Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe. The rest is mine.
Chapter 23
"Takahashi!"
Inuyasha and about fifteen other men looked up from the projection in front of them to the man in the doorway. It was Lieutenant Cody Richardson. He was a tall man with sandy hair and horrible acne scars across his cheeks. Accutane is what he always claimed caused it - not that many people asked him, however.
"Yeah?" he called, leaning back in his chair and throwing an arm over the back of his seat.
"Takahashi, Captain Sullivan wants to see you."
He raised a brow but closed the notebook in front of him, ignoring the chorus of "ooooooh"s that the men let out. It reminded him of a fifth grader being called to the principal's office.
He may as well have been, though.
Captain Brandon Sullivan was his commanding officer, and if he was being summoned to his office this time of the day with no prior explanation...it couldn't be for a good reason.
He flipped off the men as he exited with a smile, trying to keep the nervous butterflies he suddenly felt in his stomach at bay. He could be wrong, he tried to reason as he walked to Sullivan's office. It could be nothing.
Every step he took left him feeling like he was just kidding himself, though...and by the time he reached Sullivan's office, he was doing everything in his power to stay calm. He kept searching his memory for something he could have done that would warrant him being summoned, but he honestly didn't have any clue. He had perhaps been a little reckless during the dog fight yesterday - but his recklessness had paid off, and he had taken out all "enemy" targets.
He shook his head and told himself to stop speculating. It wasn't going to help him, and it was only going to make him feel worse. He raised his hand and knocked on the door, waiting for the "enter'' he subsequently heard on the other side before twisting the cold metal doorknob and going in.
"Lieutenant Richardson said you wanted to see me, sir?" Inuyasha greeted, standing before him at attention and saluting.
"At ease," Sullivan sighed, leaning back in his chair and gruffly telling Inuyasha to sit down in the one in front of him. Sullivan was in his late forties. The passage of time and the stress of his position in the Navy had begun to mar his face with wrinkles, making him appear to be well beyond his years. His brown hair had become peppered with whites and greys, and he had bags under his blue eyes. Inuyasha could only speculate that this was due to the news he was about to receive, but he was trying to remain optimistic. It could have also been from his son - he knew the kid had a cold right now.
Sullivan leaned forward again and threaded his fingers together on his desk, looking Inuyasha straight in the eye. Whatever this was about, Inuyasha knew Sullivan was going to give it to him straight.
"Takahashi...Lieutenant Commander Hunter Bradford was rushed to medical about an hour ago. His appendix burst. He'll be fine, but the 173rd is set to deploy. They can't do the mission without another Lieutenant Commander in his place."
He wasn't stupid. He knew what this meant.
Tag.
He was it.
"Sir…if I may...I'm still so new here. Isn't there someone who would be a better fit? I've just begun building a meaningful relationship with my men here..."
"I'm afraid not," he replied sympathetically. "You're the newest one here, an Ace, and a G-Monster. You have the track record, the skills, and you're new enough that you can easily fill in for Bradford without leaving the 124th in a position they aren't already used to."
"Sir—"
"—Here's your mission file," he continued on, ignoring Inuyasha's protests. "It's classified, and will tell you what you can share with your men. You'll be gone until November at the earliest."
"N-November?" he stuttered.
"Assuming the mission goes according to plan, yes. November."
Inuyasha picked up the dossier and started flipping through the pages. Fuck, this wasn't going to be easy…
"Sir...I don't mean to question your judgement—"
"—Good. Then don't. The order came from Admiral Woods."
Inuyasha closed the file and his eyes, trying to calm down and keep from panicking. There was no fighting this. If this was being passed down from Donald "The Don" Woods, he was fucked. His ass was going to be on this ship whether he liked it or not.
"When do we leave?" he asked quietly, opening his eyes again.
"You need to be on the USS Cheyenne in three hours."
"Three hours?!" he blustered.
"Is there a problem, Takahashi?" Sullivan asked, raising his voice and his brow in response.
Yeah. A big fucking problem.
Her name was Kagome.
How was he supposed to leave without saying goodbye? How could he just up and abandon her when they were here. When he hadn't even asked her...no.
This couldn't be happening.
This couldn't fucking be happening!
"Sir, I…" he began, pausing to try and get his emotions in check and stop from vomiting as he felt panic settle into his stomach.
He couldn't refuse this.
He had no choice.
When Sullivan said that he needed to be on the Cheyenne in three hours, he wasn't just saying it for his health. He had better fucking be on the Cheyenne. "...no, sir," he whispered. "Just had an important date tonight, is all."
"Better reschedule, Takahashi."
Yeah. No shit. If he could. Fuck! She wasn't even going to be here when he got back...
He just nodded his head and stood when he was dismissed, heading towards the door.
"Takahashi?" Sullivan said suddenly, making Inuyasha pause with his hand on the doorknob.
"Yes sir?"
"This girl...if she's worth it, she will still be around when you get back," he smiled sympathetically. "The good ones always are," he continued, rubbing his wedding band almost unconsciously.
Inuyasha just nodded and left.
He had a lot to do...and only three hours to do it.
"Come on, Kagome," Inuyasha pleaded, calling her cell again as he pushed the up button to the elevator in his apartment building. He tucked his dossier more firmly under his arm as he reached her voicemail again, and he swore as he hung up.
He must have called her five times now, and nothing.
Did she have her fucking phone on Do Not Disturb or something? What fuck was going on?
The elevator doors opened and he got on, hitting "15". Memories of them against the wall flooded his mind and he closed his eyes, willing himself to not cry.
He would reach her.
He still had time.
When the doors opened, he redialed her as he walked to his apartment. He reached her voicemail again.
Fuck!
"Don't do this to me, Higurashi," he pleaded, redialing again as he got his pack out from under his bed. "Come on...pick up."
'Hi...It's Kagome! Sorry...I'm off having fun. I'll call you back later! You know. If you tell me how to reach you.'
"Damnit, Kagome," he cursed, hanging up.
It would be fine.
It would be fine.
It would be fine.
That was his mantra. It would be fine. Everything would be fine. She would pick up, and he would talk to her and tell her how sorry he was and how much he was going to miss her...and then he would ask her to stay with him, because he had no fucking other choice now.
Was it ideal?
Fucking hell...none of this was fucking ideal.
He didn't have that luxury anymore. He was going to take what he could fucking get.
"Come on, Darlin'...don't do this to me," he pleaded as he packed.
'Hi...It's Kagome! Sorry…'
He hung up.
"Fuck!"
He put his phone down and stepped away from it for a moment, taking deep breaths. His first hour was almost up. He only had two more.
There was still time.
Ok...he had more things he needed to do. He had to pack up her things from his apartment. He didn't want to send them back to her in November...or wait to see her again in December…
Oh God. He was not going to vomit. The thought of seeing her again in three months...that's what he signed up for, though...right? When he took this job, he knew that's what it meant. It meant leaving at the drop of a hat sometimes. It meant long distance at least some of the time, even if his girl lived with him.
His job meant sacrifice.
He had just never felt that more keenly than he did right now as he desperately tried to call her again and again and again.
He slowly pulled her drawer open and was hit by a wave of emotion he hadn't been prepared for. It was just her laundry that he himself had washed and folded and put away...but it was more than that.
It was like looking at a drawer full of memories.
He picked up a t-shirt and could feel the heat of her skin radiating through the fabric as he pulled her in for a hug and pressed a sweet kiss in the crook of her neck. He picked up her swimsuit and could almost taste the salt water from when he chased her around in the ocean. He could hear her laughter and see the sparkle in her eyes when he won and caught her. He could feel her skin under his hands when he applied sunscreen to her back at her party. He could taste her lips when she pulled him up for a kiss when they were playing volleyball.
Each item he pulled out and placed into a paper bag was crushing his heart more and more...and then he found the sweatshirt he thought he had somehow lost.
It was the one he had slid onto her arms on their first date. He could see her shiver so clearly in his mind...make out the pebbling of her flesh under that ridiculous and fucking sexy shirt as he zipped it closed. He had tried so hard to not do something stupid...and in the end, she let him unzip it again.
She had stolen it on and off ever since that night, and now...she had snuck it away into her drawer.
Her drawer. In his apartment. The way he wanted it to be.
God...she had really moved in...in more than one way, hadn't she? Not just taken up space in his drawer...
...but in his heart.
He needed her. He fucking needed her.
He needed her laughter and her warmth and her teasing nature. He was him with her, and she let him be. He needed that. He fucking needed her...and he was never going to be able to tell her? He was just going to fucking leave?
He slammed the drawer shut, adding his sweatshirt to her bag.
He didn't want it anymore. Every time he looked at it now, all he was going to see was her.
Inuyasha moved on to his bathroom, opening his shower and removing her supplies.
He tried to forget the first time he had helped her shower...he didn't want to remember his hands sliding across her thighs and her breasts, or the way she had leaned into him when he massaged her back and worked out all of her tension.
He didn't want to remember the many times she had returned the favor, or how she had made him strip before sitting him down in his tub and working on his hair with the shears.
Inuyasha stepped out and went to his sink, picking up her toothbrush and closing his eyes as yet another memory flooded his mind. The time she was brushing her teeth and he was shaving. She was wearing just a tshirt and a pair of underwear, and he was fresh from the shower. He just had his damp towel wrapped around his waist, and they kept bumping their hips together as they fought for control over the sink. Finally, he got tired of it and pulled her over to him and buried his face into the crook of her neck, smearing shaving cream everywhere as she squealed.
He needed to call her again.
'Hi...It's Kagome!'
He hung up.
"Please, Babe...please…" he begged, closing his eyes and pressing his hands together around his phone, holding it to his head before sighing.
He tossed it off to the side and distracted himself by taking down the string lights on his deck before moving in his furniture, and he tried to not think about her again. How the hell was it that she was everywhere he looked?
He remembered their first date.
The way the setting sun had bathed her in a golden light...that beautiful smile she had when they were joking around and getting to know each other...their game of truth or truth…
He leaned down on the back of the chair he was about to move and tried to calm himself again...but it wasn't working.
He saw her laying on his chest, playing with his dog tags. He saw her reaching up to run her fingers through his hair. He saw her pressed against the wall, gasping in shock at the cold feel of the siding against her hot flesh before he sunk her down onto himself.
No.
This wasn't helping.
He brought in the rest of his furniture and picked up his phone, redialing by his bookcase.
'Hi...it's Kagome!'
It didn't even ring this time.
It went straight to voicemail.
No.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no…
This...no...this couldn't be happening…
Her fucking phone died?
He had told her to get it looked at. He had pleaded with her to take his fucking charger. He had begged her to get a new one. She promised him...she fucking promised him that she would take care of it.
This wasn't taking care of it!
This was irresponsibly pushing it off to the side like it didn't matter...like being able to reach her didn't fucking matter! How was he supposed to tell her goodbye?! How was he supposed to tell her all of the things that he needed to tell her?! How was he supposed to tell her how much she meant to him and how much he needed her?!
This wasn't fair…
This wasn't fucking FAIR!
He reached out and grabbed a stone bookend, picking it and tossing it with a scream at the wall connecting his apartment to Miroku's...and creating a giant hole in the wall.
'Holy shit!' he heard someone yell as his bookend landed in Miroku's apartment, and Inuyasha finally folded in on himself. He dropped to the floor onto all fours and allowed the tears he had been holding back to finally begin to pour down his cheeks.
This wasn't fucking fair…
This wasn't how it was supposed to happen…
They had two more weeks. They were owed two more weeks, damnit!
"Inuyasha?" he heard Miroku call out to him as he came to look through the large hole in the wall.
How was he being robbed of his last two weeks with her? He was being pulled away without getting anything. No closure, or chance at something more…
"Fuck...Inuyasha? Are you ok?" Miroku asked, and he barely heard him above his sobs.
He didn't want this. He didn't want any of this. Goodbyes were hard...but he still wanted the fucking opportunity...
"Shit…" Miroku swore. "I'm coming over. Is your door unlocked?"
He couldn't respond. He barely understood him. He felt numb and hollow. How could this be happening? It wasn't right. This was all one big bad horrible dream, right?
He felt a pair of arms wrap around his upper body and he buried his face into Miroku's shoulder, taking all of the silent support and comfort he was offering.
"I...I...I…" he choked out in a big, wet sob.
"Shhh…" Miroku soothed, pulling him to sit down as he rubbed Inuyasha's back. "Shhh…"
"I…"
"It's ok," Miroku comforted. "Don't talk now. It's ok, buddy. It's ok…"
So he didn't. He just felt and sobbed and grabbed Miroku's shirt as it became harder and harder to breathe.
Miroku said nothing as he broke down. He just sat there, trying to comfort Inuyasha and help ease his pain.
"It's over," Inuyasha finally croaked when his eyes were so raw he could hardly see anymore.
"What's over?" Miroku asked softly.
"Us. I...I can't reach Kagome...and I'm being sent underway."
"When?"
"What time is it?"
Miroku glanced down at his watch and he told him. He only had an hour left before he needed to be on the Cheyenne.
"Fuck," Miroku breathed, and Inuyasha laughed as he rubbed his face and tried to get rid of the tear tracks.
"Yeah…" he agreed weakly. "God...I must look like shit."
"You've looked better," Miroku smirked, and he let out a bitter laugh.
"Better than when I was hit in the face with a volleyball?"
"I don't know, man...hard to say. I think the volleyball might have actually been doing you a favor. Made your cheeks match the size of your forehead," he shrugged, and Inuyasha smiled weakly. "Are you packed?" Miroku asked gently, and Inuyasha nodded his head. "Ok...good," he sighed, standing up and going to the kitchen to get Inuyasha a glass of water.
He greedily drank it and handed it back to Miroku, who refilled it for him again.
"Miroku...what the fuck am I going to do? It wasn't supposed to end like this…"
"Then don't let it."
Kagome knocked on Inuyasha's door, waiting for him to open it. She had just had the worst day at work, and she just wanted to hug him right now and have him tell her that everything would be ok. There had been a man at the library that had kept hitting on her. She had thought it was some light, innocent flirting at first...
Nothing sincere or meaningful - how could it have been? He was twice her age and could have been her father!
It had quickly escalated, however. When it became clear that it was anything but innocent, she had politely let the man know that she was currently seeing someone. That had went over as well as a ton of bricks, and he had grabbed her arm and called her a fucking tease.
She had been terrified, and her manager called the police after she had seen him grab her.
It had been a massive shit show, and she just wanted Inuyasha. She wanted him to hold her and whisper sweet reassurances into her ear. She wanted to feel his hands running up and down her arms and over her back. She wanted to feel his lips on her skin...
"Inuyasha?" Kagome called out, knocking on his door again. This was weird. He knew that she was coming over. Did he fall asleep?
She heard the door next to his open, and saw Miroku standing in the doorway in a pair of sweats. He looked as exhausted as she felt. "Hey Ro," she greeted with a smile. "Sorry...were you trying to sleep? I didn't mean to wake you up. I'm just trying to get a hold of Inuyasha...he should be here."
"He...he's not in, Kags."
"Oh...that's weird," she replied, scrunching her face up in confusion.
"Why don't you come in?" he offered, opening the door wider and stepping out of the frame.
"Sure," she shrugged, entering and dropping her purse on his kitchen island. "Hey, do you have a charger? I accidentally left my phone in the car, and it died while I was at work."
"And you didn't replace the charger for the car."
"Did Inuyasha tell you about that?" she asked sheepishly, reaching into his fridge for a beer.
"You could say that," he smiled sadly as he thought back to his evening with the man before he left for the Cheyenne. He took her phone and plugged it in by the couch, watching as the screen finally lit up and let him know that it was receiving power at long last. It would still be a while before it turned on, however.
"So, where did he go?" she asked, screwing off the top to her beer and taking a swig. "Any idea when he'll be back? Holy crap!" she exclaimed, noticing the hole in his wall between his apartment and Inuyasha's. "What the hell happened?" she gasped, moving to look at it. She ran her fingers around its wide, frayed edge in shock.
"Kagome...why don't you sit down."
She raised her brows at that. Why would she need to sit down? She shifted her gaze from her brother to the couch and back to him again. What was going on?
"Miroku...why do I need to sit down? What does that have to do with the hole in your wall?"
"Nothing! Nothing...I just have a few things I need to give you, is all," he shrugged, trying to not alarm her...but he knew it was too late for that. Still, she sat down as he asked with narrowed eyes, watching as he opened his coat closet and pulled out the bag of things Inuyasha had packed for her earlier that day.
"What's this?" she asked, raising a suspicious brow as he handed the bag to her.
"Kagome...I need to tell you something," he confessed with a sigh, stopping her from beginning to look through the bag.
"Ok…"
"When...when your phone turns on, you're going to have at least forty missed calls from Inuyasha. He...Inuyasha isn't here anymore."
"What do you mean he's not here anymore?" she asked slowly, confused.
"He's been sent underway. He was reassigned to a new team today when their Lieutenant Commander's appendix burst. He was apparently the best man for the job, so…"
"Wait...what do you mean he's been sent underway?" she demanded, still confused. "To where? For how long? I don't...what?"
"I'm sorry, Kags. I really am," he smiled apologetically, his eyes filling with pain for his sister and her boyfriend.
It could have been him.
He felt for them.
"We tried everything we could to reach you today. He kept calling you until your phone died, and that's when he left me with that little home improvement project that I need to deal with," he winced, nodding toward the hole in the wall. That wasn't going to be fun...but that was neither here nor there.
"I don't...no...why didn't you call work?"
"We did. Four or five times. No one picked up."
That fucking man!
Everyone was talking to the police and comforting her...and no one was manning the phones. She even vaguely remembered hearing them ringing in the background while she was talking to the police.
"He can't be gone…"
"I'm sorry, Kags," he whispered again, reaching into the bag and pulling out a wrapped rectangle with a folded up piece of paper attached to it. "Before he left, he wanted me to make sure you got this."
"No...No! He's not gone," she told him firmly, shaking her head. "I refuse to believe that...we had plans for tonight! We were going to pop some popcorn and drink some wine and watch a movie...and we were going to talk about our day…" she whispered. "He was going to hold me and comfort me when I told him about work...we were going to…" her throat closed up. This wasn't possible. She didn't know why, but Miroku had to be lying to her.
"He is," Miroku replied, shaking his head. "The USS Cheyenne is already gone, Kagome. It left hours ago. He said he won't be back until November, if he's lucky."
"N-November?" she stuttered. "But we still had two weeks left before I went home!"
"I know."
"Miroku, this isn't a funny joke."
"Do you see me laughing?" he snapped. "I'm sorry," he winced, apologizing immediately. "That was uncalled for. I just...Kagome, you should have seen him before he left. It was a pretty jarring day."
She sunk back into the couch, looking down at the wrapped rectangle she had in her lap. She absently toyed with the corner of the wrapping paper, rubbing her fingers along it.
"I think I'm going to get some Jim Beam. Want a glass?"
She absently nodded. She needed some bourbon right now.
"Ok - I'll be right back."
She passively noticed Miroku stand up and go to the kitchen to pour them their drinks...but she didn't really care. She felt...numb. She couldn't believe...last weekend couldn't be the last time she saw him. It couldn't…
Her eyes started to prickle and she tightly closed them, trying to stave off her tears. When she opened them, she was looking down at that wrapped rectangle again. She ran a shaky hand across its surface before finally bringing herself to remove the folded piece of paper on top.
She unfolded it and pinched her eyes closed when she saw his bold, sharp, somewhat hurried handwriting:
'Kagome -
I never wanted it to end like this. I want you to know that this isn't how I had planned this to go...and for that, I'm so sorry. By now, I'm sure you know what has happened...so I'm not going to waste what little time I have left telling you. Just know that I'm so, so, so sorry, Darling.
If I could have changed this, I would have...but the orders came from The Don. I was fucked the second Sullivan got the call asking for me.
I wish more than anything that this wasn't the case. I wish I could be holding you right now. I wish that I could see your smiling face again. I wish I could kiss you. I wish so many things...but what I'm wishing for the most is that you will stay with me beyond this summer.
I need you, Kagome. As Mr. Darcy would say: "You have bewitched me, body and soul." I didn't quite get it when we watched it together...but I was starting to. The more time we spent together, the more you managed to bewitch me. All I can think about is you. Your laugh. Your smile. The way we are together...it works, Kagome.
I know it wasn't part of the deal. I know asking you to try and do a long distance relationship is a lot. It's more than what most people can handle...but Kagome...I think what we have is special.
It's pure magic, Darling...and damnit if I don't want the magic to end.
I don't know how long I'll be gone, but if I'm super lucky...we'll be home in November. Please...take your time to think about it. Three months is enough, right?
I hope it is...I don't think I can wait longer than that for your answer. God, I wish I had it now...but that's the shitty thing about letters, right?
No instant replies.
I feel like I'm in a Jane Austen novel.
You laughed, right? I hope you laughed. I hope you're smiling, because Kagome? Your smile is the most beautiful thing in the world.
I adore you, Darling...and just know that no matter what you say, I always will.
-Yash'
She didn't laugh...she couldn't right now...but she did smile. As numb as she felt right now, she smiled.
This wasn't going to be their end, and she didn't need three months to decide that. She didn't even need to finish reading his letter. She would wait for him to come home so that they could pick up where they left off. She wanted to try just as much as he did.
She reread the letter a few more times before Miroku sat down on the couch across from her, handing her the bourbon he had poured.
She could tell he wanted to know what it said and decided to hand it over to her twin. He read it over as she slowly unwrapped the rectangle, and then she gasped.
It was the copy of Pride & Prejudice she had wanted at the book fair. She shakily turned it over in her hands. That sneaky, sneaky man…
She brought it to her chest and closed her eyes. It was beautiful and perfect. She loved it.
"So...what do you think you're gonna say?" Miroku asked, putting the letter down.
"I'm gonna tell him yes," she smiled softly. "I really like him, Miroku...and I graduate in less than a year. I was passively thinking about moving here anyways…"
"Wait...you would move out here for him?"
"No. I'd move out here to be closer to my family...my boyfriend being here is just a wonderful bonus to the deal."
Boyfriend. Inuyasha was her boyfriend. Not just a summer fling and a great lay. This wasn't just some casual thing.
This was serious now.
Her smile widened.
She was his...and he was hers.
"We still have time. First, I need to get a hold of him to tell him yes..."
Her smiled dulled a little at that thought. God...three months? That was a really long time. Then again, it would be four until she could see him again.
She sighed and gulped down her bourbon before reaching into the bag. Her hand found his sweatshirt on top, and she felt her eyes begin to burn. There was a post-it laying on it, the sticky strip on the back failing to adhere to the texture of the fabric.
'To help keep you warm when I can't.'
She placed the book down and held his sweatshirt to her chest, burying her face into its soft red fabric. It still smelled like him - not just like his fabric softener and his detergent. It smelled like him.
She told herself not to cry as she shrugged into it, letting it hug her when he couldn't.
It was then that her phone lit up and started to vibrate, making her jump.
Inuyasha.
'Yash?'
"Kagome," he breathed, her voice choppy from his poor signal but still coming through.
'Yash...I'm so sorry…'
"Me too, Darlin'," he sighed, leaning over the rail of the ship and looking at the black water below. "I tried so hard…"
'I know you did, Babe. I'm so sorry...I left my phone in the car and work was horrible and we had to call the police-'
"-you had to call the police? Are you ok, Darlin'? What happened?"
'I'm fine, Babe,' she whispered. 'I'm just sorry we couldn't see each other before you left.'
Still calling him babe - that was good, right?
"Me too," he smiled bitterly. "This is better than nothing, though...yeah?"
'I'll take whatever I can get...and whatever you can give. Yash...I got your letter…'
His breath caught in his throat.
"Yeah?"
'Yeah,' she whispered. 'I don't need three months. I have my answer n-'
Abrupt silence came through as her voice was cut off.
"Kagome?"
He heard three beeps, and he pulled his phone away from his ear.
He lost signal...but he still got his goodbye. It wasn't the one he wanted, but it was better than nothing.
He crossed his arms over the railing of the ship, leaning forward and looking down at the side. So...she didn't need three months, huh? That could go either way. Maybe she was so quick to decide because she didn't want to keep this going. Maybe this was the clean, quick break she had been wanting from the start?
If that was the case...maybe it was a good thing that he had been called away. The mission would keep him busy, and he could pour all of his attention into building a relationship with his new men. They were looking to him to keep their asses safe and alive.
Really, he was going to do that even if she said yes...but if she said no, it would be a great distraction.
Why was it he that always seemed to run when his relationships ended?
He ran to California when he ended it with Kikyo, and now he was running when-
His phone sounded in his pocket, drawing him out of his thoughts and telling him that he had a text.
'Yes. I want you too, Yash. Come home as soon as you can, ok?'
Yes.
Fucking YES!
"As soon as I can, Darlin'."
A/N:
Things of note: a G-Monster is a pilot who can withstand extreme g-forces without passing out. I couldn't find an exact number on this, but my brief search makes me think that 5-7 is "normal" and anything above is G-Monster status. There are quite a few videos out there showing 9 Gs on youtube if you're curious. An Ace is also someone with at least 5 confirmed kills, according to Google and a few sites. It's also VERY hard to do. So...he's a pretty impressive guy and that's why he's "perfect for the job". Because he's good, and he has the rank.
I can't believe this story is almost over...Just an epilogue left! Thank you to everyone who has joined Saucy and I on this adventure. From voting for this fic at the Feudal Connection, to reviewing, to begging for more, to faving and following...This story was a HUGE part of my life for a long time. So THANK YOU for everything!