Snow was falling again.
It was the third day in a row, that week. That made it a relatively white winter, so far. But, that wasn't what Sousuke was thinking, as he walked alone towards school. To him, it was merely a sign of things repeating.
Melissa had been assigned as a substitute gym teacher at the school, thanks to a promise of more money from Mithril, and a gastrointestinal irritant that Sousuke had put in the regular instructor's Thermos bottle. . No doubt the boys in the Phys Ed class would be working-out extra hard that day, if they weren't sent to the Nurse's office for spontaneous nose-bleeds.
Because Lt. Mao was walking with Tessa and Kaname, Sousuke did not feel derelict in his duty, walking this far ahead of the two Whispered girls. For a moment, he realized that he was guarding Kaname more for personal reasons, than out of any sense of duty or obligation.
"At least the pain has subsided…" He grimaced a bit, slipping on some ice. "For the most part…" There was still some discoloration; but, he didn't have to worry whether or not things would function properly in the future. He found that out last night, in another series of repeats. Was 'repeats' a word? Repetitions. That was one for certain. It was an opportunity to think through something for English class.
Repeat. Verb. To do or say something again. To do, experience, or produce again.
Repetition. Noun. The act or process or an instance of repeating or being repeated
Whatever word he chose, there were plenty of practical applications. The snow was falling once more. He had been given multiple talks on human sexuality and contraceptive use. Tessa was back again, and the sleeping arrangements had brought with them a strong feeling of déjà vu.
"They should have known better…" Sousuke rubbed his head. There were a number of welts there. "I made mention of what had happened previously. But, they took her at her word…" Mao, Tessa, and Kaname had all spent the night at his apartment. No one had been hand-cuffed at the start.
Tessa had a habit of walking in her sleep. That fact had been established during her first visit to Japan. Her nocturnal habits had led her to be shackled to Mao at night during the Captains'prior excursion to Jindai High School. But, the young Captain promised it wouldn't happen again this time. She said that the things that happened in the past must have been an aberration.
If so, it was an aberration that had a tendency to repeat in his domicile! Last night, she had crawled into his bed without waking him, even though he was normally a very light sleeper. Naturally, when he rolled over, his hand ended up on her breast again. This time, however, Kaname had been looking for the other girl when it happened. Her shout woke Tessa, whose startled reaction left him with an accidental punch to the jaw. Before Melissa had gotten up herself, Kaname had clobbered him on the head with a fuzzy slipper.
"She did not even wait for an explanation…" Sousuke scowled and marched on. He shouldn't be too surprised. That too was a recurring theme. "Despite all that, Tessa resisted, refusing to be handcuffed like a prisoner again…"
So, to prevent yet another repeat, he took matters into his own hands, so to speak. He decided to sleep under his bed. After all, that was something he was used to. Unfortunately, he had not counted on the power of dreams. At one point, he looked to one side, and saw three pairs of eyes staring at him. Tessa was peeking under the bed at him. Kaname and Melissa were there as well. Sitting upright too quickly, he banged his head on the box springs. They had actual been figments of his imagination.
The second time he saw someone looking under the bed, he incorrectly assumed that he was dreaming again. When he had heard Tessa ask 'Can I come under there with you,' he answered 'You may do whatever you like. This is a dream.' The young Captain had snuggled up next to him, content to press against him and fall asleep. Part of his anatomy was not inclined to do the same, however. When Kaname pulled him out from under the bed by his ankles, he was left in a compromised position. That time, she had tattooed his scalp with the halisen.
"I was treated like a prisoner…" Sousuke said to himself. "Even though they finally handcuffed her…" Mao had put one cuff on her wrist, and the corresponding cuff on Tessa's. That should have solved the problem. But, Kaname wasn't content with that. For some reason, she placed equal blame on him. As a result, she took rope out of his closet and tied him down to his bed.
Melissa had commented on Kaname being a great dominatrix after all. That did not sit well with Kaname. But, she did loosen the ropes ever so slightly. Then, later that night, she went through one of her habitual change of hearts. Seeing that Tessa and Melissa were sound asleep, she climbed into the bed and lay next to him, wanting to speak quietly and apologize for her recent behavior.
It had been a pleasant interlude, one that left him feeling somewhat confused, but hopeful for the future. Having a warm girl pressed up against him was actually quite nice. He thought he could get used to something like that; though, he might prefer having his hands free, if only to keep his wrists from chafing.
When his girlfriend had fallen asleep, Sousuke found that he was too uncomfortable to get any sleep himself. Accordingly, he slipped his hands out from the ropes. After that, he managed to doze off. He might have had a satisfying rest, had Melissa and Tessa not noticed Kaname's absence.
'WHAT WERE THEY DOING?'
Tessa's shout had awakened him and Kaname, not to mention any number of his neighbors. The two teenagers found each other in the middle of an unconscious embrace. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing by itself. In fact, Kaname looked somewhat like a cat that had swallowed the canary. But, for Sousuke, it had been a very bad night to have had a wet dream.
Kaname had shouted 'Pervert' and pummeled him yet again. Tessa had stood stiff like a statue for three straight minutes, barely breathing and blinking. Melissa had smiled like she had won a huge lottery jackpot. In the end, Kaname had given him a sleeping back and sent him out into the hall.
"It was cold out there…" Things did not quiet down after he left the apartment. When he had been in the room, his involuntary physical reaction had been a death warrant. But, once he left, it became a point of contention. He could hear every word. Kaname told Tessa that Sousuke had done what he did when she was in bed with him, not when he was with her. Tessa countered with 'Wait until next time.' Melissa told them to hold off fussing until she could get a cold beer. He didn't get any sleep after that.
When morning came, and he snuck back into the apartment to shower, he was ready to forget the past and begin fresh. After all, it was a new day. But, being groggy, he didn't think things through. He was too used to staying in the apartment alone. So, as usual, he didn't lock the bathroom door.
Standing in the shower, he took a moment to think things through before turning the water on. Tired, he had no idea how long he stood like that, trying to come up with some way to survive the coming day. When Tessa pulled back the shower curtain, he froze. She was naked. There had originally been a towel wrapped around her, but that came off as Kaname tried to pull her back, saying she was going to shower first.
'Uhhh…'
That had been all he managed to say. Tessa had turned pink from head to toe. Kaname had turned red in the face, looking like steam could come shooting out of her ears at any moment. Melissa said the best way to resolve things was to put everyone on an equal footing. She pulled off Kaname's towel too. Things had become too jumbled after that to remember. All except the fact that he ended up with another erection, and Mao told the girls to get some condoms to practice with.
Over breakfast, Melissa had tried to smooth everything over. She fixed the food, and did a very good job of it. While the others ate, she walked through things verbally, trying to make certain that everyone knew what had actually happened during the night and first thing that morning. Then, in the guise of talking to Sousuke, she took to lecturing a rather miffed looking Kaname.
'You need a girlfriend who is understanding,' she had said. 'You need a girlfriend who trusts you. You need a girlfriend who makes you feel safe. You need a girlfriend who makes you laugh and you can have fun with.'
Kaname had nodded her head, looking somewhat shy. It was a new look for her. Tessa had made a face, and it wasn't because of the grapefruit she had been given to eat.
'The most important thing to remember…' Melissa had added. '…Is to make certain that Kaname does notfind out about the other three.'
Kaname had stood up so quickly, that she knocked over her orange juice. Instead of saying 'Melissa,' she turned and shouted 'Sousuke.' Some things never change. Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.
Tessa had said 'Perfect,' and gave Melissa a 'V' sign. She reached over and stole the tangerine form Kaname's plate and began peeling it. That started yet another squabble.
A loud air-horn sounded on a truck a few streets over. Mind drawn back to the present, Sousuke focused on working out some stiffness. Moving one shoulder in circle, he loosened up his muscles. He did the same on the other side, and then tried to work a kink out of his neck. Staring off into the distance, he took note of a few scorch marks on the taller buildings, along with areas of broken concrete. They were unwanted reminders from the day that he and Arbalest had battled Leonard and Belial in the streets of Tokyo. Repair work was under way, but things were far from being finished.
"I did everything I could to bring her home…" He looked back at Kaname, who was a good two blocks behind him. Even at that distance, he could easily tell that she stuck her nose in the air and harrumphed. Despite everything that had happened yesterday, he would do things all over again. Just the same, he couldn't help but hope for something different. "I am not used to peace. But, I think I would like to be…"
To be honest, things had gotten a lot better once he brought Kaname back, and the two of them were allowed to resume their schooling at Jindai High School. No doubt that was why Kaname had taken a very big step, visiting a doctor and getting that prescription. But, it would have been nice if she could have been supportive, rather than adversarial. Did she really doubt him that much? Or, did her confident exterior hide a great deal of insecurity?
He heard the sound of hurried footsteps. Was that Kaname, coming to apologize? Turning again, he saw Tessa. That left him feeling somewhat disappointed, and not a little bit anxious. He liked Tessa. He truly did. And, he couldn't deny feeling some slight attraction to her. But, her being in Tokyo did nothing more than bring him a world full of hurt, literally. Just talking with her could get Kaname feeling resentful again.
Sousuke sighed. He tried to be fair. The Captain worked very hard at a difficult job, and deserved at chance at a better life, wherever and whenever she could grab it. It wasn't too much of a sacrifice for him to put up with days like these. It was certainly easier than Boot Camp had been, not to mention his days living with the mujahideen.
"Sousuke…" Tessa sounded somewhat reserved, even for her.
"Yes, Captain?" Sousuke kept looking straight ahead. It was an unconscious reaction. He wasn't trying to be spiteful or make any kind of point.
"Oh… I see…" Tessa stumbled but righted herself. "It's Tessa…" She walked a little further before continuing. "I'm sorry…"
"I accept your apology," Sousuke said flatly. He didn't want to be rude; but, if he was too friendly, it might gloss things over, and Kaname would probably feel compelled to escalate matters. He was not in the mood for that.
"Don't you want to know what I'm apologizing for, first?" Tessa sounded a bit worried. When Sousuke didn't reply, she needed to fill the void. "I didn't come to Tokyo to cause trouble… I came because I felt so wonderful during my last visit…"
"I see," Sousuke said. "Last time, things were not so pleasant for me." Things were quiet until he decided to be more specific. "I assaulted Cmdr. Mardukas by mistake. I almost drowned in the pool. I became very ill from stress and lack of sleep. You and Kaname fought over my care, and I had a bowl of steaming porridge fall on my face." He did not mention the bedtime issues that happened during that visit. "While everyone else had fun at the hot springs, I needed to work hard to keep Kurz, Shinji, and Onodera from peeping on you and the others."
"Thank you for taking such good care of me then," Tessa said, twisting her pony tail in her hand. The mention of the onsen had her biting her lip. "It really made a big difference in my life. It gave me a renewed sense of purpose, and that helped after Amalgam attacked." She smiled, seeing Sousuke glance sideways at her. "Do you remember… when I came to your apartment that first time… I said that we might look like boyfriend and girlfriend if we walked together…"
"Uhhh…" That had Sousuke turning to stare at Tessa for a few moments. If Kaname overheard something like that! "Ooooo-ooo-oo-oph…" Not paying attention, he walked straight into a lamp post. That kind of thing never happened to someone with his innate positioning sense.
"Sergeant Sagara!" Tessa hurried to see if he was alright. Twisting her ankle, she fell up against him.
"Not another step!" That was Melissa's voice, no doubt directed at Kaname.
"I will be OK, Captain." Sousuke rubbed his forehead. If Kaname would not chide him for being an otaku fool, it might do him well to wear a combat helmet, the way things had been going lately. "Uhhh… if you are alright, you may let go of me…"
"Sorry." Tessa stepped away. "You're getting to be a lot like me, Sousuke. Running into things." She smiled. "It's nice to have some things in common with you." As if on cue, she tripped and fell. Sousuke caught her.
"Stay!" That was Melissa again.
"But…" Kaname said.
"I won't trouble you any more this morning, Sergeant." Tessa straightened the collar of her heavy winter coat. "I know what you and Kaname feel for each other." She sighed. "But, I just want to say that I would never treat you the same way. The hitting, I mean." She felt compelled to say more. "You don't deserve that. You're too nice a guy. It must get old after a while…" She stopped and waited for Mao to catch up.
Sousuke kept on walking. He thought about what Tessa had said, and sought the meaning behind her words. He wasn't so clueless these days that he was blind to the truth. Well, not all of the time.
"Go ahead…" Melissa must have been speaking to Kaname again.
Sure enough, Kaname hurried forward, taking her turn at Sousuke's side. Biting her lip, she reached out and took his hand. When he didn't pull away, she squeezed it a couple of times. She smiled when Sousuke squeezed back. That took a little bit of the fear away.
"Are you… are you alright, Sousuke…" Kaname looked up at him as they strolled together. "That was a nasty accident you had."
"I am fine, Kaname." Sousuke kept looking straight ahead. "I have had much worse recently."
"Oh…" Kaname tried to get him to look at her again, but failed. That had her anxiety level rising. Sousuke had never behaved quite like this before. Was it because of everything that had happened since Tessa arrived at the school? Was it because of something she had just said? Might everything over the past year or so be weighing heavily on him? Was he having second thoughts about the two of them?
They walked in silence for a couple of blocks. Behind them, Kaname heard Melissa say 'stay' again. This time it was obviously for Tessa. Hearing that, Kaname swallowed hard and pushed ahead.
"I know I've been a bit edgy lately…" She coughed to clear her throat. "It's not an excuse… but with Tessa here… it kind of feels like an intrusion, you know…" She held tighter to Sousuke's hand. "After getting back to Tokyo… well… I didn't want to be reminded of Mithril, Whispered, or things like that…"
"You'll always be Whispered," Kaname. Sousuke looked over at her, beginning to understand some of what she must have been feeling. That didn't necessarily make it right; but, it was easier to accept.
"I know that you big…" Kaname caught herself. "I know, Sousuke." She felt a tear come to her eye. "But… I guess it won't be so bad if you're always there… right?"
Sousuke took a few more steps before answering "Affirmative." Truth be told, he didn't really want to imagine himself being anywhere else. But, the future held so many uncertainties for him now. While it had been much worse being nothing more than a soldier and killing machine, things had been much simpler before. "I have no wish to be elsewhere…"
"Good." Kaname let go of Sousuke's hand and grabbed his arm instead. She began walking right next to him, bumping against him any chance she got. She wanted to say 'And you have no wish for anyone else either, right,' but thought better of it. She didn't want to sound that needy. "So, what did Tessa say that had you walking into a lamp post?"
"Uhhh…" Sousuke looked straight ahead again. He liked the way that Kaname was behaving at the moment. If he said anything, he might ruin things.
"Come on, soldier." Kaname reached out and hugged him quickly. "I won't get mad. I'm feeling much better now." She smiled and tossed her hair. Running in front of Sousuke, she stop on her tiptoes and gave him a quick smooch.
"No whining!" That was Melissa yet again. "If you want, I'll blindfold you or deliver you to school in a sack."
"Melissa!" Tessa's voice went up a couple of octaves.
"The Captain said that she and I looked like boyfriend and girlfriend when we walked together." Sousuke braced himself, waiting for Kaname to explode.
"I see…" Kaname took Sousuke's arm again. "That's nothing more than wishful thinking. Hmmmpppfff." She laughed. But, her eyes narrowed. "So, you told her differently… right…"
"Uhhh…" Sousuke swallowed hard. He heard the edge on that 'right.' It could have cut through tempered steel.
"Sousuke? What did you tell her?" Kaname's smile flattened out some. She began walking with a slight stamping motion.
"Uhhh…" Sousuke rubbed his forehead.
"Wellll-lll-ll-l…" Kaname stopped. Still holding onto Sousuke's arm, she caused him to swing around some. "What did you say?" She began clenching and unclenching her free hand.
"I believe I said 'Oooppphhh,' Kaname." Sousuke nodded his head. "I had walked into the post."
"I see… Oooppphhh… that's it…" Kaname put her hands on her hips. "Nothing after that?" Her eyes flashed.
"Negative," Sousuke said. "I resumed walking, listening to what she was saying."
"OK. She said that the two of you looked like a couple, and you didn't deny it." Kaname smiled and began walking again. "Hey, that doesn't mean anything, right? I'm perfectly fine with it."
"I bet a six pack that she kicks him." Melissa sounded amused.
"The halisen," Tessa said. "I bet you two bottles of bubble bath."
"What?" Kaname felt like turning and glaring at the two other girls. Instead, she squared her shoulders, tossed her hair, and then walked over and kissed Sousuke again. In a voice only he could hear, she said "You're on my list, mister!"
"You owe me some beer," Melissa said, putting her hands behind her neck and grinning.
"No I don't," Tessa said. "You said she was going to kick him."
"Kiss him," Melissa said. "I bet that she was going to kiss him."
"Melissa." Tessa shook her finger at her friend. "You liar…" Things dissolved into an argument after that.
"They sound so catty," Kaname said, smiling again. "You'd never catch me acting like that, right?"
"Uhhh…" Sousuke flinched. Being truthful might keep his pride intact, but could well set Kaname off. Not answering would be the same as saying she did act like that. A little white lie was acceptable at that moment. "Right."
"Such a good boyfriend." Kaname patted Sousuke on his cheek. Then, she pinched him on the buttock, hard. "Next time you know what to tell Tessa! Big idiot…"
After that, Sousuke lapsed into a false sense of security. Walking slowly with Kaname on his arm, he noticed things that he usually overlooked when walking along the same street. The chill wind had his ears stinging ever so slightly, but it barely caught his attention. But, elephant's supposedly never forget. Leeches hang on until they get all the blood they want. Kaname Chidori was cut from similar cloth.
"Sousuke?" Kaname stopped and halted Sousuke's progress. They could see the school now.
"Yes, Kaname?" Sousuke wondered if she wanted him to kiss her in view of Jindai High again, to prove that he was embarrassed being her boyfriend.
"What else did Tessa say to you?" Kaname busied herself looking at her nails.
"She… I told her she could let go of me, when she fell against me." Sousuke began feeling tense again.
"That's very good!" She looked up and brushed some snow off of his coat. After smiling a sweet smile, she narrowed her eyes again. "But what did she say…"
"Uhhh… if my memory serves me… I think she said that it was nice to have things in common, seeing that I had behaved in clumsy fashion." Sousuke looked over at the school. So close, and yet so far. It was like seeing a fortification just out of reach, and hearing the characteristic scream of incoming artillery shells.
"And…" Kaname was tapping her foot against the frozen ground, faster and faster.
"She then said that she would not trouble me any more this morning." Sousuke said. He let out a sigh. "That should suffice."
"It should," Kaname remarked. "For someone else." She looked over at Tessa and Melissa, who had stopped to watch them. "What did she say after that?"
"Uhhh… the Captain said that she knew what you and I feel for one another." Sousuke tried to look nonchalant. Maybe that would be enough.
"Really?" Kaname looked over at Tessa again. It was good that the other girl knew her place. "And…"
"Kaname?" Sousuke tried his clueless act. That was indeed merely an act these days. Kaname saw through it immediately. When she glared at him, he continued. "She informed me that she would never treat me the same way… she meant striking me…." He cleared his throat again. "She said I do not deserve that. I am too nice a guy. That kind of behavior gets old after a while…"
"Anything else?" Kaname clenched her fists. "So, you think I get old after a while?" She began to tremble ever so slightly.
"Kaname… no… I didn't…" Sousuke held up his hands. "It was Tessa who… owwww-www-ww-w…"
"Big jerk!" Kaname began stomping off to school in a snit, after giving Sousuke a wicked kick to the shin.
"Hah! That's more beer you owe me," Melissa said to a smirking Tessa.
"What?" Tessa wrinkled up her nose.
"I was right about the kissing and the kicking." She rubbed her hands together. The two of them headed after Kaname, arguing again.
Sousuke stood alone, watching the receding figures. He had survived in a harsh country that had claimed the life of his parents. He had made it out of a Lebanese prison cell. He had escaped an entire squad of enemy insurgents hunting for him in the tall reeds bordering a Cambodian river. He had managed to stay alive during a difficult time in Iraq. He had walked away from encounters with Gauron, Kurama, and Leonard.
He didn't know if he could survive much more of Kaname, Tessa, and Melissa.
Trudging through the accumulating snow, he managed to make it to the school without incurring any more injuries. After hanging his coat in his locker, he found himself in the middle of another sea change. Kaname came running over to him, her face aglow. Tessa and Melissa were following behind her.
"Sousuke!" Kaname slid to a halt, so close that he could feel her breath on his face. "Remember last time Tessa visited? We went to the hot springs."
"Affirmative," Sousuke said. He sighed. He was not feeling up to another disaster like that. If Kurz was going to show up again, who knows what someone might let slip.
"Cheer up, you moping military malcontent!" Kaname reached out and tweaked Sousuke's nose. "We're going again." She bent over and whispered in his ear. "Tessa's treat, to make up for everything. No Mizuki. No Shinji. No OnoD. No Kurz Weber. No Kyouko. No Ren. No Melissa. And most importantly, no Tessa." She blew in his ear.
"Uhhh…" Sousuke jerked and banged his injured shin on the locker door.
"That's right," Kaname crowed. "Just you and I alone. We can do whatever we like." She looked over at Tessa. "And no one will be there to stop us. Not that anyone could, anyway…" She turned back to Sousuke again, missing the look in Tessa's eyes.
Once again, she should have left the sleeping dog alone.
"We'll see about that," Tessa whispered.
Mao smiled.