The Big Switch

by dave-d

Kaname visits a medical center with secret facilities, to help research the origin of the Whispers. No good deed goes unpunished. Who will be the hero this time? The answer is not as simple as it might seem.

15. Chapter 15

Endurance alert: while this is not Dostoevsky or Dickens, it is still meant to be a detailed bit of fiction. That means it will cover the course of a class and after-class, not jump from joke to joke, or from key point to key point. To some, it may seem to be meandering, and to others, too much to swallow. Think of this as the 'Twilight Zone' or 'Outer Limits,' and you are trapped within the mind of this author.

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BIOLOGY CLASS

Glugg glug glugg glug glugg glug glugg glug glugg

"Ahhhh-hhh-hh-h." Sousuke wiped 'his' mouth after chugging a carbonated soda.

Despite having been faced with a near catastrophe of bladder proportions, his thirst had driven him to find refreshment. The drinks he liked were gone from the coin-operated machines, so he had to settle for Pepsi Strong Cola.

While a two-pint bottle of the regular Pepsi usually contains 1.0 Gas Volumes, the much smaller bottle of Strong Cola packs more than 5.0 GV in a 16.5 ounce bottle.

Belllll-llll-lll-ll-l-chhhh-hhh-hh-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h

"Uhhh." Sousuke wondered if doing something rude… even if unintentional… in Kaname's body might have some karmic reprisal sometime in his life, should he be fortunate enough to return to his own body. "Well, no one noticed it." He had immediately scanned the surroundings. "And I will not tell Kaname." He was learning.

He felt more than a bit tense. Today had been quite a day. He had faced more 'interesting' situations than he usually saw in a handful of weeks. He had made his trademark misjudgments. He had used military skills for all to see, and had spoken in a different manner than Kaname usually did. Would there be a reckoning? If there was, so be it. It was the story of his life. But, he didn't want to cause Kaname any harm. Not her body… not her reputation… not her school standing. Just how much would people attribute to acute brain injury and its immediate after-effects?

"Biology class," Sousuke whispered to himself after tossing the spent bottle in a recycle bin. He put a hand over his mouth, but did not burp again. His belly was very distended, however. Very. His skirt and blouse felt much tighter. "I have done nothing to that room." There were no booby traps there. "I have no more medicines to use." The ninja juices were all gone, now. "Al junior… HAL2000… is no longer operative. This should be a good time to defervesce." He meant mentally, not gastronomically.

"That sounds like the Principal," he said, approaching the classroom. The hallway wall outside the room had recesses housing glass display cases. There were models of cells, cell organelles, seeds, and tree cross-sections in those enclosures. Sousuke walked into the classroom, first noticing the fist tanks and small animal cages in the back of the room, and then taking stock of the general surroundings, including diagrams, posters, storage cabinets, shelving units, and a few student projects hanging from the ceiling. Nothing worrisome. At least, not in that first glance.

"Well, I'm certain that you all remember our guest for this class," the Principal said. She didn't notice Kaname Chidori stopping so abruptly, that she nearly did a faceplant. "Her father is doing important work in Tokyo today, and she had been helping. With some free time… and great fondness in her heart… she wanted to return here, a place she felt was like a second home."

Sousuke felt the heartbeat in Kaname's body quicken, and each beat seemed stronger and more forceful than the one before it. He could picture that heart bursting its way out of 'his' chest, stealing the thunder of some bloody Aztec shaman. That guest, he knew her. Of course he knew her! And, he could never forget the events that came with her last visit. What… was… she… doing… here?!

"I hope you will all welcome back Teletha Testarossa," the Principal said. "Or… as we all know her… Tessa."

"Hello everyone!" Tessa was her perky self. She waved to the class, feeling both pleased and a bit self-conscious when the classroom erupted in noise, every student talking or calling out at the same time. She eyed 'Kaname Chiodri' as the other 'girl' staggered to her chair, legs weak, nearly missing the seat altogether when she sat down. That had her grinning.

"She's still so cute!" One girl called out.

"Such a goddess," a boy expounded. "She's so much better than the girls here." That didn't do him any favors.

"Welcome back!" Maya clapped her hands.

"It would nice if you could stay more than one class," Shiori said. "Can you? Will you be here tomorrow, too?"

"It's good that you are only showing up now," Mizuki put in. "It's been like a circus here, today. And, there has been one too many clowns." She turned and glowered at 'Kaname.' "Tessa, you're too nice to have to put up with stuff like that!"

"But, you're special friend is not here today," Kyouko said, wanting to tease 'Kaname' a bit, seeing that her friend seemed a bit out of sorts. "Sousuke's in the hospital."

"I know," Tessa said. "I came here after paying him a visit."

"OOOOOOO-OOOOOO-OOOOO-OOOO-OOO-O." The class burst out, girl's hands on their cheeks, some guys pumping their fists and others cursing Sagara.

Tessa had done all tht she could at the Neurological Center, and felt more than a bit drained. She had come to the school to check on Sousuke, of course. But, she needed a bit of cheering up, herself. "He is working very hard to make his way back." She phrased that for Sousuke's benefit, meaning that Kaname in his body was doing what she could, too. "The doctors think that they will put everything back to normal."

"Normal?" That was Ono-D. "When was Sagara ever normal?" He smiled when the other students laughed. "I was really hoping that the doctors could finally make him normal." He looked over at Kaname. "A hit to the head has made our Class Rep a bit… different…" There was a lot of agreement to that. "So… it would be nice if something changed in Sagara, too."

"Sousuke Sagara, student. A man barely alive," one boy said, a fan of the 70s American TV show 'The Six Million Dollar Man.' "We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better, than he was. Better, stronger, faster."

"And smarter!" One girl added.

"Well adjusted!" A boy blurted out. "And not talking all that military stuff!"

Everyone else pitched in with their hopes and wishes. Sousuke drank it all in, mentally and even emotionally.

"That's enough, everyone," the Principal said with some heft to her voice. The class immediately settled. "Miss Testarossa, you can take the empty seat next to Miss Chidori. I need to gather up some scheduled guests for this class. Class, please behave on your own. Miss Katayama should be here soon. She has experience with First Aid and is tending to the band students with lesser injuries."

Tessa opened her mouth, turning to 'Kaname,' but was swarmed by some of the girls and boys she had befriended on her previous visit. Sousuke in turn had an audience of his own, seeing that there were classmates who had been charmed by his actions in Home Economics class. He was a bit taken aback, being popular. Yes, it was Kaname who was truly popular, but he couldn't help but feel the effects. He wasn't a robot or a cyborg, after all. But, while it was her body, the tendency to generate bad luck was still his. The snippets of his conversation would take on a life of their own.

"Are you feeling alright, Kaname?" One girl pointed to the other 'girl.' "Your belly looks bigger. I didn't notice that before.' Hearing that, a number of people turned to look in their direction. Some were simply concerned about Kaname Chidori. Most others were just tuning in to the conversation nearest to them.

"I am fine," Sousuke replied. "It's just a natural process. It will be expelled when the time comes." Naturally, by that, he meant belching or passing gas. But to others, the words raised an eyebrow or two.

"Last class was fun… when it wasn't weird." A boy stated. "It was cool with the knives, and when you were talking about fighting off birds." His words were too soft to carry. 'Sousuke,' in turn, spoke much louder.

"I have a lot of experience with choking the chicken," Sousuke said. He did indeed have a lot of survival experience. But that choice of words was not taken literally by everyone within earshot. And when tongues start wagging, minds start seeing things in the same way. 'Choke the Chicken' means jerk off, whack the weasel, beat the meat, and so on and so forth. "There have been many men who have benefitted from my skills."

The sound of whispering started like a spring freeze and soon grew to the sound of a squall.

"What was your favorite part of Home Ec?" A girl asked quietly, being a kind and shy person.

"I was happy," Sousuke said. "Having a bun in the oven." He thought a moment. It had also been interesting, learning new things. One came to mind. Balut. "The fertilized egg was certainly a surprise."

The combined whispers had taken on the menace and majesty of a thunderstorm.

"You are so skilled," Shinji gushed. "I don't know what was better, the way you carved up that chicken, or the way you taught us those knife fighting facts. How can you do all that? It's almost like you are two different people." He couldn't help but thinking that in some ways, Kaname Chidori seemed like she was a boy at heart.

"That-" Sousuke swallowed hard, hearing that last part. "Well… I am two people…." He said that without thinking, hand on his rumbling and bloated abdomen. "I mean…." He continued in a quieter voice. "Uhhh. You know, Class Rep and Student Council Vice President." He almost said Special Assistant to the Student Body President. "I have to learn a lot of things in those capacities."

"Did you hear all that," one girl whispered to another.

"Yes," another girl replied. "I never would have guessed her. But, you can't always judge a book by its cover."

"I know," a third girl added. "It's hard to believe… Kaname Chidori, mother-to-be."

"Sorry I'm late, everybody." Mineko Katayama said, walking into the room, carrying her leather work bag. She removed materials from her lesson plan when she stood behind her desk. "We'll be discussing human reproduction today, after I add a couple more tidbits to our last discussion." She looked to the rear of the room. "Welcome back, Miss Testarossa. It's so nice to see you again. I hope you can contribute to our class!"

"I will do my best!" Tessa responded with her usual pluck and perk. "Whatever you need!" She seemed so pristine, pure, and proper. Not a girl who could find herself in the family way at her age, for sure. "You know… I'm always here for you…." She said that looking at 'Sousuke.'

Sousuke froze. The image of Commander Mardukas immediately leaped to mind. Mardukas looking at something on the hallway wall, after a girl had rushed into class mentioning something about a perverted intruder. Mardukas flying through the air after he flipped the man, despite Kaname's pleas for a gentle approach. Mardukas on his back, asking his sweating subordinate if that was the way he treated all of his superior officers.

"First, I will mention the seahorse," the teacher started. "Most of us probably have some knowledge of that small marine fish in the genus Hippocampus, with that big word coming from the Ancient Greek for 'horse' and 'sea monster'. In an interesting twist on the other species we have been discussing, the male seahorse is equipped with a pouch on the ventral, or front-facing, side of the tail. When mating, the female seahorse inserts her ovipositor and deposits up to fifteen hundred eggs in the male's pouch. The male carries the eggs for nine to forty-five days until the seahorses emerge fully developed, but very small. The young are then released into the water, and the male often mates again within hours or days during the breeding season."

"That sounds like the girls in this class," one sports boy grumped. "They stand around admiring their fingernails, while the men do all the hard stuff." He was referencing the lifestyle he heard about in Home Economics, but was more focused on his own narrow world view, where the boy's baseball team busted its ass in practice, and the girls on the softball team seemingly stood around and chatted, while a few swung a bat or fielded some balls.

"Actually," Miss Katamaya said, fighting a frown. "In terms of biological energy expended, it takes a great deal more energy to generate the eggs, than it does to carry them and gestate them."

"Hah!" One girl pointed at the boy, and hunched back down in her seat when the teacher looked her way.

"And that sounds like the boys," another girl said, not being able to hold her tongue. Her boyfriend had dumped her a few days earlier. "A boy finds one girl… and before you know it, he's trying to lift the skirts of some others!"

Some boys shook their heads. Others just shrugged, a smug look on their faces. Sousuke did neither. The whole male-female role reversal thing in seahorses had his mind spinning for a moment.

"I wonder if Sousuke ever thought about lifting up a skirt?" Tessa gave a sideways glance at 'Kaname.' 'She' was beginning to sweat. The Captain chuckled. It was like teasing Sousuke and Kaname at the same time. Two for the price of one.

"Uhhh," Sousuke tried to say. "That would be outside of his duty, Captain." He bit 'his' lip and quickly corrected himself. "I mean… Tessa…."

"Pity," Tessa remarked, chewing on a fingernail. "But… if things do not evolve… they die…" That was a biological tenet, but one pertinent to generations in a species, not necessarily to a lone boy.

"I do not fear death!" Sousuke said.

Tessa sighed, and began playing with her ponytail.

Commander Mardukas had posed as Richard Mardukas, Cambridge Professor, and acquaintance of Sousuke's guardian, who was fictionally based on Lieutenant Commander Kalinin. 'The unit is not paying you to assault your superiors,' he had said, a short while before he had behaved like a mother-in-law in a bad sitcom, checking for dust in a classroom. He had later berated Sousuke about the Spartan appearance of his apartment, and had then helped him clean and decorate before a surprise visitor made her way to his doorstep. On her R&R time, Tessa had decided to do foreign exchange at the same school that he attended, wanting to enjoy a normal student life, if only for a short while. 'If you should commit some shameless act against the Captain,' Mardukas had growled. 'I will personally shove you into a torpedo tube with a three-hundred kilogram explosive.'

Sousuke also thought back to Tessa's introduction, where Eri had singled him out and said 'Sagara, do not show her your dangerous and skewed view of the world.' After the current day's events… the classroom topic of the day… and Tessa's presence there…how could things be more skewed than they were now?!

"I have a videotape you can take turns viewing, for extra credit." Miss Katayama held up a large cassette. That had Sousuke thinking about the cassette he had removed from HAL2000 and hidden in his locker. "This is a copy of the first episode of 'Blue Planet II.' In this episode we meet the Kobudai… the Asian sheepshead wrasse… that is introduced as a female, behaves like a female and looks like a female. And then, as we watch she slowly but surely morphs into a male…displaying male behaviors and developing male characteristics. It may seem strange; but, in fact it is a common occurrence among fish. Known as sequential hermaphrodism, sex change is a common and usual adaptive part of the life cycle. It is documented in at least twenty-seven families of fish, spread across nine orders, and displays three patterns: changing from female to male, known as protogyny; changing from male to female, known as protandry; and serial bidirectional sex change. All three types of sex change occur across the teleost tree of life, which suggest that it has evolved multiple times. But why? That is something you can write a short essay on, to receive those bonus points. I'll give you some hints."

Sousuke felt like a fish out of water. More gender-change stuff. Was the World making fun of him? Was Fate having a good chuckle at his and Kaname's expense? He wished he could shove a three hundred kilogram explosive up Fate's ass and fire it from a torpedo tube!

In any case, the whole topsy-turvy world of sex and gender was nothing new. He couldn't help but think back to one prior English Class, a month back, when the teacher had students read from Shakespeare's 'The Merry Wives of Windsor.' That was one of a good many of the Bard's works that dealt with sex and gender issues. The ne'er-do-well Falstaff, short on money, wanted to woo two wealthy wives. But, they were onto his plan, and played him like a fish. They dressed him up like a woman, when one of their husband's made an appearance. But, the woman they disguised him as was one that the husband couldn't stand, such that the husband beat 'her' badly with a stick. Sousuke swallowed hard again. He was disguised as a woman. And, if anything went wrong with Tessa here, he would end up getting beaten with a big stick by the Commander for one reason, or Kaname for another.

"The biological processes and adaptive advantages of sex change has fascinated scientists for decades-" Miss Katayama said. "-And the ecological and evolutionary contexts in which it occurs is now quite well studied and understood. The dominant theory as to why it occurs is known as the size advantage model. According to this model, changing sex is adaptive if your reproductive value…the number of offspring you can produce… is greater when you are a female when small, but a male when you are older and hence larger…as in the Kobudai… or vice versa. So by changing sex, lifetime reproductive success is maximized. Whether or not a species in protandrous or protogynous depends on their mating system and social structure. Let that be the starting point for you extra credit work."

One girl spoke up and asked to be the first to borrow the tape, and permission was granted. She had one day to watch it and take notes, before bringing it back to the school for the next student in line.

"We will now make a big sea change," Miss Katayama said, chuckling at her own quip. "We're moving onto the most pertinent topic. Human reproductive biology." She paused, thinking a moment. She knew how brilliant their visitor was, having heard an answer from her in class before. "Miss Testarossa… Tessa… can you explain things in terms that your fellow students might best understand? I will work a slide show of images and diagrams that you can make reference to."

"Certainly," Tessa replied, lacing her fingers together and cracking her knuckles. The other girls in the class looked at her as if she were the Avatar or some deity. "If that is what you wish, teacher." She certainly didn't mind being the center if things. If felt much better being the center of things amongst her peers in a school setting, than being the center of operations aboard that big metal boat and its adult crew.

"I bet her special friend wishes he was here for this," Shiori said.

"No," Tomomi said. "I bet she would tutor him in private."

"Oooooo-oooo-ooo-oo-o." A lot of the girls in class cooed at the same time.

"Oh, Kaname." Kyouko looked back at 'Kaname.'

"I'd let her tutor me in CPR," one brash boy said aloud. "Sagara, that lucky bastard!" The boys in the sports club all agreed, and began making comments to one another about girls in general.

Tessa ignored the boys. Boy talk is boy talk, in school and in the military. Besides, there was only one boy that she was currently interested in. The rest were little more than slime molds in her eyes. "Like in plants it is the male gamete that needs to be transferred to the female gamete," the pretty Captain began, after taking her place behind the lectern next to the teacher's desk. "The female gamete is fertilised and develops inside the mother's body, so the reproductive systems of both males and females are highly adapted for this. Production of sperm is called spermatogenesis. It takes place in the gonads of the male…the testes. Over one hundred million million can be made in one day!

"That means three hundred million for me," the captain of the boy's baseball club said.

"Hah!" The soccer club goalie snorted. "It's two hundred million for me." He paused. He was not inept at math. "In each nut!"

Sousuke was lost in thought again, memories flooding back. He remembered Tessa climbing in his bed as he slept, waking him with a feeling of uncharacteristic fright, only to have him fall asleep almost immediately, overcome with the weariness that can only come from a string of sleepless nights in a row. A part of him said 'I wish I could have been awake.' Another part said 'No, Kaname would not approve.' The first part said 'But Tessa was eager, Kaname would never be.' The second part said 'I think you might be mistaken. Remember when she very much wanted you to say she was beautiful.' The first part said 'But Tessa was very anxious to perform mouth to mouth resuscitation. Kaname never made an effort to save you. And don't forget, Mao gave you permission to jump Tessa's bones, calling you a lady killer.' 'So what,' the second part said. 'Both Kurz and Melissa have told you to do the dirty with Kaname on a number of occasions. And, the Commander never threatened to tear you limb-from-limb if you did something to Chidori.' A third part pushed the other two parts down into his mental equivalent of the Mariana Trench.

"Pssss-sss-ss-t!" One girl motioned to another to lean closer so she could whisper in her ear. "The Class Rep has a bun in the oven!"

"No way!" The other girl said, shaking her head.

"Yes way!" A boy said emphatically, caught up in the herd mentality. "It's why she was so ravenous in Home Ec… like a raptor. She's eating for two."

"I bet it's more than just a bump on the head," another boy put in. "She's acting queer because of the bump in her belly too, I bet."

"Each testis is composed of numerous tiny tubes called seminiferous tubules," Tessa continued. "It is in the walls of these tubules that sperm production actually takes place. Development begins in the outer side of the wall in a layer of cells called the germinal epithelium. As the immature sperm cells become more mature, they move to the inner side and break way into the lumen of the tubule to be carried away to the epididymis for storage."

A female dog, one of the few in her gender that entered the school during Classical Japanese History as part of a pack, a medium sized Sanshu Inu, stood at the class doorway. Soon thereafter she was joined by a male dog, a large Ryukyu Inu, who promptly mounted her and went lustily about his business.

"Go for it dude!" One boy called out. "I have some smokes, if you need some when you're done."

"I hear that cigarette smoking makes a man's plums shrivel up," one girl lied. That boy had too much testosterone for his own good; but, didn't have the temperament to back up his big talking.

"My plums," the boy said with a quick moaning noise. All of the other boys laughed at him. He was way too gullible, and had just earned himself a slew of new nicknames.

Everyone stared. Tessa paused for a moment, wondering why dogs were loose in a high school, and how much of a coincidence it was, their being here and doing that as she spoke. She looked over at 'Kaname'… pictured Sousuke in her mind… coughed… and returned to her spiel.

Sousuke tried not to look at the dogs. 'He' also looked as far away from Tessa as possible. He thought back to the trip to the hot springs with Kaname, Tessa, Kurz, Mao, and a number of his classmates. Kurz, Ono-D, and even Shinji, had been set on peeping on the girls when they were naked. Sousuke had told Kurz to make certain that he enjoyed the baths 'nice and normal,' and neglected to tell him a very important secret. He had visited the resort the day before, and set up an extensive and wide-reaching security system, which would thwart a number of raid attempts by the boys, while he enjoyed an electric massage chair… video games… and a spirited solo ping pong session. He had to give Kazama some credit: he had made it to the onsen where the girls had been. But, after he slid to a stop and impacted Sousuke's groin area, the young soldier informed him that the woman's bath switches over to a men's bath at ten o'clock PM.

"I wonder who the father is," Mayuko said, still a bit skeptical about the whole pregnancy thing.

"Maybe it's Sousuke," Rumiko replied. "They do seem pretty close… sometimes…."

"No way!" Ono-D put in his two yen. "Not happening!" He was still upset from Kaname turning him down. His pride wouldn't allow him to see Sousuke as a rival with women. The scar-faced boy had sat in the room the whole time the small group had visited the hot springs.

"He's right," Mari added. "Could you see it? 'Sousuke, I need you to make me cum!' 'Come, Kaname? Come where?' 'Cum here!' 'But Kaname, you are already there. How can I make you come?' 'I mean make me have an orgasm!' 'Uhhh… then why didn't you just say that?' Followed by a lot of screaming and hitting." That had everyone in earshot chuckling.

"'Kaname'," Shinji decided to play along. It made him feel as if he belonged. "'I do not know how to use this thing. It did not come with a manual!" His face grew warm when everybody laughed. He ducked down when the teacher looked in his general direction.

"And imagine the pillow talk," a boy said. "Chidori… you are as beautiful as a Hirtenberger M6C-210 light mortar… your eyes, they shine brighter than a well-polished Minebea 9mm Machine Pistol… your lips, they are as sexy as a M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System… and your body, you're built better than a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 10 Main Battle Tank… with the newly developed Type 10 APFSDS round." His father was a member of the JGSDF.

"That Sagara! He really knows how to seal the deal," another boy joked.

"So dreeee-eee-ee-ea-my…." Daidai pretended to swoon. "The good ones are always taken…."

There was a ruckus just outside of the classroom.

"What are you doing there, mutts!" That was the Vice Principal. He looked rather worse for wear, his new toupe missing; his clothing torn and giving view of his undershirt and underpants; and a broken butterfly net held under one armpit, used as a crutch. "Shoo! Shoo! Shooshooshooshoo!"

The VP chased the dogs away. He asked Miss Katayama if she could help him with his injuries, and give aid to the Librarian who was crawling in the hallway behind him. He left when she told him that the school nurse had headed back to the Infirmary. "Let's go, Miss Ushihama. We're almost there. Don't give up. We have proven we are worthy! We are not puppets tangled in our strings." Another Ultron reference.

"That's right," the Librarian replied. "Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead." She slowly inched past the door. Her full speed would leave a slug or snail giggling.

"In between the tubules, inside the testes, are interstitial cells called Leydig cells," Tessa said. "These secrete the hormone testosterone. There are also blood vessels in close proximity, delivering nutrients and carrying away some testosterone to other target cells for the development and maintenance of secondary sexual characteristics… for example, facial and pubic hair, deepening of the voice. The testosterone also stimulates the cells inside the testis involved in spermatogenesis."

"What does that say about me?" Sousuke thought back to the rooms he shared with the other guys at the resort. The three of them had been so eager to peep. He had not. He hadn't felt the slightest twinge. Was that because of the Mardukas's threats? Was it because he was 'on duty,' with Tessa there? Was it to protect Kaname and the other girls? Or, was it because he was abnormal… missing something… a burned-out husk of a man? It was odd, sitting there in the body of a girl, while one of the girls he had shepherded was speaking about human reproduction. He almost stood up with a shout. A stray thought had come barging in. He imagined Gauron standing there instead, saying 'But who needs girls, when I have you, Kashim!' He grasped the sides of his desk, hard. "Guh!" Well, he was sure of one thing, he did not play that way! He was tolerant of other people, at least in the real world. Reading fan written stories for manga or anime, he often caressed a pistol or bayonet blade any time he came across an author changing the orientation of a character he liked.

"If not Sousuke, then who?" Tomomi scratched her head. "I don't think she's one of those girls… you know… like that… the JK business."

"Of course not," Kyouko said. "Kaname would never even walk with some old guy for money!" She took a picture of Kaname's belly. "And I don't think that she's pregnant. She would have told me."

"Yeh yeh." Everyone just ignored the pig-tailed girl.

"Hey! I know!" A boy said, pointing at Ono-D. "Maybe it's him! Maybe his whole rejection thing is a smoke screen."

"NO WAY!" Ono-D called out, a little too loudly. In a quieter voice he said "I'm too young to be a father. And my folks would strangle me." He looked over at Kyouko, hoping that she in particular would believe him.

"Mister Koutarou," Miss Katayama said in a stern voice. "Is there something important you have to tell us. Something important enough to interrupt our guest?"

"No, M'am." Ono-D blurted out. "Sorry M'am. Won't happen again, M'am."

Onodera may have gone silent, but many others in the room picked up the ball and ran with it. Small groups made their guesses, and some even took down bets in the back of a school notebook. Sousuke was oblivious to every bit of it.

"Let's discuss the hormonal control of spermatogenesis," Tessa soldiered on. "The control centers are the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in the brain. The hypothalamus secretes gonadotrophin releasing hormone. This is released into the blood and stimulates the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland. The anterior lobe of the pituitary gland secretes interstitial cell stimulating hormone. ICSH stimulates the leydig cells that produce testosterone. FSH… follicle stimulating hormone… stimulates the seminiferous tubules, including the Sertoli cells. They produce sperm in response."

"It's not that I don't find girls attractive," Sousuke admitted. He looked up at Tessa, and couldn't help but see how cute she was. There was a reason that every boy in class had come close to losing his kind. He blinked rapidly, somehow feeling like a cad. He brought up an image of Kaname. She wasn't as cute as Tessa; but, at the same time, he felt that she was more beautiful. But, that was all apples and oranges stuff out of context. He knew that Tessa would help him the way that Kaname did, if she were given the chance. Kaname's day-to-day interaction with him made her seem like a real girl… while Tessa somehow seemed more like Pinnochio in a platinum wig and falsies. Just the same, his mission at the school would end. And that closeness would end. How he felt today might change. And, just how deep and strongly did he really feel?

He did know that he cared about the two of them. He knew that they cared about him. He asked himself if he would save either one of them if they were kidnapped, and the answer was a resounding yes. Duty was duty! Yes… and… he wouldn't want anything to happen to either Whispered. But… and it was a very big but… would he go chasing to the rescue, if he was no longer part of Mithril? Which, if either, would he rush to save, if it meant leaving the other behind? If it meant leaving everything behind? Only one face came into view. His breathing sped up, and his pulse was racing.

"Testosterone also acts on the seminiferous tubules and stimulates sperm production," Tessa said. "The testosterone feeds back to the hypothalamus and pituitary gland to switch off GnRH and ICSH release. The Sertoli cells produce a hormone called inhibin that feeds back to the pituitary gland to switch off FSH release. Since the action of the interstitial cells and Sertoli cells are inhibited, less testosterone and inhibin are released as a result. The inhibition of the hypothalamus and pituitary is lifted and the process can start again. Due to the levels of the hormones and their effects, the process is not noticeably cyclical…there aren't noticeable peaks and troughs in the levels of the hormones."

"Am I capable of choosing with my heart?" Sousuke asked himself. He thought back to the incident with the small terrorist cell, A21. Capture of Takuma Kugayama, drugged with TI-971 to help control a Lambda Driver equipped Behemoth, had lead the girl he had thought to be his sister, Seina, to have Kaname and Tessa captured in turn. The encounter had happened at this very school building, where the three of them were holding the boy captive. "My decision…." He had been forced to choose which girl to have the captors release first, as he unlocked Takuma's handcuffs. Because her lack of athleticism put her at a disadvantage that Kaname would not suffer, he had chosen to have Tessa released first. That had left Tessa humiliated. It would leave Kaname somewhat confused later, about whom he might like better. In the end, because of stupid choices by Kaname and Tessa both, the two of them had been trucked away, and he had nearly been killed.

Looking up at Tessa again, Sousuke remembered something more. The Captain had shocked him, playing dumb when she met Kaname. First, Kaname had been the one who was shocked, seeing Tessa in a towel at his apartment, when she had brought food over as an apology. The act of contrition had come after her blowing up at him, literally and figuratively, when he had given her jewelry with security in mind. Kaname's subsequent actions were clearly prompted by jealousy, he realized now. Why did that have him feeling funny, now? And, what had Tessa done, after he ordered him to shut off Arbalest's audio sensors, following his defeat of Takuma and Behemoth?

"They're here," Miss Katayama said, hearing a conversation in the hallway, growing steadily louder. "I thank you for your wonderful lecture, Miss Testaross. No textbook could have done a better job."

"It's in here, gentleman." That was the Principal. She had returned, with a number of special guests in tow. Guests much different than Tessa. "Class, I'd like to welcome two welcome guests. Guests who have an important message, that fits in well with today's topic." She motioned with her arm, and two large mascots traipsed into the room. "We have Comu-chan…." That mascot was a large pink condom, and was the safe sex representative of Yohohama City. "…And Jimmy Hattori…." Sousuke had already seen the black-suited ninja with the pink condom headwear. "I know that their topic is usually covered in Health Class; but, this school is trying to be progressive and forward thinking, especially seeing how we are being philanthropic in hosting the telethon."

"We are here today to speak about a subject that has been given little attention in this country," Jimmy said. "We and a couple of… latecomers…."

"Yes," Comu added. "Sexual education. Japan has a complex relationship with the birds and the bees. Sex is everywhere, in gleefully commercialized form, from explicit manga to love hotels, where rooms are rented by the hour. Some of these businesses involve young people: 'JK' services, for example, involve men paying schoolgirls to lie next to them or go for a walk… or more. Yet, in many respects, Japan is very conservative: sex remains a subject that parents and teachers are embarrassed to discuss." He stopped, seeing a raised hand. "Yes, young lady."

"Pardon me… uh… Miss." Mari thought the condom was a Miss; but, was uncertain about the voice of the actor. "Birds and Bees?"

"'The birds and the bees' is an English-language idiomatic expression and euphemism that refers to courtship and sexual intercourse," Comu replied.. "The 'birds and the bees talk' is generally the event in most children's lives in which they learn the truth about 'where babies come from.' The phrase is evocative of the metaphors and euphemisms often used to avoid speaking openly and technically about the subject."

"Right," Jimmy said. "According to tradition, the birds and the bees is a metaphorical story sometimes told to children in an attempt to explain the mechanics and good consequences of sexual intercourse through reference to easily observed natural events. For instance, bees carry and deposit pollen into flowers, a visible and easy-to-explain example of male fertilization. Another example, birds lay eggs, a similarly visible and easy-to-explain example of female ovulation."

"Here's an interesting fact!" Comu said. "Most male birds don't have penises."

"Like Shinji," Ono-D said, laughing.

"I see we have a boy who's uncomfortable about the subject matter," Jimmy said. "So, we should get straight to the point and-" The ninja condom didn't get to finish his sentence.

"Ninety-seven percent of bird species don't grow penises," Comu continued. "But why? A study that compared chickens…who don't have penises… with ducks whose penises are large and elaborately coiled…."

"Like Shinji." That was a shocker. Shinji had said that.

"That's going to require a special condom," Jimmy said, before smacking himself in the head. "We should-"

"The study found that a sort of cell suicide… programmed cell death… is to blame," Comu continued. "Evolution comes down to reproductive fitness. So, it's remarkable that a group of animals would eliminate a structure that's so important for reproduction. A theory as to why birds lost their penises is that female birds may have preferred it, since, as 'The Scientist' journal put it, birds of this disposition 'are less capable of unwanted advances and thus give female birds more choice in which males father their young.'

"Where's the fun in that!" A sports boy called out.

"How the hell can they do the deed?!" Another sports lout blurted out.

"That's a story for another day," Jimmy said. "I-"

"Birds get romantic with a cloacal kiss," Comu replied. "For those birds without penises, mating takes the form of the cloacal kiss. The cloaca is an orifice found on the rear of both bird sexes. It serves a whole bunch of functions: pooping, peeing, egg-laying, and sperm ejection. When it's time to mate, the cloaca will swell. The male and female birds will then rub their swollen cloaca together, once the male hops atop the female and the female moves her tail out of the way. The ensuing 'kiss,' or sperm transfer, is… generally speaking… vanishingly brief.

"Ugggg-ggg-gg-h!"

"Yecccc-ccc-cc-ch!"

"Barf!" "Gag me with a spoon!" "That's not the way I roll!"

The sports contingent was grossed out.

"Righteous!"

The girl with a fear of penises was all for it.

"COMU!" Jimmy raised his voice. "KEEP… ON… COURSE…." He paused, swiveling his costume towards the door. "Shit." That last utterance was barely audible. The reason for his displeasure soon made its way into the classroom. Or, at least made a series of rambunctious attempts.

"Gloomy! Gloomy!"

"Burble! Burble!"

The head host of the telethon was a savvy businessman. Not only was he planning a mascot battling league… which included not only Gloomy Bear, but also his current doorway rival Tarao, a hairy legged fish, mascot for Babel, an exhibition of renaissance art touring Japan… he had also struck a monetary deal with Jindai officials to rent the services of Jimmy and Comu. He had tossed in the other two mascots as living props. One put on a large spherical costume, dressed up to represent a human ovum. The other wore a long costume in the shape of a human spermatozoon. Each reproductive garb was worn over top of the original mascot suit.

"HEY!" Jimmy sounded more than a bit peeved. The topic was serious business. "ONE… AT… A… TIME…." When the two mascots kept trying to be the first one in, he said "Comu… pick one…."

"Wellll-lll-ll-l…" Comu looked at the door. "I will choose the Ovum. It's my job to protect against Mr. Sperm."

The Ovum strode proudly into the room, while the Sperm sulked at the door.

Another hand went up. "Teacher."

"Yes, Mayuko."

"Teacher," Mayuko said. "Why does the egg have claws?" Sure enough, Gloomy Bear's long claws were still attached. The makers of the Ovum suit had added quickly made makeshift claw covers; but, Hiroshi would have nothing to do with them. He tossed them off the moment that he was out of sight.

"Well… I…." Miss Katayama sounded as if she were at a loss.

"Hmmmm-mmm-mm-m…." Tessa piped up. "Maybe the claws are a corona radiata metaphor. When sperm are competing to enter an egg, the winning sperm will disperse the corona radiata with hyaluronidase carried in its acrosome, if it has the right swimming motion." She made a face. Tarao was ducking and bobbing as it walked towards Gloomy Bear, as if he were swimming. Gloomy's claws flashed out, barely missing Tarao, and slicing a hanging student project into tiny bits of styrofoam, yarn, and construction paper. Comu rushed to push back against 'Mr. Sperm.'

"Thank you, Miss Testarossa," the teacher said. "Brilliant as usual."

"Screw the claws," one sports guy said. "I'm more freaked out by the legs!" He was referring to Tarao's mascot legs. They were naked, very hairy, and ended in big sneakers. "I hope my sperm don't have legs."

"We were all hoping you didn't have sperm," a group of girls spoke up on cue.

"EEEE-EEE-EE-E-NOUGH!"

No one knew if the ninja condom's shout was meant for the squabbling mascots, the noisy boys, the responding girls, or the whole bunch of them.

"I apologize," Jimmy said. "If there is any further fighting, I suggest that the money will not be paid." He said that, his costume turned towards the other mascots. The actor then turned back to the class… cleared his throat… and said "On a recent talk show, a Japanese urologist was discussing the alarming rise in sexually transmitted diseases in this land. During his explanation, whenever he referred to the male sex organ, he called it by the childish word 'ochinchin.' That reluctance to use grownup vocabulary when talking about sex is common in the media. The English word 'penis' is the preferred technical term when discussing male genitalia in Japan; but, even that seems to be taboo in broadcast situations. Sexual squeamishness is not unusual, but when doctors avoid certain words, you know that the problem goes deeper."

"That's true," Comu said, interjecting. "Another guest was televised on that show. Let's call her Asuka. Asuka discovered that she was pregnant at the age of twenty, when she was a university student. Having had no courage to raise the baby alone… or to give up on her future plans… she decided to abort it. That's the dilemma that mostly women face… and the burden only women take on…." The pink condom scanned the class, her visage aimed at boy after boy. "Such a decision affects one's entire life… one way or the other…."

"Young people are taught that sex is a deviancy and brings risks, and that's all," Jimmy added. "School-based education in Japan is not designed to provide knowledge on how to deal with potential consequences. That's especially problematic, since teenagers in this country have few people they can turn to for advice. You should all realize this. Sexuality is a Japanese cultural taboo. A woman's role in society is submissive. These things may be improving as we speak… but, we have seen unsuccessful attempts at improvement before."

"Sousuke," Tessa said quietly to 'Kaname.' "I have been at the hospital lab, and did all that I could do. I really wanted to stop by and see how you were doing. You… not just Kaname Chidori's body."

"I am surviving," Sousuke replied, sitting straighter. "I am honored that you would be so concerned, Captain."

"Sousuke… it's Tessa… you know that…." She tugged at her hair. "We're not on the submarine now, right?" She thought back to the time he had essentially blackmailed the Mithril Council, and had been allowed to stay at Jindai High. He had said that he viewed her more than a superior, and that she was a special girl. He had also called her Tessa for the first time.

"You are correct, C-… Tessa…." Souuske did not meet Tessa's eyes. "I am currently assigned ashore. While my charge is currently elsewhere, I seek to keep her life here at school safe as she so ordered."

"Ooo-oo-o. It's okay to be a student at school," Tessa said, a bit heated. "Whether you are a submarine Captain… or a… teenaged member of the SRT. There's nothing at risk currently." She whispered: "Except either my patience or my sanity!"

"One can never make assumptions about safety," Sousuke replied. "For example-"

"Shhh-hh-h!" One girled shushed the conversing pair. "Do you two need to get a room?" Another girl asked.

"What's that?!" The actor inside the fish and under the sperm called out, having heard the last girl's comment. "Is something going on? Tarao don't mind him some girl on girl action!"

"OOOO-OOO-OO-OPH!"

Tarao's actor sucked in a lot of air, trying to hold in a deep moan. Gloomy Bear, snug within the egg, had lashed out with a powered-frame enhanced kick to the other mascot's groin area. After all, Hiroshi was a father, and he treasured his little girl.

Tessa made a face. It was like she had walked over this figurative road before, with just as little success. She fervently wished that she could order that muddle-headed military milquetoast into loving her; but, that was not possible or appropriate. Just the same, that shouldn't stop her from trying to win his attention, if not his heart, right? She had heard Clouseau discussing manga and anime with someone aboard Da Danaan. One quote he mentioned was 'No matter how strongly you feel in your heart, if you don't convey it to another person, it's meaningless.' She thought of another one, too. 'In this world, not everything will be won by justice. If you want to win, you have to learn how to cheat." She needed another chance to confess her feelings for him. She had tried it when she was drunk, saying 'I love you.' But, Sousuke in that special way of his, had misunderstood what she meant; he had thought that she was professing a love of alcohol.

Kaname may have had first crack at Sousuke… and she had an unfair advantage in proximity… but, that didn't mean that she owned him, right? And who's to say that she might not be better for him than a blue-haired girl with anger issues? She sighed. This sort of situation often seemed to be an uphill battle for anime characters, or so Clousdeau had once said. Worse, she could see Sousuke quoting something from Ichigo in 'Bleach': Unless I grip the sword, I cannot protect you. While gripping the sword, I cannot embrace you.' Big stupid head! Damn. That last thought had her sounding like Kaname.

"Mothers-" Jimmy continued. "-Who in most households are responsible for the children's education… usually avoid discussions about sex because they are uncertain how to respond… or simply think 'this isn't my child's problem'."

"But it goes beyond parents," Comu cut in again. "It's the government! The education ministry recently came under fire for supplementary materials it had distributed to high schools this summer. I understand that this school crumpled them up and tossed them in the trash. Bravo!" The condom bowed to Miss Katayama. "The materials were given out to help girls lead 'healthier lives,' but a chart about pregnancy included in the literature was found to be misleading. That chart purports to show how a woman's ability to conceive and bear children changes over time… and implies that after the age of twenty-two it becomes increasingly more difficult. But, experts say that the data used in the original chart was altered, since the survey cited can be double-checked online. The ministry said that the purpose of the chart was to 'convey scientifically correct data' to students; but, according to those experts, a woman's ability to conceive does not change significantly until about the age of thirty-five, and even then such findings must be qualified through the filter of cultural and individual circumstances."

Daidai raised her hand. After acknowledged, she asked "But why would the government do something like that?"

"We don't-" Jimmy couldn't get a word in.

"It's obvious," Comu said, voice rising in intensity. "The government wants young women to think that their chances of giving birth decreases after the age of twenty-two, because it wants them to have children as soon as possible. But regardless of the dishonesty of this tactic, the tactic itself represents a staggering lack of imagination. If young women really believe their chances of having a child lessens after their early twenties, they could very well give up having children altogether if they haven't found a suitable partner by that age. So, the idiots in charge essentially shot themselves in the foot! They refuse to provide young people with information that will help them make healthy choices about sex. All they care about is marriage and babies."

"Comu… your shoe is untied…" Jimmy gained control of the virtual pulpit again, his actor smiling. Comu wore large costume slippers. "The government's squeamishness about sex education is at the heart of today's problem. About ten years back, the education ministry instructed elementary and junior high school health class teachers to not discuss the process that leads to conception. In other words, they ordered schools to avoid talking about sexual intercourse. That directive has had two outcomes: Adolescents are not prepared for the pitfalls of sexual relationships, and they are afraid to ask about sex. They probably know enough about the mechanics of sex; but, they don't even realize that they should be asking about sexually transmitted diseases… the economic burden of having and raising a child… various forms of contraception and their relative benefits and drawbacks… abortion… and adoption. Some boys actually believe what they see in pornographic videos… not understanding that the the athleticism on display has nothing to do with reality."

As the condoms traded chances to speak to the class, the athletes had long since zoned out, and were naturally discussing sex in baseball terms.

"Yeh," one boy said, "What is second base, after all. Tongue kissing? Up the shirt? No one seems to know for sure"

"Let me tell you- " By that, the next boy meant 'my older brother has told me'. "-The bases get progressively more intense as you got older. So it's not that easy to describe clearly." How he wished that someone would describe it for him clearly!

"That's not the big thing," one boy said, thumbing himself in the chest, as if he were some Jedi sex master. "A lot of that is just old-fashioned. The way that I look at it, there are more than four stages in today's day and age of sex play. But, to bring you dweebs into line, I'll go over the ancient way first. First Base means kissing. But, someone whose name I won't mention-" He coughed the name, of course. "-Thought it meant holding hands. Some other retard thought that it was not just kissing, but was tongue kissing. Second Base has meant different things over time. Tongue kissing. Breast feeling. Outside the clothes genital contact. Third was a hand down the pants of you or your partner. And… Home Run… that has always meant sex!"

"Sousuke," Tessa said, trying to be much more quiet this time. "What are you doing?" As she watched, Sousuke was furiously scribbling. Was he that interested in what the condoms had to say? Good for him! It was rare to find a boy so interested in adult wisdom!

"I am taking notes," Sousuke replied. "It is difficult for me-" That was not because he was uncomfortable with the subject matter. "-Because the mascot is talking louder than the specialist." He scribbled, speaking the words as he wrote: 'Home run… that.. has always… meant sex.'

"-" Tessa was gobsmacked. "Sergeant Sagara," she said in a very authoritative tone of voice. She giggled when Sousuke sat up so fast, that he squeezed tight on his pen and it escaped his grasp like a greased pig. "That immature boy is not the specialist… the two mascots are." She paused a moment, since that sentence sounded stupid in itself. "Don't you think it's nice that we can learn… together…." She fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"Yes, Captain!" Sousuke crumpled up his paper. "Your teaching was instructive to all of us." He tried to concentrate on what Jimmy was saying, and began writing on a clean sheet.

"I… am… right… here…." Tessa said, immediately putting her hand over her mouth. She looked up. No one seemed to be glancing in her direction. Deciding to be a bit of a minx, she said: "You seem to be an eager student." She raised her voice. "Which do you prefer, the ribbed condom, or the smooth condom?"

"I prefer the smooth condom," Sousuke replied, meaning Jimmy. The boys and girls who heard his reply out of context began gossiping again.

"SHHHHH-HHHH-HHHH-HHH-HH-H!"

That was Miss Katayama this time. But, she wasn't calling out Tessa, who opened her mouth to apologize. She was shushing the whole class.

"Why don't you share what you are saying," Comu called out in challenge, even as Jimmy tried to shush the other condom. The pink mascot thought that the teacher had been shushing the chatty bunch of boys in the back. "Right! You there! Big shot!"

"Me?" The athlete who had been bragging stood up when Comu confirmed that she had been speaking to him. "Alright!" He didn't much care to talk to the students as a whole; but, he'd be damned if he was going to be shouted down by some pink rubber! "Me me me meeee-eee-ee-e." He bowed when the other athletes all cheered. "Baseball. All anyone needs to know. On Deck means having plans for a date. Strike-Out… duh! Walk… Kissing. Bunt… Masturbation. Single… Tongue kissing. Double… Breasts touched, some clothes off, lots of grabbing and feels. Oh yeh!"

Both Tessa and Sousuke had images of Kurz Weber. They each wished that there was a Melissa Mao there to bring swift judgment upon him.

"Triple," the boy continued. "Most of the clothes off, genital contact, mutual masturbation. Inside the park home run… Oral Sex. Home Run…SEX!"

"OOO" "OOO" "OOO" "OOO" "OOO… OOO … OOO … OOO … OOO…." The boy athletes were all chanting.

"Shut up, asshats!" The boy at the lectern threw an erasable marker at one of his teammates. "I wasn't done yet. Sheesh. Little boys pretending to be men. Ground Rule Double… would have had sex, but no condom. Error… Condom breaks during sex. Banned for life for gambling… sex without a condom. Hall of Fame… Marriage. Balk… Premature ejaculation. Pine Tar…KY jelly. What do you want, poindexter? Wanna know what KY jelly is? Loser!"

"No," Shinji said. "Pine tar." A lot of others chimed in.

"Pine tar is a sticky material produced by the high temperature carbonization of pine wood in anoxic conditions," Sousuke said. " Pine tar has long been used in Scandinavian nations as a preservative for wood which may be exposed to harsh conditions, such as ship decking and rigging, in merchant ships and military vessels."

"Who gives a fuck about that," one boy athlete asked. "If we guys don't want to hear that kind of shit from Sousuke sucking Sagara, we sure as shit don't want to sit and hear it from a stupid chick!"

"Pine tar is applied to the handles of baseball bats to improves a batter's grip," the boy at the lectern said before any of the girls could get in an angry reply. "Official rules of Major League Baseball' restricts application to the lower eighteen inches of a bat. That means that I would only get half covered! Heh heh heh heh."

"Hah." "Hah hah." "Hah." "Hah hah hah." "Hah hah." "Hah hah hah hah hahahahahah." The boy athletes were having a field day, so to speak.

"Quiet you apes," the boy said in a proud voice. "Back to the important stuff! Relief pitcher… Vibrator. Rain Delay… Parents or roommate return home unexpectedly. Box Seats… Waterbed. Seventh Inning Stretch… Unusual positions. Rookie… Virgin. Switch Hitter… Sex with her one night, and her brother the next. Minor Leagues… Under 18. Loaded Bases… Menage a trois. Grand Slam… Sex three times in twelve hours. Foul tip… VD. Three up and three down… Impotency."

"So…." One boy athlete ventured. "First I hit a triple… then we get an inside the park home run… and I started thinking it's Hall of Fame time!"

"No…." Another boy said. "So… there I was with the bases loaded and nobody out… when I balked during the seventh inning stretch… and I had to call in a relief pitcher." He slapped hands with the boy seated next to him."

"Sensei is proud," the boy at the lectern said, heading back to his seat.

"Thank you," Comu said calmly. "You just proved one of our points. The image of sex in the media is distorted and incomplete. The talk about sex amongst high school boys is even worse."

"Let me say something before you continue," Miss Katayama said. When Comu bowed, she claimed "The next student who says anything that interrupts our visitors will be asked to leave class. He or she will them be made to sit through an entire sexual education seminar… with his or her parents sitting with him or her!"

The boys in the back of the class grumped. In a show of defiance, they passed along a tape dispenser and put tape over their lips. Kyouko took a dozen or so snapshots. So did Jimmy, holding a camera up to his costume's eye hole.

"But since government policy creates a vacuum of useful information about sex, the media and other youths is young people's only source of information." Comu said. "The government's official position has been articulated by Liberal Democratic Party member Eriko Yamatani, who has made it her mission to oppose sex education in schools. In a famous debate, she blasted educational materials that mentioned male and female genitalia, calling the methodology 'radical.' The last Prime Minister agreed they were inappropriate and added wryly they were also unnecessary, since 'you tend to learn about these things naturally.' Other government officials claim that explicitness will 'destroys families' because youngsters will be disgusted to know that their parents engage in sex. There are those simpletons that think that talking about sexual education will cause more children to have sex. And… girls… you especially should learn this, even though it's important for boys, too: if the government wants people to marry as soon as possible and have babies, they should realize that those who marry very young usually don't remain married because they are not emotionally or sexually prepared. And… here's the kicker… such unions are reportedly more likely to lead to domestic violence and child abuse."

Jimmy took over speaking, but Tessa was no longer listening. She had had a proper sexual education course in America. There was also something else she had learned about: passing notes in class. While the condoms droned on… finally getting to the nuts and bolts of the talk… she put her knowledge into action. She wrote something on a small piece of paper… folded the paper… and then passed it over to Sousuke. It read: [WHAT BASE DO YOU WANT TO GET TO?]

Sousuke's eyes grew wide as he read. He broke the tip on his pencil writing his note. It read: [UHHH-HH-H].

Tessa smiled. Sousuke was off balance. As she knew he'd be. Her next note read: [ARE YOU STILL A VIRGIN?]. She watched Sousuke's face like a hawk. One, for the reaction. But also to try and read the truth.

Sousuke's reply read simply: [AFFIRMATIVE!].

Tessa giggled, and scribbled again, writing: [WANT TO KNOW IF I AM? *blushing emoji*]

Sousuke opened up the folded note and read it. He coughed. His reply was: [IF YOU COMMAND ME TO].

Tessa frowned. That one wasn't very fun. She needed to shake him up more. She wrote: [HAVE YOU EVER PICTURED ME NAKED?]

Sousuke slipped down his seat, almost banging Kaname's face on the desk top. He sat back properly, folded up a piece of paper, and handed it to Tessa. It was blank.

Tessa hummed happily to herself. That was quite the reaction. She wondered just what it might mean. His shields were down. Time for a photon torpedo or a shot from the Death Star. She wrote: [WHAT DO YOU THINK OUR CHILDREN WILL LOOK LIKE?]

Sousuke tore his next piece of paper in half before he could even write on it. There were sweat drops at his temple. 'His' eyes had a wild look in them.

Tessa struck while the iron was hot. The next note she handed to Sousuke read: [IF IT'S A BOY… SHOULD WE NAME IT RICHARD? *serious thinking emoji*] By that, she was plainly referring to Commander Mardukas.

Sousuke immediately stuck his arm up, after reading that last one. When the teacher gave him permission to speak, he asked if he could use the restroom. When he ran to leave the room, Tessa rubbed her hands together, happy in her little game. Sousuke returned a short while later, a glutton for punishment. He had hoped that the Captain would have grown interested in the mascot's talk in his planned absence. He should have known better. She handed him another folded piece of paper.

'I am a specialist!' he said to himself, unaware that Tessa was reading his lips. His tactical decision was to not open the paper. She tapped on his desk and mouthed 'I am your commanding officer," watching a great deal many more sweat drops spring into being. She pointed at the paper.

Sousuke opened the paper, his hands trembling. The paper read: [WHEN I STOOD NEXT TO YOUR BODY AT THE HOPSPITAL, A LOT OF TECHNICIANS SAID WE LOOKED LIKE A GOOD COUPLE]. He flinched. He knew he had to respond. He had an epiphany. He now switched over to strategic thinking. Perhaps this would end the back-and-forth. He passed his paper to Tessa.

Tessa opened the note and read. Without thinking, she crumpled it up. It read: [THEY'RE SCIENTISTS. THEY KNOW EVRYTHING. DID YOU ASK THEM IF KANAME AND I WOULD LOOK BETTER TOGETHER? *curious emoji*]

Sousuke hoped that would not get him drummed from the mercenary service… or sentenced to the brig or prolonged KP service. To him, the color of the Captain's face was indescribable, and he was an expert on the color 'red,' as HAL2000 knew before being shut down.

Tessa had been through tough times. She had made amazing progress, just the same. Being Whispered wasn't the soul reason she sat at the helm of the most advanced undersea vessel in the world. So, woe betide her if she was going to abort the mission when a depth charge shook the boat a little. She wrote a bit longer this time: [I APOLOGIZE IF I UPSET YOU. IT TAKES A LOT TO SHAKE UP A SOLDIER AS STRONG AS YOU. THINGS MUST HAVE BEEN REALLY TOUGH LATELY]

Sousuke read the note, sighing. Ever since the mind-body swap, his adrenalin had been pumped into his bloodstream at a record level. He wrote: [AFFIRMATIVE. NO DOUBT, KALININ WILL INSIST I TAKE LEAVE WHEN I AM BACK IN MY BODY]

Tessa smiled, like a cat sizing up a canary. In her best penmanship, she wrote [GREAT! THEN I WILL HAVE HIM ASSIGN YOU AS MY GUARD, WHEN I GO TO THE ONSEN, AGAIN. JUST YOU AND ME. THE TWO OF US. NO MORE. NO LESS.]. She wrote a second note and passed it over simultaneously. It read: [THEY HAVE MIXED BATHING NOW, YOU KNOW! *thumbs up emoji*]

Sousuke read both notes. His body jerked. His knees struck the bottom of his desk with a resounding WHACK. That drew the attention of Miss Katayama. She started to walk in his direction. That had he and Tessa quickly putting all of the notes in their mouths, chewing to destroy the evidence.

"Are you okay, Kaname?" the teacher asked.

"Iflml fmnl," was supposed to be 'I'm fine.' GULLL-LL-L-P. Sousuke swallowed as best he could, managing to force the pulpy bolus down. His gulp was echoed by a second one, as Tessa had to try multiple times to swallow her portion. "Muscle spasm. Tough being an athlete."

Sousuke and Tessa sat looking like angels. After a moment of watching 'Kaname' to make certain that nothing was wrong, the teacher headed up front, just as Jimmy was wrapping up his gig with a reminder and a plea.

"Close to half of teachers at public-supported junior high schools in Tokyo say that education ministry curriculum guidelines on sex education are out of step with the times," the condom mascot claimed. "In contrast, a Tokyo metropolitan board of education study on sex education issues announced that almost half of respondents deem such discussions as unnecessary. Who do you believe? If your government will not fight for you… and your parents forgot that they were children once, and will not fight for you… than I urge you to fight for yourselves!"

After that, Jimmy said that a publication he did part-time work for was helping the cause by printing up free Sex Ed posters. Those would be sent to schools, and be put together as mailers to reach parents throughout Tokyo at first, and later throughout Japan. He wanted to pose with a student from this class. Comu would take pictures with that student as well, and there could be one taken of the Principal and the student.

"You should pick Kaname," one girl said. "She'd be perfect!" She made a motion, pantomiming a big belly.

"That's right," a boy said, rocking his arms as if he held a baby. Both motions were lost on Sousuke, but not on the mascots. They pushed chairs aside, after students vacated them. A professional camera crew came into the room and took a series of still shots, as Sousuke grew more irritated by the moment.

"It will make a good cautionary tale," Jimmy said. That too was Greek to Sousuke. He was glad when the camera crew, the Principal, and the four mascots left the classroom. He helped the other students rearrange the scattered chairs.

As Miss Katayama headed back to the lectern, and the overhead projector switched on again, Tessa risked one more strike. If she could blithely order cruise missile strikes against Russian or Amalgam research facilities, then she could hand Sousuke another note when the Sergeant was under surveillance. The note read: [DON'T WORRY! WHAT HAPPENS AT THE HOT SPRINGS, STAYS AT THE HOT SPRINGS! *smiley face emoji times three*].

After handing the note to Sousuke, she sat waiting, tapping her foot louder and louder until more and more students looked her way.

Seeing the class, reaction, Sousuke quickly opened the note, to stop the tapping. He calmly closed the note. He closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and held it. He held it for more than two minutes, letting it out slowly, before sucking in a big gulp of air quickly. Sousuke Sagara, Sergeant of Mithril, was impervious against many foes and the weapons that they used… but, he was woefully unarmed and unarmored when it came to flirtation and teasing.

"The production of eggs is called oogenesis," Miss Katayama said. It takes place in the ovaries and begins before birth. The outer layer of the ovary… the germinal epithelium… produces primary oocytes. It also produces follicle cells that congregate around the oocytes, forming a structure called the primary follicle." After that, Sousuke's mind was blank, unaware of the words being said, until the teacher reached the end of her Power Point presentation, ending with: "After about 38 weeks, labor begins and birth follows. Late in pregnancy, progesterone levels decrease and prostaglandins are produced. They stimulate contractions, which are strong, as oxytocin is no longer inhibited by high progesterone levels. After labor the baby is expelled. The umbilical cord is clamped and severed and sometime afterwards the placenta is also expelled. Due to the loss of the placenta, estrogen and progesterone levels fall, and prolactin is no longer inhibited so the breasts can produce milk. Oxytocin is released from the posterior pituitary gland, which forces milk out of the nipples."

Sousuke slowly made his way back to the land of the living, only to find out that the zombie apocalypse had not ended. Tessa had handed him another note.

But, after reading it, he mouthed 'Thank you'. The note had read: [DON'T WORRY. I KEPT GOOD NOTES].

Tessa had fought the urge to add 'And I'll be glad to help you learn about sexual reproduction,' as that seemed way too suggestive for the game. And, she refrained from pushing her subordinate off the mental and emotional cliff by writing 'The only one onboard better at the subject is Commander Mardukas.'

"Well," Miss Katayama started. "It seems that we have some time left in class. That's a miracle. I could let you go early." She too was not beyond teasing people. She had a firm gaze on the athlete boys, who had begun getting up from their chairs. "But, I won't. I'll tell you about something related. Something hot of the press." She smiled when she heard the boys groan. "It's food for thought."

The teacher told the class that scientists in Japan reported that they have taken a potentially important… and quite definitely controversial…step toward creating human eggs in a lab dish. "They turned human blood cells into stem cells, which they then transformed into very immature human eggs. The eggs were far too immature to be fertilized or make a baby. Much more research is needed to create eggs that could be useful … and safe…for human reproduction; but, those studies are underway. The resultant techniques might someday help millions of people suffering from infertility because of cancer treatments or other reasons."

"But there would have to be countless societal and ethical issues," Rumiko said. "Wouldn't there? I mean… they could mass produce eggs…."

"Yes indeed," Miss Katayama replied. "Wrap your brains around this. Theoretically, babies someday could be made from the blood, hair or skin cells of children, grandmothers, even deceased people. So there are some very weird possibilities that might emerge in the not too distant future."

'People could make babies from cells stolen from unwitting celebrities," Tomomi said with a gasp. She was a big tabloid and television talk show fan. "People could collect skin cells left behind on a soda can or…"

"Hair follicles from hair clipped at a salon," Maya added.

"A woman might want to have Jin Akanishi baby," Shiori said. "And his hairdresser could start selling that star's hair follicles online. So, we suddenly could see many, many progeny of Jin Akanishi without his consent."

"That's scarier than 'Planet of the Apes'," Kyouko said. That was one of the films she had downloaded for weekend viewing.

"That's almost as scary as Planet of the Sagaras!" Ono-D said.

"Worse," a girl said. "Planet of the Sagaras against Planet of the Chidoris!"

"I shudder to think," a boy said. "Planet of the Sagaras against Empire of the Chidoris through a black hole into the Galaxy of the Never-ending Halisens!"

"Now that would be Ragnarok," Shinji claimed. "On a universal scale."

"Settle down, please." Miss Katayama said. "For years, scientists have been trying to make eggs and sperm from stem cells. This year, Mitinori Saitou at Kyoto University and his colleagues reported they produced mature mouse eggs and sperm from stem cells, and used them to breed healthy mouse pups. First, the scientists used a well-established method to turn adult human blood cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, which have the ability to become any cell in the body. But the key, apparently, was putting the induced human pluripotent stem cells into miniature ovaries they created in the lab from mouse embryonic cells, where those stem cells turned into immature mouse egg cells. So, the next step will be to try to make mature human eggs and produce human sperm this way. It's the beginning of a paradigm change. In addition to helping infertile people, such a development could enable gay couples to have babies with sperm and eggs made from their own skin cells. Easy access to eggs might mean it would become routine to scan the DNA of embryos before anyone tries to have a baby. Doing genetic testing basically on a large chunk of every generation of babies before they even become fetuses … while they're still embryos … and having parents and potentially governments pick and choose which embryos go on to become babies…that has lots of implications."

"And If we can't trust the government to teach us about sex ed-" Mayuko said.

"-How can we trust them to pick which embryos to use," one boy finished. It was a sobering thought. Just what might Hitler, Stalin, or Mao Zedong have done with that technology. Who was to say that future leaders might not be worse monsters than that trio?

"Oh my!" Tessa sat up straight.

"Captain, what is it!" Sousuke looked around for a threat. The look on Tessa's face was one of great concern.

"I hope that there isn't any Black Technology for something like that!"

"Affirmative,"Sousuke said, mentally standing down.

That should have been the end of it. In a perfect world, a land of happy sitcoms and Hallmark cards, it would have been. But, Tessa's mind couldn't help but wander back to a certain day. Kurz had asked her 'Can the Whispered call up whatever Black Technology they want?' When Tessa then asked why, Kurz said 'I can't help but wonder what types of sex toys they have plans for!'

"Captain!" Sousuke looked concerned again. "Tessa. Your face. Should I take you to the school nurse?"

"No!" Tessa said. "Shhh. Quiet. Nothing more. That's an order!"

The young Captain wished that she had a helpful memory, like one where Melissa had come to her rescue, crushing Sergeant Weber like one of her empty beer cans. That hadn't happened. Instead, Mao had added fuel to the fire.

Pulling out a wallet, Mao had taken out a handful of twenties, and slammed them down hard on the table. 'Count me in!'

"Oh, Melissa," Tessa whispered.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

SCHOOL CLEAN-UP

Sweep sweep sweep sweep sweep sweep sweep sweep sweep sweep sweep sweep

Sousuke swept the broom back and forth smoothly, dexterous in such a simple and ancient task. A good many other second year students were working in the girl's shower room, having chosen to clean that before they got to the smaller restrooms. First years had been given the daunting task of cleaning the Boy's locker and shower rooms. Third years were excused from clean-up duties.

Burrrrrr-rrrrr-rrrr-rrr-rr-r-ppppp-pppp-ppp-pp-p

This time, Sousuke tasted plain white paper and pen ink.

"Here," one girl said kindly. "Maybe I should do that for you." She held out a hand, hoping that 'she' would give her the broom.

"It is not a problem," Sousuke said. "Thank you. But… I am fine…." That was the fifth person who had offered to take over the sweeping duties. Were the other tasks so daunting, that they looked to escape them? Or, did he somehow look unwell? Stepping over to the mirror, he looked-over Kaname's body.

"Don't worry," another girl said. "It really isn't showing that much yet. It probably didn't show up in your school photo."

"-" Sousuke had no idea how to reply to that. What was not showing? It didn't matter, whatever it was. He had never had 'his' photo taken. He put his hand on his abdomen. Good! He felt less bloated.

He watched as Tessa walked his way, a big smile on her face. Just as she opened her mouth to speak to him, she was corralled by a gaggle of giggling and gossiping girls, and hurriedly herded away. They went from zero to sixty words a minute in under five seconds.

"Hey! Kana-chan." Kyouko walked up, other friends with her. "We just want to say that we know you're not in trouble." Maya, Shiori, Tomomi, Rumiko, and Mayuko all nodded their heads, before walking away.

"Trouble?" Sousuke wondered what they meant. He had done plenty of things that day, which could have him end up in the Principal's office, or even have him get the boot without any further discussion. But, no sense worrying about it.

Looking around the shower area, he saw those girls making intermittent efforts to clean the shower stalls in between their cheerful chatting. A smaller group of girls worked on cleaning the sinks, and would mop the floor after he finished with the broom work. Nerdy and non-conformist boys were working on the toilets, as the sports guys leaned against the wall, jawing, occasionally tossing in a new threat or two to make sure the toilets would get done without their pitching in. Shinji was the lone non-athlete exception. He stood in the corner nearest the athletes, looking a bit off of his feed. He had been made exempt from toilet duty by the bullies.

"Hey… ummm… Tessa…." One girl sounded sheepish. "You… well… you know everything. If my significant other and I just have oral sex, I can't get pregnant, right?"

"That-" Tessa looked over to see if Sousuke was watching. He was. She turned bright red, coughed, and struck a fierce pose, as if she were about to order a combat maneuver.

"Uhhh." Sousuke froze. He didn't know why, exactly. Yes, he was clueless. He admitted it. But, he had heard so much worse from Kurz, Mao, and many adult mercenaries, not to mention the women they hung around. He tried to focus on his sweeping, hands feeling a bit clammy. When he was reading the magazine he had commandeered from Kaname's apartment, he always skipped over the sections that discussed teen sex subjects.

"You-" Tessa coughed again. "You can't get pregnant from oral or anal sex alone. For people to get pregnant, sperm has to get into a vagina…and eventually up through the cervix into the uterus… just like we heard today. That can't happen physically with oral or anal sex. However, if a couple has anal sex and some of the sperm ends up near the opening to the vagina, there is a chance she could get pregnant. Although you can't get pregnant from oral and anal sex, you can still get STDs like herpes and HIV. I'm certain those mascots would tell you, if you're having oral or anal sex, always use a condom."

"Everyone says that sex is fun and that it feels good," another girl stated. "I'm a virgin and curious. Tessa… is that really true?"

"I'm not-" Tessa began. She said a small prayer of thanks when someone answered for her. But, she was going to say "I'm not able to answer that." Leaving it hanging like that had some thinking she meant 'I'm not a virgin.'

"Come on! Tessa is a guest today." One of the few girls with experience spoke up. "We can't make her answer every question. Sex can be fun and feel good, but it's not true that sex just 'feels good' across the board in any situation. It's impossible to separate the act of sex from the person you're doing it with… or the person you are. Because if you're not really ready to be having sex, or you're doing it in the wrong relationship or with the wrong person, you'll be worrying about it way too much to enjoy it. But if you feel totally comfortable and cared about, and sex is something that you truly feel ready for, then yes… it can be an amazing experience."

"Sweep, soldier." Sousuke ordered himself to maintain focus. He felt a bit awkward, seeing that he was still a virgin. If he had been a simple highschool boy, he wouldn't be a bit concerned. But, amongst military types, he was always the odd man out. Regardless, he should be more curious, shouldn't he? Maybe it wouldn't hurt to listen a bit.

Listening to the girls, he failed to hear the sexually charged and spiteful things that the sports boys were now spewing.

"How painful is sex the first time?" That was Shiori. "Just for future reference. I don't even have a boyfriend, now."

"It varies," another experienced girl replied. "For some girls, there's no pain whatsoever; for others, sex can be uncomfortable. Some girls feel discomfort when the hymen stretches or tears, which can cause a little bleeding. Sometimes a girl may not be aroused… or she's feeling nervous…. so her vagina isn't lubricated enough for a comfortable experience. Lubricated condoms can help. Sometimes it'll be uncomfortable for the first few tries, and then it will start to feel better. In general, though, if you're experiencing a lot of pain during sex, talk to a doctor or the school nurse."

"Lubricated…." Tessa tugged her hair too hard and grimaced. She sneaked a peak at Sousuke again, somehow feeling guilty in doing so. She too was a virgin.

"How do you know when you're really ready to have sex?" That was Maya. "I'm… well… future reference here, too…."

"Tessa?" One girl looked to see if Tessa would share her knowledge.

"We should ask Kaname, shouldn't we…." Mizuki put in, somehow feeling superior, being a virgin still. "I mean… after all…."

Sousuke began sweeping faster and put distance between him and the gabby girls. Boys and girls tidying up towels and laundry baskets told her to relax, and not feel embarrassed or picked on. Some, again, commented on his condition. That was becoming onerous. Onerous, and unnerving. He had swept his way into earshot again.

"Sex is very intimate," one experienced girl noted. "It's not just physical, it can be emotional too. It's normal for teens to have strong sexual feelings, but it doesn't always mean you have to act on them. You can feel physically ready for sex but not be in the right relationship for any number of reasons. Because having sex can be so emotionally powerful, it's easy to get hurt. Sex is only part of a relationship. Other important things… like trust, mutual respect, and caring… need to be in place too. Finally, for all its magic, sex can have a downside, such as an unplanned pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases, right? Oh-" She looked over at Kaname, biting her lip.

Sousuke felt caught in a quandary. Biology class. Human reproduction and Sexual Education. Girls talking about sexual matters openly like that. As best he tried, he could not ignore the eight-hundred pound gorilla in the room. It was all well and good, learning what he did, as a mental male. But, he was a physical female. He started to look at the ring; but, he turned it on his finger so that he couldn't see the color. It wasn't a watched pot, and he wasn't superstitious. He didn't want to worry any more than he was now. He had spent class thinking like a boy; but, he should also think things through from a girl's view. There was still a chance that he would end up trapped in Kaname's body. And, if he was fortunate to return to his own body, it would be practical to know how girls felt about sex, wouldn't it? An informed bodyguard is a more effective bodyguard.

"My boyfriend is pressuring me to have sex," Mari said, shocking some people. She never told anyone about a boyfriend. "How do I know if he is just using me?"

"Sometimes in relationships one person is ready to have sex but the other isn't," one girl stated. "That can be stressful… I know that, alright…you don't want to compromise what you're not ready for or what you believe. You need to do what is right for you. Anyone who tries to pressure you into having sex isn't really thinking about what matters most to you. People who pressure others into having sex are only looking to satisfy their own feelings and urges about sex."

"That's right," one of the other experienced girls added. "If you feel pressure to have sex because you're afraid of losing your boyfriend, it may be a sign that you're not in the right relationship. Sex isn't something you should feel you must do. Relationships are meant to be fun for both people. They should make you feel appreciated, respected, and supported, not pressured or uncomfortable. If your boyfriend truly cares about you, he won't pressure you to do something you don't believe in or aren't ready for. So talk with your boyfriend about how you feel. If he's the right guy for you, he'll understand."

Sousuke tried to store that information away. But, he began fighting a growing sense of paranoia. He felt as if everyone in the room was looking at him, since so many people were coming up to speak with him. Did these students often come over to converse with Kaname, or were they clued into something? Somehow, he felt as if everyone there must know his secret, even though that was impossible. Only two people in the school knew his secret, and he doubted that Tessa would share classified information.

"I keep waiting for the stick to strike," Sousuke murmured, thinking back to Falstaff again. No, nobody likely knew his secret. But, that didn't mean that Fate wasn't winding up to throw a pitch at his head, or smack him with an over-sized bat. He overheard Tessa saying something, but had missed the question, and couldn't make out her words. Just the same, the sound of her voice had him feeling edgy. Somehow, in Kaname's body, he felt less oblivious than usual, even though that was probably an illusion. The Captain's teasing was her way of having fun at his expense, of course; but, he gathered that there might be more to it than that. She was attracted to him… well… the usual male him. And, she must want him to pay more attention to her, in preparation for his return.

The athlete boys were getting louder, more vocal, and more demeaning in their jeers and crude talk. They were also getting more specific in their joking and their jibes. But, Sousuke was too distracted to pay them much heed.

"Is it better to shave off all your pubic hair or to keep most of it and trim it?" Having heard that question, asked by one of the garrulous girls, Sousuke decided he needed to sweep an area he had already gone over. Doing anything else would seem like eavesdropping. And, for some reason, his ears were ringing.

He belched again. Tasting paper again, he thought back to the note-passing he and Tessa had done. It had certainly caught him off guard. He almost felt as if they were a flare, shot into the sky to illuminate things that were currently too dark to see. As a soldier, it was his job to see things clearly, and not to turn his sight away from the target. He forced himself to think harder on things, and to be honest. If he was not a soldier, he would like a girlfriend. If he had a girlfriend, we would want to get to whatever base that girl would want to get to. And, if he was attracted to a girl, he would no doubt think about seeing her naked, at least on some level. He had seen pornographic magazines before. There was certainly a magnetic pull between his eyes and any given centerfold's body. Like pornographic videos, that wasn't real to him. That had never felt personal.

He couldn't help but bring-up an image of Kaname's naked body. Strangely enough, it did not excite him. Was that because he had seen Kaname's body in the mirror that way? Was his sense of attraction merely a puppy love kind of thing? Was he a eunuch, in a personal and professional way? Or, was it wrong to expect any kind of reaction, standing here sweeping?

"Hot springs," Sousuke murmured, recalling Tessa's notes on that subject. Would his reaction be any different, if he was alone at the onsen with either girl? He fantasized, and found out that his heart skipped a beat when he pictured either girl slipping slowly out of her blouse and skirt, revealing a bathing suit underneath… spending time close to him in the warm moonlit water… and watching the girl slowly remove the bathing suit. "That… it…" Normally, the mental imagery would cease there, immediately. Not this time. He had accepted the assignment. No turning back, now. The truest attraction was not just being with a naked girl… it was being with a naked girl who cared about him, and wanted to be naked with him.

"Wanting to be naked…." Sousuke thought back to another escapade, it's memory still somewhat fresh. He had ordered a special gunsight from Bedard at Brilliant Safetech, and he had sent a strange cannister instead. Ono-D, tongue on fire from a flaming hot curry bun, opened the container, thinking it a water bottle. There was a pathogen inside, one Sousuke originally thought must be a deadly virus. Instead, it was a bacterium that could break down petroleum products. Sousuke had brought Kaname to the Infirmary, and had talked her into taking off her clothing for practical purposes. She had been naked behind the curtains when he received the final explanation from Beard. That by itself was a curiosity. She had indeed disrobed. But, it was the way that she had responded to his request that had him tied up in mental knots, now.

If Tessa had intended to have Sousuke think more about her, then her actions had backfired. He had indeed taken a step forward… but then two steps back. Biology class… girl talk… notes… something had him thinking about Kaname in ways that he never had before. No. In ways he never allowed himself to think, or quickly stamped out if he even began to think. He wondered how Kaname was doing, stranded at the hospital. He wished that he could share that burden with her. He had left her behind once, at the order of his superiors, and the sting of self recrimination still had the power to make him uncomfortable today.

"The haircut," he said to himself. After a bad reaction in a barber shop, he had gone back to Kaname's home, and she had cut his hair. It had been a revelation of sorts. He had trusted her not to cut of his ears. He had been made uneasy somehow, by her gentle touch. He had been unnerved more by a close view of her cleavage. In some strange way, the world had come into clearer focus for him, after that. But, whatever insights he had been on the edge of grasping had been blown away by a typhoon of shock and anger. Mithril higher ups had ordered him to stop all contact with Kaname, because he was too crucial an asset to place in a high school; after all, he was the only one able to pilot Arbalest, Mithril's sole Lambda Driver equipped AS. His hurt grew more substantial when Gauron on his deathbed claimed that she was dead. He gave up on fighting, and caring. He gave up on life. But, she came for him, all the way to Hong Kong. "She said she came because she was class rep." And, and because he was in danger of being expelled. He hadn't truly doubted her motives. Maybe it was he was too busy being beaten to a pulp by her. "She cried when I came back to school, reassigned. She leaned against me. I... I almost..." He had come close to holding her.

For some reason, his thoughts travelled further back. The sun was setting. He stood near a lake with a spraying fountain. There was a woman with him, a woman that he had failed to recognize at first. It was Kaname, in her mother's kimono. And, she had been trying to get him to say that she was beautiful.

Someone in the boiler room next door was playing music now. Playing music loudly. It was easy to hear the words through the shower room wall. The singer sounded like Mikuni Shimokawa. That song, it must be 'Tomorrow.'

Because tenderness is sometimes cruel

The more I search for an answer, the more I lose sight of it

If you can see a rainbow in town after a rain

Let's start walking now

Something is about to begin

Because I have you

Because I have tomorrow

Because I can't go on living by myself

I feel it this close

I guess it's love

Because you know the pain of all the tears I've shed

I want to search for a definite meaning in your clear eyes

And find a smiling face

Sousuke had closed his eyes, without realizing it. He felt a sense of peace, not knowing why. He pictured seagulls flying. He felt free. He felt a sense of anticipation, as if he were about to be launched in an A.S. from Da Danaan, clutching the broom handle as if it were the control stick in Arbalest. His mind went back to the past, thinking about the more pleasant moments in his life as a Mithril pilot. He felt nostalgic, thinking about his preparation for coming to Jindai High… about Kurz and Mao squabbling over canned crab… about Eri taking away his submachine gun… about getting to know Kaname.

He was close to zoning out completely, and even missed the conversation that took place just outside the door of the shower room:

"I must commend you for selfless acts of philanthropy," a voice said. It was Atsunobu Hayashimizu. "The telethon is over, and I will be sad to see such distinguished thespians depart our humble premises".

The Student Council President was speaking to Domo-kun, with his gaping maw, and Kumamon, with his rosy red cheeks. Unable to walk abreast in the hallway, the two mascots walked single-file behind the bespectacled boy, who opened and closed his fan. The sound of thwop thwop thwop thwop signaled the approach of the tardy Hikonyan, with the huge white cat still wearing the same type of samurai helmet that can be seen at the Hikone Castle Museum.

"But," Atsunobu continued. "Since we have theatrical club presentations in the future… and will be continuing with our outreach program for Tokyo orphans and underprivileged youths… perhaps we can purchase the used of your tantalizing talents once again."

"That would be wonderful," the actor for Domo-kun said. He then added unexpectedly, the words from an internet meme that resembled a public service announcement and depicted two Domos chasing a kitten: "Every time you masturbate... God kills a kitten."

"Yes, that would be a great thing," the actor for Kumamon added. "Why? For the glory of Satan, of course!" That came from a famous meme, prompted by a two-panel comic of the mascot standing in front of a bonfire.

"I… I just need…." The actor for Hikonyan's voice went up an octave. "I just need to get the fuck out of this thing and pee!"

"Splendid," Atsonubo said elegantly. "Your consent is music to my ears." After that they were out of earshot.

"Are you okay, Sousuke." It was Tessa. She was standing there, an impish look on her face when he opened 'his' eyes. "The girl's wanted you to answer one of their questions." She pinked up some, but didn't look the slightest bit put off or embarrassed. "Let me see. What were the words." The voice she used. It was that same style of speech. The one she used when she pretended to be a ditz, not long after Kaname had seen her for the first time, dressed in nothing more than a towel. "If I have sex with a girl, am I technically losing my virginity?"

"Gah!" Sousuke dropped the broom. "That… I am honored Captain… but I don't think Kaname…." Of course, he had taken things too literally.

"Geez," Tessa shook her head. How did Kaname deal with this all of the time? "I was just teasing you. I don't want Kaname. I want you…." This time she did look shocked, almost as if she wished she could shrink in size and escape down the shower drain. "I mean… another girl answered the question. She gave an answer. Ummm… she well… the girl said 'Virginity is a fraught topic because of how differently it's handled when it comes to guys and girls. Guys are encouraged to get their virginity over with, that they won't be good when they first start having sex and that's OK because it's a process, etc. Meanwhile, girls are told that virginity is a gift that you need to hold onto, that it's some kind of commodity and that you're losing something once you have sex for the first time. Virginity is yours and yours alone, and you choose what to do with it. Sex is about intense intimacy with another human being, so you can lose your virginity a number of ways.' That is… you know… or maybe you don't know…." She was not the calm and cool boat's Captain right then and there.

"Thank you for that informative instruction!" Sousuke said, eyes blinking rapidly.

"Ummm," Tessa said, regaining her pluck. "Do you know what I really would like?" She wanted to say, 'My birthday comes up in a few months, and I really wish we could do something. You know, like dinner. Or dancing. Or maybe a trip on a cruise ship.' But, even though she was a firm believer in the anime quote 'After all, love is about timing… if you don't say the right thing at the right moment no matter how much Fate is involved, everything will ne ruined. It'll be too late,' saying something like that might scare Sousuke off, after that last slip.

"Captain?" Sousuke had been caught off guard by the slip. But, that wasn't all. He had pictured Kaname glaring at him.

"Tonight… after school…." Tessa tugged at her hair. This wasn't just a verbal diversion. As she thought about it, she actually would like it to happen. "We could do a sleepover. We could paint each others finger nails and toenails…." The Whispered girl was plotting, like with a complicated mission. She figured if she shocked Sousuke with girly things, he might accept a chance to spend time together when she 'relented' and agreed to do only simple gender-free things that friends might do.

"Uh." Sousuke stood stiff.

"Then, we could talk about the boys and girls we like," Tessa said, feeling impish again. But, she was caught upon her own petard, for the obvious reason. True to her very nature, she almost tripped over nothing.

"Uhhhh." Sousuke knew that she was teasing. That didn't stop his heart from skipping a beat.

"And then-" Tessa prepared to lower the boom. After girl talk had veered away from sex-issues, it had veered onto the topic of daily events. A large number of drastic and dramatic daily events. There was a pregnant pause.

"Captain?" Sousuke asked. "Tessa?" He has a strong sense of foreboding.

"We could talk about current events," Tessa replied. "You know, like a striking speech. Black hair dye. Exploding bowels and bladders, not to mention bellies. The upcoming Math Day at the Tokyo Dome. Fights with serial killers. Chainsaws. Yankis. Comedy routines. Bonta-kun versus Gloomy Bear. Dance fighting, ballroom style. Angry Amalgam agents. Dates. Girls running around outside in towels. Exploding testicles. Dog Day Afternoon. Robots run amok. Knife fight training in Home Economics. Just to name a few…."

"I-" Sousuke felt as if his heart stopped beating altogether. "That-" Reality came crashing down on him like a ton of bricks. Tessa knew. That meant that Kaname would know. Great Caesar's ghost! "Those can be explained-" Tessa wasn't about to blackmail him in some way, was she?

"But wait! There's more!" Tessa sounded like someone on a game show or an informercial. She held up her cell phone. On the way over from the Neurological Center, she had downloaded local news coverage from different online sites. She held up the phone and showed video after video. "A gang called the Monks, wimpering as they talked about being attacked by a blue-hair demon. A blue haired girl helping a boy get his cat down from danger… with a potato cannon! A crazy police chase though a busy business district. A subsequent police car and train collision. A fight between a motorcycle gang and the same policewoman, aided and abetted by a man with that chainsaw. Newsfeed covering the Jindai marching band and a marauding mechanical menace."

Sousuke didn't say a thing. Kaname's face was a blank as an uncarved tombstone.

"Don't worry, Sousuke." Tessa said kindly, feeling bad about teasing him. Just the same, facts were facts, and photos are photos. The bill would come due soon enough. "I won't tell Kaname before you have a chance to. You have protected me a number of times in the past. This way, I can protect you too. But, we work for Mithril, not the MIB. Black Technology has helped us create a lot of amazing gadgets; but, I'm afraid memory-erasing neuralyzers are not among them."

"Yes," Sousuke said sadly. "I know." He looked at Tessa, but he pictured Kaname. That image of her, happy in her kimono, faded. The image he imaged now was anything but happy.

"Any how, spending time together tonight really could be fun," Tessa said. "Oh! I'm sorry. How could I forget. It would be best that you are back in your own body tonight, since the sands in the hourglass are getting low." She sighed, but then grinned again. "But... even if you are a boy... we could still do each other's nails and-" Her teasing was interrupted by her phone. The two Mithril members recognized that particular ringtone: an emergency message incoming, from Headquarters. "Hello… yes… I see… I understand… goodbye." Tessa sighed, a stern look on her face, all hope for a 'girl's night' dashed before they ever really took flight. "I have to head back to Da Danaan. We were somehow fortunate to get video feed of a massive aircraft that's not present on radar, not even the metric or quantum types. It's on a path for Tokyo. I'm needed on board."

"The type of craft?" Sousuke asked.

"Unknown," Tessa said. "We have never seen the likes before, I'm told. It's not in our files. But… on the nose…." She shook her head. No sense in supposition. "Hopefully it will veer off. In any case, I doubt it's filled with angry photographers… hormonal dogs… or a robot intelligence bent on the destruction of mankind."

After stating that someone would be in contact when they learned more, Tessa took her leave.

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FINAL HOME ROOM

There was a message on the chalk board in Home Room.

Eri would not be able to supervise the class. There was a special teacher's meeting, to go over the strange series of events that had taken place that day. School safety was paramount.

As Class Representative, Sousuke knew that Kaname would take charge, and set things in motion. He walked to the front of the class, but had no contingency plan in mind. It was only a fifteen minute period, and he didn't think that there was anything the class truly needed to discuss amongst themselves, at least not with his guiding hand.

"If there is anything you wish to discuss," he told the students. "Please feel free to do so on your own." He sat down at his desk, and shrugged off a few conversations. Kyouko, Maya, Shiori, and the others looked at each other… nodded their heads… and went off to speak without 'Kaname.' Most everyone else in the class respected 'her' space, too.

Sousuke knew that Kaname had softball after school. He had heard someone say that all of the different sports were splitting their squads and having scrimmages today, including the softball team. What should he do? He had Kaname's body, but not her reflexes, knowledge of the game, or familiarity with her teammate's contributions to the squad.

"I will have someone else lead things," he said to himself. "It will be simple enough to come up with an excuse." He closed his eyes, only for a moment, he thought. But that moment stretched on an on, as he dozed briefly. Images and faces spun about him, like the planets orbiting the sun.

At one point, the images in his mind began streaming one after the other vertically, like he was viewing a filmstrip of his recent life, the way that Grim Reapers did with the cinematic records of the deceased in 'Black Butler.' A bit choppily, he relived portions of a conversation with Dr. Goldberry aboard the TDD-1, after she had discussed the topic of traumatic brain injury:

*"This mind transfer event is new ground," Peggy said. "Unstable ground. So, I cannot tell you how your thoughts and actions might change… if they change at all… seeing that the underlying brain structure is Miss Chidori's… but the thinking patterns and memories… the will and the judgment… are yours. Will her structure change your patterns? Will your habits imprint on her tissue? Will you carry any of her back with you, when you end up… hopefully… in your own body? This is so fresh, that I can't even think of all of the pertinent questions to ask."*

The images and sounds skipped ahead a bit, after strange flashes of light blanked sections of his memory, and a strange static sound filled his mind. He had been on the verge of regaining full consciousness.

*"Well, Sousuke… I'm certain you must have noticed this…." Dr. Goldberry had said, after discussing traumatic brain injury with him. "It's no secret that boys and girls are different,,, very different. The differences between genders, however, extend beyond what the eye can see. Research reveals over one hundred major differences between male and female brains."

"Kaname once joked that the difference is that she has a brain," Sousuke said. "And I have a control center. One which is usually out of control. Or, out of order."

"I see." Peggy had chuckled. "She sometimes thinks you are like a machine or a robot, does she? I hope she realizes that a strict adherence to orders is not the same thing as having no feelings or emotions. I hope you realize that, too. You were raised in a very different situation… with different demands and different needs… and sometimes it can take a long time to change."*

Images of completely different events transposed themselves on the streaming mental film. His shooting a potato gun to save a cat. His firing a 9M14 Malyutka ATGM to save some freedom fighters. Watching 'Night of the Lepus'. Seeing a large rabbit costume in the Home Economics room. Pedaling fast ahead of a shark-like Nissan police cruiser. Fighting a tiger shark, dagger in hand. Searching for buried mines with a dagger. His mujahedeen foster father handing him his first dagger. Then, as abruptly as it had been supplanted, the previous memory film picked up again from where it had left off:

*"It might be simpler if I were a machine," Sousuke mused. "Then, if faulty, my brain could be switched out and…." He frowned. That thought was a bit jarring, given the recent accident. "Well… I could be programmed to be the way that Kaname wants me to be…."

"Hmmm-mm-m." The doctor said. "As self-deprecating a that thought was, it did at least show that you want to make Kaname happy. You don't view her as just another mission. But… remember this… relationships are a two-way street. Give and take. Perseverance and patience. Teaching and learning. Selfishness and sharing. "*

Sousuke felt his head slump forward abruptly, prompting him to wake fully. He sat up straighter, pretending as if he had never ventured into the twilight realm of thoughts and dreams, somehow concerned that the others in the room might realize that he had dozed off..

Dr. Goldberry had gone on to explain some of the differences between male and female brains, and had mentioned some of the resultant tendencies associated with those differences.

Men take a more fact-based approach to their environment, often scanning for threats and challenges. Women tend to take a more intuitive approach because they perceive people and events more deeply and with greater memory capacity. Men tend to converge in their thinking. They define and clarify the problem and begin by eliminating and isolating issues. Women often will define the problem in broader terms and examine a wider array of potential factors before going into solution mode. Men tend to depersonalize and externalize issues or problems, giving them time to think through solutions, often in solitude. Women tend to personalize and are more inclined to talk through the issue to reach understanding. Men's brains gravitate toward facts and logic, while women's brains are geared toward intuition and emotion.

"Neither of these approaches is right or wrong," Sousuke admitted to himself, somehow feeling as if his situation allowed him to serve as referee. "But, they are different. Different is good! That's why forward-thinking militaries… and businesses, I suppose… want to have both men and women on teams, to leverage each other's strengths."

Men have more mental processing power for threats, and women have more processing power for details. Women often will include more details in their decision making, and they'll verbalize those details during meetings or in conversations. This often is misinterpreted by male peers to mean that women's deliberations take more time, when they actually do not.

"In planning sessions, we benefit from the Captain's ability to think through details. Commander Mardukas allows her time to verbalize and explain her rationale," Sousuke said. "The Commander and Lieutenant Commander are great in a crisis. They constantly are scanning for potential threats and then solutions. The Captain relies on them in times of need."

Women also seemed to bounce back and forth between feelings and facts very easily. Men like to think in steps, processing one fact at a time. In other words, men think in straight lines, whereas women think in webs, constantly connecting ideas. Do you need to get focused on a project or get working on a deadline? Look to a man. Do you need to think 'big picture' and think through potential eventualities? Look to a woman. Of course, these are all generalizations; but, men as a whole are exceptionally good at focusing, getting rid of extraneous data, and pushing full steam ahead… and women as a whole are incredibly good at holistic thinking, contextualizing ideas, drawing new connections, and identifying new factors.

"It is actually a good thing to have different strengths and weaknesses on a team… in a partnership… and in a relationship," Sousuke said. "It is also good to understand and predict the behavior in our fellow human beings."

But, could he take things a step further? In a circumstance such as his, was there actually any type of benefit, having a man's thoughts in a woman's brain? He was a team of one.

Indeed, throughout the day he had pushed ahead with his usual bluster, kowtowing to his customary agenda, all along feeling something pushing against him, or gently trying to coax him in a different direction. What if he had followed those hints and pleas?

"It does not matter. What is done is done." He loosened his shoulders, stretched his back, and yawned. "And, there is little time left to do more." School would end very soon. Afterschool activities would commence, and before they were finished, his superiors would no doubt send a helicopter, to bring him back to the laboratory." He looked down at the ring. It was yellow, with small specks of black off at one edge. "There is no need for conjecture. Things will soon be put to right."

He couldn't help but worry, though.

Was that because he was in Kaname's brain? Peggy had said 'Do you know a woman who worries…a lot? Don't blame her! It's just her brain. This all comes down to the worry center of the brain. The Anterior Cortex.'

She had told him that women have a larger anterior cortex, which means they spend more time ruminating, trying to process emotions and worrying. Women have higher rates of anxiety than men. In meetings, women are far more likely than men to read facial expressions of people around them, take the emotional temperature of the room, and be sensitive to people around them. This can benefit them… if they might notice more… or hinder them… if they notice too much. There can be a gift of great awareness and insight; but, there can also be a curse, where heightened sensitivity can bog down decisions and distract from effectiveness.

"Be the ball… don't drop the ball… be the ball… don't drop the ball…." Sousuke chanted as if he were performing a mantra. "I will not let my imagination run wild. I will not overreact. I will not turn a molehill into a mountain."

What can there possibly be to worry about?"

"Boys!" Maya said, storming past. "They are such assholes!" She seemed irate.

"You've got that right," Shiori said, clenching her fists. The two of them were marching to the restroom, tired of hearing the louts in the back of the classroom.

"Hey!" Tomomi said. "Don't forget. Men will treat women the way that women let them. There is no such thing as deserving respect. We need to demand respect."

"No!" Rumiko said. "We do deserve respect. And they do not. Simple as that!"

"Troglodytes!" Mayuko grumped.

"Kyouko!" Daidai snapped. "Don't take our pictures now!"

"Oh!" Someone bumped hard into his desk. "Pardon me, Kaname!" It was Shinji. Looking very frantic and fearful, he dropped a folded note onto the desktop. He quickly moved on.

Sousuke covered the note with his hand, making certain that no one was watching. Should he even open the note? What if Shinji harbored secret feelings for Kaname, and was attempting to make a confession? He sighed. It would not be his problem, either way.

[DON'T SPEAK TO ME. DON'T LOOK BACK AT THE BULLIES. THEY HAVE BEEN SAYING DIRTY THINGS ABOUT ALL OF THE GIRLS, INCLUDING YOU AND TESSA. ESPECIALLY YOU AND TESSA.

Shinji listed some of the particulars. Sousuke felt his breath quicken, and his heartrate increase. He tried breathing exercises. He tried to recall the aroma of freshly baking buns. He tried to remember the soothing sound of bagpipes and a marching military band.

THEY HAVE TOLD ME I HAVE TO BE AROUND AFTER CLASS WITH MY CAMERA. I HAVE HEARD THEM TALKING ABOUT SOME KIND OF BIG PLAN. I COULDN'T HEAR ALL THE DETAILS; BUT, IT SOUNDED LIKE SOME KIND OF A RAID DURING SPORTING EVENTS, TARGETING YOU AND THE OTHER GIRLS]

Without knowing what he was doing, Sousuke crumpled up the paper in his hand. 'His' nostrils flared. "Be the ball… be the ball… be the ball… be the ball… be the ball… be the ball…."

"Watch out, man!" The baseball team captain said to his catcher. "Don't bump into the Class Slut's desk!" He made a mock show of pulling the other boy away from 'Kaname's' desk. "She's in a 'delicate way'."

"Sorry! I can't see through my tears." The other boy pretended to wipe his eyes. "I always thought she was so pure." He chuckled. "I can't masturbate to her picture any more!"

"You can give the picture to me!" That was the goalie from the soccer club. "I'll put it to good use. My fucking mom took all my porno mags."

"Rough man! Really rough!" Even the kendo club's best felt compelled to join in. "No… not having the mags taken. Having to look at that!" He hooked one thumb into his waist, and used the other to gesture towards 'Kaname.'

"Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaa-aaaaa-aaaa-aaa-aa-ah." There was a chorus of laughter from a growing group of sports guys.

Sousuke picked up the pencil on his desk and began twirling it about 'his' fingers. He pictured a scene from 'John Wick:'

Viggo Tarasov : It's not what you did, son, that angers me so. It's who you did it to.

Iosef Tarasov : Who? That fucking nobody?

Viggo Tarasov : That "fuckin' nobody"... is John Wick. He once was an associate of ours. They call him "Baba Yaga."

Iosef Tarasov : The Boogeyman?

Viggo Tarasov : Well John wasn't exactly the Boogeyman. He was the one you sent to kill the fucking Boogeyman.

Iosef Tarasov : Oh.

Viggo Tarasov : John is a man of focus, commitment, sheer will... something you know very little about. I once saw him kill three men in a bar... with a pencil, with a fucking pencil.

He then pictured John Wick in action with a pencil, in the sequel to that first film. "Isn't that a bit excessive," a diminutive figment of Sosuke's imagination said. It was a small white winged girl angel. "Kaname Chidori is not John Wick. Turn the other cheek. There is no reason to go looking for trouble. You need to think about our reputation." She swung around an imaginary harp, plucking a series of serene strings.

Sousuke calmed down a bit, nodding his head. "True," he said, putting the pencil down and rolling it away from him.

"But what if they come looking for trouble," another diminutive form asked. It was a small boy devil, with horns, barbed tail, and pitchfork. "A whole bunch of bastard bullies. Sousuke Sagara is not Ghandi. An eye for an eye. You have to protect our body, too." He put a finger over one nostril and blew out smoke rings.

"Si vis pacem, para bellum," Sousuke said. The meaning: 'If you want peace, prepare for war.'

He told the class that he to take care of some Student Council business, and left early.

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For anyone still reading this story, we are coming to the home stretch. Perhaps some charitable association can arrange a medal ceremony for anyone lasting to the very end.