Leaves slapped Sousuke in the face as he walked.
If anything, the wind had gotten stronger. The lightning was now benind him. A number of garbage cans rolled by him. Bits of refuse floated swiftly down the rushing currents of water on the street.
It wasn't a dreary or nasty day for everyone. A small group of children ran about happily, with and without umbrellas, their parents keeping an uneasy eye on the progress of the lightning. There was all manner of jumping and splashing about. Paper boats sailed on to watery oblivion.
A ball rolled out into the street.
A small boy followed.
Sousuke watched, as if seeing things in slow motion.
Great wings of water were kicked up by a speeding sedan, the driver's vision terribly obscured despite the hyperactive efforts of the windshield wipers.
Looking up, the boy saw his doom rushing in upon him. He was too young to know what death meant. A frightened parent screamed. A number of adults jumped to their feet, too far away to make any difference.
Dropping his box, Sousuke dove for the by, grabbing him by one small ankle. With Herculean effort, he tugged the boy out of harms way. The boy was scraped, scared, and bawling…..but, he was obviously alive.
After receiving the thanks and admiration of the small crowd, Sousuke started back on his way. The he stopped. He was forgetting something….
The flowers!
Turning, he saw the disintegrating package floating swiftly towards a large overworked storm gutter, the froth of water at its mouth looking like a veritable passageway to Hell.
Had Sousuke been a sprinter on the track team, he might be able to explain the burst of speed he put on then. Sliding on his belly, kicking up a large wake as if he were a rushing speedboat, he managed to grab the edge of the box with his fingertips. It fell apart.
The flowers floated individually towards the gaping maw.
Somehow, Sousuke managed to snag six of the flowers, relieved to see that they were wet, but intact. One by one, the others disappeared from view, their stems sticking up like the stern of the Titanic as they went down.
Sousuke began to give serious thought to the concept of karma.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
His skin showing through the large rips on his shirt, Sousuke probed his ribs.
Maybe a fracture or two. Unlikely, but possible. No obvious breaks. A pulled intercostal muscle or three. A few nasty abrasions. Nothing too drastic. The little boy was safe. That was what counted.
Taking brief respite under an awning, Sousuke thought about the day's events. He was usually not one to offer excuses. Even if he were, who would believe what he had been through so far? In any case, the ordeal was almost over-he was less than fifteen minutes walk from his apartment.
What more could possibly happen?
For some reason, he thought of the Ancient Mariner. What harm could come from shooting an albatross? It took a strong act of will to start walking again.
Fate is a funny thing. Fate, and coincidence.
Before he had any idea of what was going on, Sousuke could see red and blue lights dancing on the windows of the houses and buildings a couple of blocks down the street. There was no doubt what that meant.
Police.
Out in large numbers.
There were two general options available to him at that given moment. He could continue forward, passing by the site of activity ahead. Or, he could take a number of side streets and alleyways, bypassing the area of involvement.
It was a good time for adages. Sousuke chose to go with this one: the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Yes, any bullet could tell him that. He would have done better to go with another saying: Curiosity killed the cat.
He did want to know what was going on. Looking at the bedraggled flowers, he hoped he wouldn't somehow get involved.
There were voices speaking over a megaphone. He could not make out what was being said. As he walked by a large number of parked police cruisers, he could also make out some of the messages coming through on the activated radio units.
It appeared that some criminal groups were much like the boy scouts: eternally prepared.
The loss of electricity……and the resultant loss in alarms…… had proven a major temptation for one such gaggle of professionals. Telephone lines had gone dead, too. That was another temptation too strong to resist.
It was easy enough to conjecture that the group had a police scanner and was well aware of the accident caused by the power outage; the disturbance with the yakusa; a violent domestic episode at a flower shop; and a snarl-up in traffic caused by a group of street punks.
Much of the police force had been tied up.
The opportunistic gang of thieves had struck simultaneously at a bank and adjacent jewelry store. By bad fortune, they had been trapped within both locations when a group of patrolmen had stopped to grab a number of doughnuts and cups of coffees from a shop on the same avenue.
A nasty hostage situation quickly ensued. Security guards had been shot and were in likely critical condition. A brief gunfight had left wounded officers pinned down in the street. Plastic explosives earmarked for the bank vault had been worked into a makeshift weapon, blowing the wheel off of the only armored response vehicle in that area of the city.
One of the new miniature Arm Slaves was on the scene, dropped off by a foolhardy but brave helicopter pilot. But, there was a problem. The only certified police A.S. pilots were caught up in traffic.
The criminals had called out with additional news. A pregnant woman had gone into early labor. An elderly man was down, sweating heavily, clutching his chest. A child had accidently wandered into the line of fire. He was losing a lot of blood. A cat had run into the jewelry store.
It was stuck in a small strongbox, only its tail still showing.
Sousuke walked on. He held on to the earliest growth of a new idea, looking for the fruit of his plan. Men and women in Kevlar jackets ran about. A line of patrolmen was forming, short stubby tear gas guns in hand. Snipers were taking up position. It looked as if someone had decided to get this thing over quickly. One way or another.
By the look of it, the evildoers had no chance at escape.
That meant that things looked grim for the hostages.
Someone was looking to play a bastardized game of Pick Up Sticks. Throw everything out, then see what could be picked up in one grabbing fist. The sticks that were left behind? Their fate was sealed!
That was not the way that Jackstraws was meant to be played. The game could trace its roots back to Native Americans, who played it with straws of wheat. Each stick was decorated differently than the others. After the pile was tossed, one stick at a time was supposed to be taken out, without disturbing any of the others.
This impending police action would disturb a lot of sticks.
Sousuke could not help but think of a Biblical reference, 'the casting of lots.' Jonah had been selected by that method. He had ended up in the belly of a great whale.
If Sousuke's plan panned out, he would end up inside a much different kind of 'beast.'
The casting of lots could be 'fixed,' just the way dice and other games of chance could be today. He intended to 'fix' things on the side of the hostages.
The young soldier walked through an ever growing mass of spectators and journalists. He searched until he finally found just what he was looking for. It had been left alone, unguarded, currently useless. A small number of children looked at it, wondering if they should laugh or be afraid. A few old men, finished discussing their recollections of battle, offered disparaging remarks.
In their day, they would have run in carrying a couple of rifles……with bayonets, of course…… and run down the whole lot of those dirty bastards.
The hatch on the Bont-kun derived unit was closed. Punching a number into a small keypad, Sousuke rectified that situation. A long hiss of compressed air escaped as the front to the grey A.S. slowly opened. He climbed in, first making certain that no cameramen were in view.
IS THAT YOU, DAVE? a detached mechanical voice issued forth from unseen speakers,
"Negative. Begin self-diagnostics, Bonta-Kun." Lights flashed on and off on the control panel. A restraining harness was unlocked, allowing Sousuke to secure himself in the pilot's chair.
SELF-DIAGNOSTICS COMPLETED. NO PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED. PLEASE ENTER PASSWORD
Sousuke entered the master code. It would suffice, unless the manufacturers had corrupted the original programming.
OPERATING SYSTEMS
INITIALIZING. PLEASE ENTER NAME AND RANK. LOWER CASE LETTERS WILL
SUFFICE.
s...o...u...s...u...k...e...s...a...g...a...r...a
was typed in promptly. No rank was necessary.
WELCOME. YOU ARE THE CREATOR. YOU ARE THE SAGARA. BK-M5 ACTIVE AND READY FOR START-UP.
"Begin start-up procedure."
START-UP COMMENCING. PLEASE AWAIT PROMPTS TO ENTER MOVEMENT TOLERANCE PREFERNCES AND FORCE PARAMETERS. SELECT COMBAT INTENSITY LEVEL.
Sousuke typed in the selections appropriate to this situation.
VALUES ACCEPTED. URBAN COMBAT PACKAGE
DOWNLOADED. START-UP COMPLETE. INITIALIZING SYSTEMS CHECK. ALL
VECTRONICS ARE ACTIVE. ALL ACTUATORS ARE GO. FINAL CHECK PROCEEDING.
GREEN LIGHT. GREEN LIGHT. GREEN LIGHT. ALL SYSTEMS ARE READY,
CREATOR. THE ENEMY MUST BE STERILIZED.
"Agreed, A.I.
Configure for Safety Mode A. Destructive Level 6 for
any person holding a scannable weapon. Automatic fire of area
suppression devices disengaged. Avoidance Level 10 for any
unarmed persons. Manual override in all
circumstances."
WORKING. PARAMETERS SET,
CREATOR.
"Very good. Let us begin."
Sousuke toggled the zoom function on the optical scanners. He looked at a forlorn group of roses laying on the ground. No. I will not leave them unattended again, he thought. One hand should be all that is needed for combat.
Very carefully, the Bonta-Kun A.S. was maneuvered to pick up the six remaining flowers.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
The external microphones on the A.S. picked up the conversations of cameramen as it ran by them.
"In the name of God, what is that thing? A giant rat? It's sure as shit too ugly to be a mouse!"
"No, it's a monkey bear...pig. I think. Was it holding... flowers?"
"What the Hell are you two degenerates talking about? Have you been drinking on assignment, again!? If so, why have you been holding out….. heh heh heh…"
A loud series of cheers broke out as the Bonta-Kun passed by well-ordered lines of law enforcement officers. They recognized the contraption.
"Go get'em!"
"All RIGHT! Looks like one of those guys made it here after all."
"Yeehaw. It's time for the good guys to kick some ass!"
Two missiles jumped out of a metal backpack on the BK-M5, roaring to life. Streaking along the storefront area, the two guided projectiles dropped a series of fast-acting smoke grenades. Soon, a seething cloud of smoke totally obscured the stores.
The large rat-monkey-bear-pig thing disappeared from view.
"SHIT! Looks like we have to use our imaginations from here on in," a disgruntled newsman spat, lowering his large shoulder-carried camera.
"I thought we already had been!" his companion quipped.
Sousuke paid no attention to that kind of drivel. He was trying to pick out any conversation between hostage takers. So far, all he had heard was exclamations of surprise, anger, and fear. That, and a large amount of cursing. There had been no verbal threats to the captives yet.
It was time to see what this powered suit could do in the hands of a master.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Sosuke watched the digital readout on the BK-M5's master panel. It showed the time, ticking away.
Tick...tick...tick...
He
had too move quickly. There wasn't a lot of time
before the enemy got restless. Or desperate. When that
happened, who could say what they might do to the
hostages.
Tick...tick...tick...
He could picture Kaname. Her class had been over for a short while already. She would be walking up the stone path to his apartment building about now, struggling to keep her umbrella from collapsing in the heartless gusts of wind.
When she got there...knocked on his door...and got no answer...
"A.I., initiate high frequency thermal scan. Overlap with ultrasonic mapping. Display the number of beating hearts in the two target areas. Prepare adhesive charges."
WORKING. WORKING. OPERATIONS COMPLETED. DATA AVAILABLE. SCAN ON SCREEN. READY TO LAY EXPLOSIVES.
Caps
over multiple tubes near the oversized wrist joints slid aside.
Puddy-like material slid out near the
opening.
Tick...tick...tick...
"Let's go, Bonta-Kun!"
Sousuke used the computer mouse to outline a shape on the computer screen. The dimensions were slightly larger than the A.S. He clicked on 'Enter.' The BK-M5 walked automatically to the side wall of the bank. Arms moving, the puddy-like explosive oozed out under pressure, painting the prescribed shape on that wall.
"Place detonators."
The tips of a number of the mechanical ringers folded back. Faster than the eye could follow, small radio-controlled metal cores shot out, embedding themselves in the plastique.
"Retreat to a safe distance, Bonta-kun."
IT IS DONE, CREATOR.
"Detonate."
SIGNAL SENT.
Chips of brick, stone, and stucco flew about, thrown with great velocity by the explosives. The outlined shape slowly tipped over, falling into the bank.
Tick...tick...tick...
"Let's go!
Fumo fumo fumoffu!
Sousuke threw his arms forward and moved his feet. The BK-M5 quickly reached top speed. Passing through the opening, Sousuke vaulted the obstructing debris, bringing a large automatic shotgun around in one mechanical hand.
Good thing it is auto-loading, he thought, thankful.
The roses bent back slightly, the motion of the A.S. causing them to meet a modicum of wind resistance.
x
x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x
The scene inside the bank was tense.
The cornered criminals were about to fight like trapped animals often did…… doing the most damage they could with their fangs and claws. If they were going down, they were going to take a lot of people down with them.
Starting with the captives.
That smokescreen meant something was up.
"Let's do it, lads!" the leader of the group pulled a World War Two vintage pistol out of its holster. It was one of the first items he had stolen as a youth. He turned to face the cowering group of employees and customers.
Who should he choose first?
An explosion knocked him and his comrades off their feet. As if watching a videotape on 'Slo mo,' they saw a section of wall break loose and start to fall. A number of expensive paintings and a finely woven tapestry were destroyed as the mass of stone and brick collapsed on top of a man with an assault rifle. Only his hand remained visible.
It twitched, then lay still.
"Did those bastards pump a hallucinogenic gas in here?" One thug could not believe what he saw. Some large thing leaped into the bank. It defied description. Bringing around his submachine gun, the last sight he ever saw was a large red stain blossoming on his shirt. Falling, his lifeless hand spasmed, sending a stream of bullets towards the back of the room.
A rococo statue-the sweat and toil of a local artist-shattered into a myriad of small pieces.
Fumo Fumo Fumo
"GET THAT F-CKING THING!" A large man, the 'muscle' for the gang, brought a S.A.W. around, its belt rapidly shortening as the bullets were used up at a prodigious rate. "To think those assholes laughed at me for bringing this. Overkill my ass!"
The thug's muscles strained as he swung his gun around. "WASTE IT!" Sparks flew as the armor-piercing rounds chipped away at the exterior of the BK-M5, doing little damage. "WHAT THE..." His exclamation was cut short as a line of red spots began moving up his leg, the limb threatening to detach from the rest of his body.
The concerted fire of the other criminals had no more success than he had.
A mechanical voice could be heard:
FIRE CEASING. FRIENDLIES IN THE LINE OF FIRE.
Sure enough, the movement of the large man had placed him between Sousuke and a huddled group of young women.
"CEASE THIS YOU SHIT-EATING MOUSE!" About to pass out, the man took advantage of the situation to resume his machine gun fire. Once again, the bullets did little to the BK-M5's armor plating.
They did, however, knock the top off of a rose in its left hand.
Sousuke saw red. Literally. Rose petals floated down to the floor.
Fumo!
"A.I. Switch to destructive level 10!"
COMPLYING, CREATOR. DONE.
Deflecting bullets, the BK-M5's hand grasped the Squad Automatic Weapon. Closing its fingers, the M249 was twisted like a pretzel. A violent jerk of Sousuke's arm led to a similar movement from Bonta-Kun. The headless attacker fell backward, blood fountaining from its severed neck.
The head, a shocked expression on its face, landed in the middle of a large and fancy centerpiece of silk flowers.
There was no room for kindness here. The perpetrators needed to be erased, quickly.
Two of the robbers were of a quicker mind than the others. They ran amongst the captives, remembering what the mechanical voice had said. They held their guns to the heads of am elderly man and a young boy holding a stuffed Mr. Chupi doll.
"You back that thing off now, or we send brains flying!"
"Bonta-Kin. Query. Radar lock capability, present? If so, define."
PINPOINT ACCURACY, CREATOR.
LASER AIMING BACKUP SLAVED TO RADAR. HIT PROBABILITY IN THE HIGH
NINETIES.
"Disengage all safeties. Head shots on
gun-wielders. Do it. Now!"
AYE!
Lights darkened on the control panel.
Fumo FUMOFFU!
The A.S. moved on its own. Two gunshots rang out. Sabot rounds punched two clean wholes through the foreheads of the 'wiser' assailants. Their exit from the back of each head was accompanied by a great splash of brain matter and skull fragments. The wall behind them looked like a grotesque work of modern art.
The other criminals were clustered tightly together at the rear of the bank, willing to risk the rear door. Something large and round bounced at their feet.
Sousuke had pushed the 'Grenade' button, launching a lollipop-shaped projectile from the BK-M5's backpack. The launching rod detached, allowing the round warhead to continue on alone.
Sousuke was taken aback. The police had H.E. chambered? He had expected a Stun grenade. No matter. The results were completely positive, just the same. Fortunately, the captives were unscathed. The human cost of the captives could not be replaced.
The absent rear wall could be.
Fumo fumo fumo. Fumo. Fumo fumo. Fumoffu!
The captives remained unmoving, a look of utter incomprehension on their faces.
Sousuke went to smack himself on the forehead. The BK-M5 copied his action, slamming its left hand against its head unit. A rose head snapped off and slid past the external cameras to the ground.
Cursing, the Sousuke toggled on 'normal amplified voice.'
"Attention please. The threat has been removed. Call the authorities by phone, so you may leave safely, and they may send in medical assistance. I must affect rescue on the adjacent store. Please seek cover immediately. There will be another explosion."
The erstwhile captives hustled to comply. Before being pulled under cover by his aunt, a young boy stood and saluted the BK-M5. The A.S. saluted in return.
Fumo fumo fumo fumo fumo fumo
The Arm Slave ran towards the intact dividing wall. More explosive was extruded. The detonators were placed. The wall gave way to the massive detonation.
After the strange machine passed from view, young children ran to the center of the room, collecting rose petals in their small hands.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Sousuke felt as if he were moving at quarter-normal speed.
Time was no longer important. He was already past due. His goal was important. The lives of the people in the jewelry store were important. The roses were important.
Only four left...
He forced his mind back to the task at hand. Given the implications of his sudden appearance, he hoped the robbers would simply concede and give up.
For their sake. For their captives' sake.
For the flowers' sake.
The plaster fell like snow, leaving a heavy coating of white on the glass display cases that were still intact. A number of brick fragments were still rolling, causing the kidnappers to hop out of the way. One oaken beam had fallen, clouting an unsuspecting gunman on the head and taking him out of the action.
The remaining thugs were frantically looking for the best place to take a stand. The hostages were hiding under a sturdy countertop, arms clasped firmly around their heads.
Fumo. Fumo fumo fumo. Fumo Fumoffu! Fumo! Fumo fumo.
Sousuke shook his head. He fought the urge to slap his forehead again. He threw the necessary switch.
"Your compatriots in the bank put up a fight. They threatened the hostages." Sousuke paused dramatically. "They're all dead now." He paused again. "Disassembled might be a better term."
Hopefully that would get them to think.
"BULL...SHIT." That eloquent speaker, shaved head and all, was no doubt the leader of this bunch. "You cops don't off people. You don't splatter them all over the scenery. Just how stupid do you think we are?"
"A.I. Kneeshot. Now."
AYE
A shot rang out, the aim accurate. A knee and surrounding tissue disintegrated in a swarm of steel pellets. "ARRRggghhh..." was all that the wit had to say this time. His submachine gun skittered across the tiled floor as he fell screaming.
Sousuke amped up the volume.
"I...am...not...the...police. Let's see just how mentally challenged you are...!" He held the A.S.'s weapon over its head.
THAT IS CORRECT. HE IS THE CREATOR. HE IS THE SA-
Sousuke slammed his hand down, killing the volume. He did not need to have to deal with an overly enthusiastic A.I. at a time like this.
He did not want his identity known.
"A.I., refrain from unprompted discourse. That is a priority one directive."
YES, CREATOR
Sousuke thought he was imagining things. The tone had changed. It wasn't possible to have a dejected A.I., was it?
"Well, you sanctimonious son of a bitch, you can call me 'The destroyer!'" A large-boned squat man, wearing a patch-embroidered leather vest, brought up an RPG-7. They had certainly come prepared.
The rocket propelled grenade fired.
"Damn!" Sousuke made a quick decision. Dropping the gun, he crouched the BK-M5 fully, and extended the right arm to its maximum length. He let the gun fall. He was betting his life on the blast characteristics of the first generation Soviet weapon and the sturdiness of his machine.
If he had rolled out of the way, the grenade would have passed into the bank, killing many of the prior captives and the arriving medical attendants.
Palm forward, he swatted at the projectile.
The explosion tore off the Arm Slaves right arm. The BK-M5 fell heavy to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, Sousuke could tell that the roses were still safe. But, he had more pressing matters. The victorious thief was reaching into his satchel, most likely preparing to reload.
"A.I. Get this crafty on its feet. now!"
AFFRMTIVE CREATOR. STNDING N-N-NOW. SYS FAILRE LKLY. TWO MIN MAX. MAX. MAXMUM.
Sousuke was glad that the A.I.'s comments were not externalized. Time was important again. He would not survive if he triggered the slow-opening hatch. There were too many guns pointed in his direction. He could probably survive any number of hits from rocket propelled grenades, but it looked as if the manufacturer had cut costs by installing equipment with low shock tolerance.
He would be trapped inside, safe but impotent.
"I am the king!" The large-boned man was bringing up another RPG-7. "Lets tear him up, ladies!" The other thugs brought up their weapons and fired on the Arm Slave.
One spread of shotgun pellets decapitated two of the remaining roses.
Sousuke located well-dressed man, perhaps the shop owner or a store manager. He externalized his voice.
"Here. Take care of these. As if your life depended on it!" He moved his left arm, causing the Bonta-kun to throw the two remaining flowers to the man, who caught them in trembling fingers. Quickly, he placed them in a blast-proof strong box and closed the lid.
Sousuke felt much better now.
Finally, he could fight with out constraints. No need to hold back any longer.
Grabbing the severed right mechanical limb with the left one, Sousuke brought it around with tremendous force. Two men were bounced off of the rear wall, landing in awkward crumpled heaps. Both twitched spasmodically. The large-boned man was flung hard against the very same wall, followed closely by the right limb. Arm and man crashed through the wall. Nuts, bolts, computer chips, and wire fragments spilled out onto the floor, accompanied by a waterfall of small intestines, spleen pulp, and a steady stream of blood.
"The king is dead. Long live the king!" Sousuke had the A.S. pick-up the shotgun in its left hand. It was close to being empty.
It was not a problem.
The surviving transgressors stood up, hands placed behind their heads. It's good to be the king, Sousuke thought.
The store manager placed a call to the police outside. He retrieved Sousuke's two remaining roses for him, afraid to ask his unseen savior why they were so important. Thinking fast, he wrapped a 'Buy one piece of jewelry get an equally priced item for free' coupon around the stems. Emotionally exhausted, he bowed towards the strange looking fighting machine.
SYS FAIL SOON. SRRY CRTR. SRRY
As law enforcement officers rushed into the jewelry store to apprehend the criminals and check on the condition of the captives, Sousuke ignored their requests for communication and ran the BK-M5 out of the shop and towards a nearby wooded park. The lights were flashing on and off. Blurry uninterruptible images danced across the computer screen and were gone.
The gyros gave out, followed by the air handling system and the master hydraulics. There was just enough power left to open the hatch half-way, after the Bonta-Kun A.S. fell to the ground, ending up on its side.
Sousuke left the scene unwitnessed. No one followed his trail.
Sighing, he sat under a thickly planted arbor, unaware of the occasional small drops of water than dripped on his head, shoulders, and back.
Two roses left. Out of twelve.
But, at least that was two more than he had started out with.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Despite the steady downpour, some type of event was in full swing at the park.
Sousuke could hear festive music, even though he could not yet see the source. Darting from tree to tee, trying to preserve the flowers as best he can, he noted that the rain was slowing.
The wind had died down.
When the rain stopped entirely, he followed the path through the park. One large gazebo held a brass band and string accompaniment. Another open shelter housed a group of revelers.
The sound of clinking glasses could be heard, along with laughter.
That should be my glass and Kaname's, he thought. It should be our laughter. He looked at his watch. It wasn't really all that late, taking into consideration everything that had happened. His spirits began to climb again.
It would be good to see Kaname.
Approaching a long bank of fanciful iron benches, Sousuke heard another sound. Sobbing. Someone was definitely crying. After passing by one third of the seats, he saw a young boy curled up in the fetal position, one hand across his eyes, and the other hand curled into a tight fist.
"Are you hurt or lost? Do you require assistance?" Sousuke approached the boy slowly, not wanting to frighten him.
The boy slowly sat up. For a moment, Sousuke's appearance distracted him from his own problem.
"You been in a accident, mister?" Sousuke certainly looked the worse for wear.
"You could say that." Sousuke sat down next to the boy, nodding his head. "But, I am unharmed. Why were you crying?"
'Were' was an incorrect term.
The boy's tears fell again, coursing down his reddened face.
"It's
Mama. She's very sick. Very very sick. It's Val-tine's
Day. I wanted flowers. She should have flowers." He opened his
clenched hand. It held a few small coins. A bottle cap. A number of
red tickets from a game arcade. "Not 'nough money." The
items fell as the boy put his head down in his hands, body shaking as
he came perilously close to falling off the bench.
Sousuke
felt very uncomfortable.
He could give the boy some money, but he shouldn't be wandering too far on his own. And, he did not want to encourage the boy to take money from strangers. There must be something he could do to help.
There was. It was OK.
One rose was as good as two.
"You are very fortunate to have a mother to love. I am sad that she is sick. You can have one of my flowers." Before he handed the boy the rose, he gave him a short lecture on personal safety.
Smiling, the boy hurried away towards home, skipping and humming a happy little tune.
For the first time that day, Sousuke felt as if he had really accomplished something.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
With each block he traveled, Sousuke did not lack for company. Memories from the day's events walked with him.
A clumsy girl in a flow shop. Punks, paintball, and pizza. A crazed martial artist. The very weather itself. A tragic accident. A boy, a ball, and near tragedy. Trapped criminals, and hostages at risk. A sick mother and a caring son.
Any one of those would have made for a memorable afternoon. The mujahideen who raised him were rife with superstition and fatalistic thinking. He never gave such matters any thought.
Maybe he should.
Slow and steady wins the race. Finally, the street signs were the onesthat he saw every day. He was getting very close to his apartment. In his younger days, he would have known exactly how many footsteps remained before he would be at his door.
The winds suddenly picked up again. So did the thunder. It was getting dark.
Very dark.
The rain returned. Light at first, then heavy.
Soon enough, it was very heavy.
Sousuke spied a telephone kiosk. It might serve two useful purposes. He could call Kaname. And, if no one showed up needing to make a call, he could spend a few moments out of the rain, seeing if it looked like things might blow over any time soon.
He dialed Kaname's number. There was no answer on the first try. He was no more fortunate on the second or third attempts.
Reaching into his pocket for more coins, Sousuke braced himself. The kiosk was actually shaking. Looking out the window, he saw large trees bending over. Umbrellas rode the wind. Stop lights swung wildly.
He tried his own number. Kaname had a copy of the key and could be waiting for him there.
Again, no answer.
Four loud snapping noises could be heard. Sousuke had no reason to know that it was the bolts holding down the nearby street light. No longer anchored, the huge metal pole fell straight for the telephone booth.
If Sousuke hadn't looked up through the glass roof when he did, he would have died right there and then. Jumping out past the folding door, he rolled into the flooded street just as the heavy post shattered the kiosk.
As soaked as he could possibly be, Sousuke picked himself off of the ground. His hand hurt. Thorns were stuck everywhere. Bringing the injured hand up, he saw what was left of the rose. Its stem had snapped in half. It was dripping water. The petals' attachment seemed tenuous at best.
He didn't know what to feel. He had no idea how long he stood there.
"Sousuke, is that for me?"
He turned ever so slowly, not trusting his ears. He had taken a blow to the head on the door frame.
It was Kaname.
Her oversized yellow umbrella contrasted with her wet blue hair and fuzzy pink pull-over. Her eyes looked concerned. She didn't know what to think of the crushed kiosk or Sousuke's proximity to it.
There was a lot that he wanted to say. He simply held out the remnant of that final flower.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Kaname. I love you."
"Thank you, Sousuke."
She couldn't help but see his condition. There was no way she could guess just what he had been up to, or what he had been through. She was not certain she wanted to know. Her woman's intuition told her that it had something to do with the rose.
She smiled.
Sousuke was very predictable in most things. When he bought flowers, he bought them by the dozen. That must be some tale.
The young soldier almost collapsed in relief. He did fall into a shallow pool of water after hearing Kaname's next words.
"You know Sousuke, I am getting a bit tired of roses..."
"Kaname?" His voice barely made it past his lips.
Kaname smiled. Seeing the look on Sousuke's face, she couldn't carry the jest any further.
"I was just kidding, Sousuke. This flower looks like it has quite a story to tell. I don't remember ever getting a more precious present. I love you too, you know..."
Sousuke was slowly developing an impish streak of his own. Still seated, he performed a textbook leg sweep, catching Kaname in his arms when she landed with a huge splash. Pulling her close, he planted a long and deep kiss square on her lips.
A few minutes later, when they were both bowled over by a huge wave of water kicked up by a speeding tractor trailer, neither seemed to care.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
THE END
