day for a stroll in the park. The weather was warm and there was a mild breeze constantly blowing with strong gusts once in a while, causing the leaves of the trees to rustle in the wind and the trees themselves to sway ever so slightly in their slow dance to unheard music. The shadows of the leaves played in spots, offering shelter from the bright sun to those who may not appreciate it as much as he did. Birds would occasionally come across their path in front of them; a lot closer than he ever remembered birds to come near him. The birds didn't even seem to notice the towering giants above them and continued to play and fly about without a care in the world. It kind of reminded him as to how his life currently was, or at least compared to what it was. Yes, it was a great day to be walking in the park. But, this somewhat confused him... somewhat. He was prepared for something which he may not necessarily enjoy which women enjoyed doing... like shopping. The average woman loves nothing more than shopping... or so he had heard. He was ready to trek through the day doing rather unenjoyable woman things. But, since when was Kaname like all other girls? It didn't really matter what they were doing, as long as he was with her. Her mere presence made him feel as if he had had a missing piece to him had just recently been filled. No, it didn't really matter at all.

Kaname smirked at his question, knowing he must have thought of her decision as rather peculiar.

"Well, you said that this was my date. So, I happen to enjoy coming to the park. What's wrong, Sousuke? Don't like the great outdoors?" she questioned as she nudged him playfully in the side.

She stared at him, expecting some sort of militaristic answer which never came. She watched as all he did in reply was smile. Him smiling was still a change welcomed with open arms but still hadn't quite gotten used to yet. It seemed as if he tended to smile for no reason. If there was a reason, it was only one which he himself knew. The smile was followed by a moment of silence as they continued walking the long walking path around the fountain.

"Yes, I've always enjoyed the outdoors." was all he had to say.

They walked on for a few more minutes in silence, taking in the sounds of nature around them. Kaname smiled every time she looked back over at Sousuke. His light smile never left his face. And, what made her feel best was the way he was looking at every little flower, tree, rock, and bug as they walked past. He looked so peaceful... so at ease. She had never seen the Sousuke she knew so relaxed before. He looked as if he didn't have a single care in the world and was only living in the moment. She could have sworn it literally made her feel warm inside. As much as she enjoyed the peaceful silence, there needed to be at least a little interaction between the two of them since they were on a date. Also, they needed to act a little bit more like they were dating rather than looking like just friends. They could at least hold hands as they walked, couldn't they? But, despite all of his changes this was Sousuke. She didn't want to seem overly anxious to get close to him or come across as being too pushy. She saw her opportunity when she looked over at him to see him walking with his left hand in his pants pocket and his right, the one which just so happened to be closest to her, swinging freely at his side as he walked. The moment just seemed so right, so she would take her chance. The slowly reached for his hand until her fingers made contact with the palm of his hand.

Sousuke looked around at the beautiful scenery around him. He remembered how much he loved this park when he was here before. He remembered the fond memories he and Kaname shared about this place. He remembered telling himself that there was no other place he would rather be in the world. ... He remembered this place almost being destroyed.

Thus, was the reason why he was extracted from Tokyo in the first place. It was also the reason why he so hastily agreed to leave Tokyo for the mission. Arbalest was needed for the mission and only he was capable of handling the mission. A terrorist group in China had managed to get their hands on a massive load of plutonium, and they were planning to use it in the most horrific ways imaginable. He did not remember the exact details about it or how, but he did remember hearing about Cold Fissure: a.k.a. The Burning Cold. He remembered that he had easily succeeded in his mission but was captured in the process. For over a week, he was their prisoner before Mithril finally came to his rescue. He remembered the several forms of torture he was put through, but he held on despite the rumor of the Chinese being the best at getting people to break. He remembered the several beatings every day. He remembered the broken bones, the infected cuts... everything. He remembered the smell of the pitch black stone chamber he was confined to; so small he couldn't even stand up in it. He remembered the feelings of the multiple infestations of bugs, rats, snakes, and spiders crawling across his naked body. He could almost feel them now as he was remembering them so vividly. As a matter of fact, he did feel one on his hand at the moment.

Sousuke quickly pulled away from the touch of Kaname's fingers against his palm in a startled fashion. It took only a split second for him to realize it was only Kaname. He felt his left hand in his left pocket, and formulated the conclusion that he must have been swinging his arm and accidentally brushed against Kaname. He felt rather embarrassed by his abrupt action and smiled at Kaname to cover it up.

"Opps. Sorry about that." he said as he slid his right hand into his right jean pocket to ensure he would not be caught unconsciously flailing again.

It bothered him slightly as to why that memory would be resurfacing during a time like this. He was perfectly at ease here, but still, just thinking about the peaceful surroundings somehow brought back that horrible memory. He had been told several times that the military screws people up for life. Perhaps he should have listened. But, if so, it was nothing he wouldn't be able to deal with. Besides, now he had the perfect life. He was living in Tokyo, the place he most considered home to be. He worked for Kalinin, whom he felt as if was his own father. He had Jin living in an apartment complex no more than a mile away from him, whom he considered to be his little sister. And, most of all, he had Kaname, who was the world to him. So far, this day, despite the level of inactivity, seemed to be the best day of his life, or as much as he could remember.

Kaname's smile slightly faded when Sousuke pulled away from her touch as if he had been bitten. Was he really that uncomfortable about her touching him? Was he really afraid of getting too close to her? ... no. Maybe, he just wasn't used to it. That thought eased her mind a little. They had just barely begun the day, no use jumping to conclusions yet. Besides, this was Sousuke, no use expecting too much from a first date.

Kaname looked around at the surroundings which seemed to have Sousuke so engrossed. She had to admit, the scenery was much more beautiful than she had noticed before. Especially the trees. The trees were something to stare at if nothing else. ... especially one in particular.

Kaname lightly pulled at Sousuke's shirt to get his attention. She pointed her finger over at the tree which had attained her attention. She saw something in his eyes, she wasn't sure what, but something when he saw the tree she was pointing at. She smirked evilly as she guessed what she saw in his eyes were the flashbacks being replayed to him. That would also explain the sudden change of look on his face. He seemed to be... remembering.

"Does that tree bring back any memories for you as it does for me?" she asked.

Slowly, as if he were trying to hide it, a smile appeared on his face. Then she could have sworn she heard something that sounded like a choked chuckle coming from him as he covered his mouth and attempted to cover up the sound by clearing his throat. He looked back at the tree but still had a... humored... look about him.

"Yes, I do have a memory of that tree... and several memories about the events that led up to that... memory of the tree." he said slowly, as if choosing his words carefully or maybe trying to stop from laughing.

Kaname laughed at his commentary. She knew good and well what memories he had of that tree; she had the same.

"So, what exactly do you remember about that tree, Sousuke?"

He grasped his chin as he walked, making it seem as if he had to thing about it.

"Well... I do believe I recall being bound and hung upside down from that tree by a rather... unpleased group of individuals... which you were one of." he said as he looked at her out of the corner of his eyes.

"I believe that's because some military maniac... we shall mention no names... decided to set a bunch of traps for us to get caught up in... and for no apparent reason."

Sousuke thought back on those times two years ago. They seemed so long ago, and he remembered himself being an almost completely different person. He may act a lot differently than he did then, but he could still relate to the same mindset in a lot of ways. Almost every one of those memories made him want to laugh.

He smiled as he nodded his head and let out a hum of acknowledgement.

"Yes, a rather unreasonable thing to do, I must admit. But, nothing happens just for no apparent reason; there is always reasoning behind everything that occurs."

"Really?" Kaname asked, sounding somewhat unconvinced. "So, what exactly would have been this unnamed military maniac's reason behind trapping his fellow classmates like prey?"

"Said military maniac had misunderstood the hazy instructions given to him by the zealous art teacher."

That got a good laugh out of Kaname. She remembered that teacher rather well, but she had never heard anyone call him zealous, which did, in fact, fit him better than any of the other things she had heard him called.

Sousuke didn't quite understand what was so funny, but decided to laugh anyway. Laughing seemed like a good idea at the time anyway. He had a right to laugh. He hadn't really done it anywhere as much as he should have in the past eighteen years, so he could just consider this making up for it.

Kaname looked over at Sousuke when she quit got her laughing spurt out. She watched as he ended his spurt of laughter shortly after hers. He had laughed more in the past several hours than she had ever heard him laugh before. But, it was good to hear him laugh. To her, it sounded like one of the most beautiful sounds in the world. She looked up at him with a smile as he looked down at her and did the same. In that single moment, it felt as if she had found perfection.

She let out a short lived chuckle as she looked back ahead of her. To most people, there would be nothing special about this occasion. But, to her, everything just seemed to be so perfect.

"You sure do seem to be... happy, Sousuke."

That comment was addressed to him, but seemed to be more of a thought she had which just escaped her mind. She realized too late what she had said. It was nothing bad, but it probably sounded like a strange comment. So, she mentally prepared for his questioning to her out of place questioning. Such a statement would have to be explained to Sousuke Sagara as to how; that was for sure.

The only thing that followed her statement was silence. She welcomed the silence as opposed to having to explain herself. But, the odd silence lasted for a bit longer than she would have expected. It probably went on for minutes before he spoke in one of the last ways she would have ever expected.

"I am, Kaname."

The simple statement left Kaname without words. There was nothing special about the words; it was the way he said it. It was as if the words had a secret meaning behind them that only she could decipher. There were a few more minutes of silence before he decided to elaborate on his previous response.

"More so than I have ever been." he stated simply, as if he were talking about the weather.

Kaname finally found words to speak. She was pretty sure as to what he meant. Her being around him made her feel as if she were walking on air. His words led her to believe he felt the same way. But, some habits die hard, and he was just reluctant to state his feelings in a straightforward way.

She smirked a mischievous grin as an idea came to her. She figured she would do like old times and see if she could put him on the spot. Make him sweat a little.

"How so?" she asked casually.

That would definitely get him thinking. There weren't very many ways he could respond in an indirect way to that. She was ready for each and every one of them though; she would get a direct answer out of him one way or another.

But, he responded so quickly that it caught her off guard.

"Everything just seems so perfect."

She didn't have to question him further. Those few words spoke thousands more. She didn't know if she could question him further even if she wanted to. His answer was one he knew she would understand.

Sousuke glanced up at the sun to feel its warmth on his face. He opened his eyes to notice it wasn't where he had expected it to be. He looked further in front of him instead of above him and saw it shining in the distance. That couldn't be right.

Sousuke glanced at his wristwatch to see that it was nearly four in the afternoon. He couldn't recall a time where he had lost track of time. His internal clock was probably the best in the world, but time completely managed to slip away from him today. Perhaps this was a regular thing in the life of a normal person. Thus, the idea comforted him.

"Kaname, we had better get going. I seem to have lost track of time. Earlier this morning, while you were getting ready to go, I called and made reservations for dinner. If we are not there at the time I told them we would be arriving, I'm sure they will give our table to someone else. So, if we are going to catch a movie before dinner, we had really better get going."

Kaname was surprised by what she put together by his words. Dinner, arriving... reservations. Then, she remembered exactly what she had told him before she went to prepare for their date.

"Allow me to go get ready and we'll leave out on this extravagant date."

Extravagant.

She had no idea he would take her seriously.

"Sousuke, you didn't!" she exclaimed feeling excited and ashamed at the same time.

"Didn't what, Kaname?"

"Surely you didn't make reservations at some sort of fancy restaurant, did you?"

"No."

She felt somewhat relieved after he said that. Certainly it would have been nice to go to one of those fancy restaurants, for she had never been to one. But, she didn't want Sousuke to feel as if he had to pay an extraordinary amount of money to take her to an expensive restaurant in order to appease her. For that she felt relieved.

"It is an extravagant restaurant." he said with mocking emphasis.

Kaname felt her breath catch in her lungs. So much for feeling relieved.

"S... Sousuke! You didn't have to go that far!"

"I am aware."

"I was only kidding about the whole 'extravagant' thing!"

"To that also, I am aware."

"Then why did you go and make reservations for us?"

"It just seemed like a pretty good idea. Besides, it's been a long time since I last ate at a restaurant."

"But, I don't even have a dress I that would be appropriate to wear."

That should do it. She really didn't want to be a huge expense to him, especially on their first date. She didn't want him getting the idea that only the best was good enough for her. She was happy enough just being around him.

"Nor do I have a suit. So, we'll just have to stop somewhere and get the appropriate clothing."

"Sousuke, I don't have the money to buy a really nice dress!"

"I do."

That made Kaname smile. He was really going all out for her, and that made her feel great. But, still, she didn't want him to spend a lot of money that he probably couldn't afford to spend on her.

"Sousuke, that's really nice of you, but I can't have you spending that much money on me."

"I have no shortage of money, Kaname."

Kaname raised an eyebrow to that statement.

"Sousuke, you work at a music store."

"Yes, but I've had a rather good paying job since I was a child which I never had to spend any of. It's tucked away into a sizeable savings. I repeat, I have no shortage of money."

"But... still... you are not..." she started before she was interrupted.

"I am going to a tailor. And, I will be buying a suit and a dress. If you are not there to pick it out, I will. And, I warn you, according to Reggie, I have the worst fashion sense imaginable."

Kaname laughed at that. If there was ever a time when someone ever made her feel so good, she couldn't quite recall the time at the moment. She then realized the obvious truth. Sousuke wasn't doing this because he felt he had to; he truly wanted to. She looked over at him and smiled.

"Well, if you really insist..."

"I do."

"Then, I will gladly accept your offer." she said as she followed him back the way they came.

"So, which movie were you wanting to see?" he asked.

"I'm not really sure. What kind do you want to see?"

"This is your date. You should choose."

"Well, I might like the same kinds of movies you do."

"I highly doubt that, Kaname."

"What kind do you like?"

"Well, I heard there was this new dubbed Chinese martial arts movie that has..." he started before he was interrupted.

"You're right. I don't like the kinds of movies you do."

"Those are just my favorites. I like almost any kind of movie."

"Then tell me, what movie do you want to see other than the martial arts movie?"

"There are several different ones, so it does not matter to me."

Kaname felt like groaning in frustration. I should never be so hard to ask a guy what movie he wants to see at the theatre... never. But, this was Sousuke she was dealing with. She was lucky he had changed so much for things to be as easy as they were.

"Alright, so what specific one do you want to see?"

"That is your choice, Kaname."

That time Kaname did groan in frustration. Yes, he had changed a lot. But, he was still Sousuke.

That was evident.


Yes, Kaname did enjoy a lot of different movies. She enjoyed a lot of movies that most girls didn't. And, that included horror movies, especially a good monster movie now and then. And, she knew that when most couples went to the movies, the point wasn't exactly to see a movie, but to spent time with the other.

A short scream of fright next to her startled Kaname more than the appearance of the grotesque monster on the big screen. Maybe coming to see a monster movie wasn't the best idea after all. She wanted to pick out a movie that perhaps Sousuke would enjoy too. Now she was starting to regret that decision.

One of the reasons was because of the girl sitting two seats to her right who would shriek in terror every time the monster would make a startling appearance in the movie. But, that didn't bother her as much as it did that she was mostly doing it to get her boyfriend's attention, who would then wrap his arms around her. Not that the occurrence bothered her that much, it was actually quite sweet. But, it left her somewhat envious. She wished Sousuke would do that.

She made a mistake choosing a movie that Sousuke would like since he was completely engrossed in the movie. His eyes were wide like a kid in a candy store as well as glued to the movie screen. There was no getting his attention since he was so caught up in the magic of the big-screen. He looked as if an earthquake wouldn't be able to shake him out of his hypnotic state.

Kaname just sighed as she focused her attention back on the movie. But, there wasn't much use in that since the girl sitting next to her shrieked once again, and her boyfriend said something to her which Kaname couldn't hear, smiled, and put his arm around her again. She hated to seem mushy about things, but she found that enviously romantic. Perhaps, she should try that? Would Sousuke even notice or would he still keep watching. She could also see him shushing her for interrupting the movie. Oddly enough, there would be a little bit of humor in that. But, no, she would stoop that low to get his attention. Or, would she.

Then, she saw his arm move toward her. She held her breath, thinking illogically that he had read her mind or sensed her thoughts in some way. Slowly his arm extended his hand towards her. Could he be...

Nope. She had once again gotten her hopes up just to have them shot down.

She stared down at Sousuke's hand which was holding the bag of popcorn, offering her some, eyes still unmoving from the screen. She sighed an inaudible sigh and waved her hand in neglect of the popcorn which was aptly recoiled to its original position within reach of his other hand for convenient hand-to-popcorn-to-mouth conveyance.

Oh, well. She'd let him have it after the movie, though. She sunk back in her seat and decided to try to enjoy the rest of the movie. She looked over at Sousuke one last time. He was in his own little world over there. She was sitting in the seat right next to him and there wasn't even an armrest separating them. So, how was it they could be so close yet so far apart?

She rested back in her seat and let her hand rest at her side. She would try to see if she could get as engulfed in the movie as Sousuke. Then she might be able to enjoy the movie a little better. The movie really wasn't that good to begin with.

But, the more she actually paid attention to the movie, the more interesting it actually became. It was actually a scary movie that was somewhat scary. No wonder Sousuke liked it so much. The worst part, which was probably the best part, was that the ghosts seemed so realistic. Giving the impression that one could be right behind you. Kaname almost shrieked when she felt something rest on her right shoulder.

She looked over quickly at her shoulder to see a hand which was in fact not the hazy, cold hand of a ghost, but was actually the hand of a person. She looked at the wrist, then the arm and followed it to where it came from. It seemed as if the hand actually belonged to Sousuke, who was still staring intently at the movie screen.

For some reason, the simple touch of his hand on her shoulder made her feel great. It felt as if the extra burden had lifted an unknown burden from her shoulders. It felt... comforting.

Suddenly, the hand on her shoulder tightened and lifted enough to make her move over in her seat until she was leaned against Sousuke, who seemed to be leaned up comfortably against the armrest of the vacant seat next to him.

Next Kaname knew, she was leaned, almost lying on Sousuke's firm, but warm and comforting chest. She felt his arm rest on her side and his hand on her shoulder. He patted her shoulder as one would tenderly pet their animal and allowed his hand to rest there.

Kaname had to remind herself that this was actually Sousuke. She felt warm, comfortable, relaxed, and the uneasiness she was feeling a while ago was now completely gone. The eerie ghosts on the movie didn't even seem to bother her in the slightest despite the chill they would send to anybody watching the same movie. This Sousuke was much different from the Sousuke she remembered. The other Sousuke was assigned to protect her, but for some odd reason, she felt much closer and safer to him now, attempting to fit in as normal more than she did when he was her protector.

Sousuke had definitely changed a lot. He actually seemed to be able to show his emotions. Or, maybe he was always able to share his emotions, but now was the only time he could show them. She remembered all the times he had told her in the past about emotions getting a soldier killed. Did that mean he no longer considered himself a soldier? In a way, that was what she hoped for. She didn't hear him say anything to express his feelings for her just then, but she could feel it in his actions. She moved her head upwards to hopefully be able to see on his face what he was feeling.

No such luck. His eyes were stilled fixated on the movie showing no signs they had moved from the screen since the movie started. In all actuality, they probably hadn't. Kaname smiled and almost laughed at the idea of Sousuke's seemingly loving feelings happening out of a psychological unconditioned response. The idea of Sousuke pulling her close to him because the ghosts were scaring him seemed to be a rather funny idea. But, that definitely wasn't the reason. She knew it.

Kaname twitched in surprise as a bag of popcorn fell in her lap. The hand was removed from her shoulder and commenced the hand-to-popcorn-to-mouth conveyance.

Not exactly the romance novel definition of romantic, but it was enough coming from Sousuke. Kaname looked back up at Sousuke to see that his eyes had still not moved from the screen. It was so romantic: the two of them huddled up together, with her thinking entirely about Sousuke, and Sousuke thinking entirely about the movie and using her as a holder for his popcorn.

"Yeah, right." she said in an almost inaudible voice and with a light, quiet chuckle.

"Shhhh!" said the person behind them.

Kaname sat up quickly and looked at the person behind her.

"Shhhhh, yourself, buddy!" Kaname exclaimed to the rude person behind them.

"Shhhh!" said Sousuke.

Before she knew it she was grabbed on the shoulder and quickly pulled back down into her original position in Sousuke's unconditioned embrace.

Kaname looked up at Sousuke who still had his eyes stuck to the movie, but this time he had an amused smile on his face. Kaname stared on warmly as she realized he wasn't entirely zoned out this entire time.

She jumped in surprise again as the bag of popcorn once again fell on her lap for convenient holding for its devourer.


They walked up the steps leading up to Sousuke's apartment about half an hour after the end of the movie, and Sousuke was still talking about it.

"Yes, I couldn't believe how realistic they made the ghosts seem. Not once did we get to see the ghosts, but the audience was led to feel as scared of them as any other movie monster they had ever seen, possibly even more so since the scariest things are those that you can't see but know are there." declared Movie Critic: Sagara.

Sousuke rambled on as they ascended the stairs, and Kaname listened, only half interested. She was only that interested because she was glad that Sousuke enjoyed the movie so much. She was previously led to believe that he only took enjoyment in anything military, but he had definitely changed.

"Did you here me, Kaname?"

Kaname snapped out of her current train of thought and shook her head. She turned her eyes to him to let him know she was paying attention this time.

"I'm sorry, Sousuke. I was thinking about something else, and didn't hear you."

"It is not a problem."

Some things never change.

"I said you can come in and have a seat; I just need to make a few phone calls before we head over to the tailor's."

"Alright." she responded.

Sousuke turned the key to his apartment in the apartments lock, but the key didn't catch anything: signifying that the door was unlocked.

Sousuke narrowed his eyes at this bit his perception picked up on. The door was unlocked, but he always locked before he left. No one should have known that he was in Tokyo. But, he did after all, have enemies. And, they can always find you if they try hard enough. Sousuke crossed his arm over Kaname's chest and pushed back to mover her against the wall next to him.

"What is it Sousuke?" she asked, feeling rather concerned.

She remembered something similar to this reaction from Sousuke. Certainly he had been too cautious in the past, but occasionally he had right to be. She knew not to ever take him lightly since he was right occasionally.

"Someone's here." whispered Sousuke as he gently and quietly eased the door open without a single creak. Sousuke poked his head inside slightly. Seeing no one there he eased from around the corner and stood in the doorway with Kaname following behind him. Then his keen senses picked up on something which could have possibly been more hazardous to his wellbeing in the immediate near future than an armed assassin.

His keen sense of smell was the first of the senses to register. It picked up a scent that was neither his nor Kaname's. Someone was definitely here or had been here recently.

His keen sense of hearing was the next to pick up. He heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. Due to his far proximity of the bathroom, he couldn't tell if it was the faucet of the shower. But, he could hear running water.

Next, his keen sense of feeling kicked in. He felt the dampness in the air along with the humidity which he knew immediately was not the usual climate of his apartment. The amount of steam gathering around like a light fog was solid proof that the shower was running.

Then, his least used sense of sight kicked in, revealing the most tell-tale sign of the intruder. In front of the open bathroom door lay a pile of women's clothing and undergarments.

Damn! Jin! What was she doing there? Why was she using his shower? And, how could he have managed to forget all about her once again? Why hadn't he mentioned her to Kaname before? Now he felt pretty low. The most import person in his life second to Kaname, and he had forgotten to even mention her.

Kaname! She was approaching! He knew if she saw the sight he had seen upon entry, then he would surely meet his untimely demise. He could not let her see!"

With the speed of a bolt of lightning, Sousuke was in front of Kaname, barricading her entrance to his apartment.

"Ac... Actually I... I just remembered that my ph... phone is not working. Ma... maybe Kalinin will let me u... use his." he finally managed to stutter out with a purely hectic look on his face.

Kaname remembered that look well. That was the look he would have whenever he knew she was going to be upset about something. She especially remembered one occasion similar to this. So, just out of curiosity, she tiptoed and peeked over his shoulder.

There she saw steam coming out of his bathroom and a pile of women's clothing and undergarments lying in the hallway.

Kaname narrowed her eyes. She was pretty sure that this time it wasn't that annoying Caption. But, she felt her heart drop slightly at thought about who it could have been. Sousuke hadn't mentioned anybody else. Did he already have a girlfriend? Then why was he going out with her?

Sousuke could tell by the look on her face that she had seen the clothes in the hallway. So, he let down his guard of the doorway.

"Ka... Kaname... I can explain this. B... But you'll have to tr... trust me, because this is going to take a little while. I... I should have told you this sooner."

Those last words made Kaname feel as if her heart had shattered into several pieces. I should have told you sooner. So, he already had a girlfriend. Or... could it possibly be that he was married? It certainly didn't make sense that he came back to Tokyo only because of her. So, why had he even bothered to say those things yesterday and take her out today. Could it possibly be that he...

Kaname saw the head and bare shoulders of a black haired Korean girl look out from the bathroom with a worried smile on her face.

"Uh... Sousuke? I didn't expect you back so soon. Would you mind handing me my other set of clothes? Jeez! You keep it too blasted cold in here!" she said before finally settling her eyes on Kaname.

"Jin, you have come at a very..." Sousuke said.

"Bad time, huh?" she said as she took a rather apologetic look on her face.

"Very." came his cold, bone-chilling response.

Jin turned her glance back to Kaname.

"Uh... Hi! You must be Kaname! Sousuke has told me so much about you! I'm glad to finally be able to meet you! Uh... yeah... this is kind of awkward, but it really isn't nothing like you expect."

Jin let out a nervous laugh as Kaname cast a confused look at her.

Jin let out a fearful gulp as Sousuke cast a malicious glare at her.

TO BE CONTINUED

Author's Notes: Sorry about the long delay. Classes have just been hectic lately. So, I made this one a little bit longer since it took me so long to update. I want to once again thank all of you who have reviewed my story so far; I never expected to get so many. As you can tell by my story, I finally got to see the second season of FMP. It was hilarious. By the way, the movie I mentioned in the story, I can't remember its name, but it's an excellent Japanese ghost movie. Probably the best horror I've ever had the honor to watch. I hope you all enjoy my story. As always, reviews are helpful, supportive, and very much appreciated. Thank you and enjoy.