Disclaimer: Yes, I do not own Full Metal Panic. And yes, in my dreams, I'd like to pretend I do.

Summary: (Series of Drabbles from the FMP universe) Because, even amidst the bullets of war, their eyes speak of things that were never meant to be – of hopes and dreams and love and deaths. This is their story.

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Ammunition
Bullet 05: Friendship
By makka na yuki

Character(s): Kyouko Tokiwa, Kaname Chidori

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Take my hand.

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There were only two things that Kyouko was sure about in her life.

First of all, she wasn't stupid. She may wear glasses, put her hair in pigtails, look clumsy, and sound weak, but she most definitely wasn't stupid. Her test scores may not exactly support her belief, but hey, who cares about such things right?

And second, she cares a lot about Kaname.

Kaname may look independent, living all by herself and not letting anyone push her around… but… Kyouko knows otherwise. She has known the blue-haired girl ever since elementary, and she's probably the only one who understands how Kaname feels more cold and alone in this world than she's willing to let on. That's why Kyouko tries (and fails, unfortunately) to set up the energetic girl on dates, hoping that maybe, somehow, she'll find the right person to make her happy.

But then Sousuke Sagara suddenly entered their lives… Kaname's life, and everything seems to become just that - happy. The two of them spent so much time together that you'd think they were living in the same roof.

Kyouko didn't think it would hurt that much to see her best friend's eyes become so much brighter because of something that had nothing to do with her – of a guy that she didn't introduce and had no knowledge of. She was the only one who could know how Kaname seems to be daydreaming more than usual, how Kaname exerts more effort when she bulldozes the poor brown-haired man with her fists, how Kaname's voice become a level deeper when she speaks of him. Kyouko knows of these things because she had been there for the long-haired girl for so long that she doesn't know any other place to be.

But then she tells herself, stupid, you shouldn't be jealous over little things. Sousuke was good for Kaname. The two of them may have developed a special kind of bond – one that more likely revolves around a "you do something stupid and I hit you with paper fan" type of relationship – but that won't really affect the friendship the two girls already have. Right? Right?

Because if Kaname is happy, then Kyouko thinks she could probably be happy as well.

And then one day, everything changed.

Sousuke didn't come to class, which supposedly isn't strange, but then Kaname seems to fidget more than usual. It was after their final exams, but they didn't have the time to celebrate since Kaname claimed she wasn't feeling well. They said their good-byes, and that was the last that Kyouko saw the brightness in her friend's eyes.

The next day, her best friend had become another person. The pigtailed girl was the only one who noticed of course, she was always the only one who knows her friend so well. So she invited Kaname over to a pajama party, like they've always done as kids, and she thinks that maybe, just maybe, she could make things alright.

But then… yeah. She knows only one person has that power, and that man, with his weird guns and war fanaticism, probably isn't in the country anymore.

When the fun ends and the lights go out, Kyouko doesn't need to try hard to hear Kaname's sobs.

And only she could understand the horrors that plagued her friend's dreams.

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I'm here for you.

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Author's Notes: Ah yes, you people might have already noticed that this drabble series was meant to focus on the minor characters of the anime. There's just too much fanfiction revolving around the major characters that I just wanted to try out something new. Yeah.

Of course, I'll still make one-shots of our favorite couple – Kaname and Sousuke – but, I'm reserving those for my other fic, "Save Me."