The Whisperer

Disclaimer:"…"

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Chapter 2:

The smoke faded from the now obliterated facility. Tessa and Kaname were looking at everyone else's faces wondering what could make them look so anxious. They decided not to ask but watch, and wait like the rest of them. After about 10 minutes Melissa looked disappointed, but suddenly her face lit up. She embraced Tessa in a hug that was turning the girl from her pale color to blue.

"Tessa!" Melissa still held on to Tessa as if her life depended on it.

"Me…Mel…Melissa…" Tessa was struggling to return the favor much less talk.

"Hey, Hello pretty girls!" Kurz ran up behind them using the accent when he met Kaname and Kyouko for the first time. Kurz gave Kaname a tight hug, much to her displeasure.

SMACK!

Kurz was down on the floor, a red mark on his cheek. Kaname gave him a light smile.

"Hello Kurz."

Kurz eyes lit up; he was standing in a moment. "TESSA-CHAN!" He realized the smaller girl may be a bit nicer in his embrace. He was met by Melissa's boot in his face.

"Ahh...Hewo, Tesswa." Kurz words were muffled by Melissa's boot.

"Urzu 2, this is Urzu 1, are the targets okay." Clouzot's voice came over the ear piece Melissa had. She placed her hand on the piece.

"Everyone's alright Bel…" Melissa looked back at the two girls.

"We can go…They'll have a team of AS on watch as they check out the area. We'll be on call to be ready to head back in 1 minute if anything happens. Others will be checking the area, and what's left of the facility for any survivors, or pieces of equipment that survived." There was a pause on the line. "Think it's time we have party?"

Kurz jumped up. "That's right, Amalgam's history, Tessa and Angel are back and…Hey where is…" Kurz stopped before he finished his sentence. He turned to the girls. "You ready to go?"

"Urzu team meet at extraction point. Kurz and I will escort the targets." Melissa finished before she jumped back into her Arm-slave.

"Melissa what type of AS is that?" Tessa had a curious look on her face as she walked onto its hand.

Melissa didn't respond for a moment, she watched her screen as Kaname loaded onto Kurz machine's hand.

"ARX-9…" Melissa turned and began walking towards the designated extraction point, Kurz close behind.

"AR…X…9" Tessa was confused, Mithril had no technology to build such a machine. Wasn't the ARX Bunny Morrauta's design? What happened to ARX-8?

Melissa noticed Tessa's face. She looked over at Kaname who was just looking forward as they were carried along.

"I'll explain it later for now…" Melissa was interrupted by a message on the communications link.

"Urzu 2 the strange AS had appeared. It seems to be holding something." Someone from one of the search groups decided to tell them before they left.

"Roger." Melissa and Kurz AS turned around to see the strange machine holding a large metallic frame like object, it looked like a banged up piece of metal.

"He is safe." The cold voice that had spoken to Leonard now spoke to Melissa.

"I do not intend on…"

"GET YOUR SCRAWNY SCARRED UP ASS BACK HERE OR I'LL DO TO YOU WORSE THAN ANYTHING I'VE EVER DONE TO KURZ!"

The line was silent after that after that. The pilot of the strange looking AS did not look bothered in any way. He held his cold stare, then closed his eyes, and smirked.

'They're okay' he thought to himself. Luckily the past few months didn't do too much damage to everyone's spirit.

"Roger." The voice didn't sound so cold this time.

The 2 AS's resumed their extraction, the other one though still a good distance away began to follow.
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-Mithril checkpoint- Somewhere in Northeast Russia.

He continued to stare at the screen inside his cockpit. All it showed was an image of the field. He had just finished going over battle data. He sighed, his brown bangs resting over his now closed eyes, he hadn't cut his hair in awhile so his hair was slightly longer than usual. He thought back to how much he did, and how far he traveled just to end up realizing he was close to his destination the whole time. He was closer to this place when he was in Japan rather than his travels across the world. He accomplished his personal mission yet he was not in the mood to celebrate. The recent events in his life changed some of his thoughts on things.

"Sir, are you okay? Do you not wish to see your friends?" That last question, more of a statement coming from his AI.

"Al shut… " He paused a moment his gray eyes showing uncertainty. "Never mind."

He returned his gaze to the screen.

"Are you sure? Do you wish to talk about?" Al's robotic voice showed a hint of concern.

He hated when Al tried to console him. He knew the machine didn't fully trust him. But Al was special so the way he was acting was natural. Of course his pilot could deal with the AI's love for joking rather than its' unnecessary concern. He did not resent Al for this; just he was not in the mood for it right now.

Suddenly the communication link came alive.

"Sou-… Get down here now!" Melissa's wasn't as angry as her voice made her seem.

"Negative." His calm cold voice replied over the link.

Melissa's face was getting red with anger.

"Get down here now! That's an order!"

A look of amusement seemed to cross his features.

"Sir, aren't you going to listen to the order?" Al just had to speak up.

The amusement seemed to grow.

"Don't you remember? I don't work for Mithril anymore." His face went blank again as he responded.

He heard dangerous noises coming from the other end.

Suddenly Melissa's face lit up, she had that cat like look on her face similar to when she was prying, teasing, or had a sly idea.

She coed her next response.

"I'm sure Kaname would like to know what's going on."

Sweat began to form on his face.

"Know what?"

His sweat came at a faster pace when he heard Kaname's voice in the background.

"Sir, stop being stupid." Al said so plainly it sounded natural. He hadn't called his pilot by his first name yet, something he usually did out of battle, or in serious situations.

His eyes were half closed now. He ran his hand through his hair once as thought to what happened, and what he planned on doing. He thought about how his plan compared to what he had seen in movies, and how it had turned out. He decided to just end this; he would look stupid if he did otherwise. At least this way no one would be suspicious.

"You're right Al, open the hatch."

"Roger. Thank you."

Melissa, Kurz, Tessa, and Kaname turned toward the strange AS as the chest began opening. Out stepped a young man no more than 17 or 18 years old. His brown hair waved in the cool night breeze. The blood spatters on his face indicating his assault before entering his Arm-slave had dried.

Kaname and Tessa stared in disbelief. They had thought it their imagination, and then they saw the final clue. He turned his face to look at the moon, exposing the X shaped scar on his left cheek.

"So…Sou…" Tessa couldn't finish the name but ran up to hug him as he landed on the ground. He placed his hand on top of her head; he glanced at her then looked at the other three. Melissa and Kurz were smiling as they watched.

A thousand thoughts were going through Kaname's head at once. She wanted to go over to him but was busy attempting to comprehend what was in front of her. He was dead right? She gave up. She couldn't say anything. She choked up as she slowly walked closer to him.

He watched her approach Tessa still crying into his chest. He knew what each one went through, sort of. Tessa may have been captured, but she was persuaded as well. She had no real problems entering Amalgam, though she did not actually become an enemy. Kaname on the other hand had hell when she was taken, and at what she had to go through there. Leonard's lust appearing many times. He knew of Kaname's innocence, he liked that, but it made his failure all the more painful.

She stopped no more than 2 feet from him. There eyes met. She was about to avert her gaze but to feel to them. They looked pained, like despair had hid itself somewhere in their. Kaname took another step, and swallowed one last time.

"Sousuke." The name left her lips softly. He flinched. He forced himself to look into her chocolate eyes. He became captivated by them. She was trapped by his moon colored eyes as he returned her stare. At that moment all that existed was them. He had completely forgotten Tessa was weeping, and his friends grinning.

His mouth opened, and closed trying to form words. He eventually was able to make a sound.

"Kaname." The name came out smoothly. Much to his, or anyone else's surprise he smiled, a small smile of course, almost unnoticeable.

They smiled but in both their heads they were worried. They had such bad luck something could go wrong right now, they knew.

"Well we'll leave you two alone." Kurz walked past them, and turned around. Melissa walked up to Tessa and whispered something in her ear. Tessa's eyes lit up. She stared at Sousuke once more before she walked off with Kurz, and Melissa leaving Kaname and Sousuke alone. Normally Tessa would mind but this was important.

Sousuke was not less than a foot from Kaname their faces mere inches away. Kaname noted the very slight crimson tint in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." Sousuke held her gaze as the words came out. Kaname suddenly realized there proximity. She would have moved away but she finally registered what Sousuke had said.

"Sorry, for what?" Kaname just looked into his eyes. They were empty.

He looked away again. "I failed my mission."

Kaname's face became infuriated. "YOUR MISSION!" Kaname slapped Sousuke, tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm captured to save you!" Sousuke winced, that sentence stung even more than Kaname's second slap.

"Suffered in that base worrying when Leonard would pounce on me!" She slapped him a third time.

"Worry about my friends, and family that I can't see!" She slapped him again.

"Worrying about you!" another slap. Kaname's strong façade had weakened as tears shimmered in her eyes.

"Suffer with seeing you die!" Sousuke hadn't expected that, but he did expect the slap.

"And…" Kaname's lowered her face. Her hand red from slapping him cupped his red cheek. He could still feel the sting left from her hand's constant assault. That didn't hurt as much as what she said.

"All you can say to me is I'm sorry I failed my mission."

Sousuke looked at her hanging head her bangs covering her face.

"I apologize for making you cry again." He awaited the next slap.

What he received was Kaname clutching on to him, and crying.

He hesitated before he put his arms around her. He did it not out of affection, but because he felt obligated to.

"I …" Kaname hiccupped as she tried to start her sentence.

"I…I…" She took one last deep breath calmed herself, and regained a little composure.

"I missed you…" She used the soft voice she used to say his name moments ago.

He didn't flinch in fact he tightened his embrace.

"I missed you too." He didn't think he could or should say that. But after what he put her through she deserved the truth from him. This time. He felt good holding her. He missed seeing her. He smiled like he had moments ago when he caught her gaze. Kaname had kept tearing but she had regained her control more or less. She felt warm inside hearing him say that. She smiled as she placed her arms around him as well.

Tessa looked down at the boy in the stretcher. He was indeed alive. Slightly injured, unconscious, but okay. Tears formed in her eyes. He had spared her brother.

"Leonard…"
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AN: Yes despite that note Sousuke's alive. Sorry but Leonard is too. There is a point to this. The next chapters should be less serious. For those who don't know Russia isn't too far from Japan.