The Devil Inside Ch15

[Shinobi]

Notes: here's the next one

hope you like it!

and stuff




The Devil Inside
Chapter 15

Kyouko raised her hand and hesitated. She stood in front of Crispin?s hotel room. They had returned almost two hours ago and had a few hours free time until curfew, although they had to stay in the hotel. Kyouko bit her lip and fidgeted. Finally, she lowered her hand and turned away with a sigh.

After two steps she stopped. Taking a fortifying breath she turned back around and knocked on the door before she lost her nerve again. She was surprised when a lanky Japanese boy answered the door instead of Crispin.

?Uh, is Daniels-san here?? Kyouko asked quietly. She could see a couple of other boys inside the room. It looked like they were playing some trading card game.

At Crispin?s name the boy grimaced. ?No, he left over an hour ago.? The boy shrugged apologetically.

?Oh, thank you. I?m very sorry to have disturbed you.? Kyouko bowed to the boy. The boy stared at her as she turned and walked away.

?So much for my big moment.? Kyouko sighed and shuffled toward the elevators. Kaname was probably in the rec. room. Kyouko glanced down a side hall that dead-ended and stopped in surprise. At the end of the hall slumped beneath a large window overlooking the beach was Crispin Daniels. He sat limp like a string less puppet. The boy?s head was lowered to his chest and he seemed unaware of her presence. Kyouko hesitated, but screwed up her courage and walked down the hall.

?Crispin?? Kyouko decided to use his full name. She stood before the boy, yet he made no move to acknowledge he?d heard her. The polite thing would be to respect his privacy, but Kyouko was determined to tell him what she had to say. As per Kaname?s advice.

?Crispin.? She crouched in front of the boy and prodded his foot. ?Crispin!?

?What? Oh, hey. Don?t worry about me.? Crispin finally looked up and stared at Kyouko. He waved his hand languidly. ?I been sprung. You don?t have to sneak me food or anything.? His hand plopped back to his side, but he continued to stare at Kyouko intensely.

?You have?? Kyouko was surprised. ?I didn?t see you at dinner.?

?Wasn?t hungry.? Crispin shrugged. ?No big deal really.? He shifted his stare to the ceiling. ?So are you hear to lecture me again?? His tone was bored and Kyouko suppressed a surge of irritation.

?No, I wanted to tell you something.? Kyouko stared at the floor and clasped her hands together nervously.

?Really?? Crispin looked at her in surprise. He sat up and spoke without preamble. ?Well, I think you?re very pretty.?

?What?? Kyouko gasped and felt her entire face turn bright red. ?W-why do you say that?? She could not bring herself to look up.

?Well, isn?t that what a girl always asks when she?s alone with a boy?? Crispin smirked.

?W-That?s, I d-didn?t meant to.? Kyouko stuttered in embarrassment. Her whole body was bright red now. ?I wasn?t-? She suddenly scowled and smacked the smirking boy. ?Stop that! You?re always doing that, and I hate it!? She smacked him again.

?Hey! What are you talking about?? Crispin demanded and tried to back away from the girl. Unfortunately the wall was in his way. ?Ow! Quit it!?

?Stop trying to change the subject!? Kyouko snapped back. At Crispin?s wide-eyed look she spoke hurriedly. ?I don?t like it when you do that. And I don?t like when you?re mean or rude.? She took a calming breath and pinned Crispin with her gaze. ?I don?t like it how you insult the teachers or the school.? Her courage gone Kyouko looked away.

?Why?? Crispin licked his lips. ?Why are you telling me this??

Kyouko resisted the urge to sigh. ?Crispin, I don?t want to be friends with someone who acts like that.? She faced him again as she spoke. ?It?s hurts to see you act like that.? She looked away. ?Because I know you can be better than that.?

The hallway was silent for over a minute before Crispin finally asked. ?W-what do you want me to do??

?Nothing.? Kyouko sighed and stood up. ?I don?t want you to do anything.? She turned to go and stopped. ?You?re the only one who can decide what to do. But I don?t want to be friends with someone who acts like a jerk.?

Crispin starred at Kyouko but said nothing as she walked off. When she turned the corner and passed from sight Crispin slumped back against the wall. It didn?t matter. Nothing mattered anymore. In three days they would return to Tokyo and Crispin would be dragged to the Tuatha de Danaan in chains. Probably at the hands of Sousuke Sagara.

Crispin sat and thought of nothing.

**

?Ohh,? Kaname moaned as she plopped on one of the big sofas next to Maya and Mayuko in the hotel rec. room. ?My feet are still sore.? She curled her toes in complaint.

?Mine feel like they?re gonna fall off.? Maya agreed.

?Wimps.? Mayuko snorted. The other two girls glared at her. ?What?? She asked innocently.

?What are we watching anyway?? Kaname leaned over and asked. Several students were sprawled around the rec. rooms wide-screen TV. It looked like a Prime-time drama.

?Don?t know.? Maya confessed. ?Some local show? She shrugged at Kaname?s irritated growl. ?Hey, you asked us to save a seat. Not what was being shown.?

?I know.? Kaname exhaled and plopped her head back on the couch. The blue-haired girl stayed that way for most of the show. Eventually, the show ended and several students started shuffling away only to be replaced by new ones.

As they did Kaname noticed a curious sight. Her head was leaning back over the headrest and behind the couch she could see Sousuke Sagara staring intently at the Arcade games. Surprisingly he was the only one around the games at the moment and from the lines on his forehead it was clear he was confused.

?What is that idiot up to?? Kaname groaned to herself and sat up. After a moment of indecision she stood up.

?Hey, you going to bed already?? Maya asked in some surprise.

?No, but I?m done here.? Kaname smiled at her friends. ?You don?t have to worry about saving me a seat.? At her friend?s nod she walked around the couches and sprawled bodies of her schoolmates.

?It?s a video game.? Kaname explained as she walked up behind Sousuke.

?I?m aware of what it is.? Sousuke turned toward the blue-haired girl. He was unsurprised by her sudden appearance. ?But is does not seem to be working.?

?Really?? Kaname turned toward the game. It looked like some kind of 2-D side scrolling shooter from the eighties. ?Did it eat your money??

?Eat my money?? Sousuke?s brows drew together.

?When you put your money in,? Kaname explained. ?Nothing happened and you couldn?t get it back. You know? It ate your money.? What was with this boy?

?Ah, now I understand.? Sousuke turned to regard the machine. ?Can I ask you a question Ms. Chidori??

?Sure.?

?How much money does this machine require to operate??

?What?? Kaname nearly fell over in surprise. ?You don?t know how much money it takes? What planet did you come from anyway?? She resisted the urge to smack him.

?Actually, I didn?t realize it required money to operate at all until you said so.? Sousuke explained matter of factly.

?What did I do to deserve this?? Kaname moaned and rubbed her temples. She felt a headache coming on. ?There, you see?? She pointed at the coin slots beneath the control consol. ?You put your coins in there. And you play there! Do you get it now?? Kaname snapped in exasperation.

?Yes, I understand. Thank you.? Sousuke crouched down and poked the coin slot on the machine. ?According to this it requires a 100 Yen.? He starred at the video game.

?Are you going to play?? Kaname finally asked. ?Isn?t that what you came her for?? Kaname looked around. ?By the way, where?s your friend??

?Kazama?? At Kaname?s nod Sousuke answered. ?he went to bed a little earlier. We were up quite late last night trying to watch night landings at Kadena Air base. I?m afraid we had minimal success.? Sousuke frowned at the last. ?We didn?t turn in until at least 0230.?

Kaname just stared. ?What are you talking about? Never mind I don?t want to know.? Kaname cut off the sergeant?s explanation with a raised hand. ?So why aren?t you in bed then. You must be tired too.? Kaname was curious. Sousuke didn?t look tired.

?Not really.? Sousuke answered. ?I can maintain operational readiness with only four hours rest.? He seemed almost proud of the fact.

?Right.? Kaname drawled. ?That?s really great.? She patted him on the shoulder. In truth, she had no idea what he was talking about.

Sousuke apparently satisfied the conversation was over, drew a few coins from his pocket and inserted them into the machine. After a few moments studying the control he began to play.

Curious Kaname watched him. ?Hey you?re not bad.? To her surprise, Sousuke managed to clear the first level. However, he quickly perished on the second level. ?So is this you?re first time playing a video game?? Kaname asked as he deposited another coin and continued play.

?No, I?ve played a few in the past. Not often.? Sousuke explained as he played. He did somewhat better but died fighting the boss.

?What a minute?? Kaname asked. ?You didn?t even know how the thing worked a few minutes ago. How could you have played one before?? Only after her question did she remember he had already known what a video game actually was.

?Back at ?my old school.? Sousuke feed a third coin into the machine. ?A friend owned a video console. In between miss? er, I mean study sessions we would play some of his games.? He grunted when he died again.

?Video console?? Kaname frowned. ?You mean like a Playstation??

?Yes.? Sousuke frowned when he ran out of change. He looked around and realized it was close to lights out anyway. ?We should go to bed now.?

?What?? Kaname shrieked. ?How can you suggest such a thing? You pervert!? She bashed Sousuke in the head with her fist.

?Ms. Chidori.? Eri Kagurazaka, Kaname?s homeroom teacher, stood behind the blue-haired girl hands on her hip. ?Please stop yelling. You?ll disturb the other guests.?

Sousuke stood back up and dusted himself off. ?That hurt.?

?Oh, hehhehe.? Kaname laughed embarrassedly. ?Sorry about that.?

?It?s alright.? Kagurazaka-Sensei nodded. ?You should be heading toward your room now. It?s curfew.?

?Yes ma?am.? Kaname said and quickly walked away in embarrassment. She did not know who to be mad at more. Herself for getting chewed out or Sousuke for talking like that in the first place. ?He didn?t have to say it like THAT!? She fumed as she went upstairs to her room.

**

The next day, the students of Jindai High visited some caves along the island?s south eastern shore where people hid during the battle for Okinawa at the end of World War II. Everyone walked in awed silence as they were lead into a cave where about 100 people sought refuge during the battle. While in the cave the students listened to the stories of the tour guide, a gray-haired old man who was in the cave during the war.

The man talked for a long time about what it was like in the cave. He explained how soldiers of the Japanese army controlled the caves and forbade anyone to leave. When U.S. forces found the caves and ordered everyone out (in Japanese) no one could surrender. When no one emerged, the Americans would usually throw in hand grenades, use flame throwers, or pump in fuel and ignite it.

Afterwards all the flashlights were turned off to give the students a sense of what those terror filled days might have been like. Everyone was silent as they filed out of the cave, even Crispin Daniels. As he?d explained to Kyouko last night, Nakumura-Sensei had ?graciously? allowed him to accompany the group today.

Ironically he actually had some questions, but knew Nakumura-Sensei would never allow it so he waited until they were shuffling out of the cave and approached the tour guide.

?Excuse me, can I ask you something?? He asked the tour guide politely.
The old man turned to him and stared at the American boy. ?You?re Japanese is very good.? He complimented.

?Thanks.? Crispin resisted the urge to tell the man his Shuri was very thick. ?Now about that question?? He could feel Nakumura?s eyes boring into him.

?Yes, ask away young man.?

?Didn?t the Imperial Forces build an entire complex of interconnected caves like this one??

?Yes, they did. The caves stretched under most of the main island.? The guide nodded. ?Very large. The Japanese Army used it to move back and forth from one part of the island to another.?

?But not all of them are connected??

?No, like this one here.? The old man gestured to where they had toured. ?Many were self-contained, but still quite vast.?

?Yeah, that makes sense.? Crispin scratched his chin. ?So do people actually run around in these caves, besides these tours I mean??

?Oh, no!? The tour guide insisted. ?Many were destroyed and filled in during the fighting. Not all, but many. Also many more have collapsed over the years. Very dangerous for people to wander, and no need for exploring anyway.?

?Why?s that??

?They were mapped by an American survey team shortly after the war. That?s one reason why most American bases are to the north. The majority of the caves were in the south.? The tour guide smiled as he finished his explanation. ?You like history??

?Not really.? Crispin confessed. ?I?m more curious about the excavation of these caves.? The AS engineer looked behind in wonder. ?An impressive accomplishment.?

?Yes, at the hands of slave labor.? There was a hint of reproach in the old man?s tone.

?True.? Crispin ignored the old man?s tone. ?So they were surveyed? All of them?? The old man nodded. ?Is their a way to get a hold of the maps?? He asked eagerly.

?Of them all? No.? At Crispin?s downcast look the tour guide hastily added. ?But you can get maps of the caves and shore around here. We sell them at the gift shop we met at.?

?Really? That?s great!? Crispin and the old man were walking side by side as they made their way back to the shop in question. The rest of the students of Jindai High trailed behind. ?Thanks old man!? Crispin gave the guide a hearty slap on the back, which nearly knocked the old man over, and rejoined his class.

He paused as he locked eyes with Kyouko Tokiwa, but both quickly looked away. They had not spoken since their little ?talk? last night. Crispin experienced an eerie sense of deja-vu as he moved down the line of students to rejoin his class. Everywhere he looked, every eye he met was one of mistrust and hostility.

?Fuck you!? The mechanic screamed in his mind. He was tempted to yell in their faces that he would be in a military prison for the next fifteen years. They?d probably throw a party!

**
?That was weird.? Kaname whispered to Kyouko as Crispin turned away from their tour guide and rejoined his class. ?He was almost polite. What?s up with that.? She grinned and elbowed Kyouko. ?Maybe that talk of yours made an impression, eh??

?I guess.? Kyouko looked away when her eyes met Crispin?s.

?Come on!? Kaname insisted. ?It didn?t sound all that bad.? Kaname?s grin widened. ?Or is there something your not telling me??

?No, it?s not that.? Kyouko hesitated. ?When I did what you said?he just looked at me.? She sighed. ?He looked at me with this stare, like I was a bug or a freak.? She bit her lip. ?He hasn?t even tried to talk to me or anything today.?

Kaname patted her friend on the shoulder. There was nothing she could say that would make her friend feel better. And at that moment, the blue-haired girl never despised Crispin Daniels more than she did right then.

**

?Hey, Nakumura-Sensei.? Crispin called to his homeroom teacher as they stepped off the buses back at the hotel.

?Yes, what is it Mr. Daniels.? The blonde teacher regarded him coolly.

?I was going to see if I could dig up some old maps on those cave complexes that tour guide was talking about.?

?That?s fine Mr. Daniels.? She raised an eyebrow. ?Though you hardly need my permission to do such a thing.?

?Yeah, you see I was wondering?.? He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. ?I was thinking about writing a paper on them.? He fidgeted, ?And I was kinda hoping you would accept it. As extra credit I mean.?

Nakumura-Sensei was silent a long time. ?You surprise me Mr. Daniels.? She finally said.

?Something I live for.? Crispin drawled.

?Yes, you do.? Teacher frowned at the stocky boy. ?Very well.? She nodded. ?I?ll expect it first thing next Monday when we?ve returned to School.?

?Great! Thanks Sensei.? Crispin smiled and walked into the hotel. The ridiculously short deadline did not bother him. Next Monday he would be back in the stockade. So he needed to finish quick either way.

As he crossed the lobby, Crispin spotted Sagara and Kazama chatting. ?Hey Sagara.? He called out.

?Daniels.? Sousuke regarded the AS engineer darkly. ?What do you want??

?Oh, just wondering if you were enjoying yourself?? Crispin bared his teeth in a feral grin.

?Yes,? Sousuke said slowly. ?This trip has been surprisingly enjoyable.?

?Good, we wouldn?t want the great Sousuke Sagara to waste his time or anything!? Crispin slapped Sousuke on the back and barked in laughter. He stepped past the sergeant and headed up to his room.

?Man, what a jerk!? Shinji frowned at the departing American?s back.

Sousuke agreed.

End Chapter 15





The Devil Inside-Glossary of Terms


MCMJ -Mithril Code of Military Justice. Basically the legal code and rules of conduct all Mithril personal are subject to.

CO - Commanding Officer (This is actually used by the US military)

MCF- Mithril Correctional Facility. Most ships and bases have their own brigs or jails, but those are only designed to keep a prisoner for a short period of time. The MCF serves as Mithril?s more permanent jail. It?s used to hold those who are awaiting their hearing or trail, and for those who?ve been sentenced for longer than a month, to a maximum sentence of a year or two.

MDC- Mithril Detention Center - basically prison. This is where Mithril throw's their hard-cases and long terms sentences. It's a great place where you get to spend twelve hours a day making little rocks out of big rocks. Sounds fun doesn't it?
Basically, think of it as Mithril's equivalent to Ft. Lebonworth.

Old Man - just an affectionate way the soldiers of Mithril have of referring to Kalinin. Of course, they'd never address him like that!

LP/OP ?Listing Post and Observation Post.

FARP ?Fuel And Rearming Point. It?s a forward staging area combat-vehicles (such as an Arm-Slave) can use without having to leave the combat zone.

Mikes ?short-hand for minutes.

ETA ?Estimated Time of Arrival

Hawkeye ?Refers to a US radar plane. The Hawkeye usually flies ahead of a US naval task force (among other things) and gathers useful information about the area and reports it back.

AS- Arm Slave. Ya know, those big freaking robots Sousuke and the others pilot.

SRT- Special Response Team. Sousuke, Melissa, and Kurz are member of Mithril?s SRTs. The way I look at it, the Special Response Teams are Mithril?s equivalent of Special Forces. They do many of the same tasks as special forces: Recon. Infiltration. Sabotage. Lightning raids, Hostage rescue, and assorted other tasks.

MOTC ? Mithril?s Officer Training Course. Most military organizations have additional requirements for their officers besides just time in service and demonstrated ability. Most officers under go specific and grueling training and are usually required to have a four year college degree of some kind.

M9- Called the ?Gernsback? it?s the AS used by Mithril. Considered the next generation of AS.

M6- the AS used by the US Military.

RK-92- Soviet era Arm Slave. To quote Sousuke. ?Move you Soviet-made piece of Junk!?

Ninety-six- refers to the ASG 96-B manufactured by Bofors. It?s a 57 mm smooth-bore rifle and part of the M9?s standard armament. It?s the rifle Kurz used in episode five during his duel with Gauron.

NCOIC- Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge. It refers to the highest ranking enlisted person within a unit. In the case of Crispin?s orders it refers to Melissa.

DI ?Drill Instructor. Another way of referring to a Drill Sergeant.

SitRep- Situation Report. Basically a quick run down of what your situation in a field (or combat) environment.

WA2000- very high-quality German sniper rifle. Considered by some to be one of the best in the world. It?s only down side is its weight. (16 lbs) and cost. It?s highly customizable and sleek in design. It seemed appropriate for Kurz to use. Though I think the one he?s actually shown using is a PGS-1(another German rifle). I?m not certain.

Tac-Net- Tactical Network. A radio network set up and used by members of the same unit during tactical (i.e. combat) situations.

HE- High Explosive.

Fifty Cal ? short hand for fifty caliber. Which is the size of a heavy machine gun. A machine gun this large must be mounted on a tripod or vehicle in order to fire it. A fifty caliber round is about six inches long and can tear a man in half, and it can also destroy trucks, light armored vehicles and buildings.

NVGs -- Night Vision Goggles

EOD ? Explosive Ordinance Disposal

FTX ?Field Training Exercise.

Gunny- Short for Gunnery Sergeant. It?s an advanced NCO rank in the United States Marine Corps

Shiwa Statue ?those Lion statues you?ll see in front of temples and important buildings. There supposed to be guardian spirits and they are very prominent in Okinawa.

[pilot03]

A change of heart?? The power women have over men. I am but a puppet with no string...*sigh*...women. Great chapter!!

[pilot03]

Man, this is such a good series I just had to read it again. This is a very good story. How is Dallas right now? I just wanted to post again because I really think more people should read this. Well, that's my opinion and its not like I have mind control or anything.

[Shinobi]

Hey thanks!

Glad you enjoy it! I certainly loved writing it!

Of course if you don't curse my name on the next part I'll be upset!