AN: Hi everyone. Thank you for taking the time to read my first Full Metal Panic story. Here is the first of several chapters. I would appreciate any remarks as to any OOCness or general comments and criticisms. The only thing you need to know about this story beforehand is it takes place several years later while the two are in college. Please Enjoy.
I do not own any of the full metal panic characters.
The a solemn whale-like sub now lay suspended silently in the matrix of the water as waves crashed around it. The hallways which were normally filled with the echo of passing soldiers now stood bare. The center and life of the TDD-1 was not filled with the torrent of command decisions and recon that normally kept it. Today all the soldiers aboard the TDD-1 could be found in one place, aligned in rows on the hanger awaiting their inspection.
A young lady of just 20 years glided her way down the row of soldiers and made her way down to the end. She was carried by slender milky white legs with a tan skirt that stopped just above the knees and her brown uniform hugged her subtle curves all the way up to her neck. She was accented by a white pony-tail worn up high that wrapped around the side of her face, a favorite toy of hers to play with. Her walk was a slow one, the tears visibly streamed down her face as she completed the roll call no Captain wished to perform.
"Sgt. Major Kurz Weber"
A man whose hair once sported long golden locks now cut short stepped forward and saluted his Captain. "Mam!"
Without the slightest pause, the captain continued her never-ending walk down the row of soldiers.
"Lt. Melissa Mao"
A brash young woman with a fondness for alcohol stepped forward. Her ample curves were well hidden beneath the uniform she wore yet she too was unable to hide the tears that spilled down her face. In similar fashion she saluted and addressed her captain who walked by.
"Reporting for duty mam!" The hurt so thick one could taste it in her voice with each spoken word.
The captain's pace slowed as she continued down the line, the next name almost left unspoken with the pain that clogged her throat and slashed her heart.
"Sgt. Major Souse……Sgt. Major Sousuke Sagara." No, she would not cry. Not in front of her troops.
An opaque image of a young soldier was imagined to be saluting his captain. His dark hair which almost covered his steel grey eyes accompanied by the X shaped scar on his cheek always betrayed his identity to his comrades aboard the submarine. Slowly the image faded away into the light, and no answer to the roll call was supplied.
The captain stopped walking when the man charged with the unpleasant task of delivering the news concerning one his subordinates stepped forward. Commander Kalinin was a tall dark and strong man of Russian descent. He contained a commanding voice to go along with his domineering presence. A true soldier who had lived through much strife, he had yet to show much emotion throughout his campaign aboard the TDD-1.
The perils of Afghanistan, the tragedies aboard the TDD-1, and the extensive separation from his family paled in comparison to the loss he felt now to the only man he considered a son. He too shed his tears but his were hidden within, safe from the gazes of his men. More than ever his strength and resolve were needed to inspire those left and bring strength to the crew. He stepped forward and responded for the soldier who certainly could not.
"He is still out on patrol madam captain." And with that he fell back in line afraid to say more lest his voice show the torment he felt on the inside.
Still out on patrol. A standing tradition aboard the submarine in notion that the spirit of the fallen heroes of the sub where vigily standing guard over their comrades-in-arms who remained to fight another day.
But one person was unable to contain the grief they felt and shattered the silence in the air when she collapsed to her knees and let her tears flow freely as she wept for the life of the one she loved.
Kaname Chidori. Codename Angel. Class representative of Jindai High School and charge of one military maniac she was hopelessly in love with. She never got the chance for Sousuke to tell her that he loved the way her hair cascaded down her back, the way her uniform hugged her ample curves, nor the way he adored the fire that blazed in her eyes. Kaname Chidori never heard the three simple words she knew Sousuke held in his heart, the same feelings she held in her own.
Both the Sgt. Major and the captain had to refrain from running to her aid and providing a shoulder to cry on for military doctrine must be maintained. A kindly doctor approached the blue-haired beauty and could only offer a sympathetic hand on her shoulder though it offered no comfort.
However Kaname Chidori wouldn't acknowledge the hand on her shoulder, nor care. Nothing could take away the pain that terrorized her very being at that moment. Her cries of sorrow were broken by the only word she wanted to feel pressed against her lips. "Sousuke….."
Her screeches soon could no longer be contained as two armed MPs had to carry her away, a nurse behind them who had pulled out a syringe. They had anticipated she would need to be sedated. Anyone in her situation would have.
Her outbursts had taken the attention away from a certain captain and luckily so. While she maintained her composure the tears now flew freely down her eyes. As Kaname was assisted against her will towards the infirmary onboard, the captain continued her walk down, unconcerned for the remaining answers given since she knew the rest of the soldiers were accounted for.
"Dismissed!" Yelled Cmdr. Mardukas, his face as expressionless as always. He would honor the lost soldier his own way later, but now like Kalinin he had to show complete resolve. As the soldiers dispersed from the area to resume their activities, only a plaque remained attached to a wall with yet one more named added to it. The only reminder of the boy turned man who gave this organization all that was his to give.
Sgt. Major Sousuke Sagara (20) KILLED IN ACTION
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Kaname Chidori's eyes fluttered opened several hours later. She sprung upright on the bed to find her familiar bodyguard with the cross shaped scar on his cheek sitting on a stool nearby, watching over and protecting her like always. But the longer she stared the vaguer the image became until it disappeared from view altogether. Her soul cried out in anguish as she clutched her shirt just over her heart in fear she was already forgetting the soldier who had impacted her life so.
"You promised you would come back, you said it would be all ok after this mission, stupid military maniac." Her sniffles alerted two guards standing outside causing them to check in. Upon seeing nothing physically wrong with her, one guard left to alert the captain while the other remained just outside the door to stand guard to the infirmary. This was a time to be cautious.
"Why did you leave me Sousuke…why, we where finally begging to…to..." She continued to cry into her hands not wanting to wipe away any of the tears that rained down and met her blue hair which waterfalled down her back and around her waist. Sousuke had recently commented how much he preferred her hair color, that he found its scent to be rather…effective.
It was just two weeks ago that Kaname had received the news that her would be captors no longer posed a threat. Sousuke's continued presence around her was no longer required. Facing eternal separation, it was then Sousuke had told Kaname where he wanted to stay, it was then that he told her he didn't see a future with Mithril, it was then he told her just how much she meant to him.
Her dreams could finally come true. Finally a normal life as a young girl attending a normal college, with a new normal boyfriend who meant as much to her as she did to him. No terrorists. No explosions. And no more kidnappings. The life she wished she had was merely a kiss away.
The next day stole that from her when Sousuke received word he would be needed for one final mission before his resignation could be completed. It was supposed to be the last time she had to say goodbye to her Sousuke, the last time she would have had to wonder if she would ever see him again.
On the day of his departure she held onto Sousuke in a tight warm embrace. Her body had matured well and she used it to her advantage as she pressed it tightly against Sousuke, reminding him exactly what he had to come back to. She had smacked him on the back of the head when all he could say was 'Uhh' back then. She'd kill to hear that simple sound from his mouth just once more.
The following week she had received the message that turned her world upside down. The Arbalest had been destroyed while completing the mission. The cockpit was utterly blown away, leaving no chance for survival. All that remained of the Sgt. Major was some blood, shreds of clothing, and a few locks of us unruly hair. He gave his life in the name of duty and obligation, a life that belonged to Kaname.
Her wails stopped as she jerked her head to find a clock mounted on the wall and realized the service being held for Sousuke would be held soon. It wouldn't offer her the closure she desperately needed but it would be a start, a way to properly say goodbye to the first man she ever truly loved with all her heart.
Of course no one would have started the service without Kaname present. As hard as it was for the crew, they knew of the unspoken feelings and relationship the two had shared up until his departure. Upon her arrival the service began paying tribute to the man who had given not only his life but his youth to the organization for the greater good. Being a man of no nationality, they folded a flag with the Mithril emblem on it in military fashion, and handed it to Kaname. Sousuke had no kin to speak of and though Kaname wasn't legally tied to him, everyone knew who would cherish it most.
Puddles of moisture grew upon the flag as her tears continued to falls, her eyes now strained blood red. A coffin with another Mithril flag on top was loaded into a cargo plane which would drop it over in unspecified area in the sea, returning the soldier to the mother earth that gave birth to him.
'It's not fair. He has done so much for the world. The people have a right to know! They need to know about the man who made it possible for so many to sleep at night. I wont let his name be disregarded in history, cast aside as just another casualty. Sousuke deserved more than that' These thoughts captivated her mind while on the helicopter she was ushered onto with Cmdr Mardukas uncomfortable having a civilian remain onboard the TDD-1 for so long, especially one so closely associated to…him
The walk home from the landing pad was the loneliest she ever had. She kept turning around to see the person she loved and hated the most watching out for her but he was never there. Her arms wrapped around themselves searching fruitlessly for the protection only Sousuke could have offered. She felt cold, alone, scared, and worst of all, abandoned.
Suddenly every movement, every shadow was a potential threat that needed to be dealt with. It seams the good soldier's paranoia had finally rubbed off on her. "Stupid otaku jerk" she muttered as she quickened her pace home.
The full moon taunted Kaname on her walk back offering her cold and darkness instead of the romantic notions it usually bestowed. The wind swayed the trees causing the bare branches to shake and creak eerie noises. The silence of the city was deafening as only the sounds of the crickets were there to accompany her. The evil eyes of a dog hidden in an alley watched her pass by quickly, only the scent of her perfume kept it from drawing nearer. The stale air of the night made it that much harder to breathe as she sniffled between every few breathes.
Soon she reached the door that offered little familiarity behind it. Without Sousuke around her whole life now felt strange to her, like a child experiencing the world for the first time. Her trembling hands had difficulty finding the right key on the chain, and placing it into the slot in the door, when all of a sudden her evening was about to become much worse.
Her body was thrust against the door while a hand covered her mouth capturing all the muffled screams that tried to escape, as the frame of a man was pressed against her. A deep voice that she did not recognize spoke.
"Find the key, open the door, and let us in."
On any other day Kaname Chidori would have fought back, would have struggled, would have done something, but today she just did not have the strength anymore. She had no choice but to comply.
Simply put, without Sousuke…she just didn't care anymore.
Well, thats chapter one. I should have chapter 2 ready within a day or so. How do you guys like it? Good, bad? Hate me? I would like to know. Please Read and Review.