Tactical Retreat
By Lord Raa
Disclaim-me-do: The only difference between science fiction and pornography is a sense of shame.
Chapter 3
Sousuke had not slept well. During the night, he had felt insecure and had woken up several times. There had been no danger that he could recognise as such, but something had made him feel suitably concerned for himself.
The young man was accustomed to sleeping all sorts of adverse conditions, so an apartment in Tokyo was amongst the most comfortable living conditions he could remember experiencing.
What he was less accustomed to was having three people who seemed take a personal interest in him in such a confined space.
There were a number of questions that needed to be answered about Kurz's behaviour. Previously, the blonde sniper had only expressed sexual desires towards women.
However, Gauron's interest in Sousuke had started out innocently enough in Helmajistan and that had also taken a strange turn.
Sousuke shuddered at the memory of his former mentor's attempts to bond.
"Is something wrong, Sousuke?" Mao asked. She was dressed in her sleepwear: a black tank top and a pair of light blue shorts that hugged her curves. It was alluring, but what Sousuke most approved of was the practicality of it.
Too often had the former child soldier looked at what was supposed to be fashion and found it lacking in practicality. At least Mao appreciated that their situation could suddenly call for action.
"I was just thinking about the past," Sousuke replied. "It's not important right now. I think it's more important for us to find out what Kurz's story is."
Mao nodded. "We'll get showered and dressed and we can interrogate him."
She turned to see that Tessa was standing there, also in her sleepwear. "Can we help you, Captain?"
"I… I heard you talking. I was wondering if Sousuke was alright."
"I'm fine, thank you, Cap- Tessa," Sousuke smiled politely, though he averted his eyes from the young captain.
The silver-haired young woman blushed. 'If only it was just me and Sousuke… Wait, I should have a chance when Mao's in the shower…'
Mao noticed Tessa's reaction and came to an uncomfortable realisation: While she took her shower, Tessa would be alone with Sousuke. She needed a plan.
"Tessa, grab your things. We're having a shower."
"What?"
"In order to make sure that Kurz doesn't do anything he regrets, we'll shower together."
"I can wash myself," Tessa protested. "But if you're worried about my back, then Sousuke could…"
"No!" Mao snapped.
"But…"
"The longer you protest, the more time Kurz has to come up with an excuse for last night," the Sergeant-major said sternly.
"Oh, I'd forgotten about him…" Tessa's expression turned dark. "You do have a point, Melissa."
Sousuke shook his head, but resolved to prepare some coffee for Mao. Experience had told him that having it ready would often mitigate any potential anger.
While Tessa and Mao were in the shower, Sousuke prepared a glass of water and took it to where Kurz was restrained.
Upon reaching the blonde, Sousuke warned him not to speak too loudly or Mao would get angry once they were out of the shower.
When Kurz nodded, the younger man removed the gag and allowed the sniper to take a drink.
"Thanks, Sousuke."
"Kurz, we've known each other for a long time, so I wanted to give you the chance to explain about last night," Sousuke said. "I've never seen the Captain act like that before."
"I… It's a complicated situation, Sousuke," Kurz replied, fumbling for an answer.
How could he explain that it was plan so their Captain could have her way with Sousuke?
Even if Sousuke believed such a dubious tale, Tessa would deny everything and Mao would beat him to death for slandering their commanding officer.
No, this was not something that he could ever talk about without sounding like a crazed pervert who projected untold deviancy on others.
Fortunately, the doorbell rang, giving Kurz a stay of execution.
Sousuke rose to his feet to answer the door.
"You can't leave me like this, Sousuke! What are they going to think if they see me like this?" the blonde protested.
The younger mercenary had to concede this point and so unlocked his comrade. "Keep quiet though."
Sousuke prepared a pistol and checked the spy hole in the door.
It was Ren Mikihara standing there dressed in a pink blouse and light blue jeans.
Before Sousuke could open the door, he heard Kaname's voice call out asking what Ren was doing there. His gut instinct told him that he should try to defuse the situation before things got out of hand.
The mercenary opened the door and invited his two classmates into the apartment.
"Please excuse the mess, I have visitors and haven't yet had the chance to tidy up."
"That's fine, Sousuke-kun," Ren smiled.
Kaname, dressed in a yellow zip-up hooded top, red t-shirt and black, knee-length shorts cast a suspicious glance at her friend.
'O-Ren's never shown an interest in Sousuke before…'
"So, what are your plans for today, Sousuke-kun?" Ren asked, doing her best to ignore the shade being thrown her way by her classmate.
"Well, I-" Sousuke's reply was cut off by Mao emerging from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her torso.
"Oh, we have guests?" the Chinese-American woman asked. She nipped into her room and quickly dressed.
Tessa stuck her head around the door to see who was visiting them. She narrowed her eyes when she recognised Kaname. 'She's always getting in the way… '
Fortunately, Mao had reappeared dressed in something more appropriate than a towel and handed Tessa some clothes.
"Here you go, Tessa."
"Thank you, Melissa."
Ren blinked in surprise. She could certainly understand why women would want to visit Sousuke, she was there herself for that very reason, but who were these women? The silver-haired person seemed to be around her age, but the dark-haired one was clearly older.
When Kurz emerged, rubbing his wrists, Ren was really confused.
"Sousuke-kun, what's going on here?"
"These are my friends who are staying with me for a while. This is Kurz Weber."
"Hello," the blonde smiled.
Ren smiled back politely. "My name is Ren Mikihara."
"This is Melissa Mao," Sousuke said gesturing to his unit commander.
The student appraised the older woman. 'She's not wearing a bra… What kind of relationship does she have with Sousuke-kun?'
"Hello, are you one of Sousuke's classmates?" Mao asked.
"Yes, I'm also part of the Student Council and we're concerned that Sousuke-kun is alright after a recent incident at school."
"The sprinkler thing?" Mao asked. She was beginning to regret not taking the extra time to put on a bra with the way Kurz was using his peripheral vision to ogle her. 'Why can't he be more like Sousuke? I will have to teach him a lesson later.'
"I told you, I wasn't injured. It wasn't the coldest I've been and certainly not the wettest," Sousuke insisted. "I have been free diving before."
"Free diving?" Kaname repeated.
"That's where you dive without breathing apparatus. When I did it, I didn't even get to use a snorkel."
"Why not?" Ren asked.
Tessa emerged from the bathroom, now dressed in t-shirt and shorts. She managed to refrain from glaring at the interlopers, though she felt the need to step close to Sousuke in order to stake her claim.
"It was a…" Sousuke paused as he realised that it was not a good idea to recount all of the details about the story about the time he'd dived to save a drowning comrades. "I saw someone get into trouble while they were swimming in the open sea and helped them."
"You've made a habit of saving people, haven't you, Sousuke?" Weber asked with a smirk.
"But it was the right thing to do," Sousuke protested.
"So, what are your plans for today, Sousuke?" Kaname asked, hoping to change the subject before the other females in the room started to take an even bigger shine towards the young mercenary.
"Well, I did have plans to take-"
"Take me out? Brilliant," the blue-haired girl beamed as she latched onto Sousuke's arm. "Let's go, shall we?"
"He needs to shower first. Unless you like the idea of being around sweaty men," said Kurz. "And if that's the case: Hello there, how you doing?"
The collective shudder took the two male mercenaries by surprise. Normally, Weber's flirtatious behaviour was well received amongst civilians.
Sure, Mao and the Captain were different and so their reticence was to be expected, but Kaname and Ren's reactions stung.
"As much as I hate to admit it, Kurz is right, Sousuke needs to shower," Mao said. "Plus, I'm sure that it was Tessa that Sousuke was taking out today."
"Yes, yes he was," Tessa nodded. She looked at her blue-haired love-rival with narrowed eyes. "We had a prior appointment."
"I'm sure that Sousuke's man enough to handle a double-date with you two lovely ladies," Weber smirked. He knew he shouldn't poke the hornets' nest like this, but if it got Tessa out of the apartment, he had a better chance of convincing Mao of the truth about last night.
Everyone turned to glare daggers at the blonde. Even Sousuke was unimpressed.
"What are you looking at me like that for? I'm not saying Sousuke should take you to a love hotel."
The ladies blushed as the thought of spending time with the ruggedly handsome and physically fit young man in a love hotel was analysed.
Sousuke blinked in surprise as he felt his arm being rubbed against the ample bosom of the blue-haired Whispered girl.
"I…"
"Ah, what the hey, why don't you take everyone out for a trip to the park, Sousuke?" Weber asked with a smile. "Treat your friends."
Mao knew that Kurz was planning something. 'Last night... he's trying to get out of explaining what he did last night. The sneaky bastard.'
She was about to protest when Ren spoke up of her approval. Sure, it wasn't what the refined young lady wanted, but it would help her get to know Sousuke better.
'Perhaps he could even tell us one of his stories.'
As Sousuke quickly showered, the four females were alternating between giving Kurz Weber dirty looks and appraising their competition.
Tessa knew that Mao had the comradeship angle sewn up, while Kaname had the damsel in distress thing going on. To her, the unknown quantity was this Ren Mikihara.
Kaname's appraisal of Mao was not flattering. She saw the older woman as a Misato Katsuragi type, using her obvious feminine charms to ensnare a damaged young man. Sousuke needed comfort, that much was certain, but Mao's actions were close to grooming. Tessa was cute, but her command position over Sousuke made things very much seem like an abuse of power.
Mao was trying not to see the girls as rivals for the affections of Sousuke Sagara. If only to tell herself that she wasn't the sort to abuse her position with a subordinate. She kept trying to rule herself out of the running, but a tiny part of her brain was telling her that Sousuke needed a good woman and these three were just girls.
Ren Mikihara looked at the others before her. She could see that Sousuke had a history with all of them, but that did not mean that she did not have a chance with him. After all, it was possible that Sousuke saw them not as potential partners, but as close friends that were like family to the orphaned young man.
Not that she could blame Sousuke for wanting a family, her own had been rather distant due to the circumstances of their social standing.
She paused for a moment as she considered if Sousuke wanted to start a family of his own. Would such a thing be a good idea? They were both young, and there was some doubt as to whether her father would approve.
Her father's associates that had met Sousuke, albeit in unusual circumstances, had seemed to like him. Surely they would put in a good word.
Sousuke emerged from the bathroom in a crisp white shirt and black trousers. As he walked into the kitchen, the ladies noticed that he'd ran a coarse comb through his hair.
It gave him a suave look that made Mao's brain consider a James Bond style fantasy about a sophisticated special agent who was just as skilled an assassin as he was a lover.
She shook her head to clear the thoughts about removing him from his tuxedo after a successful mission.
Ren looked on with approval. While she certainly appreciated Sousuke's rugged good looks, she thought that he scrubbed up well enough to show off to her father and there not be any unpleasantness.
Tessa was star-struck and blushed as she knew that she had to get the young man alone.
Kaname just reached out to grab his hand and drag him away. "Let's go, Sousuke. Time's wasting."
"But..." the young mercenary trailed off as he was dragged through the front door of the apartment and into the hallway.
"Wait a minute!" the two remaining young women protested before rushing after the classmates.
Elsewhere, in another time zone, Gauron was in deep thought. The scarred man was intimidating at the best of times, but when he thought about how MITHRIL had interfered with his plans, his expression turned to one of rage.
MITHRIL and its do-gooders were a constant thorn in his side as he attempted to reunite with the one person he cared about.
Amalgam weren't much better, but at least they had opened a new avenue for Gauron gaining the affections of Sousuke Sagara.
Gauron's expression softened as he imagined what he could with Kashim once he finally get his hands on him.
"Soon, Kashim…" he smiled. He wiped his lips before calling his protégés to his office.
The door opened and in walked two young ladies. They were twins, and they carried themselves with a confidence that told anyone who knew anything about fighting that they were dangerous.
"You called?" Xia Yu Fan asked.
"I did. The time has come for the operation to begin," Gauron said, a smile gracing his lips.
Xia Yu Lan cocked her head to one side. "You'll have to be more specific."
"…" The dangerous man chuckled after a moment's thought. "Yes, of course. I'm talking about the operation to liberate Kashim from the clutches of those fools at MITHRIL."
It was a good plan: Sousuke was a healthy young man and the Xia twins were healthy, attractive young women. They had similar upbringings and interests, so it made sense for them to attract Sousuke's attention and win his trust.
Well, as well as anyone could with Sousuke's trust.
Gauron was no fool, he had files on the people Kashim had been assigned to Urzu team with. The woman, Mao, would act in a semi-professional manner, so there was no danger of her moving in on a subordinate. But that blonde haired lecher would no doubt have had some influence on the purity of his teammate.
Gauron's expression darkened for a moment as he considered what kind of filth Weber would have tried to corrupt his precious Kashim with.
That was why he had ordered both of the Xia sisters on this mission. They could find out who Sousuke liked better, or work together if the blonde pervert had fully corrupted the pure Kashim.
Either way, Sousuke would be brought to him and they could reconcile. They would find a way to help smooth things over. Gauron had significant resources at his disposal and they could relax together. A sauna, a hot tub, whatever made Kashim happy.
"Remember: Kashim is all that matters. I don't care if you have to raze Tokyo to the ground, just bring him to me unharmed."
The sisters saluted the scarred man before leaving for their mission.
The train ride to the shopping mall was not what Sousuke had expected. He had assumed that he would have to guard his travelling companions from lechers and perverts.
He had not predicted that three young women would surround him, each pressing parts of their body against his.
Tessa was in a position to rest her head against Sousuke, and so, she let out a contented sigh. She wondered if there was a way to ditch the other two girls and go off with her manly protector without causing too much commotion. After a moment, she realised that Sousuke still considered himself to be the bodyguard for Kaname.
'He wouldn't abandon her like that. He's a good man,' the silver-haired young woman decided.
Ren Mikihara was pressing her butt against Sousuke. She told herself that it was more of a way to keep her personal space intact from the other commuters rather than an attempt to titillate her schoolmate, though that was not something she would object to. She wondered what it would be like for him to use one of his strong arms to pull her close to him, while the other explored her body as he whispered lewd comments into her ear.
Ren had overheard some of the saltier conversations that her father's employees had during their downtime. Sousuke was a rough and fearless man, so she could imagine him using such coarse language as he claimed her body as his.
It was an intoxicating thought, one that made the Yakuza princess smile as the motion of the train caused her to press harder against the stoic young man.
Kaname had taken up Sousuke's right flank, her ample bosom was pressed up against the mercenary's well-muscled arm. She was trying to keep calm about this situation. Her original plan to have a normal date with Sousuke had been setback once she'd learned of Tessa's arrival in town, but that was nothing she couldn't handle. Ren, however, was a complication that she couldn't have foreseen.
After some serious thought on the matter, Kaname had realised that while brave under attack from Arm Slaves, Sousuke was ill-equipped when it came to interacting with girls. To plant a kiss on his lips would surely let him know her intentions, but it could also scare him off. Time was of the essence, but if she or the others moved too quickly, they'd lose their chance with Sousuke.
Maybe even for good.
The tannoy announced that the train had reached the destination for the shopping mall, allowing Sousuke some more breathing room after he and his friends stepped out onto the station platform.
Ren found herself alone as Kaname and Tessa had latched onto Sousuke's arms. She was used to having a distance between her and others, but this felt colder than normal.
'Patience, Ren, patience,' she told herself. There would be plenty of time to get close to Sousuke before the end of the day. 'You don't need to put your reputation at risk by grabbing on to the arms of a boy like that. Even if they are strong and attached to a kind, if serious young man.'
She walked beside Kaname, even if the two of them both liked the same person, it didn't mean that they weren't still friends.
Melissa Mao sat opposite Kurz Weber and gave him a hard stare. "So, where shall we begin?"
"I can explain," the blonde insisted. "It… It was a to help the Captain."
"Handcuffing Sousuke to the bed helps the Cap…" Mao trailed off as she realised that it would indeed assist the young woman. It would enable a normally timid person to have their way with a stronger individual. And while such things could spice up a relationship, but even if Sousuke was a lust-filled animal that needed taming, it wasn't right for someone like Tessa to take advantage of Sousuke.
No, Sousuke was the one who should be the initiator of such encounters. The woman blinked as she realised that she'd allowed her mind to wander from interrogating her subordinate and towards an erotic fantasy about passionate sex with a strong man who wanted her so badly, he tore off her clothes.
"I'm disappointed, Sergeant. But I don't know what to do right now," Mao admitted with a sigh. "If I go further with this, it's going to bring a right shitstorm down on the Captain. That's if Sousuke presses charges."
"So, I'm free to go?" Kurz asked, his voice filled with hope.
"For now, but if you do something like this again, I will cut your balls off. Is that clear?"
"Crystal," the blonde said, snapping to attention and saluting.
To be continued…