AN: Well…here I am again with a new chapter!! The feedback I've received for this fic exceeded my wildest dreams! Thank you all so much for your warm welcomes and encouraging reviews! They really did make my day a bit brighter each time I got one. Please don't stop now!!
On a side note, 'Kono Te Ni' means "In these hands" and was taken from "Byakuya, True Light" from DN Angel…another great anime!
And without further ado, here is the next installment….
Disclaimer: all these Manga-ka's are so greedy….I still don't have any legal rights to Full Metal Panic….but I'm not giving up yet!!
WARNING!!: This chapter contains some lime-y type content...so if you're eyes don't want to read that stuff...STOP reading! It only gets worse in the next chapter!!
Chapter 2:
The Unseen Enemy
Fifty minutes later, Sousuke stood at attention before Kaname's door, sweating bullets as he raised his hand to knock. Here goes...
Kaname jumped at the sudden and precise set of knocks on her door. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand and rolled her eyes. She should have figured he'd show up early. Checking her appearance one last time in the cheval mirror, Kaname nodded and ran to answer the door. At the second sharp rapping that was his personal call, she yelled, "Hold your fire, Sousuke! I'm coming!"
Sousuke quickly hid the large bouquet of white and yellow roses behind his back just as she swung open the door. "Good evening, Chidori," he said in his usual monotone, militaristic voice. He wondered where the sudden lump in his throat came from and tried to swallow past it. "Uh..."
Kaname eyed him suspiciously while he stood at full attention before her. The poor guy looks like he's about to go through a court martial! She cocked an eyebrow and replied, "Hey, there, Sousuke. Why so nervous?"
"Uh..." He swallowed once more before taking a deep breath and presenting her with the flowers. "These are for you!" he fairly shouted.
Kaname gently took the small bouquet from him. Three roses each of yellow and white in half bloom, with sprigs of delicate white Baby's Breath nestled between them were wrapped carefully in green tissue paper. "They're beautiful Sousuke," she whispered. Mysterious moisture gathered in her eyes at the thoughtfulness of the gift. "Thank you. I'll put these in some water," she said, moving aside to allow him to enter.
"The food smells wonderful," he commented as he followed her into the kitchen after removing his boots. Melissa had told him to try to make small talk, to keep things light at first. Of course, she hadn't told him what made for effective small talk!
Kaname beamed at him as she arranged the blooms in a glass vase. "It won't be ready for a little bit yet," she informed him. "By the way, you look really nice, Sousuke. I think this is one of the rare times I've seen you in regular civilian clothes!" The girl drank in the sight of him in a pair of black cargo pants and a dark red sweater that looked very soft to the touch. The rich sable brown hair was no different than another day as it haloed his head in careful disarray. She often wondered if it just naturally fell like that or if Sousuke actually styled it. His ever wary eyes were, for once, not scanning the perimeter for constant threats. No, right now their grey intensity was focused solely on her.
He blushed slightly, but was glad she approved of the clothing Kurz and Mao had picked up for him. "You look nice, too," he said softly. It really didn't matter what she wore. Kaname had an inner beauty that seemed to make whatever she was wearing look amazing. Tonight however, it appeared that she had taken extra care in picking out her outfit. A loose fitting cream sweater hung off of one slender shoulder and brushed across the waistline of a pair of form fitting black jeans. Her hair was pulled into an intricate twist, with loose tendrils left to dangle from her temples and nape to caress the long, delicate flesh of her neck. Sousuke felt his heart rate increase slightly, and had to fight the sudden urge to pull her into his arms.
Fidgeting with the flowers as the silence stretched, Kaname wondered what he was thinking. She cast a quick look at Sousuke out of the corner of her eye to see an odd expression on his face. He was never an easy person to read, but if she had to take a guess it would be something between awe and longing. That can't be right! With a shake of her head she turned back to the stove to check on the food's progress. Noticing that it was almost done, she told him, "Take a seat, Sergeant. Chow's just about ready!"
"Roger," Sousuke replied with a soft smile. He sat at the small dining table while she dished out the food. They exchanged inane conversation throughout the meal, discussing everything from the day's class work to the upcoming holiday season. After the dishes were cleared away, Sousuke offered to help her wash them. When the last plate was placed in the drainer to dry, he took Kaname's hand and led her to the living room.
Before settling on the couch, Sousuke removed the pistol from the waistband of his pants at the small of his back and set it on the end table. He then pulled Kaname to sit next to him and waited for her to get comfortable before broaching the subject that weighed heavily on both their minds yet neither was overly willing to bring up. Taking a deep breath to calm his fluttering nerves, Sousuke softly said, "Kaname, I really am sorry about abandoning you like that."
"Why, Sousuke?" She felt like a fool when the tears began to gather in her eyes. Blinking furiously to keep them at bay, Kaname took a deep, calming breath.
"After I left you that night, I received orders that my mission to guard you had been terminated." Sousuke clenched his fists as the anger he had felt after reading those orders washed over him again. In a tense voice he continued on. "I was forbidden to contact you and likewise to accept any contact from you." He remembered the gut wrenching feeling when she had called him as he packed the last box. "It was the first time in my life I ever wanted to completely disobey a direct order. I wanted to just grab you and run. Instead I smashed the laptop." He glanced at the healing cuts on his knuckles, recalling that the injury hadn't even fazed him at the time. His voice and the muscles in his face softened fractionally. "It was at that moment that I realized you were more than a mission to me, Kaname."
"Oh, Sousuke," she whispered sadly. "I would have run with you, you know." When his astonished gaze locked with hers, Kaname smiled crookedly. "I would gladly have followed you into the pits of hell rather than endure what I did after you left." This time the tears refused to be held in check and spilled slowly from her eyes.
Frowning in concern, Sousuke pressed, "What did happen, Kaname?"
Her voice, though barely above a whisper held a slight note of hysteria in it. "You would have been so proud of me, Sousuke! I ran to your place, determined to contact MITHRIL and tell them that someone was following me, and that you were MIA. Imagine my surprise when all that was there were the notes that you had borrowed." Kaname sniffled a bit, trying desperately to keep her emotions under the hysterical level. "After I found your apartment empty, I decided to go hunting on my own and find out exactly what was going on!"
As she unfolded the tale of her harrowing experience that night in the rain, he was awash with varied emotions; rage, fear, awe, and then finally the desire to commit murder. That man better pray I never find him! Taking an innocent girl to one of THOSE places! And just wait till I get my hands on Wraith! Allowing himself to be ambushed by a civilian! Though he had to admit, he was beyond proud of the way Kaname had handled herself throughout the situation.
"I had Wraith right where I wanted him, Sousuke," Kaname continued in an animated voice. "Just as I was getting ready to zap him with that stun gun, this psycho-chick pops up and shoots him! I thought Wraith was a goner for sure, but before I could even think about it, she turned the gun on me! I moved just in time to avoid the shot and ran! The bitch chased me across three rooftops! I tried the doors on the last roof, but they were locked tight, so I stripped the robe off and hid it in between some panels and hid. I had a great vantage point from on top of the stairwell entrance when she found the robe. I started to panic when she just stood there looking at the robe, but I heard your voice telling me not to hesitate and I instantly felt calm. That's when I zapped her!" Hysterical laughter began to bubble out of the girl's throat. In an effort to compose herself, she stood and walked to the large window, wrapping her arms around her midsection. "That's when he showed up," she said in a harsh, venomous whisper.
Sousuke moved to stand behind her, watching Kaname's reflection carefully in the window. "Who showed up?"
"Mr. Silver. Leonard Testarossa. Tessa's big brother. World's Biggest Asshole," Kaname spit each name out like it was the foulest curse known to man. "Take your pick; they all apply to the same man." Her voice returned to that frightening tone of near panic that made his gut twist with guilt. "He killed her. Right in front me, Sousuke!" she cried incredulously. "No remorse, nothing! He simply ordered that damn mini AS to kill her. And all I could do was stand there and watch!" She began to tremble at the memory that haunted her still. "I saw that poor, insane girl get the life choked out of her, and I couldn't move a muscle to stop it..." Hot tears ran down her face as she choked on a sob. "When it was done, it just dropped her on the ground like she was nothing. Then that bastard had the nerve to attack you!" Kaname's shoulders stiffened with resolve, remembering the hatred that had boiled through her at the time. "But I wouldn't listen to any of that, no sir! I defended your character, because you are nothing like that monster! And that's when he..." Kaname closed her eyes, willing the bile that rose in her throat to go back down.
"When he what, Kaname?" Sousuke had a million questions about the things she had just divulged to him, but all of that would have to wait. Kaname was suffering from a horrible trauma that this man had caused, and discovering what exactly that was was his top priority. He'd seen this type of thing too many times before. He also knew that if she didn't purge this nightmare soon, it would eventually destroy her. When she just stood there, shaking with the force of her emotional pain, he pressed her harder. "Tell me, Kaname," he demanded in a rough tone, spinning her to face him. "What did that son of a bitch do to you?"
Kaname looked into those intense slate grey eyes of his, darkened to pewter now with force of his anger. "I was so angry at the things he said. I knew he was just trying to get to me, and I wouldn't let him..."
"What things?"
"He said I was partial to you," she whispered. "He insisted that I liked you. I denied all of it, of course."
Sousuke's heart dropped into his stomach at her declaration. She denied having any feelings for me... "I see," he whispered hoarsely.
Kaname's eyes widened at his desolate tone. Does he think I...? Desperate to make him understand her reasons for denying him, she said, "Sousuke, I knew that he would only use my emotions against me. It's the first rule of interrogation, right?"
"Affirmative," was his somber, yet quiet reply.
"So I figured if I could make him believe that you meant nothing to me, he'd back off. But I was wrong," she choked out. "Oh, God was I wrong..."
At the way her voice trailed off, along with the glaze of horror that appeared in her wide, chestnut eyes, Sousuke's apprehension returned tenfold. "Kaname, what happened to you? Please, tell me what he did! Did he torture you? Drug you?" When she continued to stare at some distant point over his shoulder, he shook her hard and screamed, "Dammit, Kaname! What did he do?!"
"He-" she whispered in a voice so small he almost didn't catch it, "he kissed me."
Sousuke froze in shock. He had been prepared for almost anything: physical torture, brainwashing, truth serums, or any number of other known methods of torture. Anything but this! Someone had dared to violate his Kaname! His blood quickly boiled past murderous rage and straight on to animalistic bloodlust!
The only thing that broke through the red haze in his mind was Kaname's soft plea before she rested her forehead against his chest. "Make it go away, Sousuke..."
He released his hold on her shoulders to wrap them securely around her.
"Where were you?" she sobbed, fisting the soft sweater in her hands. "I was so scared! I tried to be strong, really I did!" She slammed her fist into his chest in much the same way she had on that rainy rooftop. "Right when I needed you most, you were gone! How could you leave me like that, Sousuke?"
He flinched at the harsh accusatory tone in her voice. The guilt over leaving her had increased a hundredfold when she had first began her tale, but now he honestly wondered if there was anything he could ever do to atone for what she had been forced to endure in his absence. "Kaname, I'm sorry. More than you'll ever know." Sousuke tightened his hold on her, feeling moisture gather in his own eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he'd cried, nor could he recall a reason to want to. But now, holding the broken girl who deserved nothing but happiness swamped him with regret and a grief he never knew existed. "It won't happen again, I promise."
"I can't stop feeling his mouth on me," she sobbed brokenly. "No matter how hard I try, I can't ever get rid of it! I've scrubbed and scrubbed my lips until they were bruised, but it's still there! I hate him!"
Never - not in all the time that Sousuke had known her- had Kaname ever seemed so vulnerable. She normally had an indomitable spirit and more determination than most of the seasoned soldiers he had known. Yet here she was, traumatized in the vilest way and unable to erase the memory of it. At a loss as how to fix this, he pleaded, "Tell me how I can help you, Kaname. Please, let me help you!"
She lifted her head from his chest. Seeing the wetness that had gathered in his eyes, she stared in wonder. Is he crying? For me? "Make it all go away, Sousuke," she whispered again as she lifted a finger to trace the scar on his jaw. Her eyes beseeched him to understand. "Make me forget the feeling..."
Kaname's tender caress, coupled with the softness in her eyes made him realize exactly what she wanted. He finally understood what Kurz meant by 'signals'. Leaning in cautiously, Sousuke paused when his lips were a mere hairsbreadth from hers. "Are you sure, Kaname?"
"Please, Sousuke," she implored him as her lashes lowered.
He was mesmerized by the hope and the longing that shone in her eyes and Sousuke once again realized that here was another moment that- no matter what happened afterwards- would be forever burned into his memory. Tentatively, Sousuke slid his hand to the small of her back and drew her closer. He felt the rush of air across his lips when Kaname sighed at the contact of his body flush against her own. Lowering his lips he brushed them hesitantly across hers. The jolt that raced through his system was like nothing he'd ever experienced before.
Kaname gasped at the tingle of sensation that whisper of his lips sent spiraling through her. Her hands slid up Sousuke's chest to circle around his neck as she leaned up on her toes. With just the slightest pressure on his nape, he leaned forward to settle his lips more firmly against hers, and Kaname's world exploded into a thousand shards of light. Her fingers tangled in the thick sable hair to hold him there while their lips continued to explore the texture and taste of the other's. Everything beyond this moment, this feeling, melted away into oblivion.
Sousuke wrapped both arms tightly around her waist to press her against him. He was awash with sensations, all new and delightfully confusing. He understood the basics of this form of relationship between men and women. It was hard not to, living on a submarine with over two hundred males and very few women! Even harder if one of those males was the ever flirtatious womanizer Kurz Weber! But nothing had prepared him for this all consuming need to be closer to Kaname. His hands moved restlessly across her back. A soft moan sounded, and at that precise moment he honestly couldn't say which of them had done it.
Finally Kaname broke the kiss, panting and dizzy from the plethora of new sensations racing through her. She lifted her rich brown eyes to his and saw the longing and confusion in those slate depths. She moved one hand to his cheek. She couldn't find the words to reassure him that everything would be okay, because deep down she was just as lost as he was. This was uncharted territory for both of them, but Kaname couldn't imagine anyone she'd rather experience it with other than the man that held her in his strong arms.
Sousuke almost groaned in frustration when she pulled away. Was I doing something wrong? Did she not feel the same excruciating pleasure I did? He begged her with his eyes to confirm that he hadn't failed her in this, completely unsure how to proceed past this point. All he did know was that he wanted more! "Kaname, I-"
She placed another soft, innocent kiss on his lips to silence him. "Does this feel as right to you as it does for me?" she whispered against his cheek.
"Affirmative," was his breathless reply. "I feel like anything is possible, so long as I'm with you." Sousuke buried his nose in her hair and breathed deeply of her unique and intoxicating fragrance. "When Guaron told me you were dead, I couldn't move, couldn't even breathe. My life lost all sense of meaning." His arms tightened around her, desperately trying to pull her into him, make her one with him. "I all but begged those men to shoot me, just so that I could be with you again. I had never realized how empty I was until you filled the void. In the blink of an eye, I thought I'd been plunged back into that abyss. Then suddenly you were there." He pulled back slightly to look at her face. "You saved me once again, Kaname."
A tear escaped the corner of Kaname's eye only to be tenderly swept away by the pad of his calloused thumb. Sousuke cradled her cheek in his palm, amazed at the silky softness of her skin before threading his fingers through her thick tresses. The pins that held the twist in place loosened and fell to the floor unheeded as her luxurious mane was freed to fall about her in waves. He marveled at the texture and the impossible length as his fingers sifted through it. "I don't ever want to feel that emptiness again, Kaname," he whispered with determination before leaning in to capture her lips once more.
I just know I'm gonna get flamed for leaving it there….but I may as well warn you that I'm evil like that! cheesy grin But I promise, things get a bit….intense between them in the next chapter. This fic is rated M for a reason!!
Many thanks to blackwolf for taking the challenge to become my beta, and a loud shout out to GunsofFun for giving me desperately needed background info! You both rock!
I ask all of you to remember this all takes place after TSR and is totally unrelated to the novels…I'm still catching up on those, so they won't play a part in this. Please tell me what you think and drop me a review or pm. Thanks again to all those who did it for the last chapter and for all of you who added this story to your alert/fave lists!!
Until next time, Ja ne!