Kurtz leaned backed against the chair, smiling.

The place was pleasantly gaudy, with decorations reminiscent of most high-end French restaurants one could find in the United States. It was also one of the few French eateries in the area. Reservations were booked months in advance, but the surname Weber demanded a certain respect in this place. The mercenary had once saved the master chef's cat from becoming road kill. Though the rescue had been completely coincidental, Kurtz managed to grace the chef enough to be placed on the VIP, a list that included several celebrities, business moguls, star athletes, and government officials.

Kurtz thought for a moment. There was a particular trait about the chef that reminded him about something or someone.

He shrugged.

'Oh well. It's not worth the trouble remembering…'

It had been quite some time since Kurtz Weber last treated himself to some fine dining. God knows he couldn't live off of canned crab fried noodles or the mess hall food his entire life. He deserved to pamper himself occasionally, and while the two hundred dollar wine and three fifty entrée with dessert would set most people back several months, Mithril paid well enough to cover for the expenses.

Besides, considering his line of work, it was the least Mithril could do.

'Life is good.'

The Hong Kong mission had gone off without a hitch, thanks mainly to Sousuke's last moment appearance. After reviewing the bout, Mithril's upper brass decided to recall the TDD-1 as well as the M9s for systems and weapons upgrades. The Captain, Commander Markudas, and Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin were called to a confidential meeting on Merida Island. And while the TDD-1 was out of commission until certain repairs have been made, the entire Special Response Team was given two weeks off.

The blonde haired mercenary had no clue where the Sergeant Major had gone off to, but it was not from a lack of trying. He was still recovering from the injuries. And knowing that to follow said individual meant certain death, Kurtz decided to crash at his other teammate's place in Tokyo.

He frowned, thinking about his Sousuke's situation with a certain blue-haired ward.

'That kid is too senseless for his own good. He doesn't know how good he has it. Oh yeah!'

Then again, his teammate was Sousuke Sagara. Drop him off in a hot zone in Columbia with nothing but a combat knife, and he would probably make it to Mithril's quarters in Panama without a scratch. Give the man the ARX-7 Arbalest, and he could take out five Venom-class Arm Slaves with the Lambda Driver. But place him at the whim of a high school idol, not to mention the queen of all babes, and what happened?

Kurtz sighed.

'He's even more clueless than most prepubescent middle school boys when it comes to women.'

Really, all Sousuke needed was a fire underneath his ass, so to speak. Kurtz smiled. But that's where he, Kurtz Weber, the self-proclaimed ladies man, came in. Having witnessed time and again the pitfalls that his teammate had fallen in, the blonde mercenary finally decided to step in and take matters into his own hands.

"Sir?" The server presented the bottle of red wine. Kurtz nodded his approval. He was no wine connoisseur . But that did not matter. He had his eyes on the server, who was an attractive brunette in her mid-twenties.

"Thank you, pretty lady," drawled Kurtz, using the helplessly-flirtatious-foreigner-in-Japan approach. He winked playfully at the woman.

She blushed in embarrassment, but could not help but feel flattered by the blonde playboy. Tilting her head downward, the server unsuccessfully tried to hide her face with her hair. Kurtz smiled as the server left with his menu, clumsily bumping into another server as she made her way to the bar.

"See? THAT'S how its done!" The elderly couple sitting at the nearby table stared nervously at the foreigner. Kurtz was too deep in his reverie to notice. He thought for a moment. "The guy's got it good! He's got Tessa AND Kaname in a tizzy!" The blonde soldier cursed, shaking his fist angrily. "ITS JUST NOT FAIR!"

By now, the entire restaurant had taken notice of the foreigner's monologue. Realizing that fact now, Kurtz cleared his throat and sank lower in his chair.

But then it hit him.

'It's so simple! Sousuke's never intentionally attracted a woman, much less drop-dead beauties like the Captain and Kaname.'

Kurtz's eyes widened.

'Of course! All Sousuke needs is some practice with NORMAL girls. And judging by the girls that went on the hot springs trip the last time Tessa attended Jindai Municipal High School, finding potential love interests for the clueless idiot is gonna be a walk in the park.'

Remembering Sousuke's female classmates, Kurtz cursed aloud again. "THAT LUCKY BASTARD!"

"Sir, can you please refrain from your outbursts?" One of the restaurant's patrons, most likely of English nobility, was obviously offended by the young man's antics. "We are TRYING to enjoy our lunch."

Kurtz laughed sheepishly.

Before he could respond, the waiter arrived with his dish. "Monsieur, the Chicken Crepe Riviera?"

The steaming dish set before him smelled heavenly. The mixture of the red diced tomatoes and the green spotted broccoli blended together wonderfully. The pesto sauce was stirred at an even temperature, perfect conditions to set off the meal. The parsley and garlic added much flavor to the rotisserie chicken, which, judging by appearance, looked absolutely scrumptious.

"Bon appetit."

The waiter bowed and took his leave.

---

Kurtz placed his fork upon the table surface and sighed contently.

The entrée had greatly exceeded the young mercenary's expectations. The flavor, the temperature, everything about the meal was exceptional. The chef had to be a culinary whiz of some sort.

He motioned to the waiter, who hurried over immediately.

"I'd like to pay my compliments to the chef, in person," said Kurtz, who was in the process of finishing his piece of Sacher torte. The waiter nodded and retreated to the kitchen.

Moments later, a short, rotund man appeared before him. With some effort, Kurtz identified him as the master chef whose cat he had saved. Apparently, the man recognized Kurtz as well.

"Monsieur, at last we meet again!" The portly chef removed his toque and bowed deeply. Kurtz noticed the man was balding. The comb over did nothing to hide that fact.

Kurtz froze.

'That man's voice! It can't be…yes, THAT'S what it was…'

The balding chef's voice was nearly identical to that of Commander Markudas. The tone and pitch were near perfection for a match. However, compared to the stern Mithril Commander, the chef's voice was relatively soft and welcoming. The Commander's tone was one of impassion, crisp and precise; though impersonal, it was nevertheless effective for giving order in the Command Center and the hangar.

Slowly, a thought formulated in Kurtz's mind.

Noticing the brief lapse of attention, the chef spoke up with more authority.

"Wasn't there something you wanted to say, mon ami?" his voice was considerably more gruff. Kurtz snapped out of his thoughts in an instant. He almost stood at attention and saluted had he not realize at the last moment that the second in command would never end any sentence with 'mon ami.'

"Sorry, partner. My original intention is to compliment the chef who prepared my meal. But now, since it is you, old friend, I have other matters to address. Can we talk outside?"

The chef raised his eyebrows at the strange request, but nevertheless motioned Kurtz to follow him out back. Hurriedly, the blonde soldier grabbed a pen and a blank order slip. He followed the chef across the kitchen and exited through the door in the back, which led to an alley.

The balding chef opened his mouth to speak, but closed it when he saw the blonde scribbling something on the restaurant's order slip. He decided to remain silent.

A few minutes later, Kurtz handed the paper to the chef. He also pulled a voice recording device from his back pocket.

"I have a favor to ask you…"

---

The morning rays of sunlight penetrated the tiny cracks of the blinds. A sudden blur of motion on the apartment floor signified that Sousuke Sagara, membert of Mithril Special Response Team and student of Jindai Municipal High School, had awakened from his slumber. Sighing, he picked himself up from the floor and walked into the living room. He turned on the surveillance equipment and put on the earmuffs. The sound of running water reached his ears.

'Miss Chidori is showering.'

On that happy thought, Sousuke found himself perspiring heavily. Looking down, he froze as he noticed that a particular appendage had enlarged dramatically. He gulped nervously. It was bad enough that he had just gotten up, but also picturing an extremely attractive and desirable young woman showering in the buff?

Sousuke sighed.

Life was hard.

No pun intended.

But it was an undeniable truth. The blue-haired Whispered was physically appealing. Even Sousuke couldn't deny that.

'But why do I get the feeling that my status with her hasn't gone up ever since the Gauron incident? It's already been three months…'

Sousuke exhaled sharply, allowing his head to hang low.

Sousuke Sagara was not one to solicit unnecessary and emotionally heart-felt feelings from others. Despite the insistence of Sergeant Major Melissa Mao, the brunette Sergeant had always maintained professional and followed the textbook decorum regarding rank among his comrades in Mithril. Rarely did he ever address anyone by name, and if he had, it was under special circumstances. The first time Sousuke spoke to Captain Testarossa on a name-to-name conversation had been after the Hong Kong operation, and even then he had asked for permission to do so. That was the type of person he was. That was what the Mithril brass expected of him. And he followed that criteria with unyielding devotion.

He was the perfect soldier.

But it was also the reason why he had been ostracized by both his superiors and comrades.

An image of Commander Richard Markudas popped up in his mind. Sousuke shuddered involuntarily. While he did respect and trust the intentions of the former British Royal Navy captain, he had never once felt anything but coldness from the man. And while the younger man harbored no ill will towards the older officer, it could not be said that the same sentiments were reciprocated. Sousuke remembered the time when Captain Testarossa attended Jindai High with him, and how the Commander had threatened to tear him limb from limb if he were to commit an immoral act while the Captain was staying over at his apartment.

Sousuke frowned at the memory.

'Why would Commander Markudas suspect anything of the sort? Was he questioning my character? Or my intentions?' He thought for a moment. 'Or he doesn't trust me as a human.'

The notion struck a chord.

'Maybe the Commander has a right to question my integrity. Not as a soldier, but as a person.'

The thought saddened him.

It was common knowledge that his upbringing was nowhere within the realms of normality. Bouncing from one hot zone to another, he never had the time to develop certain skills of normal civilians. He had other matters to worry about, namely his own survival. It was no one's fault, really. Not even his. Even so, he felt like he was lacking an important tool. After all, a sniper rifle wouldn't be as effective without the scope.

The sound of a turning doorknob snapped Sousuke's train of thought. He then immediately grabbed his Glock 17, which he always kept on his person, and took cover where the intruder would have the least amount of visibility. Sliding downwards against the wall, he slowly switched the safety off on his pistol and peered over his left shoulder. When he heard the intruder approach, he jumped from his cover, pistol held at arm's length and trained on the torso of the enemy…

Which turned out to be Kurtz Weber, his fellow SRT member.

"Whoa! Hold your fire, soldier!" Kurtz shouted, exaggerating his surprise and terror to the other man's actions.

Sousuked sighed in relief. He lowered his gun.

"Kurtz, what are you doing here?"

The question was simple enough; however, Sousuke's voice carried a steely tone. He demanded a reasonable explanation. If he was satisfied with the answer, he would let the blonde soldier live. But that was only IF he was satisfied with the answer. Sousuke had specifically requested that both Sgt. Weber and Sgt. Major Mao continue with other missions and to let him deal with the mission involving Kaname Chidori.

Kurtz closed his eyes, preparing himself mentally for his upcoming performance.

"Sousuke." Kurtz had dropped his usual carefree attitude and donned a serious tone instead. He handed a miniature cassette to Sousuke. "This is from Da Daanan. Strictly confidential and for your ears only. After use, you are to destroy it completely and never relay the message to anyone, including Mithril, myself, or our big sister Melissa. And least of all to Kaname or Tessa."

Sousuke nodded. He began to move towards the audio equipments but stopped. Turning around, he grabbed Kurtz by the arm and shoved him into the bathroom. He stuck the top of a chair beneath the knob as to impede his teammate from escaping.

After taking the extra precautions, Sousuke went back to his task.

On the other side of the bathroom door, Kurtz was sitting on the toilet, with the seat and its cover down. He let out a yawn, and then chuckled.

"I wonder how the hero's going to react." He then pictured the terrified expression on Sousuke's face every time Markudas ripped him a new one. He laughed aloud.

After a few moments, Kurtz heard the sound of a shifting chair, followed by a knock. He opened the door and walked out.

The innumerable pieces of plastic and film served as the only evidence of the cassette's existence. Sousuke's Glock 17 lay next to the pile of broken plastic. Kurtz put two and two together and concluded that Sousuke had used the butt of the pistol to carry out the order.

Sousuke was sitting on his couch. His expression was unreadable. No. Conflicted was a better term.

"Kurtz." Sousuke looked up, with a hardened expression. He was perspiring lightly. "What are the details of your mission?"

The blonde looked back with a matching expression. Inwardly, though, he was trying his hardest not to grin or do anything to compromise his plan. "To offer aid to the head operative. I do not have A Need To Know, but I will assist you to my fullest capacity."

Sousuke nodded and sat silently. The sides of his mouth were twitching unwittingly, not unlike the time when he had tried to smile for his school ID picture. He gulped nervously. When he looked up again, he looked pleadingly at Kurtz.

"Please brief me on everything you know about women."

Inwardly, Kurtz Weber was hollering and celebrating. It had a taken nearly a year, but he was finally in!

He smiled.

'And we're off to the races…'