Resolution

I don't own Full Metal Panic or any of its characters.

Signs and symbols:

"Speech"

'Persian speech'

"Thoughts"

Scene changeChapter 27: Nightlife the Afghan way

The submarine better known as Tuatha De Danaan was once more gliding across the waters of the Pacific Ocean in complete silence. The lethal battle between the captain and the veteran soldier finally ended. Melissa Mao was in a bad shape. Let's say the she was lucky that she could at least defend herself. Once more, she could thank her military experience for her survival. Though, it'll take some time before she would try again to mess with this captain.

Much to Tessa's anger the party ended up postponed. But she could live with it. It would take several days for the strong smell of smoke to fade away from her quarters. The only one who could actually survive in that stink was in the sickbay. Tessa used her chance and took up her residence in Melissa's bunk. She promised the soldier to give the place an extensive spray of her cheapest perfume before returning to her own living space, once she has to do that. "Payback is a bitch, isn't it?" she growled into Melissa's shocked face. Let's just say Melissa wasn't happy.

After the market incident Sousuke immediately lead Kaname away from the bazaar. He knew well that after this, that certain merchant will be dangerous ground to be around. The last thing you need in the crowded streets is to have an enemy up close. One thing is for sure! Life is going to be more interesting for some time with a peeved trader around.

There was something else. While Sousuke thought of Kaname's electric fan as an ideal self-defence for the battleground of Japan, the Middle East is something completely different. Here, people aren't really fazed by a blade. They laugh in your face and pull out their gun. Hell need to upgrade her armament a bit. He knew she'll resist... and how! Sousuke squeezed her girlfriend's hand getting the same response from her. "I overshot it a bit, did I?" she asked.

"Don't worry Kaname. Such an offer, followed by such a threat isn't looked good at in this society. That is the reason why he made the offer whispering?" reassured Sousuke. "I believe you even may have made quite a few friends. I wouldn't be surprised if many would consider you a warrior woman," explained Sousuke with pride. "And...You wouldn't be Kaname if you weren't like that!" He continued smiling.

Kaname chuckled. This must have been the biggest compliment he could ever muster without using a sheet. "So you mean otherwise they would think of me as a servant?" she asked.

"Affirmative."

The girl groaned "You know what you're old home is pretty backward."

"Affirmative! It's simply the way people here think. You have to understand this! Kaname, I know you might not like it, but it looks like that we've also gained a new enemy. I'd prefer if you wouldn't go out to the street unarmed from now on."

"Oh no! I'm not going to use any guns!" she napped immediately catching Sousuke's drift.

"Only till we get out of here. It's for your own protection," reasoned Sousuke. "Just in case I'm not around to look after you." The boy was partially asking, in some way maybe even begging her. The look in his eyes was somewhere between concern, love and she couldn't really believe it, but there even was a tiny hint of fear.

Kaname knew that it's no use arguing, right now he was the one who knew the place. She nodded huffing.. "All right Sousuke," she begun. "But if it turns out that I didn't need that dammed gun you'll get the fan once we get home!"

"Agreed!" answered the soldier with a smile. "I'd rather risk a slap than your life."

Kaname smiled at his answer, "You know I can protect myself."

"But I want to make sure," came the response.

Kaname's smile got bigger. "I know you dummy," she answered leaning closer.

Sousuke blushed, "Kaname not here on the street!" he hissed.

"Why?" she asked. "We even kissed in school! Remember when Miss Kagurazaka caught us?"

"How could I forget that face!? I thought she'll faint!" laughed the boy.

"Well, it was the day she found out about us," answered Kaname laughing. "I'm not surprised. Who would have thought of us as a couple?!"

"I don't really understand why she was so disturbed, she wasn't in the best of state for days after."

"I've never seen her with a mouth that open!" added Kaname "So what's wrong with doing it here?" she asked leaning close to him with a sly smile.

Sousuke blushed deeper. "People aren't allowed to kiss on the street here. It's already a strong statement that we're holding hands."

Kaname stared at him. Two rosy specks appeared on her cheeks. "You mean even this?" she asked suddenly very conscious of the very innocent contact between them. Sousuke didn't answer. He just smiled. Kaname smirked and started to drag him towards their temporal home "Don't just stand there looking stupid!" she called out. "Let's go! So I can give you a kiss!"

Now it was Sousuke's turn to laugh.

That evening Kaname attempted to sneak over once more. She slipped along the hallway toward his room without a sound. She was determined to finally get some quality time with him and get that kiss they talked about in the afternoon. The girl did that too early. Rashid and Sousuke were in the middle of a chess game.

The Persian man looked at her with a grin on his face. Then, he laughed. 'Are you sure you should wait any longer?' he asked. Sousuke went crimson. Kaname stared. 'Why not?" laughed the man 'I heard she already received another offer! Besides, you should get married before starting to make babies!'

'Rashid!' Sousuke yelled. 'We don't do stuff like that!'

'Yet,' finished the Persian.

Sousuke fumed.

The man laughed. 'Don't worry I'll ask some friends to keep an eye on that lunatic. I better get going before she gets jealous. Have fun, but don't overdo it!'

'Hey!!!' yelled Sousuke starting to loose composure, but the man simply kept on laughing and left the room. Kaname just stood there like a kid caught with one hand in the cookie jar.

She laughed in embarrassment. "I guess I came a bit early.."

"I don't think he minds. He may even enjoy tormenting us," answered Sousuke.

"We'll at least we keep him entertained."

Both laughed at this. The short conversation calmed them down. They were content with staring at the other with dumb smiles on their faces. Actually, they didn't know what to do in the awkward situation. "What's wrong with me?" asked Kaname from herself. "We've been in the same room thousands of times, and I never felt so embarrassed," she lifted her eyes to meet Sousuke's. She had to admit that she actually felt a bit shy.

"Come here!" ordered Sousuke softly. Kaname kept on staring at him. It all felt so strange, so unfamiliar. Finally Sousuke opened his arms, as a sign for her to come closer. This time she understood what he asked for. First a smile spread out across her features. After that only within a few seconds she sped up and practically jumped on him. Catching him in a deadly hug, next thing he knew were her lips on his. She waited too long for this particular kiss. There were no more words said, they were happy just to be together. It has to be said that they presented a huge amount of willpower keeping their hands under control.

An hour later they were still lying comfortably in each other's hug. Just sitting there together made them content. It was Kaname who spoke first. "Sousuke... What will we do once we end this mess? I mean my father will have to go into jail for sure."

"Don't worry Kaname! I'll protect you!"

"That easy to say! Where will I live? Without my father's support I can't keep up my apartment."

"You can move in with me," answered the boy as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "We'll just have to remodel my home a bit." he kissed her cheek lightly to reassure her.

Kaname chuckled "A bit?" she asked trying to fight off the laughing fit. "There'll be a lot to remodel!"

"Affirmative, I do believe there'll be quite some work, but we'll reach a new level in our relationship."

Kaname rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. "It was bound to happen sooner or later," she said with a smile. Sousuke squeezed her hand with affection. She returned it. "Do you remember the time when we talked at the train station?" she asked. Sousuke nodded. "I guess I'm that special girl you need."

"I agree. You're very special." he remarked. This time he placed a kiss on her neck. She shuddered as she felt his breath touch her skin, but she didn't pull away. It felt just too good.

"And you're a very special boy. I'm glad that we've met. I don't know what I would have done without your help. I don't know how I could live alone for so long." the two exchanged kisses once again.

"Kaname about the gun..." The boy was very hesitating to begin. He didn't want to ruin the moment. "I don't want to force it on you. I'm just afraid of losing you. You're the most important person in my life." Sousuke stroked Kaname's cheek while his left hand slid down to her stomach to sneak around her waist. Actually he really had to fight to keep his hands in "safe" territory. He had to admit that he wanted this girl bad, and he could only hope to keep his head straight.

Kaname smiled, she too had some trouble to keep her emotions in check, but she did promise it to him. Shivers ran through her body as his finger accidentally traced her hip. "Okay another one like that and I'll rip those clothes off of you mister!" she swore silently. She wasn't kidding, but much to her displease Sousuke soon ceased his ministrations, and his breath became a soft snooze. "Oh well maybe next time," she thought snuggling closer to him, preparing to sleep.

Rashid felt refreshed after his morning prayer. The simple activity smoothed and relaxed his senses. As a religious man he always sought for the presence of god. It was prayer that brought him the closest to the all mighty. He couldn't understand why so many, even from his own religion looked at it as a chore and not as a kind of relaxation. 'Maybe they don't understand why the great prophet asked for this. Maybe their belief wasn't strong enough,' he often reasoned. 'It was always man that caused trouble. Always fighting to get better footing, to get better ground than the others. Always fighting over petty things, and not finding the things that really matter in the end.'

The man took a deep breath. He savoured the indescribable feeling of having his lungs invaded by the fresh morning air. 'And then there are these crazy fanatics,' he continued the train of thought 'I can't understand them at all. Don't they get it that the Christian armies only come to our lands because stupid people of ours kill Christian people in theirs? It's a natural reaction that they want to strike back. We would do the same in their place. Now the Soviets. That was something different, and there we did receive Allah's help.'

He remembered the face of Kaname as she entered the room the last evening. He chuckled. 'That Kashim sure found himself a good woman; she has the spunk to keep you on your toes, but also a warm heart. I'm almost jealous!' he thought laughing. His thoughts were interrupted by the call of his wife. The prospect of fresh food immediately made him end is thinking, and the middle aged man sped towards the kitchen.

As he entered the kitchen he found the couple snuggled together. Sousuke was sitting with his feet stretched out and his back to the wall, while Kaname took up residence in his lap. The two of them were in the middle of what appeared to be quite a good conversation.

To make things more simple it was Sousuke's time to explain his world to her. "So that's why you were so protective of me!" she laughed.

"Kaname! In my world purity is one of the most important things for an unmarried woman. Mizuki was trying to make you look like a cheap bar wench. It's only natural that I wanted to do my best and clear your name."

The girl laughed. "But you know well what kind of image I had in school. There were very few guys who even had the guts to try anything with me. Especially, after you arrived!" both laughed at this.

"I sure was a nuisance, wasn't I?"

"Yeah... but somehow I liked it! There was not a single boring day. Although you could have left out the daily shoe-locker blowing." The room was filled by another set of chuckles.

"At least I kept the real lowlifes off of you," answered Sousuke.

"You more like terrified them away!"

"I'm good at my job, and it this case the order was to protect you."

"Oh so you were doing it because someone ordered you to!" pouted Kaname successfully startling the boy, who after this couldn't form a single coherent thought. It was her laugh that finally made him understand that she was only joking.

The rest of the day was normal for the two of them, with the exception of a thief. Who got quite a beating, for trying to make a little cash withdrawal.

That is until that evening. Kaname was once more rolling around in the female bedroom of the house trying to go to sleep, or she was more like busy trying to. She couldn't imagine how people could sleep without a bed. The new moon wasn't helping her one quite bit. More like the opposite she hated nights without moonlight. She sighed and turned around again. Her constant visits to Sousuke in the night hours were embarrassing enough for him. She decided that for once she really should act like her age.

With every passing minute, she regretted that decision more and more. In some way she felt creeped out by the night. This feeling only became bigger as her ear started to receive signals of movement from outside. She mentally groaned thinking that she's hearing things. She almost laughed at herself because of her stupidity. For all she know it could be just a stray cat. Still in the end she got up investigate.

As the girl moved to the balcony she caught site of a dark figure on the top of the wall that surrounded Rashid's estate. The figure had a human like shape. Now usually you don't see anyone crawling around on the top of a two meter tall brick fence at two o'clock in the night.

A wave of anger spread through her body making her loose all fear. She wasn't hearing things; two senses rarely betray someone at the same time. And there was something that was certain. These people could be after Sousuke. If they are than they are good as dead.

Kaname glanced over to the table residing in the corner of the room. Sousuke's glock was resting on it. She hated the weapon. Only a few weeks ago she used it to permanently take out an opponent. The memory of it was still vivid in her mind. The last thing she wanted is to repeat that, but if there was no other way she was prepared to do it. Heck she'd do it gladly if it meant keeping him safe.

Kaname took the weapon and raced to the door. She was about to open it, but someone was faster. She managed to get behind the opening door and prepared to surprise the attacker. Whoever it was he's in trouble. The door opened and an unfamiliar figure entered, when Kaname saw the weapon in the intruder's hand she immediately attacked.

Her first attack went directly for the intruder's private parts. Even she considered this move as dirty, but she couldn't care less. The kick hit its target and the poor victim fell to the ground with a groan. She proceeded with a sizable kick in the side of her opponent. All this time she was busy trying to find a way to deal with her opponent. The possibilities in her head were all gruesome. She didn't want to do any of those.

The problem was that she couldn't allow herself the luxury of mercy. Having a possible enemy in the back was just too risky. She gulped. She didn't want to do it, but there was no other solution. The girl shivered inwardly as she started to raise her weapon to the head of the unknown enemy. She felt as if she wasn't even the one doing it, as if it was someone completely else. Her hand shook wildly. She really didn't want to do it. Kaname closed her eyes and her muscles tightened.

The gun didn't fire. She felt cold hard steel against her head and she heard someone speaking to her. The girl couldn't understand a single word. Although she was pretty sure that it was some kind of threat. She opened her eyes and found the tip of a machinegun facing her. There was not a single sound that could escape her mouth. There were times when she had a gun pointed at her, but never at a so close range.

The stinging feeling in her gut informed her that the man she just jumped had at least partially recovered from her assault. She didn't need to wait for the next painful assault as the attacker grabbed her hair and yanked her to the ground. As she recovered from the shock and looked up she found herself face to face with two AK47-s. One of the attackers yelled something. She didn't understand, but one thing she was sure. It wasn't anything nice.

The two holding the guns were obviously not in the bests of mood. Kaname gulped. She was cornered in a way she really didn't want to be. Kaname started to back away from the two on all four. The attackers followed her. Too soon for her liking, her back came into contact with the wall. She ran out of room to back away.

As all this was taking place, she noticed something moving behind the men. Then a metallic object appeared at the throat at one of the attackers. There was the eerie sound of a knife slicing through human flesh. One of the two immediately fell with a fountain of blood spraying from his throat. The other man turned around to his opponent, but a skilled hand buried the knife from before into one of his lungs effectively rendering him unable to scream.

Next he tried to use his gun to warn the others, but that also didn't work, because the hand operating the knife rammed the weapon through the attacker's hand. With the next move the weapon was ripped out of his hands, and the knife was rammed again into his body. This time between the ribs. Its target was the heart. The man died away quickly.

Kaname was so scared that she wasn't even able to scream, she stared at her rescuer with eyes wide open. The one to save her wasn't Sousuke. It was Rashid's wife. Right behind her were her kids. What scared the already pale girl even more, was the fact that the two kids were also armed and quite heavily.

'Is everything okay?' asked the woman. Kaname didn't understand a thing, but the few kind words were enough to get her out of her initial shock. She scooted to her feet and gathered up the glock that lay scattered across the floor. The girl turned to her rescuers to find a surprised expression on their faces. Aisha stepped forward to her and threw the AK of one of the fallen enemies into Kaname's hands. The younger girl almost dropped the weapon and stared at the older woman with eyes wide open.

'If you want to help your fiancé you better use a real weapon' remarked the older woman. Once more it was only the string of meaningless sounds that brought Kaname back to life. She clumsily grabbed the assault rifle and stood up trying to form a determined expression on her face. She wasn't really successful. Still it looked like it was good enough for the trio.

Aisha nodded smiling, to signal that the acknowledged that Kaname was once more up and in the fight. The night continued on in the normal silence without any shots. Small group started to move towards Rashid's room and Sousuke's guestroom. Kaname immediately turned in at his door.

She wasn't stopped. Both women were determined to save their men. Kaname opened the door that led into the guestroom where she could probably find Sousuke. The situation she found made her shiver. Sousuke was holding a grenade in each hand. The safety-pins were missing from both of the explosive devices. The only thing keeping them from exploding was Sousuke's hold. There were three other people in the room, none of them daring to move. Kaname mentally groaned. She should have known that he'll find a way to keep them in line. She also didn't miss the two bloody corpses in the corner.

When she entered the stalemate was broken.

The three saw Kaname as their chance, and immediately tried to jump on her. They didn't get further than trying. She threw one over her shoulder, making sure that the victim lands face first on the comfortable wall. Or more exactly, against the edge of it at the door. It was only thanks to some miracle that the guy didn't have his brain on the floor. The second received the but of her gun in the gut, followed by Kaname's wrestling moves. Maybe the one meeting the wall was more lucky.

The third never reached her. Sousuke jumped kicking him into the back effectively knocking the guy off balance and onto the ground. Though, the boy used too much force to do that. To be simple. He landed on the attacker's back. There was an agonizing crack in the room. For someone quite literally agonizing. The poor man on the ground could have been Mohamed-Ali-Bruce-Lee senior it still wouldn't have mattered. Let's face it, being used as a landing strip isn't healthy, especially if the one doing that wants to hurt you. Strangely the man did manage to get up.

The teens prepared to beat the hell out of their target, but that had other plans. He started to put his last meal on display. Somehow both of them doubted that the target will try anything funny. It was also then that Kaname noticed that the grenades weren't in Sousuke's hands anymore. She went completely pale. "The grenades!" she called desperately searching for them.

Both were on the ground. She panicked awaiting the explosion.

"Those two are only decoys." explained her boyfriend. "You were too close so I didn't dare to pull anything big."

The explanation was a bit too abrupt and too late. Kaname was twitching on the ground because of the emotional rollercoaster ride.

The sounds of a fight could be also heard from the next room. However instead of charging in to aid Sousuke grabbed a real frag grenade. He removed the pin, and with one casual flick of his hand relocated it through the window into the yard. A metallic sound could be heard, as it landed. It was followed by an explosion a second later accompanied by the cries of the victims that were out there.

The single explosion was enough to bring the entire neighbourhood into a battle ready status. The lights were switched on one after the other in the entire neighbourhood. Even the houses that didn't have electricity lit up, as the owners lit their candles.

The group of attackers, or at least those who could still move, knew that it's time to run. They were busted, all of them in different levels of injury minus a single exception. Plus, they had three angry war veterans, a teenage girl, and two deadly kids out for their heads.

It was the sound of gunfire that brought Kaname back to the world. Though she almost completely lost consciousness when she saw Rashid's son, machinegun in hand, posing over a fallen opponent as if he just caught the biggest fish from the local lake.

His father charged past him equipped with a shotgun. That made Kaname relax, at least it wasn't the kid that took the bad-guy out. Or was he? The girl shivered.

Sousuke flung another grenade out the window. Explosion followed, accompanied by screams as yet another two or three were in the wrong spot. The fence was filled with people who were on the run. Soon they were over it, and running for it. Rashid jumped onto the fence not caring that he was giving the street a free show, wearing only underpants and a shirt.

He noticed the only uninjured attacker. He smirked. 'What kind of host am I? I didn't give you anything!' He raised his gun, and fired. Let's say the target won't be enjoying the satisfaction of sitting down, anytime soon.

'Who were those people?' asked Sousuke leaning on the windowsill staring after the retreating survivors.

'No idea!' answered the middle aged man. 'Are any of them alive in there?'

'A few. I think they should be awake in an hour.'

"Hey guys!" interrupted Kaname.

'We have time,' responded Rashid.

'Lots of it!' responded Sousuke. Both started to laugh.

"Guys!!!" called out Kaname trying to get the attention of the males.

'So any idea how to deal with the one paying these goons?' asked Sousuke.

'There's a little something in the garage. I've stashed it away at the end of the war,' answered Rashid grinning.

'Don't telly me you've got one of those!?' asked the boy completely astonished.

The other man nodded. Both laughed at the prospect of making a nasty morning visit.

"Hey Sousuke are you even listening?" asked Kaname starting to get pissed. Much to the boy's luck this time he finally turned to her. "Shouldn't we take the guns away from the kids?" she asked.

"Why?" asked Sousuke not understanding her distress. "They are old enough to know that those things are dangerous. By the time I was this old I've been in several engagements." The girl stared with her mouth wide open. "Though, I do advise you to put on some clothing."

It was now that Kaname realized something that she completely forgot earlier thanks to all the stress. She was clad in bra and panties. No more, and no less. Normally she had no problem if Sousuke sees her like that, but this situation could be hardly considered normal.

"One more thing," called Sousuke after her as she scrambled to get her clothes. The girl turned around trying to hide her embarrassment. She failed miserably.

"Y...yes?"

"Now Kaname, don't take this the wrong way, you've got a really good body and all, but green just doesn't suit you."

Kaname saw red.