The Name
Kaname stared at Sousuke with a look of disbelief.
"Sousuke, what is…" her voice trailed off. Her eyes were still dead set on the furry animal Sousuke was holding.
"Kaname, this is a cat, otherwise known as felidae domesticus. The family Felidae belongs within the order Carnivora, a diverse group of meat-eating mammals. Armed with razor-sharp claws and teeth, they are superbly adapted for a life of hunting. Notice the strong limbs cats have. They utilize their strong hind legs to leap on their prey. For more information concerning this topic, I strongly advise you to visit a library nearest you."
A vein popped in the irate Kaname's temple.
"I WASN'T ASKING FOR A LECTURE ON FELINES!"
"But Kaname, I thought—"
Sousuke was cut off by the stinging smack from the unforgiving halisen. To Kaname, beating the otaku to an inch of his life was considered mundane and uneventful. It was unfortunate that Sousuke was low on his supply of bandages. After executing her deed, Kaname went downstairs to a nearby convenient store to buy some bandage wraps.
She found herself at the register with four rolls of heavy-duty industry-sized bandage wraps. When the cashier asked why she needed that much bandage, she gave the female employee a smile.
The female cashier understood the tacit response. She laughed, "Poor guy. Go easy on him."
Kaname left the store smiling. Then, realizing that Sousuke had a cat in his possession, she rounded back to the convenient store for a bag of cat food.
'Sousuke would probably feed the poor thing his disgusting protein bars or his army issue rations,' she thought. She had a lot on her plate, and the last thing she needed was to give a lecture to animal cruelty activists on the train of thought of a crazed militaristic otaku. 'Nobody in their right mind would eat that if given the chance not to. Well, except Sousuke.'
Upon returning to Sousuke's apartment, Kaname found her bodyguard sitting cross-legged on the floor, the cat in his lap. It was ironic how similar the two looked when juxtaposed. Kaname found it rather overwhelming for Sousuke to have found a kindred individual not unlike himself.
Sousuke acknowledged Kaname's presence by placing the cat gently on an armchair and getting up to his feet.
"Here. I brought you some bandages."
"Kaname...I believe one roll is sufficient for the measure of my ailment."
Nevertheless, he took the other three rolls and stacked them into a cabinet. Only a fool would go unprepared, and Sousuke was no fool. He was a specialist.
Kaname walked over and took a seat on a stool. Noticing a piece of paper on the countertop, Kaname picked it up to see what it was.
Her first assumption was that it was a list of gun makes that Sousuke preferred. The second, which, at the time seemed credible, was that it was a love note from Tessa. If be that case, Kaname would be visiting the Teletha De Daanan sooner than Tessa would have expected.
To her surprise, it was a list of what the cat would need. It was totally unlike him to be so emotionally considerate of something due to his harsh upbringing. At first she thought either Kurtz or Mao wrote it, but it was written in Sousuke's handwriting and the list was devoid of canned crab, beer, names of modeling agencies, and the like.
"Kaname? May I ask why you are reading my grocery list?"
Kaname frowned. 'Sousuke? Groceries? Who is this guy and what has he done with Sousuke?'
"Kaname? You have not answered my inquiry. Are you feeling all right? You have been looking rather bloated than usual. You should consider following my regimen."
'Nope, definitely Sousuke...'
"Sousuke you IDIOT!!"
Kaname's hand had already found the halisen on the countertop upon hearing the word 'bloated'. She was well prepared.
Again came the halisen.
Sousuke ducked and reached for his cat that was rubbing herself on his leg.
The halisen missed its intended target by a mere millimeter. And because the initial force of the halisen did not reach its target, Kaname soon found herself plummeting to the floor.
Sousuke gave her a weird look.
"Kaname, it is ill-advised to rest on the ground. If you are so tired, you should have said something. My cot is always welcome for you to use."
Kaname was too out of it to respond or even pick up something solid to throw at Sousuke. She sat down on the couch in the living room to calm her shocked nerves. The cat followed right behind her heels, and Sousuke after her. She looked at Kaname with adorable eyes and meow-ed softly. Sousuke let out a rare smile.
"Kaname, I believe Cat has taken a liking in you!"
Kaname chuckled softly and stroked Cat's head at a slow tempo. She reached behind her ears and immediately found Cat's favorite spot to be scratched. Sousuke stood on guard with his legs slightly apart and his hands together behind his back. Kaname inspected the piece of leather strap around the cat's neck. Inscribed on it were the letters "C,A,T". It was obvious Sousuke carved in the letters with his field knife.
Kaname frowned. "Sousuke, why is it's name Cat?"
"Cat is a more conventional name," Sousuke said simply. "Actually I named it Cat for your sake Kaname."
"Oh, do go on..." Her hand was tightly clutched to a sofa cushion. She knew rather well what the clueless otaku's response would be.
"You have a lot to accomplish. You hold an important role as class representative, and you are the vice president of the student council. Not to mention you expend many after school hours playing baseball. Somehow, you make time to finish your homework AND review class notes. I myself have struggled in Japanese History, whereas you exceeded my abilities in that course. Studies conducted by Tokyo University show that individuals who are active physically and intellectually are prone to take for granted the infinitesimal details in their lives. I hope you do not take my words personally and strike me with the device in your hand."
Kaname couldn't help but smile at him. "Sousuke, that is really sweet."
"Sweet? What is? I do not believe that you have consumed a saccharine substance..."
Kaname stiffened and had a strong desire to drive the cushion into the unsuspecting Sousuke's face but resisted. Besides, he was just acting like the dense otaku that he was. There was no crime in that. The mayor had vetoed her proposal for making it so.
"But Sousuke, a name is not for convenience," said Kaname. "A name is given for identification."
"Identification?" Sousuke was starting to understand. His code name was Urzu 7, but his teammates dubbed him "Sousuky."
"You should name your pet according to what you believe fits her the best, most appropriate."
"Kaname..." Sousuke looked at her for help. "I don't know where to begin."
Kaname breathed in lightly. Sousuke was senseless in everyday issues, and it was her obligation to teach him.
"Okay, just think about the people you care about the most. Then try using their names to call your cat. You will know when you have the appropriate name to call her. Remember: the key is to let it come naturally. Just relax."
Sousuke closed his eyes. At first, his mind was pitch black. 'I must not disappoint Miss Chidori. Think, Sousuke, think!' The first person that came to mind was Lieutenant Commander Kalinin, the first person who saw him not as a weapon from God, but a human being. And although it would be paying homage to his mentor, Sousuke just couldn't see himself calling the cat Kalinin. The young soldier thought harder.He thought of his teammates, Kurtz and Melissa. Although he'd only known them for a year's time, he felt a strong kinship among the two alcohol enthusiasts. But still it did not fit. Sousuke felt it was unfair for his cat to be characterized as scandalous. He dug a little bit deeper into his memory. Of course there was Captain Testarossa. It seemed logical to name his cat after someone who was gentle and caring. However, Cat liked to run around and Tessa was pretty clumsy in her step so that option went out the window.
Kaname looked at Sousuke intently. She could tell that he was trying very hard judging by the several creases on his forehead.
In Sousuke's mind, there was only one option left: Kaname. He opened one eye slowly and noticed the blue-haired girl look intently at him. He closed his open eye quickly in fear of invoking the rage of Armageddon. Yes, it seemed logical. Like Kaname, Cat was athletic and liked to scratch his furniture. Cat has had a few fits with him just like Kaname does on a regular basis.
Sousuke opened his eyes and looked at Kaname.
"I have acquired a suitable name."
"Is it the name of somebody you care a lot about, above all others? Especially above any white-haired, clumsy, even tramp-like individuals?"
"Uhhh...Affirmative."
"Then tell me. What is your cat's name?"
Kaname gazed expectantly into Sousuke's eyes. Her face was about an inch from his. Sousuke immediately began to perspire heavily.
"Uhhh....."
"Yes?" Kaname asked lightly.
"Uhhh....."
"Yes? The name?"
"Uhhh....."
"SOUSUKE!!"
"Tessa!"
Kaname's face dropped. "Tessa...? Tessa? TESSA?!?!"
"Negative, Kalinin!"
Kaname bowed her head so that her hair covered her face from view.
"I am mistaken, Melissa."
Kaname's hand soon found its way to the sofa cushion.
Sousuke cursed himself for scrubbing up on the names.
"I've got it!" His mind went blank once again. "Umm.....Kurtz?"
The blow came swiftly. The unforgiving force from his own cushion came from above. Sousuke fell limp the second the attack connected. How could he have forgotten that he stashed a Beretta in the pillow?
"Hmmmph!" Kaname headed for the door.
Miraculously, Sousuke regained conscience.
"Wait! Her name's Chidori!"
Captain Tessa Testarossa let out a frustrated sigh.
The meeting with the other high rank Mithril officers had not gone as smooth as she anticipated.
Due to numerous calamities caused by Sousuke Sagara and the tally work in part of the Financial Department, she found herself in the spotlight for the first time in her career. For once, she could not think of a solution to the problem, not even hypothesize a resolution for the cataclysmic debt that her branch was in. And because of her incapability to resolve her problem, correspondents from mainstream Mithril gave her an ultimatum: temporarily disband Sousuke until further assessments showed that he was a competent operative.
Sousuke was a valuable asset to the Urz team, no doubt about that, but the Higher Command left her with no choice.
Sgt. Major Mao did not take the news well. Not only did she lose command of a textbook perfect soldier, but she would also be receiving a replacement member that she loathed. Sousuke's replacement, Sgt. Sadarth, was of African descent and the antithesis of his precedent. Sadarth, like Mao, was dishonorably discharged by the U.S. Marine Corp. due to a fatal mistake on the field that took two of his men's lives. He was made a standby backup ever since the incident.
Kurtz, for once, understood the tension between Mao and Tessa. For the most part, he kept his rowdy compliments about Melissa's physique to himself. He was also concerned about the future of his team. During the time Sousuke was to be suspended, terrorist activities will more than likely skyrocket. Sadarth had not been field tested as of late.
But it was not up to Tessa to re-evaluate the competence of the Urzu team without Sousuke.
Fate had dealt her the cards, and she just happened to have a bad hand.
Good luck was bound to come her way right?
to be continued...
Please Review!