AN: This story is a sequel to my previous Full Metal Panic work, "On Patrol". It will make references to that story so it would be best if that was read first. It seems that the majority of people thought that story had played itself out (and i agree) so this one was created to deal with all the lose ends and potential a much more sinister hidden plot. Don't really know yet. I just wrote this first chapter today, but i am a little bit proud of it. As always, please read and review :-)
Disclaimer: I do not own full metal panic of its characters
The city wore a cruel cloak of darkness as a single stranger ran hurriedly through the night. The seemingly endless array of dead end alleyways offered little comfort to the man who could only hope to escape and live another day.
The usually bustling city was eerily quiet as the only noise heard was the exaggerated huffings coming from an exhausted man in his late fifties as he tried to escape from his relentless pursuer.
Finding a moment's piece, he was able to lean against the wall while his left hand clutched at the skin over his heart as if to rip it out while still beating from his chest. His deep charcoal eyes almost glossed over as they tried to focus on the floor, only to fill with haze as he felt his knees give way to his burdening weight.
His olive green uniform was covered with smears of mud and trash, the result of a reckless run through the unforgiving town. Beads of sweat dangled from his grayish black hair as they were teased by gravity, only to inevitably plunge towards the ground and collide with his scuffed military boots.
They shouldn't have been able to find him. He had invested too much time in covering his tracks, too much time in remaining invisible to even the most well trained eye. Something wasn't right. The air was stale with the stench of betrayal
The elderly man's mind was filled with a squall of disturbing thoughts of a mole that sold out the organization for their own benefit. But in the end, isn't that what this same man was himself? Had he not too forsaken the same organization he previously had sworn to serve? A traitor sent to kill a traitor. It was simply beautiful in its own intrinsic irony.
Behind him, a dark looming figure with crazed red eyes slowly appear with a combat knife in hand. A single droplet of blood walked the edge of the knife as it too slipped to the floor and alerted his prey to his presence.
Like a deer caught in the headlights, the elderly gentleman was paralyzed with fear and disgust as he realized his fate was sealed by the brief rest he just took. As his training kicked in, his body willed itself just enough to slowly turn and stare down upon his future killer.
Blood seeped from the right arm of the assassin, the result of a miscalculation on how effective this man remained at fieldwork. The man's face failed to scatter the pleasure he knew he would receive from torturing this individual to talk. His smile would have made enemies of children as his mind couldn't help but remember that the key to interrogation was knowing your subject's limits.
The older gentleman's voice shrank back to a meek voice that was buried with his childhood as it brimmed with the absolute terror he felt. He knew his words would not spare him from the cruelty to come but his survival instincts were tossed aside as horror claimed his soul.
"You'll….you'll never find them. I won't tell you!" Here a man of honor and bravery shrank back like a cowering rabbit that tried to diminish its size in front of a starving fox.
The shadowy figure never spoke, but instead widened his barely distinguishable smile as the light from a streetlamp from just behind him offset any elucidation that could have revealed his identity.
The looming figure approached slowly, taunting the man with few extra precious seconds of painless life that was soon to be gone from him. His footsteps echoed against the walls of the abandoned alley, offset only by the struggling gasps of breath his victim would offer.
Then from within, an ethereal hand squeezed and clenched the officer's heart as its beat fluctuated rapidly and finally burst while still in his chest. The old man slumped forward causing his forehead to slam against the concrete floor allowing a river of blood to flow in all directions away from his head.
Confused, the assassin kicked over the body to reveal two petrified orbs that stared out into nothingness while the man's own hand remained clenched right above his heart. With a disappointed sigh, the assassin understood the events that took place. Yet another man fell victim to his reputation before they could taste the cold steel of his blade.
The slightly tanned man of European descent was left disappointed at the fun that had been robbed from him, along with the right to steal away that man's life. The night was not a total loss. He still had a souvenir to collect. It would make a fine addition to the growing collection he had. It was a fitting memorial, to cut away the hands of Mithril by literally cutting away at the hands of Mithril soldiers.
The shadows cloaked this child of the night from the failing lamps that scattered the street, leaving his face unrecognizable to any onlookers who may have hidden nearby. The dogs would have their fill with the corpse as they would soon ravage away the last bits of meat remaining attached to the dead man's bones. The killer would be provided just enough time to gather what remaining clues he needed before his prime target was alerted to his threat.
A sick maniacal laughter echoed throughout the emotionless city as just another demented killer disappeared into the night, souvenir in hand. Like a gentle mother tucking in her child, the assassin turned traitor was blanketed once again from the forces that sought to hurt him; the very same forces he set out to maul.
In another setting that was just as dark but not nearly as frightful, two lovers intertwined their arms together as their lips sought to satisfy their hunger by plunging deeper into the other. A soft moan of pleasure escaped the vixen's lips as she slowly broke their kiss only to gently tug at the bottom lip of her silhouetted lover.
The young man's hands slowly drifted down her backside to reach the well rounded contours of her back, causing her reddish brown eyes to further glow and illuminate the pitch black room. Unwilling to let her kiss to end in such a fleeting matter, he pressed his upon her again before trailing a bed of kisses down to the nape of her neck where he settled in briefly, content for the moment just to hold her.
They slowly rocked back and forth on the balls of their feet, comforted by the soothing motion which resembled the swaying sea tide as her ocean blue hair moved about with them. The azure strands drizzled down her back and shoulder to meet the hands of the man whose grasps she was ensnared by.
Her bright vivid eyes laughed with delight as they struggled to find the distinguishing features that blended into the unforgiving veil of darkness that shrouded his usually blank face further into mystery.
Unable to do so with her eyes, she let her more effective sense of touch slowly raise her hand up from around his waist to cradle the side of his face until she found the unmistakable mark upon it which she proceeded to trace with the tip of her finger.
She saw the man in her hands wince and quickly shut his eyes as she outlined the scar on his cheeks, as if her very hand were tipped in a deadly acid that ate away at his skin and resurfaced the painful memories that remained just below the surface.
Her usually heavenly voice was filled with doubt and apology, a tone that would never be heard outside of his ears alone. "I'm sorry… I just… I thought…" However despite her comments, her hand never left the side of his face.
The warm feel of her hand against him forced a slight grin to dawn upon his lips but was too overpowered by the unchallenged darkness that echoed in the small area. He released one hand from around her body and used it to keep her hand in place once he felt her fleeting touch further waver.
"It is not a problem" He stated plainly
With those five words that were like music to her ears, she leaned in against his chest to rest the side of her head. Despite how close she felt to him now, the nagging feelings that there were parts of his life that he still locked her out of nipped away at her.
"I'm sorry Sousuke. I just hoped you were ready to, you know. Open up." She felt his chin rest against the top of her hair after she finished her little plea.
Holding him here, together like this. This is what it truly meant to be on cloud nine. Almost.
"I want all of you Sousuke. Your past, your present, your future. I'm not content to just have your body but your mind as well. I know you wouldn't be happy with just my body, right Sousuke?"
The room was silent for a moment before one unmistakable word struck a discord upon the harmony they felt before. "Uhh..."
"Sousuke!" Sometimes Kaname felt her new 'mysterious stranger' was adapting far too well for this environment, even for a specialist.
"Uhh…" The ex soldier was finding it easier to replicate this sound to his own advantage each time he did it.
"Fine Sousuke. Then you better ravish my body. Right here, right now." Kaname slowly tugged down upon the short bluish green skirt she wore with a slight twinkle in her eye that no amount of darkness could eliminate.
"Uhh…." That one had been authentic. Both of them knew that much.
With a large 'Thwack!' the serenity of the janitor's closet was interrupted by the dissension of a halisen colliding with the head of a former mercenary, causing him to fall backwards against the shelving. A lone mop managed to fall over and provide the student with yet another hairstyle that he preferred to shed.
"Get your mind out of the gutter. Pervert! Hmmphf!" She stuck her nose high into the air while she crossed her arms in mock disgust, knowing fully well that somehow that crazed otaku could see well enough even when to most people it appeared totally dark.
Immediately the soldier stood at attention once he recognized that gleam in her eye. He would be walking a fine line, but Kaname had to learn at some point not to constantly challenge a specialist.
"Understood. You would prefer it if I offered less attention to your body. No doubt you intend for me to scout other models to offer a basis of comparison given my lack of knowledge in this particular field. Your open attitude is an inspiration." Unfortunately he did not still comprehend the destructive force that was Kaname. She could pound you to a pulp with her bittersweet words without using the least bit effort.
"Of course Sousuke. Though you know, I am free to do the same myself. The captain of the soccer team looks like a fine model in deed to take for a test drive. You know he invited me to take a look under the hood again today." A wicked smile was strewn upon her face as she could imagine the jealous rage that was painted across Sousuke's face. It would have made him look almost cute if he wasn't armed to the teeth while wearing it.
The sound of a bone cracking was flung about the closet as a mop now found itself splintered in two. His teeth grinded together the pure energy that flowed through him as the thought of another man looking upon his Kaname enraged his normally passive mind. Emotions could be a tricky thing, more so for one who had trouble controlling them.
Understanding the need to act quickly, Kaname quickly cuddled up against Sousuke like a child would against a giant fluffy teddy bear, as she squeezed out the jealousy so he could be filled with the untainted affection she felt for the only man she had ever come to love.
"Don't be stupid Sousuke. Why would anyone go back to driving a car when she can have a tank?" A smile curled up on her lips as one of her hands slid underneath his shirt and rubbed itself against his well toned chest. Their lips moved closer together to brush against one another until a certain mood killer entered the seen.
Sousuke's watch
clanged for attention until the button on the side was pressed. A
frustrated Kaname slowly retracted her arm quickly from a now
overexcited soldier.
"Drat. We better get going to class. You
know the drill Sousuke. You leave first and I'll do so a few
minutes later. Got it?"
His eyes were now downcast upon the floor while he offered Kaname no response that he did indeed remember the plan. Successful planning often saved lives and used the available resources to their best potential. Planning should be a soldier's best friend, though now he had come to meet one he disliked.
She spoke softly now, knowing fully well what brought upon his old silent demeanor. She could only count her blessings that the light was not turned on in the room, thus saving her from the hurtful glance she knew Sousuke thrust upon the floor so as to not direct it at her.
"I know Sousuke, but please. Give it some more time. It's not that I don't want to tell everyone about us, I just can't right now." It hurt her to see him act like this. Defeated.
This was Sousuke Sagara. The man who had saved the world countless times from crazed maniacs all looking to rain havoc upon the land, the man who single-handedly saved her life from countless kidnappings by putting his feelings above his duty, and the man who was able to deceive an entire militaristic mercenary organization that had betrayed him by making them think him dead. He could do anything.
And yet he was defeated by the simple request by the girl he loved to keep their relationship a secret. He didn't tell her how it made him feel. He couldn't. It would be unfitting of a specialist. But was he really a specialist anymore?
"Affirmative. I remember the plan." He spoke in the authoritative manner that seemingly ignored her quiet appeal though he truly did take it to heart.
With a quick peck to her cheek that allowed his nose to be encompassed with the fragrance that fit her so well, he dashed out of the room undaunted by the bright afternoon sunlight that filled the empty hallways.
After counting a full two minutes, Kaname too left the room, though her eyes were not privy to the same magical otaku shield Sousuke seemed to have which blocked out the intense rays. Her vision was left blurred for a moment, the world looking like it would through the eyes of a newborn infant until Kaname found a small figure in front of her to focus on. She slowly rubbed her eyes like a child who was suddenly woken up from a late night slumber, only to realize her problems had just begun.
"Having fun with Sousuke?" questioned one of the few friends that followed the blue-haired beauty from Jindai High school.
"Uhh." No, that was not Sousuke.
"Was he a very good kisser Kaname?" Pointing out Kaname's disheveled hair or rumpled shirt would have been too bold for even Kyouko.
"Uhh" Perhaps the next time Sousuke finds himself repeating this stupid little phrase, she will remember to go easier on him.
The hallway was further brightened for a brief second with a luminous flash as yet another memorable pose of Kaname's was captured on camera.
"Maybe we should meet at your place to discuss this. You have a lot of explaining to do. Don't worry, Sousuke already agreed to be there." With a smile on her cheery face, Kyouko did a 180 on her feet and skittered towards her next class, leaving Kaname in a stupor like daze.
When a class bell rang overhead, she snapped back into reality and thus allowed the full weight of Kyouko's words to bear down upon her. Even Atlas would have praised the burden she was forced to carry.
'Wait….that military dunderhead knew Kyouko was waiting out here for me this whole time and didn't offer any warning? That big stupid head! I'll kill him! I'll turn that tank into a paperweight!'
With another huff, Kaname stormed her way down to her next class, luckily for one military misfit, it was the only one she had that did not have Sousuke in it.
So what did you think? I think the ending was a little weak but i want to see what you guys thought since i really do value your input. I hope you will take the time to review, but i also hope that it was an enjoyable story. Until the next update, i hope everyone is doing well. :-)