CHAPTER 3
International Zone,
Solaris City, Solaris VII,
Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,
January 16, 3075
Out of inexperience and naivette, Keiichi never picked up the signs that Risa and Vash had been together for a while. He never noticed the burning desire bleeding from Vash' eyes when he looked at her from head to toe. He never saw the pink in Risa's face when somebody mentioned Vash's name in her presence. And he never made out the screaming and crying coming from her room. He was living in his own perfect world where only him and the woman of his dream existed. Nothing else matter.
But when he saw them kissing passionately on his way to meet Noloty in the mech bay, he felt twinge and rage that he never felt before. It was so foreign yet so familiar. He felt betrayed and cheated, not by Risa, but by Vash. He expect everybody would give him a pat in the back for landing a shot on the prettiest medic in the entire Inner Sphere (a fact he fervently believed), and get out of his way so he could have an unadulterated way with her.
So when the two lovebirds parted, Keiichi stalked Vash until he was alone. Confronting a man known for violent streaks in the battlefield was not a good idea, but he believed in righteousness, and in his foolish mind the righteous always won. Maybe not without terrible pain, but victory was at hand.
"Tai-I Vash, there is something I need to talk to you," Keiichi called out Vash in an empty corridor. "I was supposed to be… uhm, go out with Risa."
"I thought you were going with Noloty?" Vash cocked his brows.
"Yes, yes, but I'm not talking about that kind of going out. I'm talking about going out… as in 'couple' going out. You see, Risa and I, we have this thing going on, and we are going out to see some cool places around Solaris… as a couple."
"Huh…" Vash shot a wry grin. "She never mentioned you when she was with me."
"Uhm, maybe because she is shy. She is quite shy. So it would be great if you leave her alone and not kiss her again."
"Me kiss her? I didn't kiss her. She kissed me."
"No, she can't kiss you. It is not possible. She is too shy and too delicate to kiss a man."
"Funny you should say that," Vash chuckled. "She doesn't strike me as the shy type. Quite the opposite, to be honest. She is not afraid to express her desire during our courtship. Of course, I can proudly say that I have been able to unlock her 'treasure trove', and pamper her with the gift of flesh more than what she needs. She kissed me as a sign of gratitude, and an invitation to share the treasure with her."
"What… what do you mean by that?" Keiichi stammered. His body shuddered.
"Come on, Keiichi, don't tell me you don't know the mechanics of lovemaking," Vash knew where this conversation was going, and he decided to make entertainment out of it. "I'm a generous lover, and I know my way around women. I always make sure she has a great time, and I've got to tell you, when she crosses over that big lump of passion, she is not shy and delicate. She is wild! And loud too. But hey, who doesn't get off when his girl has noisy orgasms? It's the reward for patience and hard work."
Keiichi didn't believe that. She was her princess, her angel, as pure as morning dew. Vash's description of her was sacrilege, and the only thing came to his mind was to defend her honor.
"You have to take that back!" Keiichi snarled. "You have to apologize to her!"
"Apologize? For what? For giving her good times?"
"For dishonoring Risa! For saying lies! For making her less of a great girl that she is!"
"Dude, cut the bullshit," Vash thought he was having fun. Now he wasn't sure anymore. "Look, if you want to go out with her, go out with her. I have no problem with that. We were just having fun. No strings attached. But you can't blame me if she prefers to have fun with me instead of you. She is free to choose who she wants to be with, and if you start forcing your way upon her, I will see to it that she gets proper treatment."
For Keiichi, it was a challenge. "Then there is only one way to settle this. I will fight you for her!"
"Seriously?! What is this nonsense?" Vash started to walk away. "I told you, go and ask her out! I won't stand in your way!"
"No! We have to fight for her honor!"
"Honor my ass! Don't you have anything better to do? Aren't you supposed to go with Noloty by now?"
"Noloty can wait until you apologize for your remark!" Keiichi grabbed Vash's jacket and yanked it back.
"I'm warning you, Keiichi! Touch me again and you'll regret it!"
But Keiichi had lost his mind. He fired a cross at Vash's midsection. It was not a particularly hard strike. But it made Vash reel and backpedal because he didn't expect Keiichi would go that far.
"You ask for it!" Vash threw his jacket on the floor and took up a fighting stance. "Come on, bring it!"
Keiichi hurled another cross, but this time Vash was ready. He swatted Keiichi's arm and brought his elbow to bear. Keiichi saw stars when the elbow smashed into his temple. His world exploded into tiny bits of shards, and for a good moment he staggered mindlessly, bounching from wall to wall in the tight corridor, trying to compose himself.
Vash still couldn't believe Keiichi could do such thing. He approached him to check, but Keiichi unexpectedly launched a wild backhand swing that caught Vash on the face, just under his eye. Vash took a step back, wincing and blinking hard to clear his vision. His cheek was on fire.
Keiichi wanted to press his advantage but he was up against the leader of Ryuken-go infantry company. Vash easily sidestepped Keiichi's mad dash and pushed him against the wall. The cold steel wall slammed onto Keiichi's face, knocking the wind out of him. Vash turned him around and pinned him against the wall. He cocked his arm and slammed home a cross to Keiichi's right cheek. Keiichi's head flailed violently and his body went limp. Vash buried another cross to the temple, then capped it up with a hook to the jaw. Keiichi's body sloshed to the ground as if his bone had turned to pulp.
"Consider this a warning," Vash bent down and grabbed Keiichi's shirt. "Risa and I, we have nothing. Just two people having good times without the encumbrance of emotional baggage. You could've had your way with her for all I care. But you, you little piece of shit, you just have to shove your honor and crap on my face. Well, this is what you get!"
Vash's fist zoomed halfway toward Keiichi's face when his arm stopped in mid air. Noloty locked her arm on his to save Keiichi from unnecessary beating. Her eyes met his, and before he knew what was going on, she pushed him so hard he almost fell back.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Noloty roared. She took a quick glance at Keiichi, squirming on the floor, then came at Vash guns blazing. "Him?! HIM?! Of all the people you can beat up?! Have you lost your mind?! You're a paradigm of Bushido, ferrchrissake! Your company looks up to you! Is this how you want your subordinates to see you? Beating up somebody who can't fight back? Why don't you fight someone your size?!"
Vash cocked his arm, ready to strike at Noloty, but decided not to create a much bigger scene. "He's not a pussy," he jested, pointing at the red rash under his eyes. "He's an animal, especially when he fights with purpose. And you're aware that the primary responsibility of a soldier is survival, are you not?" Vash straightened up his posture. "I'm merely exercising my responsibility."
"Are you saying Keiichi drew first blood?" Noloty sneered.
"It doesn't matter what I'm saying. Trust is fickle," Vash replied with a sinister chuckle. "Ask him what happened. Then you can decide which side you want to take."
"If you keep going on this direction, I'll revoke your pass! You'll have mess duty everyday until we leave this forsaken world! Am I understood, Tai-I?"
Vash shot a scornful gaze at Noloty, then snapped a salute with his left hand. "Yes, Ma'am!" he said mockingly, then picked up his jacket and left.
Noloty waited until Vash disappeared around a corner, then came to Keiichi's aid. "Is it true, Chu-i?" she asked incredulously. "Is it true that you assaulted Tai-I Vash?"
"It's not like what you think," Keiichi mumbled unintelligibly. His cheek ballooned to the size of his fist, so big it was hard to even open his mouth.
"Is it true?!" Noloty pressed on.
"Well I…"
Keiichi's head jerked sideways when Noloty slugged him on the face. It was not a hard slap, a pale shadow of Vash's concussing blows, but it still made him reel.
"I gave you one order! ONE order!" Noloty growled, her breath hot against Keiichi's face. "You are to meet me at the hangar and then visit DC Equipment Liaison! What makes you think you can disregard a direct order and attack a fellow Ryuken-go?"
"I'm sorry Ma'am, but I have to defend Risa's honor!" Keiichi tried not to sound too silly, but in the end honesty was the best course to get around angry superiors. "He kissed her, and spread lies about her being a slut."
"Is this a joke, Chu-i?" Noloty took a step back, inspecting Keiichi for any sign of intoxication. But she didn't find any. His pupils were normal, and his breath did not have any traces of alcohol. "Are you drunk? Are you 12 years old? Are you trying to get fired? Is that the reason you attacked Vash?"
Keiichi could only give Noloty a blank stare, not exactly knowing what to do. "What other reason is better than to defend the one you love?"
"I can't believe I have to deal with this when Scarlet is gone," Noloty massaged her temple. "Risa does not see you the way you see her, Keiichi! She may regard you as a close friend but that's as far as you can go with her. It's been months since you two met, and she's been sharing beds with Vash for as long as you know her! For crying out loud, Chu-I, get a grip of reality and forget her! The world is not that small! Find something else to keep you occupied!"
"No, no, no, that is not possible!" Keiichi was still defiant. "Risa and I have this thing together."
"I'm gonna let it slide this time, because I need you," Noloty looked deep into Keiichi's eyes, pouring as much gravity into his brain as she could. "I need your expertise to replenish Ryuken-go assets. We are in dire need of reinforcement, and the clock is ticking. But if you cannot grasp the severity of this task, if you think Risa is more important than Ryuken-go, then I will kick you out of the Ryuken-go and find somebody that can do this task. You are not the only good technician in Solaris, Chu-I. You are the one I've got, but it can change, and will, if you keep acting like a teenager. Am I understood, Soldier?"
"Yes, Ma'am!"
"Tend to your injuries. Go see Risa. Work things out with her as you wish. But I don't want to hear anymore crap about this. Understood?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" Keiichi tossed a quick salute then staggered to the medic's quarter. It was almost incomprehensible to him, that his perfect world was not real. It was so vivid in his mind, as clear as the pain in his face. He felt like his face was melting and his head was falling apart. But if it was the price he had to pay for keeping this dream alive, then so be it.
Risa swallowed a scream upon seeing Keiichi, tottering on the corridor as if his legs had turned to jelly. His face doubled in size. His eyes were nothing more than a couple of slits that sat on top of blueish puff. His jaw was misaligned, either from being dislocated or uneven inflammation. Traces of blood garnished his lips, which looked like botox enhancement gone wrong.
"Oh My God! What happened?!" Risa quickly scrambled for her first aid bag. "Who did this to you?"
"Just an accident. I fell." Keiichi sat on her bed. It was messy and in total disarray, a stark contrast with a few months ago when he came looking for her. He noticed the burnt scented candles and a piece of condom wrapper on the table, and his mind started playing tricks on him. Perhaps Vash was telling the truth. Perhaps the angel he believed she was was not that pure after all. And suddenly he felt sick.
"Nonsense!" Risa broke an ice pack and gently pressed it against Keiichi's puffy face. "Somebody did this to you!"
"Really, it's nothing!" he swatted her hands off. "Just give me a shot or something, and let me go. Tai-I Noloty is waiting for me."
"Well you're not going anywhere with this kind of bruises," Risa pulled his hand down and continued treating his swelling. "I'll talk to Tai-I Noloty. She'll give you a few days off if I say you're not fit to do your job." She drew some ointment and gently rubbed it on Keiichi's face. "Now tell me. Who did this to you?"
Keiichi scoffed. "Why does it matter?"
"I am the chief medic of this unit! It is my job to know where, when, and how every member of the unit gets injury!" Risa started to raise her voice. "Who did this to you?"
Keiichi let out a long labored breath before spilling out, "Tai-I Vash."
Risa took a step back and shot a distruberd glare at Keiichi. "Vash? Why did you fight with Vash?"
"We got into some argument..." Keiichi stopped short of divulging the true nature of the fight. He remembered the way Noloty looked at him when he told her about his stand in the matter, and he didn't want Risa to look at him the same way.
"Oh, for crying out loud," Risa knelt on the floor and buried her face in her palm. "I've seen this side of him before. He is a violent man. It is inconceivable what he did to other people. What am I thinking, going out with him?"
"Was he violent toward you?" Keiichi asked cautiously.
"No. He is kind and gentle with me. He treats me with respect."
"I saw you two kissed," Keiichi cringed as a sharp twinge stabbed his heart.
"Yeah, well, obviously I didn't know what I was doing," Risa chuckled bitterly.
"So you uhm… don't love him?"
"It's a complicated thing even I don't understand," Risa rummaged her bag and drew two bottles of pills. "Do you know what I understand? Medicine. That, I know well." She put one container in Keiichi's hand. "This is acetaminophen. It's a painkiller. If your head is killing you, take two of these every 4 hours until you feel better." Then she put the other container on his other hand. "This is steroid. It helps you heal. Take one each day after a meal. And put ice on your face. It'll help reduce the swelling. If you don't get better after 3 days, come see me. We'll try more agressive treatment."
"Thanks," Keiichi forced himself to smile. Risa's expressive green eyes melted his heart. She was perfect, even though she had a bad taste in men. But Keiichi was willing to look past it.
"Promise me something," Risa looked at Keiichi in the earnest. "Don't put yourself in his way again. I know you boys have this stupid thing called 'testosterone', but there are lots of better, more fun, harmless ways to use it up than fighting each other. Especially against Vash. I hate to see you hurt like this."
Keiichi wanted to scream out, to tell her that he endured hell for her honor, and he'd do it again in a heartbeat. But in the end some things were better left unsaid, and he only replied with an assuring nod. "I promise."
