WHO: Kaname Chidori and Sousuke Sagara.
WHAT: Tanabata!
WHEN: July 7th
MISSION: Kaname and Sousuke attempt to enjoy Tanabata. ATTEMPT.
WATCH OUT FOR: Angst. :(

It's July 7th, the date of Tanabata. The holiday is traditionally ushered in with festivals and fireworks, and though the threat of the zentradi looms overhead, there are still those determined to continue the festivities even despite it.

Kaname Chidori is one such person. Dressed in her mother's purple floral yukata, a brightly-colored obi tied around her waist, Kaname Chidori carefully clip-clops through the city streets in wooden geta. Her crutches, which had been standard accessory for the past few weeks now, are absent; unfashionable pale-colored tabi cover her still-bandaged foot.

"Are you /serious/? You've never celebrated Tanabata before?"


The sky was an artful canvus of hues, what little clouds lay scattered across the backdrop were a brilliant gold as the sun dipped lower towards the horizon. The shadows lengthened, though there would be little darkness to this night tonight. For the festival several colourful lanterns had been strewn between buildings, and out in the park, between the branches of trees where they rocked gently in the breeze. Women appeared to be competing against the sometimes extravagant paper covered lights, dressed in their festive clothing that mimiced the throws of spring at its climax. Men dutifully accompanied several in more muted tones, but Star Lovers festival seemed for this small moment in time...untouched by the ravages enroaching in space.

Kaname was much like the rest, at her side a young man with dishevled brown hair. His expression was mired in intensity, his grey eyes flicking from one group to the next with an undeniable alertness. Yet, inbetween their watchful sweeps, they lingered intermittently on the blue-haired girl at his side, then darted away again. Sousuke set his jaw, and for some reason about his forehead there seemed to be a faint sheen...

"I have not." He asserted firmly, deciding it was safer to avoid her suprised face-- she was wearing...what did girls call it. Not camoflage paint...regardless the effect was very disconcerting. "The only use and knowledge of festivals I have are for preparing to attack an enemy. Everyone lets their guard down when celebrating, it is the perfect oppourtunity to arrange an offensive."

He switched habitually into a lecturing tone of voice, and he added matter of factly, "This traditional clothing is very effective." Referring none other to the yukata he also wore, albiet in black and grey, "Due to its volume I can carry almost three times the amount of weaponry and tools than the regular school uniform!" Nodding to himself as he walked, "Maybe I can convince the President to switch the uniforms..."


Kaname presses the tips of her fingers to her forehead, her expression frustrated. "Are you serious? Do you really think that with everything going on right now, someone's really going to attack at a /festival/? Come /on/!" Kaname moans. "Why can't you just /relax/ once in awhile?"

With all the excitement recently, Kaname was hoping to have at least one peaceful day doing something /fun/! The last thing she wanted to do was worry about terrorists or /aliens/.

Kaname lets out an audible sigh. "Look, the fireworks will be starting soon, so we should at least /try/ to do something before then."

A booth, cluttered with laughing children catches Kaname's eye; the vendor exchanges 100-yen coins for plastic poi.

Kaname stops in her tracks, and turns to face the crowd of children. "Oh, Kingyo-sukui," she says. "Ayame and I used to do that when we were younger."


"Yes, I'm very serious." Sousuke replied without skipping a beat, infact he gave her a look that hinted he was vaguely looking down on her civillian lack of understanding when it came to warfare. Ofcourse he knew what he was talking about! "It is what I would do." He nodded to himself, even the police security would be lax, the noise from the display of fireworks would be ample cover for true explosives should anyone attempt to assail some kind of fortification or target. Yes. Exactly what he would do.

"And I /am/ relaxed Miss Chidori." He inhaled deeply, then exhaled, "I am merely paying attention to my surroundings, how can I do my job properly if I don't?" Reminding her that Sousuke wasn't around just as a friend to accompany her. But in his capacity as a Mithril agent seeing that one of the precious Whispereds was protected from any who sought their secrets. He stopped as she did, turning his attentions briefly at the booth she singled out.

Several children were bending over, the others behind jostling a little to see and calling out encouragement. The adults stood around, some with small smiles on their faces as they chatted, occasionally clapping as their progeny managed to capture a high number of the tiny goldfish. The vendor caught the two staring and waved them over with a cheerful grin. "100 yen for a chance!" Waving the delicate plastic poi. Sousuke frowned, brows furrowing as he studied the poi, then the low basins filled with goldfish.

After a moment of silence, he dug around within one of the sleeves of his yukata, pulling out some money. "I'll buy two." Handing the money over, the vendor, pleased with yet another sale passed one of the scoops and poi to Kaname first, before attempting to do so for Sousuke after.

Sousuke...was finally taking an initiative to be...normal?! Maybe he was really learning afterall.


They may very well be the oldest participants in the group, but Kaname doesn't seem to care. "Thank you!" she chimes as she takes the poi from the vendor. Then, with a thoughtful frown, raises a hand to her chin as she debates the best vantage point in the crowd and the easiest targets in the pool in front of them.

Kaname takes her goldfish scooping very seriously.

Kaname is so engrossed in this act that when she finally takes her spot in the crowd and leans down to swing her poi, she doesn't even notice that Sousuke hasn't yet taken his.


No one had really bothered to explain what this game was about to Sousuke. But anyone could see from how the children squealed with disappoint at having the fragile webbing of the poi break, dropping the fish, or keeping them intact long enough to triumphantly siphon them on into the small bowl...It was obviously to collect the squrimy uncompromisingly unco-operative goldfish. Everyone had a different method of approach, some were swift on the attack, often breaking their poi before success, others...Like Kaname seemed to be taking it slowly, dutifully herding the fish...as it trying to corner them.

Sousuke took it all in, assessing everything with the kind of analytical mind that served him well in the middle of an ever changing battle. "Excuse me, sir? You'll need this...?" The vendor had been waiting patiently while he stood there watching Kaname. After a moment, he shook his head, lifting a hand up to dismiss the proferred instruments.

"I'll take one of those bags when I'm done." Pointing to what a small six year old held with two little prizes. "Your equipment is clearly faulty and poorly made, I will use my own to achieve this game's goal." Sousuke moved to stand next to Kaname, leaving the vendor very confused and baffled at the exchange. "Miss Chidori, I have a better way to approach this. Your technique is not to blame." Eh?

"Please standback!" Promptly after the order, he pulled what looked like a /grenade/ from the sleeves this time. He tugged the pin free and made to throw it into the shallow basin, much to the chagrin of those near by watching. Was...was that /real/?! Someone screamed.


No one had really bothered to explain what this game was about to Sousuke. But anyone could see from how the children squealed with disappoint at having the fragile webbing of the poi break, dropping the fish, or keeping them intact long enough to triumphantly siphon them on into the small bowl...It was obviously to collect the squrimy uncompromisingly unco-operative goldfish. Everyone had a different method of approach, some were swift on the attack, often breaking their poi before success, others...Like Kaname seemed to be taking it slowly, dutifully herding the fish...as it trying to corner them.

Sousuke took it all in, assessing everything with the kind of analytical mind that served him well in the middle of an ever changing battle. "Excuse me, sir? You'll need this...?" The vendor had been waiting patiently while he stood there watching Kaname. After a moment, he shook his head, lifting a hand up to dismiss the proferred instruments.

"I'll take one of those bags when I'm done." Pointing to what a small six year old held with two little prizes. "Your equipment is clearly faulty and poorly made, I will use my own to achieve this game's goal." Sousuke moved to stand next to Kaname, leaving the vendor very confused and baffled at the exchange. "Miss Chidori, I have a better way to approach this. Your technique is not to blame." Eh?

"Please standback!" Promptly after the order, he pulled what looked like a /grenade/ from the sleeves this time. He tugged the pin free and made to throw it into the shallow basin, much to the chagrin of those near by watching. Was...was that /real/?! Someone screamed.


Kaname moves to scoop up one of the slower-moving fish with her poi, but she's not quick enough; the goldfish, perhaps feeling the movement of the water, quickly darts out of the poi's reach.

Shoot! She almost had that one, too!

But before she can focus on her next movement, Sousuke's commanding voice pierces through the air; Kaname looks up, brows furrowed. "Huh?"

The crowd seems more than eager to comply; the cry set the crowd off in a fervor, and Kaname is nearly knocked down by the crowd of people, running to move out of the range of the grenade; broken poi litter the earth where only moments before there had been a crowd of excited children.

Anger darkens Kaname's face. "SOUSUKKKKKKKKE!" In one swift gesture, her harisen is wieleded, raised, and smacked with brutal force against the top of the boy soldier's head.

The vendor peers from behind the pool, trembling slightly.


Admist the chaos, Sousuke Sagara stood firm like a rock, doing what needed to be done--

//THWACK//

Sousuke Sagara, like that proverbial rock, was felled, dropping like a stone. Kaname had mastered the art of catching the teenager at the oppourtune moment to maximize the damage inflicted by the paper fan. The unfortunate thing was when he'd been knocked off balance falling to the ground in a tumbled heap of wooden slippers and tangled cotten kimono, was that the grenade had slipped from his fingers...missing his intended target of hapless basin filled with goldfish.

...To the now emptied ground some feet infront of them.

//KRA-BOOM//

Dust, ash, clumps of dirt blew into the air after the spontaneous flames died down, and anyone nearby was coughing trying to see through the mess and the ringer for the destruction. In spite of what Sousuke said earlier about it being the best time for an attack, the police were more than awake now to track down a couple of trouble making teenagers!

Sousuke rolled a little to the side, an uncomprehending expression twisting his young face, "I, I don't understand Miss Chidori! Wasn't it the point to capture the fish? An explosion would render them incapable of moving," because they would be naturally /dead/, and in pieces, "and these things the guy gave us...they're practically broken!" A siren sounded in the background, they only had a few minutes. The vendor had long deserted them now, yelling at the top of his voice.

Atleast the fish were fine.

But they had best get moving and quickly if they intended to not be thrown into a jail! Or more realistically...Have Sousuke 'mishandle' some law officers to escape.


The fish might be fine, but Kaname Chidori isn't. The smoke finally clears, and Kaname's hair, which had been neatly pulled back and up off her neck, fell in disheveled strands over her shoulders; the obi that had taken her five minutes to straighten to her satisfaction is disarranged; her yukata she had specially cleaned after the attack on her apartment is soiled with dirt.

Kaname is on the verge of giving Sousuke another one of her ALL-CAPS lectures when she catches sight of a familiar sight racing towards them from the horizon; it takes only a moment for the face to register among the many in Kaname's personal file.

"Gya-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Even from this distance, there's no mistaking /that/ trademark laugh.

It's Officer Wakana, the same officer who'd chased after them in her police car when Sousuke forgot her notes second year; the same officer who had attacked Bonta-kun, mistaking /him/ as the ponytail pervert that attacked Kyoko.

"This isn't good!"

Kaname quickly slips out of her wooden geta, hooking her fingers through the strap of the toe; there's no way she's going to be able to run in these things. Kaname races forward, stopping only momentarily to look behind her at the boy soldier behind her.

"What are you doing?! /Come on/!"


At the sound of that voice, Sousuke was already back on his feet, eyes trained in that direction. Even /he/ had cause to be concerned if that particular savagely insane woman managed to close in on them. Not that she didn't have a reason to be a little...upset with the pair, regardless if she was to blame for going overboard in that initial chase. The deskjob must have truely been aggravating, because no one was spared her wrath.

What was he doing?

"Covering our retreat! It would be counterproductive if I had to waste time breaking out of jail tonight." And like magic he had another pair of grenades of a different size and shape within his hands. One smoke based, the other a flash-- the latter was lobbed high into the air in the direction of the approaching laughter, the other tossed in the now empty detonated area. Sousuke was already running close behind Kaname by the time both exploded, a wave of grey smoke this time filling the area as they made a beeline's escape.

One thing was for certain, they couldn't go back to that part of town! Maybe, for a long time.

They ran for a bit of distance, Sousuke checking back several times to ensure they were nolonger being persued. The policewoman was like a pitbull, if given half the chance to sink her teeth in...Night was practically there, only the faintest of purple and indigo lit the lowermost horizon. Several trees rose up about them where they had found their way to one of the several parks that littered Tokyo, and despite a few curious looks from passerbys at their less than pristine state, they were safe. There were several exhibition sites lining the pathways that wended through the trees and open spaces, often having to walk beneath the large tail-adorned lanterns before reaching the bamboo patches.

People of all ages were writing notes and setting their wishes upon the long grass, some decorated with little charms purchased from the vendors. A warmth suffused everything from the natural light glowing from the lanterns, amber and rich as the rising sun. The soft trickle of water sounded not too far away, as the park's stream drifted lazily through, littered with little boats moving across its surface.

It was a picturesq scene, one would almost call it romantic.

"Miss Chidori, I think we're free from persuit." Sousuke looked about with satisfaction, folding his arms so that his hands were nestled within the yukata. He didnt seem bothered at all that he may have ruined this entire outing with his antics. A passing woman whispered something to her friend as she brushed by, gaze lingering on the smudges of ash and dirt on Kaname's forlorn kimono.


There's no hiding the look of dissatisfaction on Kaname's face; not only has Sousuke completely /ruined/ her outfit and hair, he's also guaranteed that they wouldn't be allowed to show their faces at the festival for the rest of the night!

Not to mention he didn't say /one thing/ about how she looked, dressed up like that! Didn't she look nice with her yukata on and her hair all done up?!

"Great! Just /great/, Sousuke." Kaname crumples with a sigh at Sousuke's words; if it wasn't for /him/, the two of them would still be playing Kingyo-sukui at the stand, alongside everyone else.

"Can't you ever use any /common sense/? Those /poi/ were /supposed/ to be flimsy. That's the /challenge/. And even if we didn't catch any fish, it didn't matter; it was just about having fun /in the process/."

Not that /fun/ was an option /now/.

Kaname lets out another sigh. "Well, we might as well write down our wishes while we're here." She pulls two strips of tanzaku out of her bag; she holds onto one for herself, and she hands one to Sousuke.

"Here," she says. "You're supposed to write your wish on it."


Sousuke seemed startled by such an obvious revelation. Because it hadn't occured to him at /all/ that had may have been the true point of the game. "They were supposed to...?" Challenge. Fun..."But how can it be fun to fail an objective?" Sousuke just wasn't getting it apparently. The entire concept was alien to him, since failing in any given task usually ended in severe circumstances or even the loss of life. Innocent and comrade at arms. The teenager seemed poised on the defensive, as if anticipating Kaname wasn't yet finished with her frustrations. If had any inkling at all that part of her anger was linked to his earlier studiously avoiding the extra effort she'd taken to dress up this evening...

The sound of a sigh was like a white flag waving, he relaxed. A little. "What good is it to write down a wish?" Taking the paper, he examined it, sniffed the paper to see if it was special, he almost put it on his tongue to taste it-- but halted going that far if Kaname caught him at it. Ahem. "Is there some special unit that runs around checking each one to ensure that it is fufilled? I can't imagine how they will otherwise." Somehow the notion of leaving things to the fates... might be equally a task to understand.


"That's not the point, Sousuke!" Kaname groans. "It's a /custom/! It doesn't matter if your wish comes true or not!" Geez, how is she supposed to explain this to someone like Sousuke?!

"Look. just write something, okay?!"

Kaname pulls out a marker, and scribes her own wish down on the slip of paper in several quick, jerky motions; with the snap of her arm, she hands the marker to Sousuke, her expectant gaze weighing down menacingly on his face.


Inspite of himself, Sousuke took a step back under the fierce aura that bore down on him from Kaname. He opened his mouth as if to question her further, or protest, when he seemed to think better of it. He refrained from wiping his brow to get rid of the slick sheen that had arose there as if upon command, and with a frown...took the marker gingerly as if handling a mine ready to blow with the slightest of movements to the contrary. That is how Kaname was right then, a crotchety bomb just waiting to explode all over Sousuke. And no, she wouldn't kill him, such an end would be too swift.

Thoughtful, regardless of the looming threat less than a few feet away from him...he finally with precise measured motions, wrote down something on the paper.

"So, what did you 'wish' for?" No one told him about it being rude to ask?! He held the paper towards him, shielding his writing from her possibly prying eyes. The nerve! Asking and then not daring to show either.


"W-what?!" A blush creeps across Kaname's face. There's no way she's going to tell Sousuke what she wrote! Geez, doesn't he have any sense of decency?

Apparently, a sense of decency is lacking in Kaname too, as she appears to have absolutely no problem turning Sousuke's question back on himself to avoid having to give him /her/ answer.

"What did /you/ write?!" she counters.


Sousuke blinked at the way Kaname threw it back at him. He hesitated a moment, uncertain as to how fair it was when he asked the question first but...he shrugged, turning the paper over to show his message. "I 'wished'," he didn't sound sold on the use of the word, "for success in my duties." How...Sousuke sounding. There was little tender about it, but pure pragmatism. Naturally a soldier like Sousuke would want to achieve his objectives, why, the disaster at the goldfish scoop just about proved how far he was willing to go to get the task done.

However, there was something about his typically stoic features that lent a lot more meaning to the words he'd written on the tanzaku. Just what were his duties? Whatever Mithril set out for him to do...which included protecting Kaname. When he'd been trying to think of what to write for this thing, his most recent mission had come to mind...and with it one of the suits he'd been forced to takedown. Of all he'd encountered, this one stood out mostly due to the relation it had had with the girl standing infront of him.

He really needed to finish reading that file.

"I confess I do not fully understand the point of this exercise," He started up slowly, gathering a bit more speed as he continued, "since I will personally attempt to the best of my abillity to see it made fact. Occasionally I do have coincidence on my side when circumstances make things more difficult." What was he being vague and babbling about?


Kaname's not sure what he's babbling about herself; usually Sousuke's direct and to-the-point. It's not like him to prattle off like this.

"What are you talking about?"

Still, if one thing was for certain, his wish for success in his duties was /very/ Sousuke-like; it never occured to her that maybe /she/ was the part of the reason he was wishing for that success to begin with.

"Are you feeling okay?"


If it was even possible, Sousuke's frown deepened. He got this look of intense focus, as if he were thinking really hard about something, or how to phrase something. "You're right, I am being unclear." He said after a moment, acknowledging his momentary lapse. Out of habit Sousuke glanced around to see who might be within earshot, before speaking again. "Recently I have been unable to provide an adqeuate defense for your safety," He pointedly lowered his chin to drop his gaze to her injury, "this I agree is in part due to conflicting demands of my service." How often was Sousuke called away on some mission or that? Often enough, and as he referred to this 'recently', it had been to Kaname's detriment. He still believed there might be a way to work out the two without disaster striking, he just hadnt figured out how yet.

"What I mean to say is, I am working to correct where I have fallen short. It just so happens I managed to encounter one of the suits involved in the destruction of your living abode recently. It should not be able to trouble you again soon." If at all. One of /two/...taken care of.


A small part of Kaname harbored bitter feelings against Sousuke, who hadn't been there to protect her when the AS attacked her complex, or when Cecil attacked her in New York; she tried to brush those feelings aside, rationalizing herself as one of Sousuke's /many/ duties, but she couldn't help feeling a little resentful. Did Sousuke have any idea what problems his absence caused for her?!

And Kaname's surprised to discover that maybe he actually did.

"You found the guy that was piloting that Arm Slave?"


"AS?" There was a brief moment of confusion that flickered over his face, thinking back had he seen a picture of one-- "No, there was another. One built from what can only be described as a biological base." Sousuke couldn't forget, he made a small guesture, "It was strange, twice the size of an AS and animal like." That wasn't what he was getting at though, the details of the enemy pilot's suit was in the longrun a sideline issue. He wasn't allowed to discuss the finer details of his last mission with Kaname, even though she was special for a 'civillian'...Orders were orders, but he felt she should know. Or atleast, he wanted her to know...that he was trying his best to make ammends he only knew how.

"So what do we do with these...are we to keep them?" Glancing at the bamboo now littered with waving strips of paper. Maybe not. Apparently they might be tied...Kaname had never fully explained how this worked other than /write/ /write/ /writtte/!

He remained oblivious to any significant impact his recent admission may have had, his attentions now diverted back to the peculiar custom. If Kaname would allow it to remain so.


It takes a moment for Kaname to process what Sousuke has said; her mind is paralyzed in a state of disbelief. Sousuke... had attacked Johnny? It didn't make any sense! Didn't he know that Johnny wasn't the enemy--that that AS was responsible for everything that had happened that night?!

Sousuke's question remains temporarily forgotten; Kaname swallows hard, her hands balling in fists at her side, the tanzaku crushed in her grip.

"That person..." she says; her voice is low at first, but grows in octave with each successive word. "...Wasn't the enemy! It was Johnny Domino! When that AS attacked, he was the one who /protected/ me!"


"Johnny...Domino?" The name was familiar, he was on the roster for 4-D, it was imperrative that Sousuke be atleast aware of who were the regulars. Ofcourse there'd been the fracas of rumours running around he'd managed to pick up on between that guy and another. He had missed quite a bit with his absence, and apparently it only added to the difficulty. Kaname was upset, and not casually so. He had become familiar with the varying levels of her ire, and this one if he wasn't careful, could turn nasty.

Knowing though was only half the battle, Sousuke often was betrayed by his inabillity to gracefully say what was needed to avoid the brutal takedown. He lowered the paper. "Protected...you?" Was that all he could say, an echo of questions? His slate grey eyes were unreadible as he regarded the visibly upset Kaname. There was a long drawn out silence till when he finally spoke, it was quiet...with a hint of regret.

"No Miss Chidori, I am not mistaken. He was the enemy." To him and those of his team that day, Johnny Domino didnt exist. All that did was an Alliance pilot, who would bring word of their activities and endanger their mission. It had to have been done, but the knowledge of what he now knew, didn't make his actions any less difficult.



Being so intimately familiar with the different levels of Kaname's ire, it should be easy for Sousuke to see that Kaname's patience is being tested; what he's saying directly contradicts what she saw with her own eyes!

"How is /he/ the enemy?! When that AS showed up, /he/ was the one who tried to stop it! I /saw/ it! I--"

But Kaname doesn't say anything else; she doesn't wait for an answer. The reality of the situation presses down hard on her: Johnny Domino might be gone. Her eyes burn with moisute; Kaname spins on heel, attempting to maintain the same tight-lipped angry expression she has for the greater portion of the night.

Kaname storms off, her nails digging into the flesh of her palm; the tanzaku that had been crushed there is suddenly pulled from her grip by a sudden gust of wind--but Kaname makes no attempt to chase after it; it doesn't matter anyway.

(I hope everyone stays safe.)


Sousuke could call out to Kaname, he could try to explain further what he had meant-- instead he did nothing. He stood there silently watching her go, the orders he obeyed bound his tongue, though that was only an excuse.

A group of children with their parents passed him by, being taught a folk song they chanted with laughter.

Sasa no ha sara-sara, Nokiba ni yureru

Ohoshi-sama kira-kira, Kin Gin sunago...

The discarded paper from Kaname's grasp fluttered through the air where it caught in the grass. He walked over and bent to retrieve it, glancing at what was written. After a moment he moved to the bamboo patch where hundreds of wishes danced from their ties, and dutifully he fastened the crumpled paper to a branch, then next to it his own. There'd be no fireworks gazing tonight, but atleast...

Maybe if that is what Kaname believed, atleast her wish might come true.