Chapter 4: Consumerism! Part 1
Two days later...
Kugmiya Madoka, Misa Kakizaki and Sakurado Shiina had decided to take a break from the tense atmosphere of the dorms. After the attack everyone in class 3-A had to deal with near hysterical parents calling to see if they where alright. Those not involved in the attack wanted to know what happened and those who where involved wanted to forget it ever happened. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife in the normally cheery dorm. The cheerleaders decided that shopping was the answer and the nearby town and its stores would provided exactly that.
The trio arrived in town around noon and decided that the first thing they would do is eat. They had wandered around for about five minutes randomly peeking into shops argue about what to eat when Misa spotted Negi walking down the other side of the road with someone.
"Hey is that...?"
"Misa hurry up! I wanna go sing some karaoke after we eat."
"No, look! Isn't that Negi and Konoka?" Misa speared her finger at the back of the child teacher and his roommate. Madoka and Shiina looked toward the location that Misa's finger indicated and squinted. Sure enough, Negi and Konoka where walking side by side talking amicably to one another. The trio thought hard on the possible reasons why both where in town. Shiina, face aflame, suddenly turned to the other two and stated. "Y-you don't think their on a date do you?"
The trio clustered behind a statue of a stores mascot. Misa whispered loudly, "B-but Negi-kun is a 10 year old! Maybe they just came to get some clothes like brother and sister?" Shiina started to wave her arms around like some sort of bird. "T-this is bad, no wait, this is worse then bad! It's bwhad!" Madoka stopped shaking her fist in the air in front of her for a second before turning to Shiina with a quizzical look on her face, "What?"
Misa slashed her hand through the air between the other two girls. "Enough of that! Negi-kun could get fired if anyone finds out. I calling the authorities." The two other girls looked at Misa in astonishment as she pulled out her cell phone. Shiina wailed, "You mean like other school staff?" Misa placed her hand on the mouth piece, "No, baka! I mean like Asuna!" The ringing ceased and Misa put her ear to the phones speaker.
"Asuna! What? Oh, sorry about yelling, anyway, we've got a emergency here! I'm sending a picture now." She lifted her phone a snapped a quick picture with it's camera of Negi and Konoka hold a shirt. "There! What? What do you mean it's not important? She could steal him from you! Asuna? Asuna? Damnit, she hung up!" Madoka squeaked and pointed. The other two girls turned and looked at who Madoka pointed at and spotted John coming out of a store on the street corner with several bags of what looked like clothes held in the crook of his arm.
John felt someone observing him and looked around but all he could see was the usual foot traffic and some sort of mascot statue. Twitching his shoulders John walked off and the trio fell from out behind the statue in a untidy heap. Madoka looked at the other two and smirked, "Anybody else feel like saying 'Golly Scoob!' ?" The other two girls groaned, and Madoka just grinned as they disentangled their limbs.
Standing up Shiina spotted Setsuna walking down the street they where standing on. She was clutching a large cloth covered object. Shiina waved as Setsuna walked up to them with a eyebrow quirked and a bland expression.
"What's going on?"
The trio looked at one another then at Setsuna and after a few awkward seconds Shiina blurted, "Negi-kun and Konoka-chan are on a date. John-san's here and if he finds them he might hurt Konoka-chan." The three other girls looked at Shiina like she was crazy. She waved her hand back and forth in front of her chest, "I mean all of us heard what he did right?" Three heads nodded, the cheerleaders knew that he was some sort of mercenary here to protect Negi, and that meant he was dangerous. "We all know how dangerous he is. What if he decides that she's a threat? He could go nuts and shoot both of them!" Misa and Madoka nodded at her logic, as all three of them where unfamiliar with mercs or soldiers in general.
Setsuna replied, shaking her head, "He wouldn't hurt her, I mean he's a professional soldier. What that means, Shiina-dono, is that him she's a civilian and that means if she get's into trouble he would do his best to protect her and Negi-sensei. The chances that he would deliberately hurt a civilian like that are about as likely as a talking white rodent stealing my underwear!"
Setsuna room
Chamo had hit the jackpot. Row after neatly folded row laved before his eyes. He figured the owner of these wouldn't miss a few pairs. As he was about to snatch his treasure Chamo let loose a massive sneeze and caused him to pause in his work and take out one of the little cigarettes he carried with him. Lighting the end (somehow), he raised to cig to his mouth and said, "Somewhere, a beauty is calling me."
He finished his cancer stick a few minutes later and resumed his work.
Back in town
Setsuna felt a chill come over her. Maybe I'm catching a cold. She shook her self and turned back to the cheerleaders. Misa looked at the other three, "Let's fallow Negi-kun and Konoka!" Shiina and Madoka shook their heads eagerly and started off after the pair.
Setsuna was torn for a moment then sighed, "Wait up!" She quickly caught up to the rambunctious cheerleaders. The cheer trio (plus one) laughed and set off.
Across town, five minutes later
John was still a little twitchy in crowds. His training had always emphasized to be suspicious of everything and his personal experience had never taught him how to deal with civilian populations. He could not stop searching the rooftops for snipers, or the alleyways for assassins or scanning the crowds for attackers.
At least I'm almost done. John thought, as he looked at the list he had made before leaving the dorms. I need a few more pairs of pants and a few more t-shirts then I'll have enough clothes for a month. He readjusted the half a dozen bags in his arms. His stomach growled and John felt like sighing. I haven't eaten anything in three days and I won't have anymore money after I get the rest of the supplies I need. As a ward of the UNSC he had never had to have pay for anything, but he quickly caught on to the idea.As that mildly depressing thought drifted through his mind, movement off to his side caught his attention.
Two crates where sailing directly toward his head. Acting out of reflex John dropped his bags and lifted his arms. A Spartan II with out their armor was capable of lifting one thousand pounds above their head and was able to catch a paintball out of the air without breaking it (A test Dr. Hasely thought up). The two crates might as well have been paper weights and flying through tar. John caught both crates with ease and looked up as a familiar voice yelled about three seconds too late.
"Oh my god! is anyone hurt?"
"I've had worse." John carefully placed both crates on the ground beside him and turned to Asuna as she limped onto the sidewalk both hands covering her mouth. "I-I'm so sorry. I was just taking those to the dumpster when this cat came out of nowhere and tripped me!"
John noticed that Asuna was wearing some sort of uniform that did... interesting things to her assets. While all Spartans had a reduced sex drive that didn't mean that they did not take notice of the opposite sex. John quickly suppressed the thought. He looked at the sign on the building.
Anne Millers? Interesting name for a restaurant in Japan. Turning back he noticed that her ankle was bleeding a little. "Are you alright?" She threw up her hands and waved them a little, her voice dripping with embarrassment, "I'm fine! No really, I'm fine!" As she backed away her heel caught on slight rise that separated the street from the alleyway. A hand shot out and caught her shoulder before she could fall back more than a few inches.
John set her back on her feet. "We've got to stop meeting like this." Asuna stood rooted in place as several emotions played across her mind. John walked over to the two crates and tossed them into the dumpster which was a good 150 feet away at the end of the ally. John then walked up and made Asuna throw a arm around his shoulders. The Spartan helped the teen to the side entrance of the restaurant where she unsteadily sat down on the steps that lead up to the door.
John retrieved his belongings then leaned against the wall next to the silent teen. A awkward minute passed, then another, as neither John or Asuna where willing to break the silence. The cat that Asuna had stepped on walked from out behind the trashcan where it was hiding and started to rub itself against his leg, purring madly. The Spartan placed the bags he carried on the ground next to him. Asuna turned her head and watched as John nudged the cat with his foot causing it to skitter away.
"Sorry about earlier."
"Don't mention it."
Asuna stood up slowly, unsure if her ankle could support her weight and turned to John, "I've got to get back to work." John nodded and turned to go when a thought flashed through his mind, "Say, are there any openings here for a part time position? I need a job to pay off the school entrance fee and supply costs." Plus money for clothes, food, or anything, he did not add. Asuna replied, "I think there's a dishwasher position open."
John thought about how his often commented on luck worked for a few seconds, then came to a conclusion. It's strange at how it flip-flops from misfortune one second to salvation the next. He shook himself then fallowed Asuna into the depths of the restaurant.
A roof across town, same time
On the outskirts of town two men stood on one of the various roof tops and looked down at the street with a predatory air. They had identical features, both where tall and lean, They where also dressed in rather nice suits and both had vaguely northern European look. One was platinum blond and a few inches taller then his twin, who had raven black hair.
"Have you located the new Caller, brother?" asked the taller of the two, face set in a disinterested expression.
"Yes. Both the Caller and the Called are here along with the Callers Pactio holder and several... interesting cases. This is going to be so much fun brother!" The shorter twin replied with maniac grin (emphasis on maniac).
"Calm yourself brother, the time will come when you can play to your hearts content. For now, lets get going. We've things to do." The shorter twin shrugged as the taller twin leaped to the roof across the street with unnatural agility and whispered, "Yes, playtime will come soon, very soon." The shorter twin walked over to lip of the roof and hopped down.
The Other side of town, same time
Yuri Leninoff, ex-Spetnaz operator and former FSB agent and currently criminal mastermind, stalked the side walks and alleyways of the town like a grizzly bear with a tooth-ach. The reasons for his current black mood where currently three fold. The first reason being the injuries he had received during the recent school fiasco where starting to hurt like a bitch. The second reason was the man hunt currently underway was starting to get close. The final reason was he had yet to find the bastard who had broken his jaw and blinded one eye.
Yuri had left Russia in disgrace after a certain incident that involved a generals daughter and a drug smuggling ring. Over the last next twenty years Yuri had committed some of the most daring robberies and kidnappings the world had ever seen. Why, just last year he and around thirty hired guns and kidnapped three separate presidents and their families during a press conference. He had walked away with about 130 million euros and enough money to bank roll the school operation. He still had about 460 million in a untraceable bank account and he had used about 30 mill to bribe the Interpol team sent to transport him to Switzerland for trial.
He had used his contacts in the Ministry of Education to find out who had injured him and the results where surprising. He had never really got a good look at the man who threw something at his face (the speed at which the CO2 canister traveled rivaled a sub sonic pistol shot). After getting the information via e-mail he had flown into a rage. A fucking child!? A goddamn schoolboy? A few hours later he had cleaned himself up and decided that the only way he could move on with his life was to remove a certain silver haired teenager.
Security around the school was too tight to do anything there so he had decided to strike while John was in town.
Yuri grinned.
He had located his target...
The Plaza in front of the Anne Millers, ten minutes later
Negi was starting to get hungry. He and Konoka had been walking around town for a few hours now looking for a birthday present for Asuna when Negi's stomach decided to make its demands known. Red faced, he turned away from Konoka's knowing smirk. After a few seconds Konoka announced, "I sure am getting hungry! How about you Negi? Do you feel like getting something to eat?" Negi, even more red faced now, looked down at his feet and mumbled a "Yes". Konoka laughed and started to walk toward the restaurant across the plaza.
Negi was still looking at his feet when they entered the waiting area so he did not see anyone coming out of the kitchen. Everyone watching the resulting collision had been struck by the same thought, Murphy's law was written by a pervert. Negi had lost his glasses in the fall however as he bleary opened his eyes certain shapes resolved themselves.
"Strawberry's..."
Negi heard a sound of feminine discomfort nearby as he tried to heave himself up to a sitting position. He saw the blurry shape of his glasses nearby and proceeded to don them. Asuna was just sitting up as he put on his glasses. Asuna looked down and so did Negi. He had fallen between Asuna's legs.
Both shot to their feet and Asuna immediately put Negi into a headlock and proceeded to make her displeasure known. "Ahem!" Asuna turned, still holding Negi a few feet off of the floor and found John standing near the cash register holding the tray with one arm and the drinks that Asuna was supposed to deliver to a customers table in the other. The girl manning the cash register was looking at John with a expression that could only be described as awe.
"Are you two done?"
Asuna dropped Negi like a ton of bricks and hurried over and retrieved the tray from Johns unresisting hand and collected the drinks. The manager poked his head out of the kitchen and spotted John, "John-san what are you doing out here?" John turned and cocked his head, "Ah, Astuki-san, I'm all done with the dish's so I decided to help bus tables if that is alright?" The manager nodded and Asuna carefully walked off with the tray to deliver the order.
Negi and Konoka looked at John, then at Asuna's retreating form, then back at John. Before Konoka could say anything the Spartan cut her off, "Asuna's been working here for about a month, and I started today." The girl at the cash register finally got over her shock and asked, "Welcome to Anne Millers, how many in your party?" That snapped Negi and Konoka out of their stupor.
"Two."
"Please wait a moment and you'll be seated."
A few minutes later Negi and Konoka where seated at a booth near the back of the restaurant. Both were silent for a moment before Negi blurted out, "Why is Asuna working here? I thought she was doing the whole paper route thing." Konoka shook her head and asked, "Why is John-kun here? I thought Grandpa set up a line of credit for him that he didn't have to pay off until he was done with school." The duo sat in thought for a few seconds before John came over and took out a pad and pencil. "What can I get you?"
The Plaza in front of the Anne Millers, two minutes before
"Both went inside, what should we do?" Setsuna asked the cheerleader trio. All four had managed to somehow procure black tinted sunglasses. Misa turned to the swordswoman, "We fallow them of course! How else are we going to spy on them?" Setsuna huddled by the base of the pillar they where using as cover, clutching her sword case tightly. "I don't like this. We should leave Negi-sensei and Konoka... -san alone."
The cheerleader trio looked at Setsuna, then at one another, each feeling a little bad at dragging Setsuna along. Because of her proximity to the ground, Setsuna caught a glimpse of a pair of strange shoes. Fur-lined boot's? Who wares fur-lined boots in the summer? She looked up, and for a moment fought the urge to gasp. The terrorist leader from school? What's he doing here?
Setsuna surged to her feet and plastered a false smile on her face. "You're right Misa-dono! Let's get to spying!" The cheer trio where stunned for a few seconds then started to clap at Setsunas enthusiasm. Shiina smacked Setsuna on the back a few times. "That's the ticket Set-chan! Let's get going!" The cheerleaders raised their fists into the air and let out a resounding "Ohhh!"
Inside her mind Setusna was on maximum alert and already forming a plan to deal with the situation. First, find Konoka-sama. Second, insure she is safe. Third, contact the authorities. Fourth, protect her until the police arrive. Fifth, protect everyone else until the police arrive. Setsuna nodded to herself while keeping a eye on Yuri as he made his way over to a café opposite the restaurant.
The cheer trio and Setsuna walked into the Anne Millers.
Things were about to get interesting.
Back inside, present
John had taken Negi and Konoka's order and was busy wiping down the counter of the bar when a tall raven haired man sat on one of the stools. The Spartan looked up quickly, scanning the man for any hidden weapons, and silently admonished himself for doing so. Calm down John! You're going to start jumping at shadows if you keep this up. Where will we be if you kill a civvies? Remember, try to blend in. The less you stick out, the easier it is to guard everyone.
John knew if Chief Mendez was there with him he'd say the same thing. Anonymity was the best weapon he had right now, and he intended to use his to the fullest. Lifting his head from his busy work John asked if the stranger wanted anything. The tall man tilted his head back slightly and smiled. Johns survival instincts screamed at him. The polite smile John had pasted on his face evaporated instantly, and was replaced with a face might as well have been carved out of glacial ice.
The stranger spoke in a musical voice that bubbled with menace and joy, "Ah, the One-Who-Is-Young-Yet-So-Old. I've been wanting to meet you for quite some time." John cocked his head to the side, the gesture filled with barely concealed hostility. "Who are you?"
"A forbearer of sorts, a brother to some, but as of this moment in space-time you may call me Skelter." The stranger gave John a ironic half bow from his sitting position. John narrowed his eyes and asked in a voice cooler than liquid nitrogen, "What do you want? You overly know who I am and why I'm here. That means you have studied me or Negi, and that means one of two things." John held up two fingers. "One, you are a ally or two..."
"Two, I'm the enemy, right? I must say, Spartan, you surprise me anew. I had heard that you're kind could only kill. But right now, sitting here, looking into you're eyes, I can see that was nothing but a farce perpetrated by those who feared you and your's." John twitched as the man in front of him threw back his head and laughed loudly. Nearby customers gave Skelter a cursory glance.
Skelter lowered his head and smiled again at John, only this time the madness that John had sensed before had bubbled to the surface. "Do not worry He-Who-Protects, I am not here to hurt anyone here. I am only here to see what type of man who had earned the title of Demon and Ringbreaker." The strange man stood and brushed himself off then turned to John.
"Well, I must be going. Say hi to the lovelies of your class for me!" Lazily waving his hand above his head, Skelter walked to the front door with a graceful gait. Before leaving, the raven haired man looked over his shoulder at John and called, "By the way, our next meeting will not be so... cordial."
Then, with a maniac grin, he walked out the door.
Negi & Konoka's booth, a minute before
Negi and Konoka both ordered a Coke and John departed. They looked at one another for a few seconds before Konoka broke the silence with the question, "Why is John-san working? Doesn't he get paid for being you're bodyguard?" Negi was briefly surprised by the question. "The school pays him a little, and some of my pay is also transferred to John's account. Why is Asuna working here?"
"Well, yesterday she told me she was going to take a extra job so she could buy a gift for someone." The silence stretched out until Negi excused himself to go to the bathroom to wash his hands. As Negi was getting up from the booth he nearly crashed into a tall blond man that was walking by. The tall blond gracefully side stepped the ten year old.
"Watch where you're going Caller, someone might get hurt." The tall man looked down at Negi, then sniffed and walked off. Negi was confused for a second then called after the man, "Sorry about that Mister...?" The blond man looked over his shoulder at Negi and said in a low voice, "Helter."
He walked out the door.
Negi stared at the door for a moment then shrugged and continued on to the bathroom. A few minutes later he emerged and walked back over to the booth. John came over and served them the drinks they ordered. As Negi lifted the drink to his lips he saw that someone had written something on the costar.
Negi, something's come up. Meet me at the counter, now! -John
Booth on the opposite side, a minute thirty seconds before
Setsuna was so engrossed in her spying on Yuri, Negi and Konoka that she did not know someone had approached the booth until Shiina squeaked, "Oh, John-san, what are you doing here?" Setsuna whipped her head around and looked up at John as he replied, "Working. So, what can I get you?" The cheerleaders and Setsuna looked at each other for a few seconds then said as one, "Coke!" John wrote that down on his pad and made his way to the counter. The cheer trio quickly broke out into whispers.
"What should we do? He's here!"
"Gaah! This is like one of those bad American sitcoms Madoka obsesses over!"
"Hey! I just happen to like Friends, ok?"
"Suuuuure... How about the twenty or so box-set's you keep in your closet?
Misa once again made the slashing gesture. "Enough of that! We have to figure out how to get Negi and Konoka out of here!" Shiina looked over and saw John talking to someone at the counter. John's face seemed like it was hewn from ice now for some reason. The man that John was talking to threw back his head and laughed and the sound was slightly... insane. Shiina shivered and turned back to the other three at the booth.
Setsuna nodded, agreeing completely with the plan. "How though Misa-dono?" Mesia cradled her chin with her hand and smirked. "It's simple! Here's what we do..." Misa Kakizaki, Kugmia Madoka, Sakurado Shiina and Setsuna Sakurazaki ironed out a plan five minutes later. Two men left the restaurant during that time and only one person had an idea how dangerous one was
The Café across the plaza, present
Yuri was tired of waiting. He had been sitting at this crap little café for about five minutes now, just waiting for the little silver haired brat to come out and he was a very impatient man to begin with. He put his hand inside his jacket and played with the Glock-18's safety a bit, then exhaled noisily. He stood up, scratched his head and made his dissension.
His smile was extremely unpleasant...
End Chapter 4
Authors Note: Sorry if the Chief seems so OCC'ish. Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. Please R&R!