AN: Things are going to get pretty crazy from here on... Enjoy.
Aruiteku Together Forever – Chapter Thirteen
Kaname had seen Sousuke off first thing in the morning. They both had been groggy from lack of sleep, and she fussed over him to make sure he was taking care of his body properly before sending him off to another day of brutal exercise. She worried about him, really, with how much he was pushing himself. She had never seen him so tired before, and the injuries on his arms scared her even more than shrapnel in his side had. He assured her that it was better to go through this in training than in combat, and that in a few days or weeks time he would be back to his old self.
Then he had been taken off to the training yards with the promise of another late night. Kaname had nearly forgotten that she was also going to have a busy day and barely managed to tell him about her meeting with Tessa as he was being driven away. Having remembered it, she ran back into the small building to shower and change. She had no idea how she should dress, if she should be formal or dressed for labor or who-knew-what. She eventually decided on clothes that looked nice, but she had owned long enough that she would not be heartbroken if they got ruined.
A knock sounded at the door just as she pulled her hair into a high ponytail and she called out for the person to enter. Tessa walked in with a smile and nodded to her with approval. "Are you ready, Kaname-san?"
"Yeah, let's do this," Kaname grinned and pulled back her sleeve as she raised her fist. Tessa giggled, happy to see the girl had gotten her spunk back. They walked out to the car that was waiting for them and got in the back seat together. On the ride to the Research and Development building, Tessa talked about some things they would have to prepare for Kaname after introducing her to the team.
There was the matter of security clearance, so that Kaname could come and go as she pleased. As a Whispered there could be times when no one else was in the building, but Kaname may have something to add that she would need the resources there for. They would also have to work out Kaname's 'placement,' it was not unheard of for them to employ people without actually making them part of Mithril, but it could get complicated. It was, however, a far simpler task when the person in question was a Whispered. They were considered too valuable to risk losing the support of with those flexible kinds of technicalities.
What that meant for Kaname was that she would not be given a rank, which all Mithril personnel were given no matter what division they worked in, and that suited her just fine. She would still be employed by them, as they were using her services, and thus she would be paid. She would also be paid quite well, as they would not have a rank to guide her pay grade on, and instead would base it off of her work. Arm Slave development being what it was, she would earn quite a bit for helping them develop weaponry to use against forces like Amalgam.
Considering what it was that Kaname would be developing, Tessa assured her that she would earn quite the hefty sum of money. Likely far more than Sousuke would earn in a year, even now that he had been restored to full-pay and full-time. Kaname did not overly care about the money, especially since she had no idea what she might spend it on, stuck on Merida Island for who-knew how long. It was nice knowing that if she and Sousuke were able to leave, though, they would have a more than adequate cushion to get them back on their feet.
They arrived at their destination at last. Kaname stepped out of the vehicle and gasped, looking around. Tessa had called it the Research and Development building, but in reality it was a collection of buildings in varying sizes, all connected by walkways to a central hub structure. The whole layout sprawled an impressive distance, and Tessa smiled as she gestured to the main entrance of the central office.
"This is the largest building, and so it's the one with the most room for AS building and research. This is where we'll be working, which makes things a lot simpler. If we were in one of the outlying branches, you would need security clearances for every building you would need to go through to get to the one you're working at."
Kaname gawked at the impressive building as they crossed the threshold. "That seems inconvenient," she murmured, bumping into someone as she looked around. "Oh! I'm so sorry, here, let me help you," she bent down to collect some papers that had fluttered out of the girl's hand.
"Ah, it's all right, I'm sorry, I should have paid more attention," she rubbed her back and winced as she spoke with a quivering smile. Kaname looked at the girl as she handed over the papers she had collected. The girl looked to be her age, with hair that was long and curly in a way that made Kaname somewhat jealous. She wore a long white lab coat, likely a short skirt under it since it couldn't be seen, and shoes made for comfort not style.
Tessa giggled and helped the two up. Though Kaname had spoken Japanese, and luckily the other girl also spoke the language, she switched to "Well, I'm just glad it wasn't me that fell this time," Kaname and the other girl blushed and laughed with embarrassment. Just as the girl was about to excuse herself after retrieving her files from Kaname, Tessa touched her arm gently in a motion to stay. "I'd like to introduce you two, if you have even that small bit of time?"
"Oh, ah, yes, of course," she smoothed her hair nervously and almost dropped the papers again. She giggled nervously and turned to Kaname with an equally nervous smile. Kaname returned the smile with an encouraging expression, wondering just why the girl was so jittery.
Tessa cleared her throat and clapped her hands together excitedly. "Miss Kaname, this is Sarah Miller. Miss Miller, this is Kaname Chidori! She's another Whispered like us. She will be helping with the construction of the ARX-8. Also, she's Mister Sagara's girlfriend," she smiled between the two as they shook hands.
Sarah became excited, losing some of her shyness, "Another Whispered! Oh, that's so great, maybe now the other scientists won't keep looking at me so strangely when I start saying weird things," she giggled and Kaname nodded awkwardly. It was more likely that she would just have a partner in the strange looks, not that the looks would go away. She continued on, "And Mister Sagara's girlfriend! I have to say, I'm a little jealous, but that's just because he saved me, I don't really know him at all, but he seems like such a nice guy so you must be a nice girl and I'm so excited that I'll be working with someone my own age and who must be so nice, I'm sure we'll get along great, I can't wait, we'll be friends, just you wait!"
Kaname had to fight the urge to run away from the girl who was clinging onto her hand, still shaking it. She marveled at how the girl was able to speak so long and so fast without stopping for air. Sarah's face was red however, and she was panting for air while pumping Kaname's hand excitedly. Realizing that Sarah was not likely to let go anytime soon unless broken out of her reverie, Kaname squeezed her hand and tried to take it away, "Ah, well, thank you so much. I hope we can be friends too, and I'm so glad I'll be working with someone my own age. I'll tell Sousuke that I met you, too."
Sarah blushed and let go of Kaname's hand, clutching her documents to her chest tightly, "Thank you!" her watch beeped and she glanced at it and let out a shriek. "Oh! I'm going to be late, I'm so sorry, I have to go," she ran past them, Tessa waving and shouting good-bye to the girl while Kaname timidly did the same.
After a few moments of blessed silence, she turned to Tessa with a tired expression. "Is she always so energetic?"
"Oh no, actually that's the first time I've seen her like this. I wish I had known how lonely she was working this project or else I would have tried making more time to see her. At least now she'll have you, I'm guessing she'll calm down soon enough," she took a few steps forward and beckoned for Kaname to follow.
"That's a relief," she let out a puff of air, grateful to hear that the madness she had just been subjected to would likely not be a common occurrence. She wondered just what Sousuke might have to say about the girl though. Sarah and Tessa had both just said that Sousuke had saved her, and she wondered if that was all there was to it or if they were hiding some of the story from her. Wouldn't Sousuke have said something though, if there had ever been anything before her? Sarah did say she was a little jealous, but also that she didn't really know him, so maybe there was nothing to worry about after all. It was probably just some of her paranoia kicking in, making her groan and tug on her bangs in frustration.
Tessa walked Kaname through the building to the area she would be working in, wanting to do introductions first as they had appointments to meet with some of the higher-ups to get Kaname's security clearances and other paperwork squared away closer to the evening. "Well, here we are, this is the hangar where you will be doing your work. As you can see, there are many computers here, Miss Miller and I will show you how to use them. Some of them are made just for keeping up with a Whispered, as you are likely to type quite fast while in a trance and in a way that will not make sense to anyone else. It will take your inputs and run them through a filter for the others, as well as save it in its original form for those of us who can read them."
Four people approached – three men and a woman, all clutching clipboards and wearing lab coats with safety goggles hanging around their necks. They eyed Kaname suspiciously, wondering just what such a young girl could be doing there. Never mind, of course, that Tessa was the same age and that they currently worked with an equally young girl. They knew what the Whispered were, of course, but that did not erase their skepticism. Such extravagant knowledge coming from the minds of children whom would otherwise be classified as insane was dubious to scientists such as themselves. Never mind that the Arbalest had been built by a young boy. Never mind that the Tuatha de Danaan had been designed by Tessa.
Kaname felt nervous under their stares, and she had to fight against the urge to toe at the ground or clasp her hands behind her back. She heaved a mental sigh, and lifted her chin to meet their gazes. If she was going to have to work with these people, then they would damn well have to accept her. She was more than willing to bow to their greater knowledge and experience, but if they tried to treat her like she was an idiot or insignificant, she would give them a piece of her mind. She was a Whispered and she was there to do a job. That job involved designing something to help Sousuke, and like hell she would let some huffy scientists' bruised egos get in her way.
Tessa ran through the introductions, and Kaname politely shook their hands, though she did so grudgingly. It was obvious they all felt the same, and it seemed that as soon the formalities were over they immediately dismissed her. She clenched her hands at her side and bit back a growl, glaring daggers at their turned backs. They had crowded around Tessa and were muttering things like "Colonel, take a look at this," or "Colonel, we found an irregularity in the engine output," and varying other things. Tessa dutifully took a look through all of the reports, but it was obvious to Kaname that she was just as annoyed by their behavior.
When she came across one sheet, she showed it to Kaname, "Miss Kaname, would you please take a look at this for me? I'm afraid it falls more along your expertise than mine," Tessa smiled at Kaname, who took the sheet. It was so that the people Kaname would be working with could see that she belonged there, and, really, it was the truth. Tessa would not have handed it over if she did not have full confidence in Kaname's ability to answer better than she could.
Her eyes flitted across the paper quickly, and when she reached a line in the middle, she scowled. The man who had handed over that particular sheet of paper flinched, glaring at Kaname. He clearly did not appreciate what her dark look said about her thoughts on his formula and ideas. "This is stupid," she muttered, Tessa looked up at her concerned.
"Stupid, Miss Kaname?" she warily glanced over at the man, who opened his mouth to say something before Kaname interrupted.
"Yes, stupid. Idiotic. Lame-brained. What the hell kind of plan is this? The unit would explode if this was placed in it, you'd have to be daft to think this was a good idea," she grumbled some more and glanced up at the scientists. She took note of the one trembling in rage and pointed at him, "I'm guessing you're the moron then? Just what the hell were you thinking?"
Tessa laughed nervously, raising her hands in a placating gesture. She had forgotten that Kaname lacked a filter on her mouth when she felt strongly about something, and wished she had asked the girl not to go off on one of her usual tirades if something came up. Tessa sighed inwardly, realizing that the reason that she had not thought to bring it up to Kaname was because of her recent subdued nature. She had forgotten that with the return of Kaname's usual optimism since finding out she had something to help Sousuke, would also come the return of her attitude.
Kaname went off on a tirade, explaining just why this scientist's attempt at reconfiguring the lambda driver unit to fit in the AS with a smaller cooling unit was absurdity. Tessa gave up on trying calming Kaname and just returned to the sheaf of paper in her hands sullenly. The group of scientists glared at Kaname as she went off, nitpicking every little detail on the paper. Since one of them had tried protesting by interrupting her with insults to her age and intelligence, this was her revenge. Granted, as far as insults go, having her intelligence questioned on the basis that she was too pretty to be smart was hardly all that bad. It was the principle of the thing though. Kaname was not one to let someone go unpunished.
Also, though this was her first time meeting these people and though she had never worked on a project of this sort before, she felt strongly about making every detail perfect. This was a machine being built specifically for use by Sousuke, so every single piece of the design must be impeccable. That was how she felt. From her brief meeting with Sarah, she had a feeling the other girl felt the same way, but was perhaps too intimidated by these people to assert herself as necessary. Well, that was all right, Kaname could do the bitching for both of them. Satisfied with that thought, as well as the fact that she had finished taking apart every single letter and number on the paper in her hands, she grinned widely at the pole-axed expression on the faces before her.
Tessa immediately reached out and took the paper from Kaname. "Thank you Miss Kaname! I'm glad you're on this project with your in depth knowledge on the lambda driver and all of its functions," she giggled and turned to hand the papers back to the woman who was close to her. "Well, as you can see, Miss Kaname is very knowledgeable on the subject, so please give her words the same respect and consideration as you would give mine. And, now, if you'll excuse us, I must show her the computers on the side of the room," with that, Tessa tugged Kaname away.
Kaname smirked and wiggled her fingers over her shoulder as she turned in a mocking good-bye wave to the group. She felt quite satisfied with herself, and looked very much like the cat that caught the canary. Tessa relaxed her shoulders with a sigh, and then looked up at Kaname pleadingly. "Miss Kaname, please don't worry me like that!"
"Hm? What do you mean, Tessa?" she cocked her head to the side in confusion. She thought that had gone well. Their obvious dislike of her aside, she felt she had proved she deserved to be there at the very least. She did not need them to like her in order to do the job she was there to do. As long as they respected her knowledge on the subject of Black Technology, she was content.
Tessa shook her head and rubbed the side of her head with her fingertips, exasperated. "Please, you'll be working with these people for a few months at least, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't antagonize them. The complaints will pile up and I'll be forced to deal with them, even if I do know the reasons behind it."
Kaname stared blankly at the computer system in front of her, coming to a stop before the set of machinery. She thought on Tessa's words, not having really thought of it in that light. "Well, all right. I'll try not to insult them as much when that kind of thing comes up, but you can't ask me not to correct them when they're wrong. If this is going to be used by Sousuke, like hell I'm going to let them put faulty equipment in it."
"Yes, of course, I wouldn't ask you to let something pass if it wouldn't work. Just be more, ah, shall we say, diplomatic?" Tessa smiled up at her, completely understanding.
Nodding, Kaname grinned at her, "Right. Diplomatic. I can do that, sure." Wondering just what was in store for the research group Tessa shook her head and decided she did not actually want to know.
The rest of the day went off without a hitch. Tessa showed Kaname how to use the computer system, not that it was difficult to teach. It was a machine designed by a Whispered to be used by Whispereds, so it was intuitive for her, really. The most confusing part was the odd keyboard, but the likelihood of the device being used outside of a trance was slim at best, and in that case, her hands would just fly flawlessly across the keys to input her information.
After that, they had gone to lunch and then began their long string of meetings. Those went well as these were people who were accustomed to seeing sixteen year old ace soldiers and submarine captains, people who knew just what it was that the Whispered were and what their value was. Thanks to the work Kaname would be doing, they found an unoccupied building closer to the research center – and, consequently, the training grounds – and said they would move her and Sousuke's belongings there the following day. Her pay would be quite exorbitant, and she had not been sure she had heard correctly when the numbers were read off to her. The security clearance was quick enough, since Mithril already had all of her information from the mission to guard her. She would begin the following day.
A few weeks later saw them in the first days of October. Sousuke sat on the bed with a report he was expected to have memorized for his mission the following day. He had finished his reconditioning nearly two weeks prior, and was grateful that there had been a reprieve before this mission came up. It was going to be highly dangerous and he needed to be in top condition, which, thankfully, he now was. He spent a long time staring at a topographical map of the area he would be in, committing every splash of color indicating the high, the low, and the even ground to memory. That information could prove extremely valuable later.
Kaname ran out of the kitchen to the bathroom and began heaving. Sousuke set down the paper and turned to glance at the door which was left slightly ajar. He stood up and walked over, pushing the door open and stepping in to hold back Kaname's hair. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head and spit out every last bit of moisture in her mouth and hit the lever on the toilet. Sousuke held her elbow gently to steady her and turned the tap on in the sink so she could rinse out her mouth. After gargling with a large amount of mouth wash, she turned to him. "I feel fine, Sousuke. It's just the stress I think," she rested her forehead against his chest, leaning into him. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back soothingly. Kaname sighed against him, shaking her head and tangling her fists in his shirt. "I'm sorry. I'm being stupid, I know. I just hate it when you go," she whimpered and he squeezed her tightly, feeling guilty.
"Don't be sorry, Kaname. You're not being stupid for being afraid for my well-being. There's always danger, no matter how routine a mission it is. And this mission is," he sighed and ran his hands through her hair, gently working out tangles with his fingers.
"Less than routine?" she finished for him, a cold chill causing her to shudder. "I know, I guess that's why I'm so worried. It's so dangerous, and," she trailed off, once more burying her face against him. Sousuke patiently waited for her to continue, not bothering to prompt her. He pressed a kiss to her temple just before she went on. "I don't know, Sousuke, I just don't know. I have a bad feeling about this mission, and I just really, really don't want you to go!"
Kaname slumped against him and cried, her whole body trembling in his arms. He held her close, continuing to stroke her hair as he patiently waited for her to calm down. He could hate Mithril, for having him do things that made Kaname cry. It really tore at him to see her like this, especially when he was the cause, and there was nothing he could do. There was no backing out of this mission. In fact, he would not want to back out of this mission even if the option were available to him. She knew this, too. She desperately wanted him to succeed at this mission, as it would mean a lot for the two of them.
She sniffled and pulled back slowly, wiping at her face. She took a few moments as well as a few deep breaths to gather herself, and then looked up at him with a serious expression. "Just promise me one thing, Sousuke?"
He shifted nervously. He hated it when she asked him to promise something when they were in a situation like this. Chances were he would not be able to make the promise. She must have known what he was thinking, because her expression immediately fell. Sousuke swallowed and nodded hesitatingly, "If I can, Kaname."
She blew the bangs away from her face and glanced away with a grimace. She wished it wasn't the best she could hope for, but then, at least she knew he would not lie to her. Or break his promise, since he would never guarantee anything if there was even a shred of doubt. "Promise me you'll come back alive? Even if you have to abandon the mission, even if you'll risk punishment at the hands of your superiors, will you please just make sure you make it back to me?"
Sousuke was silent for a while, staring off at some invisible point over her shoulder. After what seemed eternity to her, his gaze shifted back to meet hers and he answered. "I cannot guarantee that I will return alive, Kaname. But I can promise that I will do absolutely everything in my power to make sure that I do, even if it means turning my back on the mission," those words had cost him a great deal. Kaname threw herself at him, knowing that was the most she could hope to ever get from him, and was grateful that he would make that sacrifice for her. That he would make survival his top priority, not completion of the mission, meant everything to her.
He rubbed her back again and bowed his head to press his lips against the top of her head. He did not know how to feel about the promise he just made. It was not like him, but he felt he could understand. When Gauron had told him she was dead, he had lost his will to live, and he only sought to exist, to survive, because that was all he had ever known. Nothing was important to him, and he truly believed nothing would ever be important to him again.
Death was a large part of his life, and the loss of the person most precious to him had done him in. He could only imagine how Kaname would feel if she were to lose him. Seeing her cry, seeing her miserable – making her cry, making her miserable – those things hurt him so much. If it meant turning his back on everything he had ever known just to keep her from feeling that loss he had felt, then he would do it. Consequences be damned.
Kaname reached up and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck to keep him close to her. Sousuke tightened his grip on her and returned the kiss with fervor, slipping his hands down to lift her skirt and caress the backs of her thighs. She moaned and pulled back, panting for air. "Finish what you need to do, Sousuke. Then I'll give you plenty of reasons to come back to me, dummy," she smiled up at him and he nodded with a grin.
He returned to his files on the bed while Kaname returned to cooking their dinner. Sousuke picked up the topographical map again, as well as the few satellite photos they had managed to collect, comparing them to map out the area in his head. The area he would be at was in one of the vast untouched forests in the Primorsky Krai of Russia. Somehow Amalgam had managed to keep itself hidden out there, despite the fact that the region was one of the most prosperous of the Far-East Russian territories. The land certainly had plenty of uninhabited land, but those lands were nearly all reserves or privately owned for monitored foresting.
That was probably the explanation, now that he thought of it. Mithril had its own fair share of front companies, of course Amalgam would too. They were likely behind one of those private companies, and had made their base in a place where it would be nigh impossible to locate. He sighed and sifted through the papers, positive now that he would be able to navigate the area with confidence in his location. Though by now he had the part memorized, he pulled out the sheet with his mission parameters listed.
He was to be the defense for his comrades again. It was his job to engage any and all lambda driver equipped Arm Slave units. Even if it was that unit that he had stood no chance against eight months prior. He sighed and rubbed his brow, closing his eyes tightly. This mission was worrisome, he had to admit. Far too much was likely to go wrong for his peace of mind. Kaname's reaction to the mission just served to add more to the weight on his mind. Dangerous mission, needing to protect his comrades, needing to come out alive, possibly abandoning my comrades.
That last did not sit well with him. He promised Kaname, and he would do it if it came down to it, but that did not mean he had to like it. It was certainly not that it was beyond him, he had not always been all that concerned about those he was supposed to be fighting with. He had come to respect and even like many of his teammates in Mithril though, and the idea of betraying them was almost sickening.
Sousuke sighed again and closed up the files. For Kaname, though… Anything. It was not as though he were going to just up and abandon them from the get-go. That was a last resort. He was good at finding unexpected ways out of situations gone horribly wrong, no sense dwelling on the 'maybes.' That was what would get him killed if he wasn't careful. Or get his comrades killed.
Kaname poked her head out of the kitchen, and smiled when she saw the folders on the mattress beside him, closed and with all of their papers stuffed inside. "Dinner's ready, Sousuke."
He looked over at her and smiled, standing up and moving to join her. The new place was definitely better than the quarters they had stayed in for just a couple of nights when they first arrived. He had come to appreciate the feeling of a normal home when living with Kaname in Tokyo and though it was something he could easily get on without, he had felt a little sad at the thought of living in a so militant an environment again. There was a lot to be said about coming home from a long day of getting your head beat in to a warm, colorful, nicely furnished place with space, privacy, and a beautiful woman cooking dinner.
As she set the plate down at Sousuke's seat, she grinned up at him. "Reason Number One to make sure you get back: Dinner."
Sousuke raised a brow and smirked at her, taking his seat while she poured him a glass of water beside him, "What's Reason Number Two?"
Kaname put the Brita she used for filtering the tap down and leaned in to suckle on Sousuke's earlobe, drawing a gasp from him. Her warm breath hitting the cold wet as she whispered made him shiver with excitement, "Dessert."