Hey people, I was listening to this song called "Things Left Unsaid" by Disciple and it got me thinking. So here is a short story for one of my favorite anime shows in which I recently finished watching, Full Metal Panic! Now this is my first attempt to this, so please don't be harsh…

Oh yea! I would HIGHLY recommend that you download the song and play it while reading the story, it helps the mood.

Disclaimer: Sorry I have to have this since I don't own the show or the characters…on with the story.

THINGS LEFT UNSAID

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BEEP.

BEEP.

Sousuke could hear the machines continue with their own sick tune. He looked at it again for what seemed like the thousandth time today. He had been here in this hospital room for the past two days and it was killing him. He couldn't stand the sight in front of him. It pained him to see.

BEEP.

BEEP.

It reminded him of his failure. The events that had happened just a few days plagued his mind. It was never suppose to happen the way it did. How could he have been so careless? If only he would have paid better attention. He closed his eyes to rid himself of the painful thoughts. He wished with all his might that he when his eyes reopened, the sight in front of him would be gone, that his whole surroundings would be entirely different.

BEEP.

BEEP.

He slowly opened his eyes, disappointment clearly written on his face. He failed.

'Ugh Sousuke! How could you have been so stupid!' he smacked himself mentally as he stared onto the bed. He slowly reached out, until his warm hands came in contact with cold ones. He grasped the hands firmly not wanting to let go. He wanted to make them warm as well. His gaze slowly made his way up to the face that would no doubt haunt him forever. Kaname Chidori.

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"Chidori! Are you alright?" He asked nervously as the man who had kidnapped her held the gun close to her temple. Her eyes seemed so frightened that it tore at Sousuke's heart to witness. He had to think fast. He didn't like it when Kaname was in danger. He had promised to protect her at all times.

"Uh…yea" he heard her say shakingly.

"Isn't this adorable…" the man known as Sotaru laughed cynically. "too bad I hate adorable. So tell me, Sousuke? Was it? Do you have what I asked for? You know what will happen if you don't come through right? Your beautiful little girlfriend here will be mine forever" he smiled evilly causing Sousuke's blood to boil in just thinking about the meaning of his words.

'Bastard'

"Affirmative. I have what you have requested. But first, you will hand over Miss Chidori back to me. I need to ensure her safety first."

Sotaru looked unconvinced. Of course he would doubt, he use to be a military man himself. A disgraced one. His downfall was that he brought Kaname into his little plans to get what he wanted from the Captain. Of course the Captain asked him to take care of it personally. At first, Sousuke was going to downright refuse, that is, until this bastard got Chidori involved. Then and only then, did it become his business.

Slowly the enemy nodded. He released Kaname and she made her way over towards him. Relief was seen in her eyes as she walked towards him. It was killing Sousuke at how slow she was walking. Couldn't she just see that he wanted her safe with him?

What happened next was all a blur. The only thing that Sousuke remembered was hearing the Captain's order, that came out of nowhere, due to the fact that he was suppose to be by himself here, to "SHOOT" and the sound of two shots going off. One was aimed for Sotaru. The other, was aimed for him. A woman's cry was heard as he saw Chidori move her way in front of him, shielding him from the bullet.

Sousuke trembled in despair as he saw her body take the full impact of the bullet which knocked her right into him, taking both of them to the ground. He held onto her with all his might as her blood oozed on his arms and chest. Anger seethed through him as he let out a tortured scream for all to hear. Fire was ignited in his eyes as he saw the person in charge for the tragedy. Sotaru still remained standing even from the impact of the bullet from one the hidden Mithril agents. Sousuke reached angrily for his gun and shot at him five times.

"DIE YOU BASTARD!!" He did.

Sousuke breathed heavily. He looked down at the girl in his arms. She was battling for consciousness.
"Sou…Sousuke…"
"Shhh…Do not talk Kaname. Please."

"I'm…I'm" she coughed violently, blood spilling out of her mouth.
"Please Chidori, Please don't talk"
"I'm…I feel very cold Sousuke" she said weakly. He was losing her. 'NO! I won't lose her. NOT HER!' He quickly gathered her in his arms and made a run for the nearest vehicle that he could get his hands on, he could hear Melissa, Kerz, even the Captain yelling for him but he could care less. He had more important things to do at the moment. He was not going to lose her. Not Chidori. Part of him felt anger at Mithril for opening fire there as the exchange was taking place. He hated them at the moment…if he loses her, he would hate them forever.

Sousuke carefully set her in the backseat of the car and he jumped in the front, turning it on and stepping on the gas. Sousuke drove blindly towards the nearest hospital that was located 5 miles from the base. All the while, groans could be heard from the critically wounded Kaname.

"Kaname…Kaname, please hold on. You're going to be ok…Please…just hold on. Don't move." He realize he was afraid. Deeply afraid. It reminded him of that other time when he thought she had injured herself when she fell at that old hospital they were investigating. He truly was frightened there as well. When it came to her, he felt fear. The fear of losing her.

"Sousuke…I feel cold. It's so cold" she was struggling to stay awake.
"Kaname, listen to me, don't you dare close your eyes! You can't leave me. I need you Kaname. Do you hear me…I NEED YOU! You can't leave. You can't. So don't you dare close your eyes"

"Sousuke…I'm…I'm sorry…." She mumbled as he got to the entrance of the emergency entrance at the hospital. In a flash he jumped from the car, yelling for assistance. He pulled Kaname, who had fallen unconscious as they laid her on the rolling bed. Sousuke felt numb as several male nurses pulled him aside as they took his Kaname into the surgery room. He didn't understand why he couldn't go in there with her?

Sousuke stood standing there in the middle of the hospital hallway as people moved around him. The numbness grew stronger. A realization dawned on him. Kaname Chidori, had saved his life. She had sacrificed herself, for him. Finally, for the first time since he was a small child, he let the tears fell.

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"Sir…"

Sousuke groaned slightly.

"Excuse me sir…"

He could feel the lightest touch tapping him. Sousuke opened his eyes slowly. Nurse Ishida looked worriedly at him. Ms. Ishida was the nurse in charge of Kaname and she would always take pity on the young man that never left the young woman's side. This young man reminded her of her own husband, whom she had lost 3 years back. He would always seem to pay her the attention that this young man seemed to pay this young woman. She recognized the emotion instantly. He was in love with her.

"Sir, are you alright?"

Sousuke straightened himself but didn't let go of Kaname's hair. "Affirmative. Thank you." The nurse still looked unconvinced but left it at that.

"You are very good to her, you know…" she said as she began to take notes on Kaname's process.
"I…I don't believe that I am" Ms. Ishida looked astonished at his words.

"Young man how can you possibly say that? You brought her here didn't you?" Sousuke looked down. He was no hero. The real hero was Kaname. In reality, he was the one that should have been either dead or connected to all the tubes like she was at this very moment.

" I didn't protect her. She protected me."

Nurse Ishida smiled warmly.

"Well, I don't know what exactly happened. All I know is that she suffered a gunshot wound to the back and is lucky to still be alive…"
"Alive?" Sousuke said sarcastically startling the nurse in his outburst. "How can you say she is alive? The doctors said that she's in a coma. The machines are helping her breathe! How is that being alive? My Kaname was full of life. Everywhere she went, happiness, joy, love, LIFE was there with her and everyone around her! How could I have been so stupid and not protect her until the very end!"

Nurse Ishida just looked wide-eyed at the broken down man. She understood now.

"Her actions were a result of love young man. Just like you have finished stating it yourself right now. Her love for you made her commit this deed. I could bet you all the money in the world that even if you would have told her not to, she would have still done it"

Sousuke couldn't believe his ears. Could she be right? Did Kaname really do this…for love? Nurse Ishida rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't torture yourself for the inescapable" Sousuke looked up sharply, angered suddenly.

"But that is just it. It was escapable. They shot before she was just at arms left to me. The bastard obviously knew that he had been tricked. But in all honesty, I was quite surprised as well to hear the other shot ring out. I wasn't expecting any help. I had the situation under control, but they decided on their own to intervene"

Nurse Ishida nodded. "I see"

"I didn't do my job in protecting her"

There was a knock on the door. Sousuke turned his attention back at Kaname. Seeing that he wasn't going to take any notion in answering or at least calling out the permission to enter, she went slowly towards the door, still processing the information she had gathered from the man. She knew he was military material, but what she couldn't understand was what the young woman had to do in all of this. As she neared the door, she turned her head toward Sousuke.

"Just remember this… that young woman is not a job. She is a person" with that said, she opened the door which revealed three people that he clearly did not want to see at the moment. He had done his best the past two days by telling the hospital staff in keeping everyone out of Kaname's room. The only one allowed in was to be him. Kerz and Melissa kept trying to get in contact with him via cell phone as well as the Captain, but he had turned off the phone yesterday and didn't make any notion to turn it back on. Mithril was dead to him.

"Oh my…um…I'm afraid that no visitors can be allowed in this young ladies room. If you want to know the status of Miss Kaname Chidori, please wait until I am done examining her and I will lead you towards the information desk at the entrance of this floor. I am going to insist that you wait outside."

"Please, nurse…"
"Ishida"
"Nurse Ishida, we know that we are not allowed to see Miss Chidori. We just want to why we can't?"

Sousuke could hear the Captain's voice and it irritated him. He needed to be in control of himself. It was difficult. Hearing their voices brought back the events of that day. He closed his eyes and he still distinctively heard her yell to shoot. He would never forget that.

"I'm sorry miss, we were ordered not to let anyone in"
"By whom?" This time Sousuke heard Melissa voice. "Who would authorize that…was it her father?"

Nurse Ishida slowly shook her head. "At first, because this person was not a relative, we had refused to listen, but after some….um…careful consideration…" 'Yea right, more like this young man, taking out the gun on the CEO of the hospital and making him agree to his terms or else' she smirked as she remembered the sight. "The CEO of this hospital has agreed to all the arrangements of this specific person"

She saw their confusion. She couldn't blame them. She didn't understand why this young man didn't want anyone to get close to his woman. 'Or maybe, he doesn't want him getting close to him…' she remembered his story. 'Could these be the people that interfered with his 'job'?'

"So as you can see, I'm terribly sorry but I need to continue revising the patient"
"Please nurse, we just want to see her…or by any chance have you seen a man by the name of Sousuke Sagara around here…he seemed to have disappeared. We have tried everything to locate him but to no avail"

Sousuke heard the Captain's voice again. He growled. How dare they want to talk to him about what happened. He slowly got up, quite annoyed with the unwanted company.

"Oh Tessa, just give it a break. He obviously doesn't want to be found. We need to let him be. Honestly, I don't think I want to confront him right now…He's probably pissed. Not that I blame him. I clearly remember telling you that we should not interfere…"

'These ARE the people who had interfered' Ishida thought.

"He shouldn't disappear like this though. He hasn't been picking up my calls. His phone is off. He hasn't reported for Mithril for the last two days. I understand that he may be upset but he needs to be understanding and remember that it was a mission."

Sousuke was beyond mad. 'How dare her…' He tightened his hands into a fist until they turned white. Without making himself known he stood at the side of the door. Only the nurse could see him and she could tell that he was upset. 'This can't be good…'

"I'm sorry miss, but I can't answer those questions, please, you have already taken up a lot of my time. I need to get to the patient." She began to close the door, but was unable to when Tessa held out her hand to stop her.

"Please…allow us to see Miss Chidori. We want to know how she is…is she awake? How did the surgery go?"
"Miss…Tessa was it?" Tessa nodded. "Like I said before, I do not have that authority to allow that, only one person does, so I'm sorry. If you really want to know the status of your friend, then wait out here for a few minutes and I will gladly escort you to the information hall"

"Please, tell us who is giving you the orders…maybe we can speak to him and…" she clearly never got to finish because that was when Sousuke made himself known. Rage and anger clearly evident on his face.

"That would be me"

Tessa gasped as the other's eyes just widened. "Sergeant Sagara…" she whispered. The fire in Sousuke's eyes didn't diminish.

"So this is where you've been all along huh Sousuke" He flicked his gaze towards Kerz. He said nothing.
"I should have figured it out. There was absolutely no way you would leave Kaname alone like this…" Sousuke remembered Kerz's words. 'He did warn them…'

Slowly, he nodded. "What I want to know Sousuke is why did you disappear on us? We've been worried for you buddy"
"Yes Sousuke, we've been worried sick. About you and Kaname." Melissa budded in. In a way, Sousuke believed them. They were his comrades after all.

"Why is it that you are not allowing anyone to see Kaname…" he heard Kerz say. He stared coldly at Tessa. She shivered at the coldness that welcomed her.

"I will not allow Mithril to harm her anymore"

"Sousuke" came the reply of both Melissa and Kerz. Tessa was shocked at the accusation that was clearly thrown at her.
"Sergeant you forget your place…"
"Do I, Captain?" he said sarcastically. She could feel her eyes begin to water and the stiffness in his voice. She straightened herself out. She was not going to allow him to treat her this way. She was above him and she demanded respect.

"Yes, you do…I do not understand why you are beha…"
"You now damn well why" her eyes widened. "Kaname is on a string of life and death because of your stupidness"

"Sousuke…buddy calm down…I'm sure she had her reasons…"
"Don't butt in Weber…you know damn well I had a plan to deal with that bastard. I remember telling you and Melissa what they were, isn't that right?" He looked from Kerz to Melissa. They both slowly nodded.

"And I clearly remember you telling me to handle the situation myself…when it was clearly none of my business. He clearly wanted you for something that happened a while back, but no, you had to get me involved in the matter…why? I don't know…and honestly I don't care. But the moment that he took Kaname hostage, he became MY business. Why did you give that command when she wasn't even in the safety of my arms! Tell me! WHY!" he practically yelled earning soft sobs from the white haired woman in front of him. Nurse Ishida looked at the scenario in front of her. She felt bad for the woman, but in the same sense, she didn't understand herself.

"I thought…I thought…"

"What?! You thought what?" she winced at his harshness.

"Sousuke calm down. I'm sure she has good reason." He turned abruptly towards Kerz.
"Would you be calm Kerz" He stiffened. "Would you be calm if it were Melissa who had been shot right in front of your very eyes. Confusion swirling through your mind, wondering what in the world was going on…" Kerz remained quiet. He understood the anxiety that Sousuke was going through. He looked down while taking a peek at Melissa who stood shocked at the example that Sousuke had used. Sousuke was the only person who knew of his true feelings for her. Sousuke made him understand his emotions by placing him in his shoes.

"I get it buddy"
"Good" He sighed then looked back at Kaname, who hadn't changed in the past ten minutes. He turned his attention back to the trio.

"She's in a coma"

"What?" all three gasped.
"The gunshot hit her back. She was dying in my arms. She was…she was cold. Doctor's said that she slipped into a coma during the surgery. Right now she has tubes that are helping her breathe" He looked hard at Tessa.

"Did you hear that…it's HELPING her to breathe" Tessa looked down guiltily.

"It's not fair Sousuke. Your coldness towards me is unfair. I don't understand…"
"What I still don't understand is why you butted in when YOU specifically instructed me to take care of the situation, then turn around and interfere"

"I was afraid you'd get hurt!" she all but yelled. Her tears already began to fall. Sousuke didn't even move. He remembered when she had cried in front of him before. It was when she had ordered for him to return to the ship and not have any contact with Chidori. That time, guilt ate at him. This time, he felt nothing. Because of her foolishness and carelessness, Kaname was wounded, badly.

"What about Kaname? You're supposed to be a Captain. You're main priority should be the safety of the civilians not the soldiers, or did you forget?"
"I thought nothing bad would happen since she was already close to you"
"Sotaru obviously wasn't an idiot. I know his shot was meant for me. Kaname knew it too. She protected me and took it herself"

Tessa began to cry. She knew that he had every right for him to be upset, but she truly didn't think he was going to shoot at anybody. The sniper that she had on Sotaru was suppose to be one of the best. How was she suppose to know he was still going to have time to shoot. Before she knew what took place, Kaname was already on the ground, with Sasuke raging fire at Sotaru, killing him. She would never forget his cry of anguish as he fired. He sounded as if someone had taken the life right out of him. In fact, someone did.

"I was going to inform you as soon as I knew Chidori was safe, but seeing that I don't have to go back to that ship since you are here, I hereby inform you that I am leaving Mithril" again, gasps were heard from the three.

"Sousuke you dork, you can't be serious!" Melissa almost screamed. "What happened was an accident that's it…"

"No. It could have been prevented IF things would have been left up to me, but since she's higher power she has the power to do whatever the hell she wants"

Tessa shrunk in a bit. Kerz put a hand on her shoulder. "Sousuke, I understand that your upset, but you have no right to talk to the Captain like that."

"That's where you're wrong. I am no longer any part of Mithril. She is no longer my captain. If for some reason, I should ever return. I will request a different captain" his words obviously stung, but he wasn't going to lie to anyone. These were his feelings. He turned to look at Tessa, whose tears just wouldn't stop coming down. He needed to end this quick. He didn't want to leave Kaname alone anymore that he already had.

"I trusted you Tessa" she looked up at the mention of her name coming from his lips. "I told you that you were not just a Captain to me, but more. You were my friend. I trusted you. You interfering, it was a betrayal to me"

"Sousuke…please…I'm sorry…"
"I need to go. I do not want to leave Kaname alone anymore. If you ever need information about her, Nurse Ishida, here will accompany you to the information table. At the time being, I do not want to see anyone."

Again, he turned to Tessa, looking directly in her eyes. "I want to be with her. Don't get in the way" she gasped at the memory of the words. She had lost him for good. He would never see her the way she did him. He belonged to Kaname Chidori. It was time that she withdrew.

"I…I understand" She turned slowly, taking two steps forward. She turned her head slightly and looked at him. "If you ever want to come back. You're always welcomed" with that she summoned whatever courage she had left, and walked away. Soon Melissa followed giving Sousuke one of those apologetic glances. Sousuke turned to look at Kerz.

"Sousuke. Everything will turn out alright. I can't wait for Kaname to wake up and yell at you for quitting"
"I can't wait either. I miss her voice, her eyes, her smile, her laugh, her life. I miss her. I want her to hit me over the head with something hard, like she always did. She sacrificed herself for me, Kerz. She didn't even think twice about getting in front of that bullet"

"Love makes you do crazy things for the one you love" Sousuke looked at him intently. "She couldn't stand the sight of you dead, just like you can't stand the sight of her in that bed. Don't worry Sousuke. She's strong, she'll pull through. I promise you"

Sousuke sighed. "I sure hope so" Kerz smiled then without saying another word, he walked away. Sousuke stared at him until he turned the corner and finally shut the door. Little did he know that somewhere along the talk, Nurse Ishida had walked out without him even realizing it. It was just him and Kaname. He walked slowly towards her bed. The sound of the machines still chanting in their beeps. He sat down in the chair next to her bed, taking hold of her cold hands again.

"Kaname, please wake up. Can you hear me?" he rubbed her thumb with his own. "Can you feel me at least?" Nothing. He searched her face for any type of movement. He squeezed his eyes closed. He couldn't stand this. He didn't like feeling like this. He didn't like feeling helpless.

"Kaname…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should have protected you better. I should have known. Please forgive me. I never meant for you to get hurt. I can't stand the thought of you getting hurt and yet here you are. Because of my carelessness" He brought her hand close to his mouth and gave it a kiss.

"I never… I never even had the chance to tell you…of my feelings" he kissed her hand once more. "I wish you could hear me. It's not right that you're in here fighting for your life. I don't want you to be here. It's killing me Chidori. You know, if you wake up right now, you can hit me all the times you'd desire, just please, open your eyes. Please Kaname"

Sousuke continued to silently beg her to awaken, as he had done the past two days, but sadly, no improvements were seen.

Another two days passed and still nothing. The doctors had little hope on the young woman and had a lot of pity for the young man. Nurse Ishida constantly tried her best to put him in good moods but to no avail did the young man budge. It was a miracle that she could convince him to eat something. He was beginning to turn an ugly shade of pale that just looked so unhealthy for the young lad. This morning was no different. She had done her usual routines around the hospital and had checked up on the young Kaname. The young man had been asleep and had not heard her, which surprised her greatly since he was quick to jump at any movement. She remembered the first time she entered the room unannounced, she almost died of a heart attack. This only proved that the young man was pushing himself to stay awake all night. His love sure was something. This young lady was lucky to have a man to look after her like that. She slowly passed by the room slowly and peeked in. Her eyes widened as she noticed that from the time she had come in this morning to now, the young man had awoken and had chosen to accompany the patient on her bed. He lay side by side to her with his arm draped carefully over her. His eyes were closed but she really couldn't tell if he was actually sleeping. Smiling warmly, she continued on her way.

Sousuke knew she had left. He put his chin on top of Kaname's head and held her. The thoughts threatened to take over once more. He couldn't stop blaming himself. He couldn't stop thinking of the many times in which he spent with Chidori. They continued to play like a movie in his mind. There was no STOP button that would let him rest. Each scene would create a huge wave of guilt and he would have to fight the darkness that threatened to swallow him whole. He closed his eyes.

"Oh Wow! It's the ocean! How do you know of this place?"

He smiled warmly at her as he set the fishing net and box on the floor. "It's my secret hiding spot. This was my original destination when we left school but as you can see, we had distractions."

She smiled at him. "This is you secret place huh?"

"Yup, you're the first person I have ever brought here. You're special Kaname. I wasn't lying when I said that if it weren't for you, I'd probably would have been dead since the first battle. You make me a better soldier."

She blushed slightly. He soaked it in. She turned her head towards the ocean once he had given her the fishing rod. "Thank you for showing me your secret hiding place" He took a seat next to her.

"So, when is the flight back?" He thought for moment.

"We have 45 minutes" He turned to look at her. "So Kaname, will you stay with me for these 45 minutes"
She smiled. "I'd love to"

He kissed the top of her head carefully. "You have always been protecting me haven't you Kaname. If it wasn't for you, I would have never been able to pilot AL. You're the one who showed me how. You're the one who taught me how to fight with my spirit"

"You have to concentrate Sousuke. The machine will do whatever you instruct it to do with your mind. You have to stay focused. Put your whole soul into that strike! Do it now!!"

He had. He had won too. All thanks to her. "You make me a better soldier. You make me a better student. You make me a better person"

He heard the door open again and stilled. Nurse Ishida came in with a tray of food. He knew it wasn't for Kaname, more like for him. He was grateful to her for it. He slowly made himself get off the bed and walk towards her. She smiled warmly at him.

"Here you go my boy, eat up. We don't want you looking the way you are now when you lady wakes up now do we"

He turned to look at Kaname. He appreciated her faith in Kaname's recovery. He slowly took the bread from the plate and took a small bite from it. She seemed pleased. She then turned her attention to the door and walked out without saying a word. Sousuke was a bit confused by that until she came in with a huge flower arrangement with huge balloons that said the words 'Get Well Soon' on them.

"Who sent those?" She shrugged.
"I honestly don't know. I'll be back with the rest…"
"There's more?" he sounded astonished. Nurse Ishida simply giggled. "Oh Yes, a whole lot more" with that she walked out. This small routine continued for about 5 minutes as she brought in a total of 10 flower arrangements from various people. Most of them were from the students from school. Two of them were from Mithril. One from Kerz and Melissa and the other one from MITHRIL. He didn't know how to feel when he saw their gifts to Kaname. Kerz and Melissa wrote a touching card for her that he knows she will like. The other one was a much larger card that had every signature from the ship on it, including the Captains. He slowly exhaled. He looked towards Kaname and walked with all the cards that he had gathered from all of the flower arrangements.

"Look Kaname, you got a lot of people who want you to get better. You have received a total of 10 flower arrangements" He smiled gently. "Don't worry, I already checked them incase none of them were wired. You're safe"

'Safe' He looked down at his full hands. He shook his head violently. 'No Sousuke, You're no use to Kaname if you start thinking like this'

"Look there's one from your friends from school and everything. Even Kerz and Melissa send you a warm greeting. They even say that they are sorry." He lowered the card towards the bed. "There's even one from the entire MITHRIL Ship itself! What a celebrity you are! They say sorry too"

He looked at her. Nothing. He exhaled again.
He moved his body to the chair which was located next to her bed.

"Kaname, I wish you could hear me. I wish you could see how many people you've touched with your warmth and beauty. There are so many people who love you. I wish you could see yourself the way others see you. That way you'll know the impact that you make in each of their lives."

He reached for her hand again. Surprisingly, they weren't as cold as he had expected. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have the grace that's covered my life. You took the time to speak to my mind words that brought my heart to life. Won't you open your eyes and let's talk once again?"

Nothing.

He felt himself crumble. He didn't know how much more he could take of this. "Kaname. Please, open your eyes. I hope that you can hear me. I hope that you can feel me. I don't want this to be the end. This can't be. There's just so much I wanted to tell you. Things…things that I never had the nerve of saying to your face because of fear, but I've just realized that I rather deal with that fear than this fear of losing you. Please Kaname, give me a chance. Let me make you happy. I…I want to be with you. I want to grow old with you. I know I may not be the perfect man, I know I have a lot of malfunctions but… I love you. I do." He cried into her hand. "I love you. I'm sorry I was never man enough to say it to your face the way you deserved to be told. I know I can be overbearing and demanding but I can promise you that I will love you for the rest of my life. You were not a mistake. Ms. Ishida is right also, you're not a job. You're my whole life. I don't know how I've managed to live without you up until now? Please don't leave me. I'm tired of being alone. I'm tired. I love you. I love you."

"I…I love you too" came the small weak whisper. Like lightning, he looked up and gazed into the brownest eyes he'd ever seen. For a moment, he couldn't move. 'I must be dreaming. My mind's playing tricks on me. It's just showing me what I want to see'

"Sou…Sousuke…." He blinked at realized he wasn't dreaming. She really was….awake. He smiled widely.
"Kaname!" he lunged for her. She winced. Immediately, he backed away. "I'm sorry Kaname, Oh God, you're ok. Please tell me I'm not dreaming"

She smiled weakly. "You're not dreaming. I'm sorry…I took long…in coming back"
He violently shook his head. "Don't be, the good thing is you're back. Now, no more talking, I want you to rest. You're still really weak."

"Sousuke…It's ok…I'm…ok."
"Please Chidori, don't talk. Save your energy. Let me go and get a doctor so that he can revise you…I want to make sure everything is alright."
"I heard everything" He looked at her suddenly. "I heard everything that you told me. I'm sorry I couldn't reply. I was lost. I didn't know where I was." She whispered softly. "I felt as if I was doomed to the darkness, but I could hear your voice and I concentrated on it. You brought me home Sousuke. Thank You"
Again, he shook his head. "No Kaname, thank you. You are the real hero here. You saved me. You have always saved me."
"Well, whether you want to admit it or not, you also did some saving. I could hear you. I could feel you."

He stared at her intently. Without saying a word, he leaned forward and covered her mouth with his. Shock went straight through her but relaxed and kissed him back with as much passion as possible. She let him know that she felt exactly the same way. She was his. Only His.

"Oh My! I'm so sorry for interrupting!"

They broke at the intrusion to see a red faced nurse. Sousuke smiled. "Nurse Ishida, she came back to me."

Sensing it was ok to look again, she did and smiled. "I told you" She walked over to the bed and examined Kaname all the while telling her what had taken place in the past days. Kaname would gasp and look apologetic at Sousuke for making him worry so much. She also showed extreme gratitude for Ms. Ishida for taking care of him while she was recovering. She thanked her for her faith as well.

"You truly are a special girl. I can see why he cares about you so much. You are one lucky girl"
Kaname looked at Sousuke. "Yes, I am" Finally, she thought, they could be happy together. They didn't have to pretend that they didn't care for each other. Finally.

….5 years later….

"I'm Home"

The mission was a long one. He had to be gone for almost a whole week. He hated it. He told the Captain that she needed to give him short missions. Footsteps could be heard coming down the hall which led to the bedroom. In mere minutes, he saw Kaname in a beautiful plain sundress with her arms full. She greeted him with a smile.

"Look Daddy's home sweetie! Say Hi Daddy!"

The dark haired boy with his daddy's eyes giggled as he saw Sousuke. Sousuke reached for him and took him into his arms. He truly had missed his son. Having one was an overpowering feeling.

"Hey Hero, did you miss me. I sure did…" little Hero touched Sousuke's face as if replying a yes.

"Yup, he sure did, just like his momma" She went towards him and took her into his arms. The two of them hugged with their son in the middle. Sousuke had a family. He was happy. He thought back at the events that happened after that terrible incident 5 years ago. He remembered how angry Kaname had been when she found out that he had quit MITHRIL and made Tessa cry. Even though she understood his feelings, she still made him go and apologize to them and go back with them. Surprisingly enough, they didn't allow him to apologize since they knew he was right, but they did welcome him back with open arms. There was a huge celebration that day, just like when it was the ship's birthday.

He and Kaname dated for 3 ½ years before asking her to marry him. Before they knew it, their son had arrived. Hero. He thought the name suited him. He knew that one day he would live up to it.

Kerz and Melissa also had married and she is currently expecting as well with their second. Rumor has it that they are twins, but that's just a rumor. Sousuke smiled to himself and brought his wife and son deeper into the hug. He breathed in their scent, loving their smell. He would never forget. Never.

"I love you" he whispered into her hair as he continued to hug them both. Kaname looked at him and smiled. She gently kissed him. "I love you too"

Sousuke knew that no matter what the future brought, he would always fight to protect his family, to protect the ones he loves. He was happy that there were no more things left unsaid.

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Well there you have it. I know the song ends differently but its ok. I didn't want to kill her. Lol. So tell me how it was. This fanfic was just a spur of the moment. I really do hope that you enjoyed it. Please Please Review. I would appreciate it.

xoxo,
Sakura Ai

p.s. Oh yea, some of the words in my text are lines from the song…..ok bye.