AN: Thank you all for the generous amount of reviews i got for the first chapter. It wasn't as much as i am used to, but considering how badly i botched up the last fmp story, it was more than i deserved to get.

As a good faith reward, this chapter that i am posting up is considerably longer than what i tradiotionally write for fmp or even most FF series. I hope you guys like it.

I decided to do a timeskip till all the characters are 18 years old. The reason i didn't go more into Sousuke's past as he grew up is because frankly, i wouldnt be able to write something like that very well at all. Even an extended time in mithril would be a little tough. So in my limited wisdom, i decided to go with what i know.

As always enjoy, and i hope you will take the time to review.

I do not own Full Metal Panic or its Chars.


"I take it the mission went as planned?" A man in his forties with hair as white as clouds leaned back in his chair while holding up a file of papers that blocked his view of the soldier standing in front of him.

"Yes sir!" It wasn't really necessary to salute yet again during this portion of the informal debriefing but either the young Japanese male in the room didn't know, or more likely felt that amount of respect was due regardless.

"Was the whispered girl any trouble?" The elderly man definitely had a strong Russian accent, yet his English was still easy enough to understand. Lt. Commander Kalinin slowly lowered the file folder until the Lt. standing in front of him was in full view.

"She created many disturbances during the rescue. She had a tendency to refuse aid until she was briefed on the situation and often threatened physical harm." Sousuke Sagara didn't feel he needed to tell his commander that the threats from the target went unheeded. "Also she had a tendency to scream at critical moments and often revealed our position."

Sousuke actually appeared to be a bit frazzled after handling this particular target. It was all rather amusing to him. Sousuke had been sent to rescue many whispered girls over the years sine his joining Mithril, but not one had ever managed to phase his hardened shell. This one however seems to have touched a bit of a nerve.

"It sounds like she was quite the handful." Lt. Commander Kalinin knew what to expect as an answer and repeated it in his head while the boy with the X-shaped scar said it out loud.

"It is not a problem." Whatever happened to those young hip and cool catchphrases like 'cowabunga dude' or 'bully'.

'It is not a problem' was too dull for someone still on the cusp of his youth and finally ready to enter the adult world. Except there was a little surprise for this soldier's initiation as an adult.

In Sousuke's many years of service he had taken the lives of many men and fought on many different battlefields. To most he should appear to be more like a 'man' than anyone else his age. Yet something was missing. There was a little naivety that his fellow soldiers were unable to impart upon him.

Perhaps the only way to help Sousuke enter the world of adults was to first send him back to the land filled with boys and girls.

"Hmm. I see. Is there anything urgent that you need to report Lt. Sagara?" It wasn't very likely. Sousuke wasn't the type to hold back information that seemed urgent.

"It is all in the report." Sousuke's trained steel grey eyes carefully watched the movements of his immediate superior. Kalinin was holding something back right now. There was a matter that looked like it required Sousuke's attention, but it could not be discussed at this moment. No matter, he would implicitly trust his decision.

"Very good lieutenant. You are dismissed." It looks like he will have to wait for another time before he gets to know what Kalinin is hiding. Frankly it was a little unnerving. What mission could possibly cause the battle hardened Russian so much stress?

Just as Sousuke was about to exit the room completely, Kalinin managed to interrupt him. "Actually Sousuke, hang on a minute. This is rather important."

Andrei Kalinin had called Sousuke by his first name. Years of experience had told him one thing for sure. Whatever it was that they were about to discuss was on a more personal level. That was odd, wasn't this supposed to be about a mission?

Sousuke closed the door before taking a seat in his commander's room, awaiting whatever topic of discussion that needed to be addressed. There wasn't any particular rush at the moment. They were currently out at sea and Sousuke wasn't scheduled for any more missions at the moment. However he had just returned and was in desperate need for a shower. Thank god Tessa had wits enough to put in very powerful ventilators throughout the ship.

Kalinin studied the picture in the profile with great interest before closing it yet again and observing the newly promoted lieutenant. Despite the vagueness of their meeting, he noted Sousuke didn't flinch once. There were no signs of nervousness about him at all. He would make an excellent undercover operative.

"You know Sousuke, the girl you had to rescue this time was quite attractive, wasn't she?" That was an under-exaggeration if there ever was one. She was absolutely stunning!

"I suppose." The mercenary sat perfectly still in his chair with perfect posture. This line of talk seemed horribly irrelevant to him. What did this have to do with his current line of work?

"She has been asking about you a lot, hoping that you would find time to maybe visit while she is being treated." Again, this whole topic seemed out of place.

Over the years, Kalinin became more than just a superior officer to Sousuke Sagara. He became an adoptive father figure of sorts. Someone in the world needed to look out for the soldier who had no one.

"The sooner she breaks off her attachment with me, the sooner she can move on." There. The best way was to be blunt about it. There was no sense walking on egg-shells at the moment.

"I see. Most guys on this ship would love to have the chance to rescue a fiery red-haired beauty like this one. Then again I'm not surprised you haven't shown any real interest in this girl, seeing as you haven't really been interested in the other ones you have saved. And most of them were rather attractive." There had to be a point to all this. Kalinin would not waist his time for such useless trivia. Usually he waited till the submarine was docked before he took up his paternal role in regards to Sousuke.

'I don't like redheads.' While he was a naïve soldier boy, Sousuke Sagara wasn't dead to the world and could certainly appreciate the female form just like any other boy his age. It was just he couldn't let his job interfere with his personal life. The fact Kalinin had been doing just that didn't seem to faze the young lieutenant.

"It is possible. According to various statistical analyses, some would have to be rather attractive while others were not." Again, the former sergeant barely moved from his seat. The only thing that kept one form thinking he had fallen asleep with his eyes open was the occasional blinking of the eye.

"That wasn't what I meant." The weary Russian sighed to himself and then leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows against his desk while clasping his hands together. "Anna has been worried about you. You haven't checked in for some time."

Anna was the Lt. Commander's wife and adoptive mother of Sousuke. When it became apparent the young mercenary would not willingly take time off for leave, the upper echelon forced him to. Having no where to go, Anna Kalinin agreed to take care of the boy and quickly grew fond of him. It was like having another son. A son who was trained to kill people that is.

"I'm sorry." He honestly wasn't avoiding a talk with the woman who was trying to find a suitable match for him. There really was a lot to do on the submarine. Especially for a man trained for land warfare. There were things like…oiling his gun, taking apart his gun, rebuilding his gun…

Both Anna and Andrei had hoped Sousuke would find a girlfriend on his own. He needed someone to help him build roots somewhere in this world. More importantly, he needed someone to take him out of the profession which offered no retirement plan for a reason.

Despite Kalinin's age, he was a man of intimidating size, stature, and bulk. Many would think twice before taking on the well belt Russian who often wore a cold-hearted stare. It was that very same part of himself that Kalinin found useful when dealing with Sousuke now. That look meant what was being said was not up for discussion. It';s just the way things are going to be.

"Sousuke, Anna and I are frankly worried about you." Well that burst the intimidation bubble. "You haven't had the most normal childhood." Kalinin didn't add that he and Anna often felt responsible for this. They should have persuaded him to take things easier and explore what other things life had to offer. "You have missed out on many experiences that the rest of us have been taking for granted. And frankly Sousuke, I think you are beginning to take life for granted."

The statue-like warrior finally flinched.

"Every time we send you off on a mission, your stunts become more daredevilish. You haven't become reckless at any point, just more willing to become the sacrifice." There was at least one bonus to this conversation. Sousuke learned he wasn't reckless at the only thing he was good at.

"That is why I am seeing fit to have you put on part-time duty while we send you to high school." A fit of rage is something Kalinin would have expected. Even total silence or Sousuke keeping that same calm look about him would have been something normal. However those widened grey eyes and look of absolute shock on his face right now was not something anyone thought could happen.

"Anna and I think it would be best for you to go to one in your home country." Sousuke was starting to loosen up again. Thank god or Kalinin would have had to call the medics. In a far more welcoming tone, Kalinin explained his reasoning. "A man should be able to appreciate his country and where he is from. And a man should be able to appreciate all the good and bad things life has to offer. If a soldier forgets what life has to offer, then they forget their reasons to live. Sousuke, we just don't want you to get stuck on patrol."

'On Patrol.' It was a term of hope used by the members of this sub to speak about those who passed away in the line of duty. It was an submariner's legend, but many on the sub truly believed that those who fell serving this organization where still out there patrolling the seas and will forever try to protect their comrades who lived to fight another day. It was the only way to appropriately honor their sacrifice.

"I see. May I be excused? I haven't had a chance to change or shower." Kalinin nodded at the reasonable request though he had hoped that the boy would have given him some kind of response. In the end it didn't matter. It was for Sousuke's benefit. An eighteen year old boy deserves to have some kind of normalcy in their lives. One only hoped killing hadn't become normal for Sousuke.

Lt. Sagara quickly exited the room and walked with his head hanging slightly down as he headed towards his bunker. His roguish brown hair was scattered all over, indicating that he badly needed a haircut as his X-shaped scar was slightly covered by it all. He muttered a single phrase that was echoed for the first time throughout this submarine.

"This is a problem."


Almost a month later, school was starting for a certain blue-haired vixen. She couldn't quite understand what everyone was so excited about? What was the big deal about it being their final year here at Jindai High?

It wasn't like anything exciting ever happened at their school anyways. It was always the same old boring humdrum that occurred day after day after day. What everyone really needed was a little zest in their lives. Something that would make their final year together all the more memorable. It had to be something big, something no other school in the area could possibly copy or even conceive of having.

The bad part about all this is that she was class representative. That meant it was her job to find something memorable for this school year. This was no problem for Kaname Chidori however!

She reached the gates of her school when she clutched onto a railing and sighed a little bit. Maybe she should stop kidding herself over these things. High school being boring was hardly the problem, although that issue would need to be addressed.

What Kaname really needed in her life, was a boyfriend. Anything would be fine, really! A lover, a boyfriend, a secret admirer, a crush or even someone who was willing to ask her out on a casual date. ANYTHING WOULD DO!

Being an idol did have its downsides. Her father would be pleased to hear that she wasn't being constantly hounded by boys for dates, however that didn't mean the perverts of the bunch didn't mind admiring her looks from afar, and sometimes not so afar.

Could you believe that one time two years ago she found a geeky looking boy trying to steal her panties? The nerve of some people!

As crowded as Tokyo was, it could be really lonely for a girl who lived away from all of her family. Sure she had a few nice friends that helped looked after her, and Kaname was an independent woman who had learned to fend for herself, but it often just wasn't enough.

There was always that panging feeling that something was missing. That there was a part of life that everyone else had access to, but she would be cursed to forever watch others enjoy what she could never have.

It certainly didn't help that a smug little couple had just waltzed right past her, hand in hand with that lovey dovey look plastered across their faces. That was all it took for her to start hating them. They were flaunting their relationship in front of her on purpose!

Maybe the problem was she was stuck in a school full of boys and wimps. No one here had the courage to date someone who had such an untamed wildness to them. What Kaname Chidori needed, was a raw, muscular, testosterone driven man!

Or a date for Saturday night. Either would do at this point really.

There was no point in further delaying the inevitable, so Kaname decided she would make her way to class.

The first day of school shouldn't be so bad. Most people would just want to spend time getting to know their friends after an endless summer. There shouldn't be anything to study at this point, but as class representative she did have one job that should take her mind off of things, and that was to help introduce the transfer students.

Suddenly her entire selfish rant came crashing down upon her. Here she was complaining about how hard the past few years of her life had been, when she was about to meet someone who was having a far more difficult time.

It was one thing to have never been involved in any serious relationships, but to be thrust away from everyone you knew and were familiar with and transferred to a new high school during the last year would be too tough for some. It was hard to try and fit in so late in the game.

Hopefully this one would end up being a real Macho Rambo type who could swoon a few girls off their feet. Oh yeah, Kaname was a huge fan of the Stallone movies, something her other friends never quite understood.

Unless of course the transfer student was a girl. In that case it would be just weird. The last person to switch into her class was an enigma. Everywhere he went he always carried around some weird action figure while muttering nonsense to himself while his body constantly shook. They didn't need another one of those.

Well there was nothing she could do about it now. However the strange thing was Kaname received a letter in the mail a week ago saying this particular transfer had a rather unique situation that may need some help. Apparently he was staying at this school under special and unusual circumstances.

So long as he didn't wear an aluminum foil hat and chattered about how the aliens were trying to steal his thoughts, it shouldn't be a problem. That particular student was transferred out to a special school rather quickly.

Kaname finally made her way to her new class for the year, and found a seat next to her long time friend Kyoko. Immediately her pretty reddish brown eyes were distorted with a rapid series of flashes that constantly caught Kaname off guard.

'Some day…Kyoko is going to eat that camera.'

"Good Morning Ky." There really wasn't any need to squeal or hug in an overly dramatic scene. Kyouko lived close by and the two had actually spent much of the summer together.

"Good Morning Kaname. Why are you so gloomy? You should be excited! Ne Ne! Have you heard? We have a new transfer student today. Word is growing around that he is quite handsome! Maya got a sneak peak at the principles office. Actually it was mostly the back of his head but…"

After a while, Kyoko's voice just kind of droned into the background. Maya had also thought doll boy was definite boyfriend material.

All the chatter that echoed throughout the room like a series of screeching birds came to a rapid and sudden stop when the door opened and their sensei walked in. Kaname's eyes immediately went to the still opened door where she could spot someone's shadow just there. Looks like it was time to finally reveal the mystery.

"Attention class. Quiet down, Quiet down." Everyone was already silent. What was making their teacher so nervous? "Yes I am sure you are all glad to have returned to class finally. No more useless summer break for you!" There was sweat coming down from the poor man's head and his corny sarcastic joke was worsened by his shaky voice. Just what was going on?

"We….we have a special surprise for you today. I'm sure you have all heard by now that we have a new transfer student. He…" YES! It was a he! "…has a bit of an unusual past, so I hope you will all help him feel welcome. He spent much of his life as a freedom fighter in Afghanistan and…" Did anyone else here a clicking sound? It sounded very similar to the glock 26s Stallone had used in some of his movies. Funny, there didn't sound like there was a TV nearby.

Her sensei found the need to suddenly speak very fast. "AND without any more delay let us welcome Sousuke Sagara!" Sousuke Sagara? That was an odd name for someone from the Middle East. It sounded almost Japanese.

Through the doorway, a boy of a well-toned medium build entered. He stood at just about 6 feet which gave him a height advantage over most boys in this class. His face looked like it was chiseled out of stone as not a feature there seemed to move.

Sousuke entered with his hands behind his back and walked to the center of the room, where he seemed to stand at attention?

Kaname had seen more than her fair share of movies. Rebels were supposed to be crude and unorganized. Standing at attention was for soldiers, specialists even. It looked kind of funny on a Japanese male who was wearing a high school uniform.

Wait…a freedom fighter? But he was young enough to be in Kaname's class? What the hell was going on here?

It seemed everyone in Chidori's class was tossing around the same question as Sousuke's battle hardened intimidation seemed to be setting in. Everyone waited for him to say anything, and make that first lasting impression.

"Good Morning. I am Lt. Sousuke Sagara. Err. Just Sousuke Sagara. Please forget the Lt. part."

Everyone in the class suddenly felt their heads lighten up and start spinning, though Kaname's was for a very different reason.

"Kyouko…"

"Yes Kana-chan?"

"I think I'm in love."


So, how was that for a second chapter? I don't think there was anythign too wrong with it. Someone was kind enough to let me know that i had made a few plot blunders in the first chapter, regarding Kaname's mom, so i will try not to do somethign like that again.

Now in case you are wondering why i have Kaname thinking the way she does, i figure if Sousuke wasn't thrust into her life so many years ago, a lot of what she experienced would have been rather boring. Gauron's kidnapping attempt you may ask? Didn't happen in my storyline. Why you may ask? Well thats a story reserved for another chapter. In case you are wondering if Kaname is still whispered in this story, well that remains to be seen, now doesn't it?

Once again, thank you for you reviews, comments, questions, and general critiques. I know sometimes reviewing can be a pain, but i do really appreciate them. Until next time, take care :-).

Psst. FF7 fans. I am doing a joint project with Ash Ai called 'Tifa's Clouded Heart Locked In Strife." It is under her name. She is a very talented writer so we know its going to be good. Essentially we will take turns writing the chapters. So far so good!