Author's note: I'm writing this from Sousuke's POV just for the hell of it. (It's my story, I think?) It's my first POV.

Sousuke POV...

I woke up after the sun had set. The house was dark, but then again darkness was a friend. I had spent many nights on covert ops under the cover of darkness. But it was odd Kaname was not home yet. She sometimes ran late getting dinner. It seems she does not appreciate the value of eggs and bacon. It was full of protein.

Having some time until she arrived, I got dressed and went for a short run. More of a sprint, actually. After the third lap, not seeing any sign of Kaname, I headed back to the apartment. Still no Kaname. Maybe she had been kidnapped ... no. There is no reasons for anyone to kidnap her anymore. She was no longer a Whispered. She was just an average girl now.

I looked at the clock, 8:30. She's almost always home by now. Something seemed off, she had never come home late and had always checked in with me if she was taking a trip. This must be work-related. She did seem to excel at whatever she did.

I'm sure she is just working late.

8:34 ... Push ups helped, I remembered. I had time before I needed to be at work, and the job was easy enough. Shirt off, I tried to focus on the feel, the burn. But still … Kaname was late. Too late. She hasd never been this late. But she was no longer a Whispered. No one should have been after her anymore.

But she is still a woman.

Perhaps she ran afoul of … certain people. People who want her body ...

8:57... When I thought about it, I didn't even know where she worked. I didn't know what path she took home. I didn't know anything. Maybe it's in some seedy part of town ... I know she does filing, but what if it's just a front company?

How did I get so sloppy?

The thought burned through my mind, mocking me, because it was true. I had gotten sloppy. I didn't know where she was, or what she did. I blindly trusted that the danger was over. I was too caught up in trying to live her life, the life she wanted, a civilian's life.

She was wrong. No, I was wrong.

It had always been my duty to protect her, as a soldier or as her boyfriend.

I have failed.

They say the truth hurts, and it did.

This is not the time for that.

Right. First information. I knew she kept important papers in her desk. I decided to search there first. Opening her door felt wrong, somehow. Never mind. Desk. She kept a lot of paperwork.

After a bit I realized there's nothing helpful here. But at the bottom of the drawer was a diary. I knew it was wrong to read this, but I had to know.

Page 93.

Today Sosuke made me breakfast! I can't believe he could cook! He looked hot in the kitchen, with just a towel on. I yelled at him but really was just embarrassed. I mean, he was almost naked.

Hot? I wasn't sure how to interpret that. But never mind.

Page 95.

Job hunting with Sosuke. Was nice to go on a date again. I really miss him when he is not around. I feel, I dunno, empty, kinda. We saw Kyoko, had lunch. Told her about his porno DVDs. I feel kinda bad that I broke them. But seriously! What's his problem. This was probably Webber's idea ...

Webber? I did ask him about what being asked to stay over at a girl's house meant. He gave me a list of what he called research material ... it seems perhaps Webber was not the best of sources. Although he and Mao seem to be doing fine.

Page 101.

Today I got hit on by a guy name Takani, or something like that. Jerk! Like I can''t hear them talk. 'Hey dude, so who has the hottest rack?' Crap like that. Well, at least I am at the top of their list. But still ...

Too far.

Page 99.

Got hired today! Not far from here. A company named Histar International. The work seems easy.

Histar International, The same company I worked at. That meant she took the same route as I did. If there had been a problem, it most likely would have been near her work. Not much happened on this end at night.

Glancing at a picture of her, I sprinted to my apartment across the street.

Unlocking the door, it felt empty. Cold. Lifeless. Although nothing had changed, it did not feel like home.

Because she is not here.

Pushing that thought aside, I went to the closet and pulled out a chest. The day after I had met Kaname, the day after our first, well, only kiss, I had told her I did not need guns. So I had put them all away. Opening this somehow felt like a betrayal.

Inside everything was neatly put away, just as I had left it over a year ago. I pulled out a sat phone, my gun, a Glock 9mm, a box of ammo, stun grenades, knife, a block of C4 and a few detonators.

On second thought, I took some non-lethal rounds for the Glock. Kaname would want it that way. Four clips, three with rubber bullets, the last with anti-personal hollow points, just in case. The gun went holstered at the small of my back, C4 and grenades into my cargo pants. Boots on, knife in boots. I grabbed a backpack, and tossed in night vision goggles, repelling gear, infrared scanner, 40mm grenade launcher and some high explosive 40mm rounds. I grabbed some tear gas rounds a couple of masks as an afterthought. And a map, I almost forgot a map. That went in as well.

Gripping the sat phone and slinging the backpack on, I took off toward the train station. I glanced at my watch.

10:31

One last check of our apartment. Still dark.

I made my way to the train station, falling into old habits, staying in the shadows, avoiding contact. That station was up ahead. Trying to blend in, I bought a paper and boarded the train. Although it's bad manners, I pulled out the sat phone and called up the captain.

Well, former captain.

"Hello?" The captain's voice had not change, but it had lost it's edge of command.

"Madam Captain! This is Sosuke!"

"Oh, Sosuke! How have you been?"

"Ineed your help! Kaname is missing!"

The train was mostly empty, but a few still gave me dirty looks.

"Okay, tell me what happened."

I reported the events of the night as throughly as I could recall.

"Well, I guess that's a little odd, but don't you think she is okay? Maybe she went out with friends or something."

"I have no way of making sure she is safe unless I find her."

Even I heard the desperation in my voice. But still, it was best to assume the worst in battle.

"Can you trace a cell phone, Captain?"

"Well, I can't, but I may know someone who can. It will take a while though. Estimate 20 minutes."

"Very well, please contact me as soon as you know!"

I rattle off Kaname's phone number. "Uruz 7 out!"

"Tesstarossa out. Good luck." Her voice had slipped back into her familiar "command" tone. It was reassuring.

Twenty minutes, it will take 15 more to reach my station. I pull out the paper and half read it, the other half scanning the passengers. No one really stuck out. There was an old woman with a bag. The bag seemed too small to be a bomb. A young teen with an iPod. His eyes said he was not a threat. Another man, clothing suggesting a cook. He looked tired, his eyes closed. Either he was as he appeared, or it's a disguise. Noting the pattern of stains, it appeared he was just a cook.

This was my stop. I got up and tried not to run. Slow and calm, blend in as much as possible. Twenty meters seemed to take forever, but at long last I was free and in the shadows. This part of town has more night life. I avoided the main streets and took the back roads. When I reached Histar International, the phone rang.

"Uruz 7 here."

"Okay, Uruz 7, I got a trace. Here are her coordinates." I didn't have anything to write with, so I rolled up my sleeve, pulled out a knife and etched the numbers into my skin. I wiped away the blood as I confirm the number back to Tessa.

"Look Sosuke, I'm sure its nothing, but you owe me, alright?"

"Yes, Captain, anything, just call. Thank you, Uzur 7 out."

"Tessa out."

Pulling out the map, I cross-referenced the numbers to the map. It's a building not far from here. Map went into the pocket, Glock came out. I checked the safety as well as the bullets as in it. Rubber bullets loaded. Good. The Glock went back into its holster, and the back pack came off. I pulled out the grenade launcher, and loaded a tear gas round.

A short run later, the building was just around the corner. Three stories, windows on all sides. Lights on the second floor only. Front door open. A business. I ran to the back and pulled out the repelling gear. I managed to snag the hook on the third floor on the third try. It's always best to maintain the high ground. Scaling the building was not a problem, and I flipped over onto the roof, pistol in hand. No contact. Crept to the door. Locked. Again, not a problem.

Thump.

A small C4 charger later, the door opened. Darkness. The night vision goggles, I forgot to put them on! Too late now.

Five minutes later, the third floor was secure. No one on this floor. On the second floor, I pulled out the infrared scanner. With it I could see people's heat signature from behind doors and walls.

And floors.

Going back through the third floor, I scanned the ground, eyes on the blue and red displays. There were three rooms occupied but one only had males, so I dismissed that one. Two had males and females. Each room was on opposite sides of the building. I picked one, traced back the hallway, set more C4, then ducked for cover.

BOOM!

Where once sat a floor, now had a nice size hole in it. Extraction would not be a problem.

"Who's there?" a male voice said. Two rubber bullets later, he was silent. First room. More C4, stun grenade ready, gas mask on, tear gas round loaded in the launcher.

Thump. Door hinges destroyed, in went the stun grenade.

BANG! I fired off the tear gas round next.

Whump!

Pistol in hand, I rushed in the room searching for her. Smoke made it hard to see, but I spotted two women, one blond, one flat chested. Not Kaname. They all got a rubber bullet induced sleep.

Next room. Same setup. C4 on the door. Just as I was about to detonate, I her Kaname's voice. She was screaming. It sounded painful.

Kaname!

Thump. No more door. Stun grenade next.

BANG! Tear gas round.

Whump!

There were bodies coughing everywhere, but even through the haze I easily located Kaname. I went to her and managed to get the second gas mask on her, despite her mass of blue hair. I carried her out of the room, tossing in my last stun grenade for good measure.

"Sosuke?" she said. Even through the muffled mask, I could hear she was slurring her words.

Poison! Shes been poisoned!

"Hang on, we will be safe soon, Kaname."

"Safe? But I was having funnn ..."

This is very bad.

Not only had she been poisoned, but she was delusional as well. Perhaps even brainwashed. But this was not the time for that. I had a field detox kit back at my place. Extraction comes first, getting back through the hole up to the second floor, I put one arm around her, as I managed to haul us up to the third floor. Kaname seemed to be having a lot of trouble walking.

"Heeey, what's going on, Sosuke? Why are you here? Hmmmm."

Scooping her up in my arms - princess style, she would say - we ran to the roof. I put her down as I set up the repelling gear. Done. Next up a distraction. High explosive rounds in the grenade launcher, I fired off two at a truck just down the street in front of the building. The noise was impressive, even to me. As expected, the flames and noise drew out everyone up and down the street. Away from the rear, where I set up and with Kaname climbed down to the floor. By this time she had passed out. Pulse was normal, respiration seemed normal. I pulled off the mask and started running. I glanced at my watch.

12:36

By now the trains had stopped running. This was going be a long walk home. But Kaname seemed stable, no sign of any immediate danger.

It was almost dawn by the time I realized Kaname had alcohol on her breath. She had been sleeping the entire time, her weight causing my body to tire. But I'm acutely aware that my body is reacting to her very feminine curves. We are almost home when I spot the park bench we had sat on once before. Scanning left and right, I lay her down, her head on my lap.

"Sosuke..." Her voice was still sleepy.

"Yes, Kaname?"

"What happened to karaoke? How did I get here?"

"K-K-karaoke?"

Oh crap. This is not good.

"Yeah, we were having fun, and I was singing..." Eyes closed, a smile crossed her face.

"You were singing? You were not being tortured?"

Did I misread the situation again?

"Huh? no. I was having fun.," she murmured as she went back to sleep.

In the distance, the crickets started singing.

"She is going to kill me."