Christmas Cake (part twenty-two 'B')

[dd]

It was very difficult for Kaname.

Her emotions were all tied in knots. She was feeling embarrassed. It was hard to find the words for inviting Oichi to speak with her. The older woman was sitting on the couch, in the process of being regaled with stories from Mr. Smith?s days on the force.

?So I said to this snot nose kid, ?Move, and your father will be shocked to find out he has a daughter instead of a son.? Man, did that boy ever run. He knew I wasn?t the type to mess around. We didn?t have too many more jaywalkers at the college campus again, I can assure you!?

Kaname was so pleased to see the half dozen empty beer bottle near the man. She felt so safe. If only Sousuke were here. There were so many things he could learn from such a font of knowledge and champion of the peace.

?Well, I?m certain the community finds itself in your debt, Mr. Smith. No doubt that father was very glad he still had a son.? Miss Masako was a real trooper. Her smile hadn?t faded a bit. Kaname owed her another debt---no one should be left alone that long with a man so happy to talk about himself.

?No. His son probably learned his disrespect of the law from him. If people were all like you it would be a different story. Most people are jerks, you know? When there?s a burglar prowling around their house, they are happy to see you. Otherwise, they would just as soon want to spit on you. That?s why I took my expertise and years of experience into the bodyguard business. Nothing but happy and satisfied customers there.?

Kaname grimaced. Happy happy. Joy joy.

It was time.

She couldn?t put it off any longer.

?Mr. Smith, I hope you will excuse me. Miss Masako, could I speak with you for a minute?? Kaname bowed.

?Sure. Go ahead darlin.? My stories will wait.? Mr. Smith finished off his remaining bottle.

Oichi looked at Kaname uncertainly, letting her guard down some. Yes. Certainly.?

?Do you mind walking outside? I could do with some fresh air.? Kaname had no doubt that the older woman would catch her meaning.

?That sounds good. I need to stretch my legs some.? She looked over at Mr. Smith, then back at Kaname.

Kaname just shook her head.

Mr. Smith made no effort to accompany them. He did speak up, however. ?Don?t worry. These streets are safe. You won?t run into any trouble out there, not on Christmas. But, if something does come up, one of you come back and let me know. I?ll be ready.?

Walking down the hallway, Oichi coughed into her hand and then spoke to Kaname. ?That is the man that your father hired to look after you??

?Yes, mam. It certainly is.? Kaname couldn?t keep the contempt out of her voice.

?I will have to have a talk with him then.? Miss Masako?s voice was so firm, that Kaname couldn?t help but smile. It was marvelous to think of her father getting a good talking to.

As the two women passed through the door outside, Kaname gave a subtle hand signal to Stacy. The blond girl and her shopping bag would follow behind at an appropriate distance.

Kaname grinned.

She was having Sousuke withdrawals. She almost hoped that someone would try something, just to see the look on his face when a teenage girl shoved the barrel of a .50 caliber pistol up his nose.

She sighed, wishing Sousuke was there with her.

Kaname and Oichi walked a few blocks. Kaname tried to find the first words, since they might be the most important. Oichi was clever enough to wait.

The truth, Kaname.

Just tell her the truth.

Everything. Except about Mithril and world events.

?I?m really sorry. I acted like a jerk back there. I had no excuse for my bad behavior.? The words all came out in a rush.

?Yes, you were quite the jerk, alright.? Oichi agreed amiably. She knew exactly what tact she wanted to take.

?What?? Kaname?s pride spoke first. She had expected polite acceptance and solemn forgiveness.

?You were quite the jerk.? Miss Masako stopped and waved her arm. ?Back there. We?re not back there any more, though.?

?Yes. I know. I just wanted?.? Kaname ran down. There were so many issues.

She almost felt like some kind of loser or weakling, letting things bother her like this. Despite the hard times she had once faced, she often found herself looking at other people with issues like they were some kind of pariah. Now that the shoe was on the other foot again, she had an uncomplimentary view of herself.

?To start over?? Oichi asked hopefully. Her eyes were vulnerable at that moment. Kaname realized just how much her father?s girlfriend wanted Kaname to like her.

It touched her heart.

?O yes. Will you forgive me? Please?? Kaname?s words spilled out, as much a plea as an apology.

?When do you need an answer?? The older woman tried to keep a straight face, but couldn?t. The look on Kaname?s face had been precious. ?Yes, I will be glad to.?

?Thank you. I feel so much better. I behaved really badly. I? I??

?Felt a little threatened? Because I?m not your mother?? Miss Masako had expected this. By all accounts, Kaname was more resistant to change than Ayame was.

?Yes.?

?Well, to be honest, I felt the same way.?

?What?? Kaname stopped walking, uncertain of what she had just heard.

?I felt a little worried too, Kaname. I?m not your mother. I was afraid that you?d react to me just the way you did. No, that?s not really it. I was really afraid you would feel that way, but put on some false show for my benefit.? Oichi looked Kaname in the eyes.

?Your behavior hurt me, but at least it was honest. I see why your father gets so angry with you some times. But, I also see why he is so proud, too. It took a big heart to apologize like this.?

?I?m not usually like that.? Kaname found herself wanting Oichi to believe her. She also found herself wanting to talk to an adult about the way she felt.

?It?s just that I?ve been so stressed, lately. So many things have happened. It seems like I haven?t had a say in anything.?

Miss Masako nodded her head. ?I know what that feels like, sometimes. I take it that your father?s thoughts about keeping you here with him and Ayame doesn?t sit well with you??

?No. I love my father. Under different circumstances, I would be happy to be here now. It?s? It?s? it?s just so many things!? Kaname found herself shaking. The world seemed to be pushing in on her again. She wanted to find a peaceful place to rest, but her problems followed her even closer than Ayame usually did.

Oichi put a hand on Kaname?s arm. ?I won?t pry. You don?t owe me any more explanation than you?ve already given me. But, if you want to talk, I?m a good listener.?

Kaname stared at Miss Masako. She felt a great welling of gratitude building up inside of her. She nodded her head, then tossed her hair. It was time to stop wallowing in self pity.

?My father has a thing about boys. He doesn?t want me dating. He won?t even consider the thought of me and a boy in a room together.? Kaname kicked at a rock on the sidewalk. ?I wonder if he can even remember being a teenager.?

Oichi smiled. ?I had a father like that. If a boy even walked too close to our house in Osaka, he?d run to grab his grandfather?s sword. There was quite a show the day I hid it under my bed.? She shook her head reminiscing.

?He just wanted to protect me. He didn?t want to lose his little girl. But, we all have to grow up some time? some of use earlier than others, right??

?Yes,? Kaname answered, realizing that her father must have told Oichi about her earlier life.

?So, what?s his name?? Oiche?s look was shrewd.

The question came right out of the blue. Kaname found herself momentarily tongue-tied.

?Uh? I? who?? Kaname?s innate response was to deny everything.

?The boy you couldn?t possibly have any interest in.? Oichi smiled. She had been there too.

?Sousuke.? Kaname?s voice was quiet. Looked down at her feet, she grabbed the edge of her skirt with one hand.

?Did the two of you have a fight before you left?? Miss Masako wondered what had Kaname feeling so down all of a sudden.

Kaname shook her head. ?No. We spend a lot of time together, but I never really thought of him romantically. When we each finally started realizing something, he was called away and I had to come here. We had planned to spend time together, figuring things out. I don?t know if we will ever have that chance again.?

?Called away?? Oichi raised one eyebrow.

?Yes. But I really can?t talk about that.? Kaname kicked herself. Feeling sad was no excuse for being stupid.

?You?re afraid your father won?t let you go back? You wonder if the opportunity is lost forever, if you and Sousuke have too much time to think??

?I? I don?t know. I?ve been thinking about things a lot. I miss him. I would give anything to be able to see him and know he was safe.? Kaname bit her lip. There she goes again!

Oichi wisely didn?t probe any further in the one direction. ?But you don?t think your father will trust you to go back to Tokyo on your own??

?He doesn?t even want to hear about Sousuke. That would be bad enough any time, but now it?s?.? Kaname ran down. She couldn?t even trust herself to speak. ?He made it clear long ago that I couldn?t date until college. I don?t even know if he?ll give me his blessing then!?

Miss Masako stood looking at Kaname, wondering if she should ask certain questions. It was obviously doing Kaname some good to talk to someone, and as much as she loved Shunya. She knew that his strength was not as a conversationalist. At least not with his daughters, whom he felt duty-bound to raise in the proper traditions.

?Something else is worrying you. Not just your father?s inflexibility and apparent insensitivity to your desires. More than the fear that you won?t get to go back to your school and your friends.?

?Yes. But? I??

?You can?t talk about it??

?Yes. I wish I could? but??

?That?s alright. I think we both need to look on the brighter side. It?s Christmas Day, after all. As my present to you, when the time is right, I will talk to your father.? Oichi smiled, seeing the look on Kaname?s face.

?Really?? Kaname looked ready to do cartwheels.

?Yes. How?s March work for you? Maybe February.?

Kaname smiled. She was beginning to grow fond of Miss Masako.

?O? whenever? it?s not as if I?m in a hurry or anything?.?

?I?ll see what I can do. I can be pretty persuasive when I put my mind to it. For all of his bark and bite, your father is just a big puppy dog at heart. Maybe it would be easier if I just put him on a leash!?

Kaname gaped. She would never have seen her father as a puppy dog.

Oichi smiled. Kaname grinned in return.

?Do you have my father well trained?? Kaname asked, incredulously. Her father? Trained?

?One does one?s best,? Miss Masako said with a wave of her hand. ?But, to be honest, it?s not because of anything I?ve done? it?s because he cares for me, and I care for him.?

Kaname thought that she could be happy that her father had found someone to care about. He deserved to have someone care about him. He had put the pain of his wife?s passing behind him and was looking to move forward.

?Hmmmpppfff. I just usually use a halisen.? Kaname laughed.

Oichi smiled. ?You might just find that honey works better than vinegar.? She smiled. ?Most of the time?.?

?Not with Sousuke!!!?

?Really? Did you ever think that Sousuke may have wired your father the money to bring you here??

Despite all of her concerns about Sousuke, Tokyo, and staying here, Kaname laughed.



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Sousuke looked down at his radar screen.

More troops were approaching his position.

Good. They could wait awhile.

There appeared to be few No Dong launchers left intact. Pity. After he took out the second ICBM, if the expected enemy Arm Slaves never showed up, he?d start to loose interest.

His logical thoughts couldn?t be held at bay forever. They kept washing against him like waves battering a lighthouse, loosening the bricks bit by bit. Why hadn?t the enemy launched the larger missiles? They could see they were sitting ducks, couldn?t they? Where were the Arm Slaves? The North Koreans might be this incompetent, but NOT Grendel. This could all be some kind of trick or trap. There may indeed be something that the Intel boys and girls had overlooked.

Assaulted by his conscience on one side and by reason on the other, Sosuke grumbled and turned up the music again. Let the pompous idiots who plan things do all the thinking. Let the shipboard chaplains decide for everyone else what was wrong or right in their lives.

It was time to tear things down and shake things up.

He would kill everyone who still stood in his way.

He didn?t give a damn if God sorted them out or not.


?Ah-ah-ahhhh-ah, ah-ah-ahhh-ah

?We come from the land of the ice and snow

?From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow

?Hammer of the gods

?We'll drive our ships to new lands

?To fight the horde, sing an' cry

?Valhalla, I am coming

The slashing melody of the song hammered at him. He shouted with battle lust, the images of Viking warriors dancing in his head. This was what life was all about---fighting the good fight. If one were destined to die, let it be in battle! When the battle was over, it would be time for a haunch of mutton, a horn of mead, and a half-naked wench.

It was true, he had never been a drinker.

And, despite all of his new found bravado, he was innocent in the ways of the flesh.

But, all things must change!!!

?On we sweep with threshing oar

?Our only goal will be the western shore

?Ah-ah-ahhhh-ah, ah-ah-ahhh-ah

?We come from the land of the ice and snow

?From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow

?How soft your fields so green

?Can whisper tales of gore

?Of how we calmed the tides of war

?We are your overlords?.?

Yes. There could be no doubt who was the boss here. The second ICBM lay in a collapsed heap of burning metal. Lambda Driver shielding him, Sousuke ran right through the heart of the inferno, just because he could. He laughed, thinking about the things that had happened just minutes earlier:

?Lord Sagara, we are ordered to halt our approach. There are Mithril soldiers working on the remaining Taepodong II. If we fire, they will be killed.? The words were brought up on his view screen, as he had not acknowledged the A.I.?s verbal messages---he hadn?t been able to hear them over the songs. While

?That?s their problem, not ours, Al. Maintain weapons lock. Launch at my command.?

?Yes, Lord Sagara.?

Sousuke came ever so close to firing right there and then. Something stopped him. He brought the ARX-7 to a halt. The faint echo of familiar words echoed in his ears.

?Moron?

?Big idiot.?

?Jerk.?

?Stupid head.?

?You can?t just blow everything up, Sousuke. There are people around.?

The words grew in volume, a great chorus of dissent.

?Al, open a communication link to all ground forces immediately.? He bit his lip, hard. Blood welled up in the ravaged tissue, then began to run down his chin and onto his neck. What were those words? He had to quiet that voice again.

?This is Sousuke Sagara, overlord of the battlefield. I suggest that all troops move back from the remaining Taepodong missile if they wish to go on living. I will fire on that target in twenty seconds time. Mark.?

There was nothing wrong with sparing those men. They were on his side. They were furthering his goals. It had nothing to do with his conscience telling him what to do.

?Al, begin a digital countdown from twenty seconds.?

Of course, if they were too slow or too stupid to move, that wouldn?t be his concern.

?Yes, Lord Sagara.? Large digital numbers appeared on the HUD, counting backwards.

When 00:00 had showed on the counter, he fired missiles at the ICBM. He cursed, realizing that he had forgetten to order the A.I. to record that explosion as well.

?Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh?.. Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh?.. Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah?.. Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh?.. Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh?.. Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh.?

His thoughts returned to the given moment. The song was over. He?d need to select another one.

He needed more targets too!!!

[Perfect Soldier]

Geeze, this two part chapter was awsome!!! I loved it, god dd, I've been craving more all day and delivered brilliantly.

Zero

[Magsnus]

Things seem to begin getting heavy!

Sousuke going berserk, Kaname?s feelings for her fathers new "aquintance"...wow this is going to be a hot one before it is over i belive (hope?!?).

Great new chapter dd, keep up the good work.

With regards
Magsnus

[TimeShifter16]

In a word, WOW! Things are reaching a climax. Must read final chapters! Great job!