The bell rang.

It was time to go home. The school day was over. So was the fight.

Actually, there never was any fight. Tsubaki Issei had gotten revved up again, overcome by the fact that Kaname was back at school. It was the third time he had done that in the four weeks following her return to Jindai High School.

“Sagara… you coward… you won’t even fight me for Kaname….” The karate club owner might believe he could win Kaname’s heart that way; but, no one else did.

“Why would I wish to do so?” Sousuke paid little attention to the bespectacled boy who was practically glowing with chi. In his bag, he had a shotgun loaded with rubber bullets. There were a number of non-lethal grenades in the same satchel. One pocket in his uniform pants held a fully charged taser. “Kaname is free to make her own decisions.” He turned his back on the irate boy and began gathering up his school supplies.

“Oh… Tsubaki….” Mizuke ended things, like a pair of wet fingers snuffing out a fuse. “You’re so heroic….” There were stars in her eyes. Seeing that, the karate guy began back-peddling, a stricken look on his face.

“I never would have believed it,” Ono-D said incredulously. “If I didn’t see it with my own eyes.” He was standing near Kyoko, his posture somewhat defensive, as he unconsciously took up a position of defense near her. “Again.” Looking over at Sousuke, there was a calculating look in his eyes. He was trying to decide if the scar-faced boy that had returned to the school had changed. The secret had long since been revealed. Kyoko’s injuries had healed. The damaged areas of Tokyo had been rebuilt.

“He’s getting better,” Kyoko said, taking a number of photos. “I bet Kaname’s happy.” She looked over at her friend, who had been about to clobber Tsubaki in Sousuke’s stead. It had been one of the happiest days in her life, when the blue-haired girl returned. She didn’t hold even a slightest grudge against her, despite the tragic events that had taken place just before Kaname’s voluntary abduction.

“She doesn’t look too happy,” Ryo said. She was watching Kaname, too. “Tsubaki’s gone, but she’s still frowning.” She looked over at Maya, who nodded in agreement. Mayuko nodded, too. “I wonder what’s up with that.”

“Maybe she’s getting tired of Sousuke,” Ono-D said. “I wouldn’t have blamed her before.” He looked over at Sousuke, wondering just what kind of the life the other boy had lead. From what he had heard, it was like something out of an anime series or an action novel. “Now… well….” He might not be sure if Sousuke could truly be considered a friend again. Not yet. But, seeing that he had gone off and rescued Kaname from forces none of them could even start to comprehend, he felt that it would be unfair if Kaname brushed the young mercenary off.

“Oh… Kaname….” Kyoko sighed. She would try to get the truth out of Kaname. But, her best friend had never been too forthcoming when it came to certain scar-faced boy.

Sousuke’s communicator sounded. As he removed the device from his pocket and flipped it open, the look on Kaname’s face was one of concern, not anger or disapproval. He spoke for a short while, as his classmates all watched quietly. Their imaginations all went wild, as they wondered what corner of the globe their fellow student might be called away too. Some couldn’t help but feel a twinge of trepidation, hoping that nothing untoward would happen to their school.

“I have to go,” Sousuke told Kaname. “I will call you when I have time.” He searched her face for a moment and said “It is nothing to worry about.” Having said that, he watched her for a moment, and then reached out to touch her hand. He nodded his head, squared his shoulders, and then turned to walk away.

“What about the exams,” Kaname asked. Her voice almost cracked. Same song, second verse. Should she be furious? Or, should she actually take comfort from this? In some ways, it felt as if things were returning to the way they used to be. “You know you have to pass on your own now.” That much was true. Mithril’s money and influence wouldn’t keep Sgt. Sagara in school if there was any more trouble. Likewise, they could not tamper with his test scores and grades at Jindai. Not when everything was under a figurative microscope. “Here….” She reached into her back pack and handed him her notes. How many times had he done that in the past? One time, he had left them at his apartment. That had led to their first meeting with Officer Wakana. Another time, he had left them aboard Da Danaan. That was before he disappeared without telling her.

“Thank you,” Sousuke said, taking the booklet. “I promise to return it this time.” He looked out the window. A white van had pulled up to the curb outside. “They’re here” He strode out of the class room, his duffel bag slung over one shoulder. Kaname walked with him, while the others politely kept their distance. All except Shinji, who took a moment to run up and show something to his friend.

“I have a new dating sim!” The bespectacled boy held out a game case to Sousuke. There were three others held in a stack below it. “Kana Imōto. I’ll let you try it out when you get back.”

“I do not know if that is wise,” Sousuke said, his voice somewhat flat. He remembered the other game he had played, one in which the video girl had called him a ‘Meanie’ after he tried to explain the situation to her. He looked over at Kaname. He was indeed learning.

“What are you looking at me for?” Kaname tossed her hair and made one of ‘those’ faces. “You’re a big boy. You can make your own choices. Do whatever you want.”

“Great!” Shinji smiled. He had been one of the few students who had been ecstatic to see Sousuke back. “I have a number of new ones. I bet you’ll like them.”

Kaname looked down at the game box. It showed a girl riding on the back of a bicycle with a guy, holding on to him. She immediately thought of that one day running from the crazed police officer. She also remembered a night that she and Sousuke had explored the abandoned hospital. Raising one eyebrow, she snatched the game from Shinji’s hands, causing him to juggle the others before dropping them.

“Let me see….” Kaname scanned the small print on the back of the box. “Kana…Little Sister is an eroge and contains pornographic scenes. Wh-…Wh-… Wh-….” She clenched her fists, eyes aflame. The game case cracked in half, freeing the disc that rolled off down the hallway.

Eyes wide with fear, Shinji turned away, clutching the three other games to his chest. He shivered and held them out, when Kaname turned him around and stuck her hand in his face. He looked over at Sousuke, trying to send a message of ‘Help me’ with his eyes.

“Oh. Well. This one is better.” Kaname’s face did not lose its frightful glow. “’Sexy Beach 2’.” Great. That had her thinking back to the white bikini. "Hmmm. This one’s wonderful, too. ‘Come See Me Tonight.’” Another Bishōjo game. She blushed pink, looking over at Sousuke after saying that title. “And let’s see….” She turned bright red. It was hard for the spectators to tell if it was from anger or embarrassment.

“Kaname?” Sousuke cocked his head. Why had Kaname gone stiff like that? There was nothing to be suspicious of, was there? He doubted that Shinji could have been tricked into taking part in some kind of plot. He took the disc case from Kaname’s fingers. “Let’s see. It is called ‘Do You Like Horny Bunnies?’ In the game, you play a young man on his first day as a waiter in a restaurant filled with beautiful women wearing... bunny costumes. Your inevitable goal is to ‘get as many of these beautiful women as possible to succumb to your manly charms‘. I see. A different kind of mission.”

“G-… G-… G-….” Now Kaname had gone as pale as a sheet. “Give.. me.. that!” She sent the box flying, much the way she had once done with a soft ball base that struck Sousuke after his return from the South China Sea. “Sousuke will not be playing that kind of game!”

“That’s right,” Kyoko said, at first seeming to come to her friend’s support. The flash of her camera preceded her true motives. “Sousuke has Kaname. I bet she would look great in a bunny suit.” She smiled, showing her dimples. “Right, Sousuke?”

“Uhhh-hh-h….” Sousuke began to sweat.

“W-h-a-t?” Kaname put her hands on Sousuke’s shoulders, turned him towards the exit, and began pushing him. “They’re waiting for you outside, right? You shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

“Affirmative.” Sousuke began walking.

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The lunch time crowd was long gone.

Because diners looking to buy dinner wouldn’t start arriving for a while, the small restaurant was mostly empty.

“It’s not like he hasn’t gone off on missions before,” Kaname told her friends. The food in their baskets were at different stages of consumption. Swinging a pickle spear back and forth absentmindedly, she sighed. “That’s why he was absent from class all those times.”

“It must be exciting, having a boyfriend like that.” Mayuko looked starry eyed. “He’s brave. Strong. And handsome.” She looked ready to swoon. That had the other girls rolling their eyes. “Someone to protect you.”

“That’s right,” Kyoko said. “Just like he did that one time we were here. Not long after he came to the school.” She pointed out to the street. Kaname had grabbed a briefcase that a customer had left behind. Rushing out into the street, she had almost been hit by an oncoming truck. Sousuke had grabbed her and jumped to safety.

“Yes.” Kaname nodded her head, reminiscing. Her eyebrows shot up. She pressed her lips together tightly. As they had been sitting there on the side of the road, leaning against a damaged fence, Sousuke had inadvertently squeezed her breast. Twice! She wondered if her pig-tailed friend had brought up that memory to cause trouble.

“It must be a lot of trouble, having a boyfriend like that.” Maya reached over and stole one of Ryo’s French fries. “Always having guns around. Jumping at shadows. Blowing stuff up. You know.” She shrugged. “Although… he hasn’t done any of that since he’s been back….”

“Thank God,” Mizuke said, after taking a long slurp of soda. “You know… it’s not really like him….” She had wanted to see ‘her’ darling Tsubaki in action again.

“That’s what worries me,” Kaname said under her breath. She hadn’t touched much of her meal. She ran one finger up and down the side of her glass, knocking off beads of condensation.

“What was that, Kaname?” Ryo smacked Maya’s hand when she reached for a piece of Tempura shrimp. “You look like something’s wrong.” She drummed her fingernails against the tablecloth for a moment. “Did you and Sousuke have some kind of fight?”

“You’re not really worried about Shinji’s games, are you?” Kyoko looked a bit worried. She hoped that her little joke earlier hadn’t pushed things over the edge.

“No,” Kaname shook her head. “Not really.” She sighed. It wouldn’t be easy to explain the way she felt. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to talk about it. Maybe there wasn’t any problem.

“Not really?” Maya wiped her mouth on her napkin. “You mean just a little bit?”

“It’s….” Kaname took a deep breath and let it out. “It’s not really that. It’s a lot of things. Ever since we got back.” There, she had said it. Now she would have to continue. Her friends were worse than sharks with blood in the water. “I was really bossy. I got upset again. He didn’t really do anything wrong.”

“That’s just you,” Mizuke said in off hand fashion. She didn’t let Kaname’s subsequent look bother her one bit.

“Do you think that Sousuke might be getting tired of protecting you?” Ren had been silent up to that point. “Or… is it more than that….” She was a very kind and sensitive soul. But, if Kaname was already thinking along those lines, it wouldn’t hurt to bring things out in the open. Maybe they could all comfort her.

“Is that it? Are you worried that he might be tired, just being around you?” Ryo asked. “Fed up with the school and everything?” She made a face. “That doesn’t make sense, does it? I mean, he risked his life to save you again. He chose to enroll back in class.”

“I don’t think it was just the promise, Kaname.” Kyoko put her camera down. She had been in the Intensive Care Unit on the day that Sousuke had told the class the truth, and asked them to forgive Kaname when she returned.

“Duty and obligation,” Kaname said. “Practicality. Remember the bracelet and earrings he had made for me?” She sighed again. Back then, still angry about Sousuke missing their study session, she had over-reacted badly. All she had seen was her own frustration, not the fact that a certain young soldier had gone out of his way to find yet another way to keep her safe. As it turned out, that bracelet had helped Sousuke find her, when A21 held her and Tessa in the hold of that ship.

“Was he ordered to watch you again?” Maya snatched one of Kyouko’s cucumber slices. “Or did he ask for the assignment.” Maybe that was it.

“He told me it was his choice,” Kaname said. “I trust him.” She rubbed her eyes. “Still….”

“But you’re not worried about the reason he chose to stay, are you?” Ren placed her hand on Kaname’s and gave it a slight squeeze. “It’s how he’s behaving. If he’s not tired of you, do you think he might be adjusting to everything that happened?” Kaname had heard a lot from Sousuke. He had told her that it was OK to tell their friends. He owed them all something, too.

“I don’t know.” Kaname felt so helpless, so stupid. “I just don’t know. He says that nothing’s wrong. I want to believe that… but….” She gripped the rim of the table tightly. “The surgery he went through. The interrogation. All after losing someone else he cared about.”

“Is it really a problem?” Mizuke licked her finger and removed some food from her face. “I mean, we should all feel a lot better. I know that I do. It was scary sometimes, wondering what he might do.”

“Mizuke.” Ryo admonished her friend with a glare.

“There is that,” Maya said, looking pensive. “But, I’m more worried what might happen if he suddenly snapped. If there’s something wrong with him, maybe he should get help.”

“Has he acted any differently around you?” Ren took a sip of tea. “Does he ignore you? Has he wanted to spend more time alone?” She put her cup down.

“Sousuke’s been very attentive,” Kaname said with a slight smile. “But, he says even less than he did before. He sits near me, and wants to do whatever I’m doing, but he doesn’t….” She didn’t know how to put her observations and feelings into words.

“He doesn’t jump right in and screw things up?” Ryo raised one eyebrow. “You don’t miss all of the accidents and misunderstandings, do you?” She scowled. “Is it you we should all be worried about?”

“No,” Kaname shook her hand. “But… before… even with all of the trouble….” She hung her head. “It felt more like he was really there. It’s hard to explain.”

“Maybe he needs time to find out who he is again,” Mayuko said. “A lot happened to him.” She checked her watch. “I remember seeing an American movie once, one with Robert Redford.”

“I hate Robert Redford,” Kaname said with a frown. There were a lot of popular actors she never came to think much of, back when she lived overseas.

“It wasn’t the best movie, either.” Mayuko waved her hand dismissively. “But, it was still interesting. It was called ‘The Horse Whisperer.’ The horse in the story had been badly injured, and acted differently after a terrible accident. A man who had experience with troubled horses helped bring him back to normal.”

“Souske’s not a horse,” Kaname said. She was going to say ‘And this isn’t some kind of fictional show,’ but didn’t feel like belaboring the point.

“No. He’s more like a dog.” Mizuke smirked. “No, Sousuke! Bad soldier! Sit! Roll over.” That had some of the other girls chuckling. “At least you don’t have to carry around a bag and a scoop when you go for a walk.”

“I….” Kaname clamped her mouth shut. Joking or not, Mizuke might have a point. Sousuke had changed, but she hadn’t. Not really. Even though their hadn’t been any major catastrophes, she always found reason to correct what Sousuke did. He would never be perfect, no matter what she did. Nobody could be. She certainly wasn’t, even though she sometimes felt that she had to be.

“Oh, Kaname.” Kyouko looked over at her friend. “I’m sure Sousuke doesn’t feel that way.”

“He needs someone to keep him in line,” Maya added, remembering all too well how Sousuke used to behave at school. “At least… he did… before….”

“I wonder how many boys other than Shinji play those kind of games,” Ren said. Looking over at Kaname, she purposefully changed the subject.

As the other girls grabbed hold of that topic with gusto, Kaname sat quietly, lost in thought.

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A bell on the door rang as Kaname pushed it open.

It was a quaint touch in this day and age. Then again, Kurosawa’s Movie Shop could be considered somewhat old-fashioned itself, despite its being the largest store of its kind in Tokyo.

The shop owner, Shohei Kitano, worked tirelessly, every day. On weekdays, he had help from his wife and children. There was always someone stocking the countless wooden shelves, helping customers find what they were looking for, or working the register.

“Good afternoon,” Kaname approached Mr. Kitano, who had just handed a rental movie to a group of teenage boys,

“How can I help you, miss?” The shopkeeper raised one eyebrow. “I’ve seen you in here before, haven’t I?”

“Yes,” Kaname said. This was the movie shop that Sousuke liked, because the owner would order both famous and obscure films for him, and had plenty of recommendations for military movies. “I’m here looking for a movie.” She felt foolish, stating the obvious.

“Truly?” Mr. Kitano smiled. “Now I recognize you. You’ve stopped in with young Mr. Sagara before.” He didn’t mention the fact that he remembered her actually dragging the boy out by the arm one time, after he had spent hours agonizing over a choice in films. “Ahhh. That’s what you mean. You’re here to pick up his order for him.”

“No… I….” Kaname couldn’t get a word in before the man reached under the counter and took out a stack of DVD boxes.

“You’re probably eager to watch them with him, aren’t you?” Mr. Kitan cut through a knot of twine that held the stack together. “Well, he chose very well, I can tell you that. You have a lot to look forward to.”

“It’s….” Once again, Kaname was cut-off.

“’Gallipoli’,” the shopkeeper said, taking the top movie off of the stack and entering its price on the register. “The Battle of Gallipoli took place on the Turkish peninsula of the same name during the First World War. A joint British and French operation was mounted in order to eventually capture the Ottoman capital of Istanbul, still called Constantinople at that point. The attempt failed, with heavy casualties on both sides. It’s a 1981 Australian film, directed by Peter Weir and starring Mel Gibson, showing the story of several young men from rural Western Australia who enlist in the Australian Imperial Force.”

“I see… but….” Kaname had thought she would be otaku-free while Sousuke was gone.

“’The Third Man’,” Mr. Kitano said, repeating the process with the next DVD. “A wonderful choice. You’ll love this one. It’s a movie about a different kind of war… the Cold War… in its opening days in Vienna.” The man smiled, a faraway look in his eyes. “It features some of the most dramatic and brilliant cinematography in the history of film, and its black-and-white images perfectly capture the shadowy nature of what one famous politician called the ‘Twilight Struggle’.”

“That’s very nice… though….” Kaname clenched one hand into a fist, and then stopped. She usually reserved that kind of reaction for one certain person.

“’Zulu’,” the well-dressed middle-aged man said, running his fingers over the third box. “What can I say about this that hasn’t already been said?” He looked ready to wipe away a tear or something. “It’s the true story about undermanned British forces who refuse to evacuate or surrender their African mission against attacking hordes of Zulu warriors. The last 45 minutes are some of the most poignant and powerful in movie history.” His voice took on the quality of a narrator. “Early on, we see the terror on the faces of the British soldiers, a little more than one hundred men, when they hear a rumbling in the distance. It’s the Zulus. Thousands of them.“ He sniffed. “At the end, when the nearly decimated defenders see thousands of native warriors appear on the crest of the hill again, one says ‘They are taunting us. Well, get on with it. Just kill us already.’ But, he was wrong. They weren’t taunting them… they were saluting their bravery….“

“Yes… that would have been very frightening… but….” Kaname clenched her teeth this time, when she was interrupted. As frightened as the British soldiers might have been, it was nothing compared to some of the things that she had felt since she met Sousuke. But, no one made a movie commemorating her bravery!

“I’m glad to see how touched you are,” Mr. Kintaro said, misinterpreting the look on Kaname’s face. “This one will be a splendid change in pace. ‘Foreign Correspondent.‘ There are some critics who consider it one of the five best movies ever made.” He rang it up and placed it on top of the other three. “It’s about naïve Americans trying to figure out the beginning of World War II. There’s a lot of intrigue, with Nazi spies and terrorists in Europe pretending to be pacifists.” He wondered why the young woman flinched when he mentioned spies and terrorists. Probably because she was an innocent, in a time when terrorist activities were on the rise across the world, “The movie includes the greatest assassination scene ever put on film, and has a rather rousing ending. It was unvarnished propaganda for intervention in the war at a time when much of America was still isolationist.”

As Kaname fought to maintain her temper, the kindly gentleman gave her capsular summaries on Breaker Morant… Full Metal Jacket… Paths of Glory… Kumonosu jô… Bronenosets Potyomkin… and Das Boot. If his wife hadn’t come over and judged the situation correctly, she would have suffered through five more.

“Sousuke will pick those up when he’s back in town,” Kaname said, pleased that she had kept her voice even. She smiled when Mrs. Kita Kitano winked at her. There was no way that she was going to pay for that baka’s movies. Kaname Chidori did not have a mercenary’s bank account! “I’m just here looking for a certain movie.”

“I’ll be glad to help you, dear.” Mieko Kitano waved for Kaname to follow her, before her husband could leave the register. “Now… what exactly are you looking for….”

“I’d like to buy ‘The Horse Whisperer’, if you have it.” Kaname kept her fingers crossed. If this store didn’t have the film, she doubted any others would have it in stock. If she ordered the movie, Sousuke might be back before it came in.

“Hmmm-mm-m… let me see….” Mrs. Kitano stood a moment and thought. “I think I know that one. A horse trainer helps an injured teenager and her horse recuperate.” She smiled, walking over to the English language section. “Robert Redford and Scarlett Johansson, I believe.” She searched through the ’H’ shelves. “Here we go. You’re in luck. This isn’t the kind of thing we order too often.”

“Thank you, Ma’am.” Kaname bowed. Clutching the movie to her chest, she hurried over and purchased it. When Mr. Kitano asked if she wanted to know the background of ‘The Great Escape,’ she made a quick exit of her own.

“Young people these days.” The shopkeeper scratched his head. “Always in such a hurry.”

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The light was down low.

Occasional splashing sounds could be heard as Kaname fed her eager fish.

Homework finished, and still moist from her shower, she wanted to take care of a few last things before settling down on the couch in her nightclothes to watch the movie she rented. While there was no reason to feel anxious or rushed, she felt some kind of inexplicable pressure, as if Sousuke’s very existence depended on her actions.

“I’m being silly, aren’t I?” She added the last of the flake food, and then closed the lid on the aquarium. She smiled when something bumped against her bare foot. It was the hamster ball. Inside, the furry denizen moved its feet at a furious rate, getting nowhere. “Here you go.” She gave the ball a gentle nudge, setting it on a new course.

Kaname had no illusions about the movie being something she would add to her list of favorites. That wasn’t the point of tonight’s viewing. Just the same, not wanting to take things too seriously, she removed a packet of popcorn out of the kitchen drawer, unwrapped it, placed it in the microwave, and set the time.

“I didn’t really eat all that much at the restaurant, or while I was cooking.” She planned on bringing a nice selection of food items to school the next day, like she had the day after Sousuke missed a study appointment, way back when. After returning from her exile, she made every effort she could to enjoy the company of her closest friends. When she finished dumping the piping hot popcorn into a bowl, she wandered into the living room area, put the disc in the DVD player, and set things in motion.

The sun’s light illuminated a darkened stable, highlighting the contours of a magnificent horse. The animal’s name was Pilgrim, and he was one of the key players in the movie. As Kaname looked at the lines of the magnificent animal, wondering at how muscular horses could be, she pictured Sousuke in her mind, shirt off. That had her attacking the popcorn with greater fury. Nothing intimate had happened between the two of them yet; but, that didn’t mean she hadn’t been fantasizing now and again. This was not the time for that!

She watched as the eager horse burst out of its stall, and then ran out of the stables into a blinding white morning, snow blanketing the surrounding landscape. Before long, the movie cut to a scene where thirteen year old Grace rode the horse, moving the beast with admirable skill as she giggled in glee. Kaname sighed, picturing herself in just such a place. The horse and the girl seemed so free. She almost expected to see an unexpected explosion, or watch as the red dot of a laser designator appeared between the eyes of the girl or her mount. That kind of thing didn’t happen in this kind of movie. But, they did in her life. At least, they had. Maybe things would get better. It would be tragically ironic, if her everyday life got better, but things with Sousuke got worse.

Grace met up with her good friend Judith. The two were obviously sharing young girl fantasies that the audience was not privy too. That had Kaname smiling as she pulled her robe down over her legs. The two girls went riding together through the woods, down to a river. Below them, a two-lane country road was visible. They rode further, trying to figure out the words of a slightly inappropriate song. Without warning, Judith’s horse happened upon a sheet of sheer ice underneath the snowy cover.

“Oh, no.” Kaname felt silly, calling out. She didn’t notice as a number of pieces of popcorn fell to the floor.

Grace tried to move Pilgrim, to avoid being hit by the other slipping animal. Judith was thrown from her horse, foot stuck in the stirrup. The other horse plowed into Pilgrim, and despite Grace’s best efforts, her horse fell, and both animals slid down the icy slope, ending up on the road below.

“Come on!” Kaname scowled. She should know better. The movie had a horrible tragedy as its crux. There was no way that she could cause anything else to happen by shouting her encouragement. The film had been shot, printed, and distributed. Nothing she could do or say would change anything. Blinking rapidly, she coughed, swallowing a kernel of popcorn the wrong way. Her destiny with Sousuke was not like that. She could still affect the outcome. She had to. There had already been enough tragedies in her own life.

Judith’s horse had a broken leg, and was wandering in circles, dragging the bleeding girl. As her friend struggled to get free of the stirrup, Grace saw a flash of steel and heard the sound of a truck. Kaname though back to the time that Souske saved her from a truck. Images of various trucks flashed through her mind. Trucks. Arm Slaves. Helicopters. Submarines. So many things! She shook her head, trying to concentrate on the movie.

Grace grabbed Judith’s bridle, trying to get the horses off of the road. The truck’s air-horn sounded. The horses were spooked by the warning, and pulled away from one another. As the driver hit the brakes, the truck jack knifed and ran over Judith and her horse. Watching helplessly, Grace flews towards the wheels of the truck, while Pilgrim reared up.

“I can’t watch.” But, Kaname did watch as Pilgrim jumped up on the hood of the truck, shattering the windshield and getting stuck there like some kind of obscene hood ornament. Grace ended up underneath the truck. Things didn’t look good at all. Before long, the scene fades with the sound of an approaching helicopter.

“That… it….“ Kaname shivered. The scene was powerful, but not only because of the cinematography. The quick flash of the action, and the subsequent sound of the helicopter, left her holding her breath. She had survived way too many close calls. But, her trials and tribulations were nothing next to Sousuke’s. Was he headed off into battle again? If he was, would he make it back alright? He hadn’t called her yet, to let her know what was going on. She shouldn’t get too worried yet, right? But, she couldn’t get the image of Grace’s accident out of her head. Would there come a day when Sousuke’s luck would run out?

The phone rang. Kaname was almost grateful for a chance to pause the movie. She needed to get her emotions under control. It was only a movie. Only a movie. “Oh… Hello, Ky….” She sighed. It wasn’t as if she didn’t want to talk to her friend. She had hoped it would be Sousuke.

She didn’t stay on the phone long. Promising to talk to Kyoko before class the next day, Kaname went into the bathroom, taking a moment to brush her hair before settling in again. Nodding her head and making a serious face, she pressed ‘play.’

Grace’s mother and father were in the hospital, speaking with one of her doctors. One of unconscious girl’s legs was shattered beyond repair. Amputation was the only medical option. The scene shifted to the woods, where a badly injured Pilgrim was lying down on the snow, surrounded by his own blood. The police were there, along with trackers and a veterinarian. The woman examining the horse finds a deep chest wound, along with fractures of the skull, cheek, and nose. There is talk about putting the horse down immediately, on the spot. Kaname felt her throat getting thick. She had seen more than her fair share of death, when Sousuke came to free her from Amalgam’s clutches.

“Sousuke….” Kaname had started watching the movie equating Sousuke with the horse. Now, that association seemed much more real, almost too real. Sousuke had suffered terrible wounds during a series of events that had left the girl Nami dead. She still didn’t want to think about the surgery he had gone through, or the interrogations that later followed. It was no stretch of the imagination, thinking that there might have been people who looked at him, wondering if he should have been put down. She knew it wasn’t her fault. But, he had been hurt in his search for her. “I’ll find some way to make it better… I promise….”

Later, in the hospital room, Grace’s father rubbed her good leg while her mother straightened the blankets, needing something to keep her mind occupied. She had been acting like a tyrant towards the nursing staff, bossing them around despite her husband’s disapproval. When the phone rang, it was someone calling about the horse, saying that they had never seen any animal with injuries like his that was still breathing. The doctor walked into the room, and the mother needed to get off the phone. She was in no state to make a decision about Pilgrim then, as she was far too upset, knowing that her daughter was suffering too.

“Am I that bossy?” Kaname wondered if her overbearing attitude had begun to bother Sousuke, after he had been through so much to bring him back. Could that be it? “Is he holding off, making some kind of decision, until he thinks I’m strong enough to take it?” That had her feeling queasy for a moment. It was obvious in the movie, that Grace’s mother and father had grown apart somehow, and the mother Annie found little comfort in the arms of her husband, Robert. “Sousuke… he… we….” She clutched a pillow tightly to her, promising to lighten up as much as she could, when he was back from his meeting with Mithril personnel.

She was disoriented for a almost minutes, the movie scenes she watched never really registering on her mind. Her thoughts had switched from Sousuke to herself. If there was something that had turned Sousuke away from her, what might it be? Had he found himself falling in love with Nami? She didn’t get that impression from the dead girl’s message. Could he have begun to like the life he had there, at the A.S. gladiatorial games? Had his promise to rescue her become an imposition? Might he see her as a traitor? It wasn’t as if she had used her Whispered talents to any great degree, suggesting some changes for Amalgam arm slaves.

“I’m just being stupid,” Kaname said, forcing herself to pay attention. “I didn’t do anything wrong. Not really. And there may not even be a problem.”

The camera panned into the interior of a University Animal Hospital. Kaname saw a number of stalls housing sick and injured animals of different sorts. The veterinarian who had treated Pilgrim out at the scene, was asleep in a chair, exhausted. Something woke her. It was the sound of a hoof hitting the stall. The noise got progressively louder. Pilgrim, inside the padded enclosure, was wrapped with bandages. His eyes were filled with madness, almost as if the horse was furious that he was still alive. That sent chills running up and down Kaname’s spine, as she remembered just what state Sousuke had been in, when she found him in Hong Kong.

When Grace was finally awake after her surgery, her parents returned to see her, carrying gifts. They were so happy to know that she was still alive, but were still burdened with the knowledge that Judith and her horse had died. Grace wanted to know how Pilgrim was doing, but her mother changed the subject. The scenes shifted again, to some time in the future. The injured girl was walking with crutches, wearing a prosthetic leg. Saying that she never wanted to go back to the rehab facilities, she wondered why Pilgrim wasn’t kept in the same barn as the other horses.

Her parents were clearly worried about something. They toldher that Pilgrim wasn’t the same horse anymore. When they reached a row of empty stalls, an explosive sound come from inside a stall across the building. When Grace reached that stall and peekd inside it, she saw Pilgrim. The horse has his head down in the shadows. When she called out his name and he moved, she saw his terrible disfigurement, and the madness in his eyes. The horse that she had known was gone! Terrified, she stepped back, almost slipping on the muddy ground.

Kaname paused the film again, needing to use the restroom. There was a difference there. When she had seen Sousuke again for the first time, she had been driven to tears, happy and relieved. Sousuke had seemed different, but not necessarily in a bad way. He had hurried her along, wanting to get them both to safety; but ,she could tell how moved he had been, finding her. Later, their flight from Amalgam finished, and the battle with Leonard over, they had held one another in silence. In the days after that, she found it hard to keep from talking almost non-stop. Sousuke had stayed quiet, content to hold her hand.

She stood at her sliding glass door for a few minutes, looking out over her darkened balcony, taking in the sights of the city. In captivity, she wanted so much to be back here. There had been so many things that she had to deal with. Leonard, his sad history, and his unwanted advances. Mister Kalinin, and the question of his allegiance. That strange message from the red-haired Whispered girl. The knowledge that Sousuke was coming, without knowing when, where, or how. Things should be so much simpler now. Somehow, she was more confused than ever before. She had to simply things. Love. Love wasn’t simple in itself. Not by any means. But, if she acted out of love and nothing else, that would help, wouldn’t it?

Yawning, she took a few moments to put her hamster back in its cage. She stared at the silly little creature for a moment, remembering something that Ono-D had told her after she returned to Jindai High School. Seriously injured, Kyoko had worried who would take care of Kaname’s pet. “Here you go.” She stared at the cage for a moment. It was almost as if she envied the life the pampered little animal led. Grabbing her stuffed Bonta-kun on a whim, she headed back into the living room area and began watching the movie again.

Annie was sitting in the reading room of a public library, a number of books spread out in front of her, underneath a green reading lamp. On a computer screen, she brought up a title, ‘Horse Whisperers,’ and began to read. ‘It was in America that horses first roamed. A million years before the birth of man, they grazed the vast empty plains of grass and crossed to other continents over bridges of rocks. They first knew man as the hunted knows the hunter, for long before man saw horses as a means to killing other beasts, man killed them for meat. The alliance with man would forever be fragile, for the fear he'd struck into their hearts was too deep to be dislodged. Since that Neolithic moment when a horse was first haltered, there were those among men who understood this.’

“Understanding….” Kaname wondered just how well she understood Sousuke. He had been both the hunter and hunted, starting at an early age. Kalinin had found him, after he somehow managed to survive a plane crash. He was then moved from one environment to another, trained to kill, and sent to assassinate a man much older than him. He failed, but the man adopted him into his way of life, teaching him different ways to fight, and providing him with new enemies. The weapons that Sousuke back then gad hardly been Neolithic. But, his drives and motives might have been. Could she hope to return him to some better state, if he never had one to begin with? “It doesn’t matter. We can make a better place now. I’ll find a way….”

The scene changed again. Annie was listening to a man speak. ‘It's always kind of interesting to hear the horse's side of the story.’ He looked over at the horse‘s owner, a woman dressed in fancy designer clothes. ‘Now if he was cranky or lazy, like you say he is, we'd be seeing his tail twitching there and his ears back, maybe. But this isn't a cranky horse, it's a scared horse. You see how braced he is up around the neck back there. He just doesn't know which way to turn.‘ He walked with the horse and said ‘You see how he keeps pointing his hindquarters in at me? Well, I'd guess the reason he seems reluctant to move out is because when he does, he gets in trouble for it.’

Kaname’s eyes went wide. She brought a hand to her mouth. That comment certainly hit close to home. She had chosen well, deciding to watch this movie. She needed to know Sousuke’s side of things. Not just when something happened, and she was in too big a hurry to place the blame, but also in the quiet times, when there were no missions, problems, or dangers. She had to find out what truly made him tick.

‘He's not good at transitions, you know? When I want him to move from a trot to a lope, say…’ The woman was talking to the Horse Whisperer, whose name was Tom. He smiled and said ‘Well, I'm sure that's what you think but that's not what I'm seeing. You may think you're asking for a lope, but your body may be saying something else altogether. You might be putting too many conditions on him. For instance, you might be saying "Go, but, hey, don't go too fast." He can tell that from the way you feel. Your body can't lie. You ever give him a kick to make him move out?’ The woman replied, saying ‘He won't go unless I do,’ which prompted Tom to remark ‘And then he goes and you feel like he's going too fast, so you yank him back?’ Seeing the woman nod, he continued, saying ‘And next thing you know, he's bucking.’ She nodded again, as Annie watched. ‘Well, if someone told you to go, stop, go, stop… you'd buck too. Look, the truth is it's all about self- preservation. These animals... well, they just have such big hearts, you know? There's nothing they want more than to do what you want them to do. But when the messages get all confused, the only thing they know to do is try and save themselves.‘

The world seemed to swirl around Kaname for a few seconds, after watching that exchange. It was almost as if some unspoken truth was spinning her like a top. Had she done that to Sousuke? Was that the problem? Or, was it the entire world that had done it to him. The KGB. The mujahideen. Mercenary companies. Mithril. Her own life hadn’t been a picnic. But, at least she had been raised by parents who loved her. Parents who had helped her make sense of the society around her.

“Maybe….” Kaname hugged her Bonta-kun tighter. She was even more eager to watch the movie now. “I might….” She watched as Tom spoke again, saying ‘You know… a lot of this stuff... it’s just... nuts and bolts.‘ After a question from the woman he said ‘If the rider's nuts, the horse bolts. That's the whole lesson right there‘. “Maybe I can find some ideas,” Kaname whispered.

Fighting sleep, Kaname saw the movie through to the end. Tom had talked to Annie on the phone, refusing to come out and help Pilgrim. Determined, she took her daughter and her horse across country, to where Tom worked. He was a man who was well known for his miraculous results with traumatized horses, and someone who had told her that he helped horses with people problems, not people with horse problems. If he could help Grace and Pilgrim, she was not going to give up. The story continued. Some of it was very interesting, while other parts were too sappy or annoying.

“This is just too predictable,” Kaname grumped at the end of the movie, yawning again. The estranged woman had ended up having an affair with the Horse Whisperer, but eventually knew she could never stay with him, and had decided to see if she could heal her relationship with her husband the way that Tom had helped Grace heal her life, and he and Grace had helped heal the horse. “I could see that coming a mile away.” She turned off her television. The film had given her a number of things to think about.

The phone rang again. At this hour, it had to be Sousuke. Grabbing the handset, she held off from pushing the ‘Talk’ button just yet. Kicking off her fuzzy slippers, she ran and jumped under the covers of her bed. Snuggling up to get comfy, she worked the button. It was Sousuke.

“Be careful,” Kaname said a few minutes later, just as Sousuke was about to hang up. He hadn’t been able to give her a lot of details. But, he shouldn’t be in too much danger, and there was a good chance that he would be back inside the week.

Placing the handset down on her nightstand, she pulled the blankets up to her chin, smiled, and promptly fell asleep.