Aruiteku Together Forever – Chapter Eighteen
The silence was unbearable. After Sousuke's rather obvious declaration, nothing had been said. Ayame looked between the three, wondering what she should do, if anything. Kaname was hiding behind Sousuke completely, her face buried in his back. Sousuke and Shunya had entered a staring contest, and they had been glaring at each other for nearly ten whole minutes. Awkwardly, Ayame crossed the room and skirted around Sousuke to slide an arm across her sister's shoulders.
Kaname turned to her sister, wrapping her arms around her and hiding her face in Ayame's shoulder. Ayame was taken aback, unable to recall a time her sister had ever seemed so helpless. She brought Kaname over to a couch, settling her in and shooting her father a nasty glare. The look from Ayame startled him greatly and the staring contest came to an end. Giving Shunya one last look, Sousuke set Kaname's bag to the side then went to join her, kneeling down beside her and asking if she needed anything.
Shunya watched the three in stunned silence as Ayame and Sousuke completely doted on Kaname. The cruel expression Ayame had turned on him had been a shock, he felt as though he had been splashed in the face with a bucket of ice water. He had never thought the young girl would ever look at him like that, and it made him step back and look at the full picture.
Kaname had waited to tell him in person, she had respected, and trusted, him enough not to do it over the phone. Sousuke was obviously very protective of her and was making it clear she would not be going through it alone. His reaction had upset her, and it had been unwarranted. She did not deserve to be yelled at, sometimes accidents just happened no matter how careful you were, he knew, and she was eighteen now. He could afford to be more understanding.
He sighed and removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose to ease away the tension. After taking in a deep breath, he sat in a chair facing the sofa where Kaname was cuddled up with Ayame, the younger girl fawning over her in wonder. Sousuke was adjusting throw pillows to make Kaname more comfortable, and she was looking between the two with a thankful smile. When they seemed to have settled down, he turned a stern look on them. Ayame and Sousuke both had their arms wrapped protectively around Kaname who had her gaze turned to the floor to avoid seeing his disappointment.
"Why don't you explain this to me?" he said, trying to keep his voice even.
Kaname and Sousuke looked at each other, wondering just what they should say. Ayame decided to speak up, "Oh, come on Daddy, even I know where babies come from!"
Shunya bit his tongue to keep himself from snapping, closing his eyes tightly against the building pressure in his head. "You know full well that's not what I meant, Ayame. Now stay quiet. What I meant, Kaname, Sousuke, is how did you two let this happen? I do believe I had been promised you would be careful, was I not?"
"Well, yes Father and we have been," she blushed and looked down at her feet once more, "except once. We forgot," she sighed, her shoulders sagging forward. Sousuke rubbed her back, looking at her apologetically.
He cleared his throat and looked up at Shunya, "It was my fault, sir. She was emotionally distraught at the time; I should have been the one to realize."
Kaname elbowed him in the ribs and glared at him, "You idiot."
"Kaname?"
"Ugh, you have absolutely no idea what that just sounded like, do you?" He tilted his head, confused, and she just threw up her arms in defeat. "Never mind, I don't know why I bother sometimes, stupid idiot."
Shunya brought his hands up to massage his temples. "How is it every time I see you two I get a massive headache?" he muttered. Both Kaname and Sousuke looked at him, surprised at first, then sheepish.
"Sorry, Father."
"My apologies."
"All right, why don't we just move to the next point? How do you intend to raise the child? You're living on a base, aren't you?" he decided to let what Sousuke said drop for the moment. Kaname's reaction to his blunder made him feel slightly better about the situation, and the implications that it had not been their first time at the very least were vaguely encouraging. If their first time had been due to Kaname being "emotionally distraught" he might just have to kill Sousuke for taking advantage of her.
They exchanged looks again, and Sousuke was the one who answered this time. "I intend to eliminate all threats to Kaname's safety so that she may be able to resume a normal life in the city as is her desire."
Shunya and Ayame both gawked at him. Clearing his throat, Shunya asked "And just how do you intend to do such a thing?"
"I have my own personal sources as well as people in my organization searching for them, and when the opposing group is located, I will dispatch them with extreme prejudice," the steel in his voice was enough to make Shunya's blood run cold. He knew the boy had killed before, but it was one thing to think of it in the past, and another to think of it in the future. Kaname sighed and leaned against Sousuke, murmuring something to him that had him nodding and kissing her on the top of her head. Shunya had a feeling it was something like 'thank you,' which left an odd feeling behind – thanking the boy for killing people?
He would think more heavily on the matter later. He had questions, sure, but he did not wish to ask them. He was afraid of the answers. Instead, next point, he figured, "What about marriage?"
That was something easy for them to discuss, and Kaname smiled at her father, "Actually, we were hoping you would give us permission, so we could marry while we're here. We have the paperwork; you just need to sign it."
Shunya looked between the two and noticed the relaxed and cheerful expressions they had when thinking about marriage. Their joy completely overshadowed the heavy feeling from just moments before. With a sigh, he sat back in the chair and stared up at the ceiling for several long moments. Finally, he looked down and nodded, "Very well."
Ayame immediately leapt to her feet and stood up in front of her sister and soon-to-be brother-in-law. "Since you're going to be part of the family, can I call you Sokkun?!" she squealed in delight. Obviously, it had been on her mind for a very long time.
Sousuke blinked slowly, staring at her, and a somewhat cross expression came over his face, "You're calling me… sock?"
Shunya looked over his newspaper to watch Kaname who was curled up on the couch with her phone in hand, biting her lower lip nervously as she stared down at the device. He arched his brow as she fidgeted and argued with herself, "Kaname, what exactly are you doing?"
She looked up at him and groaned, "I'm trying to convince myself to call Kyouko."
"Is something wrong?"
Kaname made a face at the phone, "There shouldn't be," she sighed, "It's probably all in my head." She muttered under her breath, hating her fear of rejection. Really, she knew her friend better than that, and Kyouko wouldn't turn around and stab her in the back simply because she had gotten pregnant. If anything, knowing her, she would probably be excited, but still…
Sousuke walked in the house with Ayame, the younger girl giggling and clinging on to his jacket. "Sokkun, Sokkun, snowball fight, c'mon!" Kaname looked up at the joyful shouting.
Scowling, Sousuke shook his head while shedding his jacket. He had gone for a jog and Ayame had insisted on going with him. If he had known she was going to pester him for a snowball fight the whole time he would have insisted on running alone. Laughing, Kaname turned around and looked at them over the back of the couch, "Aw, Sokkun, go play with her. Think of it as practice for playing with our daughter or something."
"Not you too," he muttered. It had been only one day and the nickname had stuck.
Tugging on his arm, Ayame pulled Sousuke back into the foyer, "C'mon, Sokkun! You heard Kana-nee, practice, practice, let's go!"
Sighing, he realized this was a battle he could never win, so he tugged his jacket back on and let himself be led outside. Kaname giggled, shaking her head, and returned her attention to the phone. With a sigh, she poked through her address book to find Kyouko's number and hit the send button. The line rang twice before her friend picked up excitedly, "Kana-chan!"
"Kyouko, how are you?"
"I'm good, studying for tests though, hah, exam hell is going to be the death of me. How are you?!"
She smiled sadly, wishing she were taking part in the exams as well, even if they were hell, and answered, "Oh, I'm good. I'm in Japan right now, I know you're busy, but did you want to try to get together, even if just for an hour or so?"
"Definitely Kana-chan, when do you want to meet up?"
"I guess whatever works for you – we're in Japan for two weeks."
"How about tomorrow, we can meet up at that café we used to go to or something."
"That sounds great, Kyouko," they made their plans, finding a time that worked. They chatted for a little while, Kaname skirting around her news. It was something she just didn't feel right saying over the phone, though she found herself worrying again about what Kyouko would think. Even if the girl had been one of the only people to stick with her after finding out she was a freak. One thing after another, just how much would Kyouko be willing to accept?
When she hung up the phone Shunya turned down his paper again, "Going out tomorrow?"
She nodded, "Yeah, I want to at least tell Kyouko, you know?"
Shunya agreed and went back to his reading. Kaname stood up and stretched, "I'm going to go check on those two," she giggled, shaking her head. She could only imagine what a snowball fight between them would end up like. Ayame was competitive enough, and she had years of snowball fighting under her belt, but Sousuke… Kaname shook her head again. She was afraid of what she might find as she opened the door after bundling up against the cold.
There was nothing.
She blinked, turning her head, trying to see where they were. Grumbling about the weather and snow, she stepped outside and walked around the house, trying to find them, "Sousuke? Ayame, where are you guys?"
Ayame suddenly ducked out from behind a tree and grabbed Kaname's arm with a laugh, "Hah! Now I have a hostage! He'll have no choice but to give in," the girl grinned widely. She had ice crystals stuck to her hair, her clothes were completely drenched from the snow, and there were even some stray twigs poking out in random directions from her clothes and hair.
Laughing, Kaname shook her head and let herself be led away by her sister, who directed her to a snow fort in the backyard that could only have been made by Sousuke. Ayame held up a snowball beside her sister's face while she stared at the structure, wondering how he had made it in such a short amount of time.
Sousuke poked his head up from behind the white wall, looking to be in significantly better shape than Ayame. "I see you have taken a hostage. Unfortunately, I do not negotiate with terrorists."
Ayame nearly choked, "What?! Ooh, why you! So you're not going to protect my sister then, Sokkun?"
He ducked back behind the wall arranged his ammunition from several piles of prepared snowballs. Kaname sighed and shook her head, "Ayame, I could have told you that it was pointless."
"But, Kana-nee, he should be negotiating your safe return!" she protested, looking up at her sister with wide eyes.
Grinning, Kaname just shrugged, "Taking me was a bad choice. He knows you won't do anything to me," she suddenly turned a glare on Ayame and growled, "at least you better not, imp." She noticed Sousuke sneak out from behind his shelter, working his way behind Ayame. She smiled to herself and decided to keep Ayame distracted; the girl had taken her hostage so she could use a little revenge. "What were you planning on doing with me as hostage, anyway?"
Ayame fidgeted, "Uh, I don't know, threaten your safety?" That wasn't very convincing.
"A threat doesn't do much good if you aren't going to follow up on it," she scowled. Sousuke was almost within arm's reach of Ayame now, and Kaname wondered just how it was he could move without making noise in the crispy snow. "And I say again, you really better not have been planning on following up on it."
She looked sheepish, the blush on her face from more than just the frigid air, "No, Kana-nee. I wouldn't do that to you now."
"Right, I'm sure you wouldn't-!" suddenly Ayame screamed and Sousuke stood up behind her with a look of grim satisfaction. She flailed and pulled on the back of her shirt, trying to get the snow to fall through.
"It's cold, it's cold, it's cold, it's cold!" she shouted as she tried to get the snow out of her clothes. She released Kaname and ran into the house, yelling "You're mean!"
Kaname laughed, shaking her head, and looked up at Sousuke who grinned, "I win."
She nodded and smiled, holding out her arms and beckoning him to close the distance. He walked up to her and pulled her into a warm hug, kissing her neck softly as she giggled, "That you did. It's not fair, really, though, since I did help keep her distracted."
"We make a good team," he pulled back to kiss her on the lips, then he picked her up.
"Sousuke!" she laughed, kicking her legs in mock struggle, "Sousuke, what are you doing?"
"Bringing you inside before you catch a cold," he carried her to the front yard and set her down just before the door. She smiled up at him and leaned in, resting against his chest. He held her tightly for a few minutes, standing there and enjoying the peaceful silence. No military exercises, no aircraft coming and going, no Arm Slaves running around practicing, no explosives, no machinery, just a few brave birds calling to each other in the snow and drifts falling from sagging branches.
Kaname sighed happily, "It's so peaceful here."
"Yes," he kissed the top of her head, stroking her hair. As if to spite them his phone rang, interrupting the silence they had enjoyed. Kaname pulled back with a groan while Sousuke pulled out the device and answered it with a scowl, "Uruz Seven."
He walked off a few steps, listening intently and answering when he had to. Kaname wrapped her arms around her chest and tapped her foot impatiently, watching him. Noticing her, he paused for a moment to excuse himself into the phone before turning back to her, "Kaname, why don't you go inside? This will take some time."
She blinked and tilted her head, finding that odd. Usually it was just 'Mission, use this route' and that was it. "Well, all right then, don't stay outside too long though and get sick," she waved and walked back into the house, trying not to let it get her down. This was supposed to be their time to relax together, away from the base, and to try to settle some personal business for when they could finally move back. Kaname sighed as she took off her coat and removed her boots, shaking her head.
It wasn't as though she hadn't known that it could happen, especially now that the Laevatein was operational. She had just assumed that since they had managed for the past few months that they would be willing to last a little longer so the two could do what they needed. She tugged on her bangs in frustration, sighed and shrugged, then walked into the living room where her father still sat, watching the news after having finished his paper. He glanced over at her, "Just what did Sousuke do to Ayame?"
Kaname smiled at him, "Ayame took me 'hostage' so he retrieved me. By shoving snow down the back of her shirt," she giggled. Shunya shook his head.
"Where is he?" he peered around her, noticing there was no one there.
"He's outside on the phone," she shrugged, trying not to make a big deal of it. "He'll come back in once he gets off his call. I'm going to take a shower and warm up." Shunya nodded and turned his attention back to the television.
It wasn't until after Kaname had gotten out of her shower that Sousuke came back inside. She looked up at him from her spot on the couch beside Ayame, who had gotten over the betrayal and was hugging her, "When do you leave?"
Ayame and Shunya looked at Kaname curiously for the question, and Sousuke shrugged, "They're working out the details, the Lieutenant Commander needed to ask me a few questions. It should be the middle of next week if the situation doesn't change."
"That's odd, what's going on?"
He glanced at the other two, and then returned his focus on Kaname, "I'll tell you later."
Kaname nodded, and Sousuke excused himself to get cleaned up. "Kana-nee, where does Sokkun have to go?"
She shrugged and laughed nervously in response. Even if Shunya and Ayame did both know he belonged to 'a secret military organization' they did not know any of the details and she was not about to be the one to explain specifics. It wasn't long before Sousuke returned, and he scowled at Ayame when he realized she wasn't going to move from the spot she claimed beside her sister. Kaname grinned up at him, "Sorry, Sokkun. You won the snow battle, Ayame won this." He sighed and took a seat on the opposite side of Ayame.
Kaname was fidgeting again. Sousuke glanced down at her, slipping his hand in hers and squeezing reassuringly. "Kaname, why are you so nervous?"
She sighed, "I just don't want Kyouko to think any less of me than she probably already does."
"Would you have called her and agreed to meet up with her if you really believed she would, that she does?" he watched her face carefully as he asked the question. She looked down at her feet thoughtfully.
"I guess I wouldn't have," she said quietly. She looked back up at him and smiled, "I'm sorry Sousuke. I've been worrying over every little thing. You must be getting so sick of it," she rested her head on his shoulder with a soft sigh.
He shook his head, the tips of his hair tickled her cheek and she realized she was going to have to cut his hair again soon, "Nonsense."
Kaname giggled and rubbed her head on his shoulder again before sitting up, the announcement for their stop chiming in the cabin. "Thanks, Sousuke."
"It's not a problem," he smiled down at her and she laughed again. They came to their stop and got off the train, walking towards the café they were meeting Kyouko at. Kaname held his hand, squeezing tightly, still nervous regardless of what she told herself. He squeezed back and she took in a deep breath, and then pushed open the door to the building. She looked around and found Kyouko standing up and waving to them. Kaname smiled and waved back, turning to look up at Sousuke.
"Give me a minute?" He nodded and took a seat at the counter, letting her talk with her friend alone. When Kyouko noticed the difference in Kaname, she looked at her with concern. Kaname kept her smile, trying to keep calm. Even though she was afraid her friend would reject her, no matter how many times she told herself it was an irrational fear, she kept her smile. "Hi, Kyouko, it's been awhile hasn't it?"
Kyouko nodded, still looking at her carefully, "Ah, Kana-chan, are you…?"
Kaname blushed and nodded, unconsciously bringing a hand to her stomach, "Yeah. I'm pregnant." She bit her lip and resisted the urge to squeeze her eyes shut, afraid of rejection.
For a few moments, neither of them said anything further. Kaname started to fidget once again, growing more and more afraid with her friend's silence. Suddenly, Kyouko clapped her hands together with an excited shout and threw herself at Kaname for a hug, "Kana-chan, congratulations! You have to tell me all about it, when are you due, do you know what you're having, c'mon, tell me!"
Kaname laughed, amused and relieved. "All right, all right, let's sit down and I'll tell you all about it. Mind if Sousuke comes over now?"
Kyouko giggled, "Of course not." Kaname smiled and called him over. The three sat down, ordered their drinks, and started talking. Kyouko was excited about the news, cooing over practically everything Kaname told her. She loved children – she even wanted to work at a toy company – and she was thrilled that her best friend was having a baby. "I'm so happy for you two, you're going to be great parents," she laughed. "I just hope Sagara-kun doesn't teach her anything that gets her into trouble. Can you imagine a mini-Sagara-kun running around an elementary school?"
Kaname glared at Sousuke and elbowed him, "He better not," she growled.
He sputtered indignantly, "Kaname, I wouldn't! At least not on purpose-!" she elbowed him again, causing him to choke on his words as the air was knocked out of his lungs.
Kyouko grinned, "It's nice to see you guys are still the same. I was really worried about you, Kana-chan."
Kaname turned red, "Ah, maybe it's just being back in Tokyo. I haven't felt this energetic in awhile." Sousuke wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close, making her smile warmly at him. Kyouko grinned at them, snapping a picture of the loving couple.
"So, are you guys planning on getting married or anything?"
"Well, yes, but for now it's nothing major," Kaname sighed. She wanted to at least have a real wedding, but that would have to wait until after Shizuko was born and their life had calmed down drastically. "We're just going to get the legal stuff out of the way, worry about a real ceremony further down the road."
Kyouko nodded, "Makes sense. Ooh, you just have to let me know when you get to the real thing. I want to see you in a pretty dress, you'll be so amazing Kana-chan!"
"Of course," she laughed. "We're hoping to be living back here sometime soon, anyway. Right, Sousuke?"
Sousuke nodded, "Yes."
Kaname smiled and grabbed his hand under the table, gripping it tightly. He had told her last night that they had received information regarding the whereabouts of Amalgam's bases and research centers. How they had come across the information was unknown, but she was both grateful and nervous about it. She was grateful, because she desperately wanted to be able to have a normal life. She was nervous, because she never wanted to know again the fear she had felt when Sousuke had been severely injured a few months back. She was nervous, because she never wanted to know anything worse.
The next day saw the couple married. They had turned in their paperwork, got the certificate, and that was that. There wasn't really a ceremony, and it was just the two, no one else, but it was done. Sousuke played with the plain silver band on his finger, unaccustomed to having any jewelry other than his watch and dog tags. Kaname smiled at him and leaned against him, pulling her scarf up around the bottom of her face. He dropped his hands and reached for hers, entwining their fingers and staring down at her.
He wasn't a particularly sentimental person, but he had never thought a day like this would come. It was odd, thinking of himself as married, soon to be a father, all things he would not have considered in relation to him. When his fellow soldiers talked about their families he had never thought he could one day be in their shoes. Personal relations were not something he had ever been even remotely curious about until Kaname. It was dangerous to let someone get so close, but really, since the day he had fallen asleep when she had scissors in her hands and he was wrapped in a blanket he knew he had long since passed that point.
Kaname pulled her scarf down enough to press a kiss against his lips, blushing happily. It didn't matter to her anymore that they were young. She had known for some time that Sousuke was 'the one' and since they had been together, the way they had grown together in just the past year, she knew they would last through anything. "You know, Sousuke, at the end of the month we'll have been together for a year," she giggled and looked down at their interlocked hands. "And we're already married."
His cheeks turned slightly red and he smiled almost shyly at her, "Is that bad?"
"No," she shook her head, "because it's you." She leaned back up and kissed him again, and he wrapped his arms around her to deepen the kiss, for once not giving a damn that they were in public. He ignored the scowls being sent in their direction, but was happy all the same when their stop came up. He led her out of the train and to the hotel they were staying at that night. They had decided not to stay at her family's house that evening, instead choosing to spend time alone and enjoying their newly wed status while they could.
When they got in, Kaname stripped off her layers and sat down on the bed with a sigh, "What time are our reservations for dinner?"
Sousuke put down their bags and took off his own few layers of clothing and pushed her down onto the bed with a grin. "Not for a few hours," he whispered into her ear huskily.
She giggled and wrapped her self around him as best she could, "Good."
AN: The Sokkun/sock thing has a story behind it that you can thank my beta for. It was too good not to include. I wanted Ayame to come up with a nickname for him anyways, and that was too much fun.
Also, I wanted to note that I've been considering writing something to the side of ATF that shows what the other characters are going through while Sousuke and Kaname's relationship is developing, since this is purely SxK centered. It'd be MaoxKurz definitely, most likely some TessaxYan (Hashiru One Night Stand and Tsuzuku On My Own made me think he'd be good for her), as well as probably some Jindai stuff. Let me know what you think.