In all honesty, this fic originally came around when I decided I wanted to try and create a more normal Original Character then my previous attempts.
You see, while writing fanfiction is one of my favourite pastimes, I really want to write some original stuff. Something with mechs and saving the world or something like that. I'm not aiming for something that would be turned into a movie or anything like that, just something that was mine and could be brought off a shelf. My problem is though I find it a lot easier to write about character's already created then creating my own. Whenever I try to create new characters, more often then not they tend to quickly become mary/gary stus, which usually ends with me abandoning the fic altogether (E.G. my unpublished Project A.V.A.T.A.R. or the discontinued Legends of Arcadian Skies).
So, this was my attempt to try and break a habit of a lifetime. I decided to use the OVA as a basis because A. I've never written a Full Metal Panic fic before, and B. it gave me a chance to work with some character personalities I don't usually write about.
All in all, I think for the most part it came out alright. There's five chapters in total, and I'll upload one once a week. Any reviews would be a appreciated, although I ask you to kindly keep any flames to yourself. Constructive critisium is welcomed though.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this fic for what it is, but please keep an open mind about canon, 'cause I've only seen the anime and I've only been using the OVA for reference.
Aside from that, Enjoy!
Dearing
001
THE EVENT
"Somewhere…beyond the sea, somewhere, waiting for me…"
Sousuke raised his head slightly as the sound of singing echoed through the corridors beyond the Tuatha De Danaan's hanger bay, one hand subconsciously going for the pistol on the table beside the laptop as he winced as several notes went off key due to lack of warm-up.
Rationally, the likelihood that a terrorist or assassin would be singing Bobby Darin songs while wandering the empty corridors of a ship in port were remote at best. That said, Mithril had dealt with villains with far more…disturbing pastimes in recent months. And with the voice getting ever closer, the Sergeant decided to stay on his guard, the pistol's barrel aimed at the small entry hatch as a shadow passed across it's bulkhead.
"…beyond the sea, she's there, waiting for…oh!" The intruder, a young male, jumped in surprise as he laid eyes on the soldier before him, "Sergeant Sagara, I'm sorry, I didn't realise there was anyone in here,"
Unease wrapped itself around Sousuke's mind as he took in the unfamiliar man before him.
He couldn't have been much older than himself, the uniform of a Mithril Corporal adorning his pale average sized frame, a laptop awkwardly tucked under his arm. More surprising was the fact this soldier didn't seem to be disturbed about the fact an apparent comrade was pointing a armed weapon in his direction, his coffee coloured eyes betraying his surprise at not being alone from beneath a fringe of dirty blond bangs.
"Have we met soldier?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you'd been told," the young man smiled as he snapped to attention, "Corporal Alexander Meriden, recently transferred to the command of First Lieutenant Belfangan Clouseau. I'm…erm…" he smiled embarrassedly, "You're replacement,"
"Replacement?" Sagara's eyes narrowed slightly, "I wasn't aware I was being replaced, or that anyone else could pilot the Arbalest…"
"Oh, you misunderstand me Sir," Meriden seemed horrified that he hadn't been clear, "I'm just here for low-level missions when you are otherwise unavailable or the ARX-7 is not required. I was brought on at the request of Captain Clouseau and Sergeant Major Mao so reliance on you is not as important and you can focus on…other assignments. Perhaps replacement was too strong a word," he smiled slightly, "I am a capable AS pilot sir, admittedly nowhere near your own skills, or even close to those of Sergeant Major Mao or Sergeant Weber, and like every other pilot who has tried, I very much doubt I would be able to even move the Arbalest, let alone fight with it. I suppose stand-in would be a better term; I am here when you are not, and on stand-by when you are. I believe a memo was sent to you last mouth on the subject…"
"Checking…confirmed," Al's voice echoed around the bay from the laptop, "Corporal Alexander Meriden, Call sign Uruz 12. A memo pertaining to his assignment was sent to your terminal Sergeant. You really should check your mail more often…"
"Shut up!" the last think Sousuke needed was a smart-alecky comment from his machine's A.I.. With a calming sigh, he slowly lowered his pistol, "I apologise Corporal. I wasn't expecting anyone else to be aboard,"
"In truth sir, neither was I," Meriden smiled sheepishly as he came over to the table, "I actually wanted to spend some time in the AS simulators before I started my shift, but the training area is closed. I was hoping to run some simulations instead. I though the ship would be quiet, seeing as we're in port, but if you would rather be left alone yourself…"
"No, it's alright," the Sergeant slowly rose from his chair, "Al, shut down for now. We'll continue at 1000 hours,"
"Roger,"
"I don't want to impose sir…"
"You're not," Sousuke smiled reassuringly as he packed up the laptop, "I'm on duty in half an hour anyway. Please do not allow yourself to be late for the sake of your simulations however,"
"Yes sir. Thank you sir," Alex smiled as he stood to attnetion once more as the soldier went by, only to glance back at the table in surprise, "Oh Sergeant! Your bag!"
"Hm?" Sagara ducked back through the door, his eyes widening as he took in the pair of ears sticking out of the plastic bag, "Damn! I was supposed to give that to Mao before I headed out…"
"If you need to get it to Sergeant Major Mao, I'd be happy to courier it for you," Meriden glanced uncertainty at his superior, "I was supposed to meet with her in two hours, if it's not urgent that it reach her of course,"
"No, it's not urgent," Sousuke frowned slightly. Not urgent to him maybe, but the Captain…no, she wouldn't mind, "Please deliver the item to Mao if your offer is still open,"
"It is,"
"Then I thank you," he saluted the Corporal, the gesture returned in swift succession, "Good day Corporal,"
"Have a good day yourself sir,"
(…)
Alex smiled slightly as he watched the Sergeant disappear down the corridor, before letting a grateful sigh escape his lips.
"Well, that was less awkward then I imagined it would be,"
He hummed his song under his breath as he set the laptop down on the now vacant table, booting up the small computer with one hand, his eyes darting with curiosity towards the fluffy ears and bowler hat before turning back to the screen before him.
"Dana, am I disturbing you?"
"Error in your question Corporal Meriden," the voice was feminine, yet held a distinctly sharp tone, "I am programmed to be at the disposal of all crewmembers of the Tuatha De Danaan. By this classification, I can not be disturbed, because I am designed to help you at any time,"
"Sorry," he grinned sheepishly, "I'm not quite used to talking to my laptop,"
"I understand Corporal Meriden. How may I help you?"
"I was wondering if you could help me run some simulations involving AS combat. Would that be a problem?"
"It would not be a problem. Sergeant Sagara was also recently running simulations with another A.I.. Would you like to run a similar scenario?"
"Isn't that A.I. a part of the Arbalest? I'm only supposed to be piloting a M9..."
"These simulations were designed for pilots of the M-9 Gernsback," if he didn't know any better, the soldier thought the A.I. sounded offended, "Currently we have no training simulations unique to the ARX-7 Arbalest,"
"Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you,"
"I am an Artificial Intelligence, I can not be offended. Would you like to run a similar scenario to Sergeant Sagara's?
"Yes," he nodded understandingly, fully aware the dynamics of an A.I. would always be beyond his understanding, "Please do,"
"Very well, running Simulation H55," an overhead tactical display map appeared on his screen, "Scenario follows: Three enemy AS units are indicated in positions on the map provided. Do you believe an attack with a combat weapon or ATD would be effective?"
He stroked his chin slightly as he analysed the red and blue dots before him.
"Please try it,"
"Roger. Working on implications of actions," the Corporal drummed his fingers against the desk, his eyes calmly surveying the data as it spread across his screen, "Warning: new hostile detected,"
"Mr. Sagara?"
Alex turned his head towards the door at the sound of a new voice entered the cavernous area, his eyes widening as he took in the lithe form and youthful features of the young girl that tiredly rubbed the sleep from her eyes, the other hand clutching a large yellow blanket.
When he noticed she was wearing nothing but a shirt and underwear, he knew he had something to be concerned about.
"Madam?" he stood up uncertainty, not entirely sure of how this current situation would develop, "Can I…help you?"
"Mr. Sagara!"
"Mr…Sagara?"
With a few graceful steps, the grey haired girl seemed to almost bounce across the hanger bay, her open arms coming around his waist as she buried her pretty face into his chest, her hair falling about her shoulders as she latched on
"This can't be good,"
"Erm…Madam?" he braced his hands uncertainty on her shoulders, a voice screaming at the back of his mind that this strange woman should be familiar to him, "Are you…feeling alright?"
"I've never felt better," she sighed dreamily, "And what's with the Madam thing? What's the matter?" she giggled, "Captain got your tongue?"
"Captain? Madam? Madam…Captain? Oh dear," Memories of a 'welcome' speech by a certain Commander Richard Mardukas flashed through Alex's mind, accompanied by the picture from his future Captain Teletha Testarossa's basic profile he had seen before coming to the island at which his current posting was docked, "No, this can't be good at all. Just keep calm, and deal with it like you deal with Cass's escapades back home,"
"Madam Captain," he closed his eyes as he took a steadying breath, his willpower completely focused on getting his mind away from how warm his Commanding officer's body felt against his own, "Might I suggest you return to your quarters? It appears you might be in…a precarious position,"
"Current position is not in your favour," Dana's sudden input didn't seem to help.
"Position?" he felt the captain frown as she turned her head slightly, "Back to my quarters?" she smiled slightly, "Oh Mr. Sagara…we shouldn't…"
"Well…that didn't work,"
"Hey, while we're talking about intimacy," the Corporal's eyes darted towards the entrance to the hanger, fully aware how his current situation would look should someone such as Sergeant Sagara come walking in, "It's okay with me if you call me…Tessa from now on,"
"Tessa? Mr. Sagara?" Even as he attempted to keep himself calm, Alex's mind was a blur as he tried to connect the dots in his head, "Is she pining for the Sergeant? She must still be half asleep if she thinks I look anything like him,"
"It's kind of like it was all a nice dream and I really don't want to wake up from it," she giggled again as she tightened her grip around his waist, the heat rising to the poor Corporal's cheeks as he felt her…body…press against his.
"A…dream?" Meriden considered it a miracle he managed to keep a calm voice, his rational mind quickly comparing his current situation to a familiar scenario involving his older sister, "Captain…is it possible you could wake up from this sleepwalking session?"
"Direct hit to the chest cavity,"
"Dana, now is not a good time,"
"Oh Mr. Sagara, you big meanie," Testarossa cast her sleepy eyes up towards his dark brown ones as she traced small circles across his shoulder, "Tell me what I have to do to get you to call me 'Tessa' one more time huh?"
"Situation is dangerous,"
"I'd do anything to hear you say that again,"
"Is she even listening to a word I'm saying?" Despite the knowledge he was probably going to be in trouble by the end of this was fully on his mind, a part of Alex couldn't help but sympathises with his Captain. A sixteen year old girl surrounded by men ten, even twenty years her age? At seventeen, sergeant Sagara could probably have been repeatedly pummelled with an entire ugly tree and still be appealing to a young girl like her.
"Why make someone so young a Captain anyway?" he tensed his fingers around her shoulders again, trying gently to pry her off before she woke up, "Must be something to do with the classified information on her profile…Agh, what am I doing?! One problem at a time! Deal with the situation at hand, it's none of your business anyway if why she's in command,"
"Well then Tes-Madam Captain," he caught himself before the name she had given him escaped his lips, "I really think you need to sit down for a moment and wake up…preferably in that order," he tried to gently remove her, but her grip held fast, "Captain…if this keeps up, I may have to call the medic…and I really don't think our current positions would cast a favourable light on either of us…
"Enemy is displaying abnormalities,"
"Dana, I said not now!"
M…medic?" she frowned up at his flushed face, a small smile trying to crease it's way onto his features as he noticed a certain cuteness his Commander had while being half asleep.
She looked at the Arbalest on her right, then to the transport helicopters on her left, then back to his face, ever calmly waiting for the inevitable.
Then her eyes widened
And she screamed.
"What going on here!?" she leapt back several paces, her hands pulling the yellow sheet across her bare chest, "Who the hell are you!?!"
"Ma'am," in the face of her confusion, he knew from experience to remain calm, "I trust you are feeling better?"
"ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION!!!"
"Ma'am!" he snapped to attention, his eyes focused on a spot just above the top of her head, "Corporal Alexander Meriden, Call sign Uruz 12. I have been assigned as a stand-in for Sergeant Sagara when he is otherwise indisposed or the Arbalest is not required. I believe I was supposed to meet with you at 0900 hours tomorrow morning before we set out,"
"Corporal Meriden?" Recognition dawned in the Captain's eyes as they narrowed to slits, "Tell me Mr. Meriden, are you in the business of molesting your commanding officer before you've been properly introduced?"
"Enemy attack pattern is erratic,"
"With respect Ma'am, I am not in the business of molesting anyone at anytime," he knew she was confused and probably scared to find herself in a strange room with a near stranger. Had their positions been switched, he doubted he would have been able to keep as calm, "And again with respect Ma'am, I believe you were sleepwalking and thus your actions were not entirely your own,"
"Are you…are you saying this is my fault?" her eyes widened in disbelief, "That I was harassing you?"
"I'm sure if you were to consult the security camera, I'm sure…"
"Say for a minute I believe you," she scowled darkly as she folded her arms across her chest, "Why the hell are you so calm? Don't you find it odd that a young girl just jumps into your arms with no rhyme or reason?"
"Again, with respect Ma'am, I have three older and two younger sisters," he knew he was walking a dangerous path, but he kept his eyes at the point above her head, his voice ever calm, "the third oldest of which tends to sleep walk and is…clingy…in the process. You're symptoms are similar…" he glanced down at Captain as the sheet slipped, "Although admittedly, she preferred to where pyjamas,"
"Huh? What do you…?" she looked down at herself, only to cover herself up in alarm as she shot him another hatful glare, "So now you were trying to undress me too!? How the heck did you get me down here in the first place? Did you spike my drinks!?"
"No, I…"
"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR LIES CORPORAL!!!" his teeth snapped shut with a click at her outburst, "I want you to report yourself to the brig immediately for the crime of sexually assaulting a superior officer, don't try to run understand!?"
"Ma'am!" he snapped off a salute as she stormed out of the hanger, "Crystal clear Madam Captain!"
"AND I'M NOT YOUR CAPTAIN YOU PERVERT!!! NOT AFTER TODAY!!!"
His hand faulted as the door slammed shut, the limb falling limply at his side as his sighed bitterly.
"Oh boy," he ran a hand through his hair, "I make one good impression with the guy I'm standing in for, only to make a bad impression with a person I need to remain civil with. What am I going to do?"
"Enemy in retreat. Advise against pursuit. Suggest seeking out reinforcements,"
Meriden smiled slightly as he returned to the desk.
"That's not such a bad idea,"