"Mister Sagara. Miss Chidori. You two stay put." Mr. Konaharu says as the rest of the class shuffles out of the room.
"Uh- I- Yes sir." Kaname stutters. She and Sousuke remain in the classroom with the tall teacher. Mr. Konaharu fixes his glasses with his fingertip.
"I trust you two understand the situation I'm in." He says.
"Uhmm." Kaname begins. "We were late, and you're punishing us?" She guesses apprehensively.
"Certainly not." Mr. Konaharu chirps. Kaname lets out a breath of relief. "It's my first day on the job. I can't be handing out bad student reports. It'll make me seem like I'm doing my job wrong." He explains.
"Sir, excuse me, sir." Sousuke interrupts.
"Yes, Mister Sagara? What is it?"
"As reluctant as I may be of giving you, of all people, my insight on battle strategies, there have been noted situations where information had to be reversed in order for the general success to pass through."
Kaname looks at him. "You mean to tell me, you want the teacher to lie on his repo-" she is cut off.
"Exactly, Mr. Sagara." Konaharu smiles. "I'm willing to look the other way on this. For all our sakes."
"Sir. I do thank you for tha-"
"BUT.." Konaharu interrupts Sousuke. "You two have to promise me it doesn't happen again. Even something as small as being late to school can look really bad for somebody in my position."
"Understood." The two students answer.
"Good. Now go on. You have somewhere else to be." Konaharu finishes. Waving them off.
Without a word, Kaname and Sousuke leave the classroom. They walk down the shady hallway. The midday sunlight shines through the latched windows that line the entire right side of the hallway. If one looked outside those windows, they would see another annex building with several walkways wrapped around a small courtyard. The courtyard is empty because it's so cold outside.
"Seriously.." Kaname hisses. "Never again, Sousuke."
"I- I'm sorry?" Sousuke croaks.
"Don't EVER do that to me again. I'll never forgive you!" Kaname tells him, serious-faced.
Sousuke blinks, almost stopping dead in his tracks. "Y- You mean.. About being late. R- right, Miss Chidori?"
"What else would I be talking about?"
"Oh.. N- Nothing. I guess."
Kaname growls at him in annoyance. "You're such a nuisance, Sousuke."
"M- My apologies." Sousuke Drops his gaze.
"Yeah. Yeah. there you are being all Mr. Captain America again." Kaname glares. "I suppose you're MY nuisance. So, I guess that's a good thing." Her facial expression softens.
A group of four students passes them in the hallway, chattering noisily. One girl and Three guys. The girl carries her schoolbooks against her torso carefully. the rest of the guys are obviously following her, talking about their own things. While she politely agrees and tries her best to listen.
She was without a doubt fairly popular. Her hair trailed behind her in long brown streaks. Her uniform is neatly taken care of. Her bodily posture if perfect. A fine young woman. All the guys following her clumsily are slack-jawed, no-belt deadbeats. Or, at least, that's what their appearances give off. Their pants hand sideways and their jackets are unbuttoned. One boy carries his hands shoved in his pockets. The other even has the audacity to be smoking! Giving off the speech "All the teachers are busy!"
"Sousuke." Kaname snaps. Sousuke jumps to reality. "Are you even listening?"
"Uhh- Y- Yeah. Of course." Sousuke stutters. He must have been paying attention to the girl who just passed them and turned into another hallway. He thought about her. She obviously let herself fall into an ambush situation. Outnumbered 3 to 1. The weakest link would be the boy with his hands in his pockets, as his main defenses are occupied. If she took him out, the other two would be disheartened. Assuming she's as able-bodied as Sousuke. Sousuke now pays attention to the blue-haired girl next to him.
"Seriously, Sousuke." Kaname says, watching him with a curious look. "What goes through that head of yours?"
"You don't want to know." Sousuke mutters.
"..Say..Sousuke?" Kaname inquires. Now's her chance!
"Yes, Miss Chidori?"
"Could I ask you a serious question?"
"Of course."
"Why did you leave?"
"I'm-.. I'm sorry?"
"You know what I mean. Why did you leave Tokyo? Why didn't you come back?"
"They were my ord-"
"Don't give me that crap!" Kaname bursts out. "There has to be more!" She stops walking now, and glares at Sousuke.
Sousuke lets out a thin sigh. "I was ordered to leave. And all communication with you was prohibited. I wasn't even allowed to say goodbye."
"And you listened...?" Kaname asks, emotionally hurt.
"I had no choice. I was needed immediately to pilot the Arbalest."
Kaname lowers her gaze. "Who gave you the orders?"
"It was a mutual agreement among all my superior officers. Captain Testarossa, Commander Markdukas, Genera-"
"Tessa? She made you leave?"
"She played a part in it, yes."
"I see." Kaname mutters. Little did Sousuke know how mush Kaname resented the Captain right now.
"Well.."Kaname sighs, half-heartedly. "You thought I was dead. What was that all about?"
Sousuke shuffles uneasily. He begins to explain. "You remember Gauron? That guy who kept trying to kidnap you?"
"Y- Yeah. I remember he died on The Tuatha De Danaan."
"Well. He-" Sousuke is interrupted as a loud bell rings.
"Uhh.. Oh right. Lunch." Kaname mutters. They had apparently been talking for longer than she thought.
Sousuke and Kaname shuffle uneasily. Sousuke relishes the opportunity to change the subject and Kaname wishes he'd continue explaining. Students of all ages, shapes, and sizes begin to shuffle out of their classrooms. The sound of talking instantly floods the classmates' ears.
"Oh, Kanameee!" A voice calls out. Kaname looks up silently. Kyoko; Kaname's best friend, stands a few yards down the hallway, waving her arm carelessly in the air. In her free hand, she clutches her little camera that she usually carries.
Kaname nods. "I- I'd better go." She says to Sousuke. "I'll see you around." She walks away without another word.
Sousuke watches silently as she walks away. "Yeah.." he sighs. "Not a problem."
"There was blood ALL OVER her little mangled schoolgirl body!" Gauron pokes devilishly. "I wish I'd have taken photos of it so I could show you!"
Sousuke whips out his sidearm and unloads an entire magazine into the disabled Gauron's body. The heart monitors flatline. Sousuke stands, shocked. His whole workd seems to collapse around him. "Ch- Chidori's D- D- Dead.." He stutters to himself aloud. Then, a beeping fills his ears. Sousuke gives a small gasp The beeping proceeds faster and faster. Suddenly, a large explosion fills the room and the flames engulf Sousuke. In his dying moments, he can hear the sound of a girl crying his name. All in pain, fear, hate, and other mixed emotions. The scream, Sousuke instantly knows is Kaname's. Then, Sousuke loses himself in the fires.
Sousuke jumps back to reality with a small gasp. Sousuke glances around and sees Shinji standing across the lunch table at him. "Sousuke? You alright?"
Sousuke lets out a sigh. "Yes."
Shinji sits down across from him. "You don't look very alright." He says, examining Sousuke's tired look. "You spaced out sitting here. You looked like you'd seen a ghost! I was calling your name for several minutes before you answered."
Sousuke now realizes the voice he heard wasn't Kaname's, but it was Shinji's. Why did it sound like Kaname calling his name? "Did I say anything?"
"No."
Sousuke nods in agreement. "Understood." His eyes glance around. Normal school lunch. Everybody sits at their usual tables, conversing and eating happily. The cafeteria is rarely used as you have to order your lunch outside at a small stand. This is simply a place to sit down and hang out for most people.
"Sorry if I'm bothering you." Shinji says quickly.
Sousuke looked distant, and vaguely uninterested. "No. It isn't that."
Then, a voice is heard. "Mister Sagara, report!" The substitute teacher, Mr. Konaharu approaches.
Sousuke's first reaction is to jump from his seat and stand at attention. "Sir! Sousuke Sagara reporting as ordered, Sir!"
Mr. Konaharu looks mildly shocked. "Y- Yes." He continues. "I need that report from you. You're missing today's paper."
Sousuke glances around. "Oh. Right. Yes sir! I do believe I have it in my bag. Permission to retrieve the objective?"
"Go ahead?"
Sousuke bends over and rummages through his books sitting next to him. He withdraws a small sheet of paper. It's messily done, but in readable condition. "Sir! My apologies, Sir. I must have forgotten to turn it in."
"That's fine." Konaharu says, examining the paper. "Okay. You're good. Thanks~"
"Sir!" sousuke says, bringing his hand up in a salute. "Am I dismissed, Sir?"
"I guess." Kpnaharu walks away.
Sousuke eases his posture. He turns around and Shinji is staring at him.
"My apologies. It's what I'm used to." Sousuke explains.
"You surprise me more and more every day."