The Devil Inside Ch.14

[Shinobi]

Notes: Here you go. Next chapter.



The Devil Inside
Chapter 14

?Wow! So cool!? Kyouko Tokiwa was thrilled as she craned her neck to gaze upon Shurijo Castle, ancient home of the Ryukyu Kings. The castle was as huge as it was beautiful. The great multi-roofed building towered over the students of Jindai High as they stared in wonderment. The castle sat atop Shuri hill and overlooked the Philippine Sea. The location of the castle was the origin of the island?s dialect and culture?s name.

Bright red lacquered tiles were perfectly lined upon the multiple roofs. The central door and entryway of the main building was constructed of great timbers coated with red lacquer. They were as wide as a man is tall and stood over a story in height. Painted in brilliant white and gold was twin lions curling resplendently above the doorway. On top of the peaked eave sat a Shiwa statue, to chase away the evil that haunt men?s spirit.

?Kaname! Isn?t it amazing?? The flash of Kyouko?s camera pulsed as she took photo after photo.

?It sure is.? Kaname whispered. All the students around the blue-haired girl nodded in agreement. Every student was silent as they felt a great sense of awe. The castle was a breath taking site.

Except two.

?What a waste of time!? Crispin groused at the back of large cluster of students. One of their tour guides was droning on and on about the wonders of Okinawa?s ancient kingdom: the Ryukyu. And how they had been crossroads of cultures and ideas across all of Asia. From as far south as Vietnam to Japan.

?The original Shurijo Castle was destroyed during the Battle of Okinawa.? Crispin mouthed the words of the tour guide. ?But through studies of written documentation and photographs, the castle was completely restored and opened into the public in the mid 1990?s.? Crispin rolled his eyes as all the students bobbed their heads in amazement.

The thing that annoyed the mechanic, was not his classmates meek acceptance of the tour guides words, it was that what they learned was printed in the castle?s brochure. ?At least tell us something interesting.? Crispin muttered as they were lead thru the castle grounds.

Sousuke also was unimpressed by the castle. While he did listen attentively, and even found the history of the castle of some interest. The Mithril sergeant could not understand their fascination for such a poorly made fortification.

Yes, it was built on good defensible terrain that had command of the land and sea around the capital. But it was ridiculously ornamental and entirely too open in its construction. No, the sergeant concluded sadly. Shurijo Castle was better suited as a entertainment facility for royalty than as a military compound.

As they walked around people would approach dressed in binagata, the Okinawan kimono, and other Ryukyu noble finery. The costumed folk would perform roles and even enact the Classical Dances of Okinawa for the amazed students. Kyouko, and several others, took many photographs. All together the students spent over half the day at Shurijo Castle. As they finished the tour guide asked for questions.

?I have one.? Crispin?s hand shot up from the back. At the tout guides nod he smirked. ?Those timbers for the main entryway. What kind of wood is it??

?They are seasoned oak, good sir.?

?That makes sense.? Crispin nodded. ?Those posts have to carry a lot of weight.? He smirked again. ?So how many chains did they go thru??

?I?m sorry. Chains?? The tour-guide and all the students looked confused.

?You know chains. Like the chain on the chain-saws used to cut these stupid trees down with.? He made a cutting motion with his hand and looked around. ?You did use chain-saws right.? Crispin peered up at the huge timbers in the entryway. ?Or did you go the traditional route and use hand saws and axes??

?No, I believe modern equipment was used to cut all the lumber for the castle?s reconstruction. Why?? The tour-guide looked suspicious.

?Well, you?ve been going on about how important tradition is and how you love the environment.? Crispin sneered at the tour guide. ?Since you value your traditions and environment SO much, I was curious what makes you hack down perfectly good two-hundred year old oak trees for this stupid castle built by a dynasty that didn?t have the brains to protect themselves from-!?

?Mr. Daniels!? Nakumura-Sensei hollered. ?I told you to behave!? She marched over to Crispin and hissed. ?What did I say before we departed??

?Who cares?? Crispin snapped at the blond teacher. ?Get off my back you stupid bitch!?

All around students starred wide-eyed and the tour-guide was totally flustered by the American?s questions.

?I?m terribly sorry!? Nakumura-Sensei turned toward the tour-guide. ?He?s been a trouble maker since the start.? She whirled on Crispin angrily. ?You come with me!? And dragged the smirking Crispin away before he could embarrass his classmates and humiliate Jindai High anymore.

?It?s was nice talking to ya!? Crispin called to the flustered tour-guide as he was dragged away.

?Ugh! He is such a Jerk!? Kaname scowled in disgust at the older boy?s behavior. Kyouko reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Sousuke frowned.

**

Several hours later, Crispin was laying on the bed in his hotel room when there was a quiet knock at the door. Frowning the AS engineer got up to answer. He had been banished to his room by Nakumura-Sensei and told he would have to sit on the bus tomorrow while the rest of the students enjoyed the Okinawa Commemorative National Government Park. It was hardly a loss, he had no desire to spend the day staring at fish in an aquarium or gawking at flowers.

?What?? He asked irritably as he flung the door open. He stared at a startled Kyouko.

?I didn?t mean to bother you.? Kyouko blushed and turned away.

?Hey, wait!? Crispin grabbed the girl by the elbow. ?I thought you were someone else.? When the girl turned back around he asked, ?What are you doing here? Nakumura-Sensei said I wasn?t supposed to have visitors.? He said the last mockingly.

?You shouldn?t disrespect your teacher like that.? Kyouko chided.

?Please, I?ll respect that woman when she has something to teach.? Crispin snorted. He paused as he caught a whiff of something delicious. As part of his punishment, he had not eaten tonight.

?Is that food?? He asked excitedly and pointed at the white paper bag Kyouko carried. The smell emanated from it. ?Wow, thanks!? He reached for it, but Kyouko backed away. ?Hey, what gives?? He demanded.

?I thought you?d be hungry, but if you?re going to be like this.? Kyouko stared at Crispin sadly and turned away. ?Goodnight.? She called over her shoulder.

?Come on!? Crispin followed the girl into the hallway. ?It was a joke. It doesn?t mean anything.?

?Yes it does.? Kyouko rounded on the boy. ?Kaname?s right. You are a Jerk!? She spat the last angrily and gasped in surprise. Kyouko covered her mouth with her free hand. ?I-I?m sorry. I don?t usually get mad like that.? What was wrong with her?

Crispin winced at the girl?s angry words. He sighed at her stammered apology. ?These little field trips are boring. It?s nothing you couldn?t learn by going to the library or even online. It?s a waste of time and I snapped.? He fidgeted and rubbed his suddenly sweaty palms on his shorts. ?I was tired of the stupidity I guess.? He finished lamely.

?Cris,? Kyouko sighed in disappointment. ?It?s not the same. Yes, you could learn the same information from a lot of places, but it?s not the same as actually going there and seeing the real thing.? Crispin shrugged and Kyouko frowned. ?You say you were bored, but what about everybody else??

?What about everyone else??

?You ruined the trip for everybody else because you got bored!? Kyouko nearly yelled. She took a breath and asked. ?What are you afraid of??

?Afraid? I?m not afraid of anything!?

?Now I know your lying.? Kyouko exhaled and held out the bag she carried. ?Here even you shouldn?t go hungry.? When Crispin slowly took the bag from her she turned and walked away. ?You should consider how other people feel when you act like that. Then you might actually have some friends.?

Crispin watched the girl walk away in silence.

?Have friends?? He snorted. ?Whatever. Like I give a shit!? He spun on his heel and marched back to his room. He seethed in anger and tried to ignore the pain he felt at Kyouko?s dismissal.

**

That night a dark figure crept thru the hotel. The figure slipped past the attendants at the front desk and the bellhop sitting sleepily by the elevators. The intruder eventually snuck to the sixth floor and passed row after row of identical doors leading into Hotel suites. Finally, the intruder slid up to the door numbered 692: Kaname Chidori and Kyouko Tokiwa?s room.

The figure effortlessly picked the lock and slipped inside. The door shut with a soft click, and the intruder heard the rhythmic breathing of the room?s occupants. Satisfied the girls were sound asleep. The figure bent down and slowly searched thru the many pairs of shoes and sandals lined up neatly in the entryway.

The intruder found a pink tennis shoe, one of Kaname?s favorite. Slowly, the figure drew a knife from a concealed sheath. The blade was four and half inches long and both sides came to razor-sharp point.

The blade gleamed wickedly in the darkness as the intruder cut a half inch incision into the back of the pink shoe?s sole. The figure then plunged the dagger into the incision almost two inches deep. Once done, the figure sheathed the knife and drew a flat narrow metal rod that was six inches long and removed a thin disk from its pocket. The disk was a shiny silver and slightly smaller than a dime.

The figure inserted the disk carefully into the incision made in Kaname?s shoe. When the disk had disappeared into the rubber, the rod was applied to push it in deeper. Soon the disk was deeply imbedded into the sole of Kaname?s shoe.

The intruder inspected the back of the shoe for any sign of tampering. Satisfied the work would go unnoticed the figure gently replaced the shoe with a wicked smile. The figure slipped out of the room and exited the hotel completely unobserved.

**

?Why-? Crispin?s lips trembled and he took a shaky breath. ?W-why is her face cut like that?? He pointed weakly at the dark-haired sixteen year old girl laying stiffly upon the cold metal slab in the County Morgue. The world was spinning rapidly out of control and Crispin clung tightly to a tenuous line of sanity as he stared at the body.

His sister.

The coroner looked at the deputy who nodded. ?We believe the assailants were trying to perform a harvest.? He grimaced. ?However, they messed up.?

?Harvest?? Crispin asked hollowly. He could not take his eyes of Allie?s face. He refused to think of her as?.

?Organ harvesting.? The coroner explained with distaste. ?There?s money to be made if you know the right people.? When the young man said nothing he continued. ?Like I said, they didn?t do a good job of it.?

Crispin shuddered and closed his eyes. He tried to speak but nothing came out. His throat was swollen shut. So he shook his head instead.

?That?s enough Mr. Daniels.? The Deputy said. ?You told us everything we needed. Let?s get you some air.? He tried to guide the young man away, but Crispin shook him off.

?How did this happen?? He demanded. His eyes shone feverishly. ?Tell me!?
The coroner and deputy exchanged a long look. Finally the deputy sighed and gestured to a seat by the wall. ?You may want to be seated for this.?

?No.? The one word was whispered, but both men heard the unwavering conviction behind it.

?Very well.? The deputy said and launched into his report. ?Allison Daniels went to a party at a local night club last Friday with some friends from school. There she and her friends meet two men. After several hours they left the club with these men. According to her friends they club hopped and eventually the men dropped them off at their homes. Your sister was to be the last one dropped off.? The deputy paused. ?Sunday morning, a motorist spotted her body of off state highway 55. And we called you when we were reasonably certain of the identity.?

?Allie.?

?Pardon me?? The Deputy looked at Crispin confused.

?Her name?s Allie.? Crispin croaked. ?She doesn?t like to be called Allison.?

The Deputy nodded, but said nothing.

?How-? Crispin licked his lips. They felt like sand paper against his tongue. Or maybe it was his tongue that felt like sandpaper. He wasn?t sure. ?How did??? His breathing grew shallow and the deputy took a concerned step towards him.

?Maybe you should sit-.?

?I?m fine!?

The Deputy backed off.

?How did ?IT happen?? He couldn?t bring him self to ask ?How did she die?.

?Well, the way these people usually operate. Once they have a healthy donor.? The Coroner was quiet clinical in his description. ?They put the victim under anesthesia and remove the organs. Of course, they usually use local anesthetic. More cost effective.?

Crispin said nothing.

?Like I said.? The Coroner explained blandly. ?They messed up. I?d say from the various slashes and bruises it appears your sister tried to fight back.? He nodded at the many discolored blotches on Allie?s too pale flesh.

The Coroner reached over and plucked a clipboard off the metal table his sister laid upon. ?We know she was dumped in an abandoned field a mile off State Highway 55.? He consulted the clip board. ?She dragged herself to the road side. And our autopsy shows that she died of Hypovolemic Shock on Sunday 3:45 a.m.?

?So-.? Crispin?s breath became ragged. For the longest time only the sound of his wheezing breath and pit-pat of tears striking the concrete floor was heard. At that moment Crispin felt a cold deluge pass thru his body. It swept away everything. All emotion, all hopes, fears, and dreams were washed out of him and spilled onto the floor of the County Morgue.

At that moment everything just? stopped.

?So, she bled to death.? Crispin spoke in a cold voice. He stared the Coroner squarely in the eye.

?Y-yes,? the Coroner was a bit unnerved by the sudden chill in the young man?s voice. It was if he was talking about the weather.

?How long?? At the Coroner?s confused look her repeated his question. ?How long did it take??

?Oh, um, about two hours.?

**

?AH!? Crispin jolted awake and stared around wildly. Light and sound swirled all around him. He had no idea where he was. His breathing was shallow and erratic and sweat poured off him as he flailed for balance. Yet, something was restricting him, keeping him from moving.

?Hey, snap out it!? A gravelly voice yelled.

?What?? Crispin?s senses snapped into focus. He was seated in the empty shuttle bus and the bus driver was shaking him by the shoulders. ?I?m awake!? He yelled at the driver and batted the restricting hands away.

?What?s the matter?? The driver straightened up. ?You need a doctor?? The teen was pasty-white and his eyes were bloodshot.

?No, I don?t need a doctor.? Crispin rested his head in his hands. At the driver?s non-committal grunt. He glared up at the man. ?I said I?m fine!?

?You don?t look fine!? The driver pointed out. ?You need help.?

Crispin would have laughed if he was not so exhausted. ?It?s too late for that.? He croaked instead. He looked back up at the driver. ?Look, I?m okay. Just a bad?dream is all. No need to get bent out of shape. I just? I need some air.? He stood shakily and moved outside.

?A dream that bad, and anyone would need help. It?s important to look after yourself.? The driver helped Crispin outside and clapped him on the shoulder once they were out in the fresh air. ?You have to take care of yourself. No one else can do it for you.? Certain Crispin was no longer in danger of collapse the Driver returned to his seat on the bus.

?Look after myself?? Crispin sighed wearily. ?Who gives a shit! Like it actually matters.? He stared at the ground blankly and remembered his sister. ?Nothing matters anymore.?

**

?Hey, what?s up?? Kaname plopped on the bench next to Kyouko. They were on an hour long lunch break at the Okinawa Commemorative National Government Park. They had already gone thru the aquarium, which the blue-haired girl thought was amazing, and were touring the many flower displays and gardens the park was famous for.

?Nothing, I guess.? Kyouko said wearily. She stared at the sandwich she was supposed to be eating, but the bespectacled girl wasn?t hungry.

?Okay, what is it?? Kaname finally asked. ?You?ve been down since last night.? When Kyouko did not look up Kaname leaned forward and peered up at her best friend. ?And you?ve only take a dozen photos. Something MUST be wrong.? She smiled at the last.

?If you say so.? Kyouko nibbled on her sandwich.

Kaname leaned back and stared at her friend. It was clear something was really bothering Kyouko, and given the timing she had a fairly good guess what, or who, it might be.

?Sousuke declared his undying love last night.?

Kyouko looked at her friend and turned her gaze to the military obsessed boy seated a hundred feet away. ?No, he didn?t.? Kyouko sighed and returned to staring at her lap.

?Now I know something?s wrong!? Kaname put her arm around the girl?s petite shoulders. ?Come on Kyouko, talk to me! I hate seeing you like this.? She gave the bespectacled girl a gentle squeeze.

Kyouko stared at her lap and bit her lip. After almost a minute of silence she spoke. ?Why is he always like that??

?You mean Crispin right?? Kaname asked. It was always best to be certain about these things.

Kyouko nodded.

?I don?t know.? Kaname confessed. ?I mean he?s a nice guy, but he just.? She trailed off. It was true about the stocky boy. He was nice. He indulged Kyouko?s, and to a lesser extent her own, whims and requests often enough. ?It?s like there?s a devil inside him. And it just? reaches out and smashes whatever?s around him.? Kaname concluded. ?I don?t know why. He just does.?

?He shouldn?t do that.? Kyouko whispered.

?Yeah, I know.? Kaname looked at Kyouko. ?Unfortunately, you can?t make him stop if he doesn?t want to.?

?You?re right.? She gazed at the ground.

Kaname regarded her miserable friend and gave the girl another squeeze. ?But you wish you could, right??

Kyouko hesitated and nodded.

Kaname smiled. ?You?re too nice. You know that.? She hugged the twin-braided girl to her. ?It?ll be okay.? She rubbed her hand on the small of Kyouko?s back.

?I don?t know what to do.? Kyouko leaned her head on Kaname?s shoulder. ?I just wish he wasn?t?.?

?An asshole??

?Kaname!? Kyouko sat up and stared at her friend in shock.

?It?s true!? Kaname pointed out.

Kyouko deflated. ?You?re right.?

?Don?t tell me that.?

?What?? Kyouko looked at her friend in confusion.

?Telling me won?t change anything.? Kaname explained. ?You have to tell him AND you have to tell him how it bothers you.? The blue-haired girl pointed her finger in Kyouko?s face.

?I can?t.? Kyouko stammered and looked away. The idea clearly embarrassed her.

?What did you tell him last night?? Kaname demanded.

?I-I didn?t tell him anything last night.? Kyouko?s face turned bright red.

?Don?t pull that innocent act. I know you snuck him some food.? Kaname said not unkindly. ?You must have said something.? At Kyouko?s reluctant nod she pressed. ?So what did you say??

?Um, I said he should respect his teacher more.? Kyouko stared at her lap and shuffled her feet.

?Let me guess he laughed right.? Kaname rolled her eyes. At Kyouko?s nod she asked, ?So what else did you say??

?I called him a jerk.? Kyouko almost seemed ashamed. ?And I said he ruined everybody?s fun yesterday.? She looked up at her friend. ?Was that too forward of me?? It was not polite to talk to someone she had known for so little time like that.

?No, I don?t think so. Typical manners and understanding aren?t going to work on him anyway.? Kaname assured here friend. One aspect of Japanese social etiquette the blue-haired girl found fault with was the idea it was wrong to acknowledge or point out someone?s faults.

Kyouko remained silent.

?Look, Kyouko you have to decide what you want to do.? Kaname sighed at her friend?s reluctance to confront the problem. ?You?ve already called him a jerk, but you have to go all the way.?

?What do you mean?? Kyouko was very confused now.

?All that stuff about respecting his teacher and ruining everybody?s fun may be right and something he should know. But it doesn?t actually deal with the problem.?

?But.? Kyouko protested.

?What I mean!? Kaname continued over her friends protests. ?Is the problem isn?t that he did these things. The problem is YOU don?t like them.? Kaname crossed her arms in triumph.

?I guess so.? Kyouko slowly agreed. ?But I don?t understand. He should-?

?Do nothing!? Kaname interrupted. At Kyouko?s puzzled look she elaborated. ?Kyouko, you didn?t tell him anything about how YOU feel. You told him what he did was bad and he should stop.? Kaname smirked. ?And you should know better than anyone Crispin Daniels won?t do anything he?s told to do.?

?Yeah, you?re right.? Kyouko frowned. ?But that?s no excuse for him to behave that way.?

?Kyouko,? Kaname said with complete earnestness. ?People don?t change just because we want them to. The only thing we can do is change how we deal with them.?

Kyouko was thoroughly confused now.

?The only thing you can do is tell him YOU don?t like how he behaves. Tell him how it makes YOU feel, and then tell him YOU don?t want anything to do with someone who acts like that.? Kaname advised.

Kyouko was silent a long time before she asked, ?What do I do next??

?Nothing.? Kaname relaxed and smiled. ?What happens after that is up to him. If he apologizes, and means it, fair enough. But you need to make it clear you won?t tolerate the kind of behavior. And if he does it again. Cut him out of your life.? She put her hand on Kyouko?s shoulder. ?I know it?s not easy, but do you see what I mean??

Kyouko hesitated and finally nodded. ?Yeah, I guess so.? She looked at her friend in awe. ?You?re so smart Kaname.? She threw her arms around the blue-haired girl. ?Thank you so much!?

?Hey, that?s what I?m here for!? Kaname joked and returned the embrace.

End Chapter 14.




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]

Kyouko needs to tell Crispin how it is!! Stop beating around the bush. I guess we will find out in the next chapter. I'm biting my finger nails!! I can't get enough of this stuff,....that and FMP season 2. If you want to discuss Kanama in a bikini, well,.... thats a discusion for another place and time.

Kanama: *slaps face*
Pilot03: "Ouch,ouch,ouch!!! @_@
Kanama: "Serves you right!!" *takes out paper fan*
Pilot03:"Damn, .... where's that self dentenation switch!"

[Shinobi]

Yeah but nothing on Crispin's sister? Damn, I must be losing it.


And there's always time for bikinis.