Wedding

by Iniora Nackatori

Every time J thinks he understands humans, they turn around and change the rules...

Synopsis: Every time J thinks he understands humans, they turn around and change the rules...

Wedding

Home.

It was not much: A simple two story wood structure, small front yard, and an ocean view balcony. The mailbox was stuffed to capacity and newspapers were piled three deep at the front door. There were no bushes, but the overgrowth of weeds made up for this fact with their wild tangles. There were strings dangling from the balcony. And a lot of seagull droppings.

Kaidou Sakura observed the sight from KouRyu's passenger seat with a sigh. Things had happened so fast the idea of securing the house for a prolonged departure had never occurred to her. The inside was going to be caked with dust. The rice cooker... Had she left the rice cooker set for automatic run? And the refrigerator – anything in there would be... ripe.

"The things you forget when busy with simple stuff. Like surviving two rounds of surgery and chemo."

Kaidou-san looked over at the woman lounging in the driver's seat. Renais Cardiff Shishiou was many things: Abrasive, self-assured, easily infuriating, kind to a fault, and occasionally ignorant of how her actions effected others. She was also Kaidou-san's oldest son's girlfriend. Possibly more than that, if the two could listen to their hearts a bit more. Well, and here she sighed for many reasons, Kaidou Sakura had two sons who loved her dearly. At present, the universe could not be kinder.

Renais was saying, "All your bills were put on automatic by the Three G accounting department, so there's no worry about the electricity or water having been shut off. Though if there was food in the fridge-"

"There was," Kaidou-san sighed.

"Then you're not going in until after the Calvary cleans up." And that was that, so far as Renais was concerned.

Her immune system was no longer as badly compromised; she could help and it was her home, she should help clean. But she had given her sons, Ikumi especially, a terrible fright and they – and everyone around them – were walking on eggshells in her presence. Overly cautions, overly protective... It could be enough to drive one mad. For now, though, Kaidou Sakura held her peace.

A larger than normal wave broke against the cliff face, sending spray high enough to dust the seagull droppings with salt. Cresting above that wave was the command deck of the J-Ark space battleship. An impressive sight on any occasion, rising as it was next to a humble house was equal parts absurd and endearing.

KouRyu reported, "TOM-chan wants to know why there's a bio-hazard signal coming from inside."

"A rotten refrigerator cannot be that bad," Kaidou-san grumbled.

"Depends on what's in the refrigerator," Renais chuckled. "Well, whatever's in there, its coming out first. And remember, Kaidou-san."

Kaidou-san interrupted with another sigh before Renais could finish, "No lifting so much as a finger. Strict rest. Yes, yes, I remember." Mostly because her sons remembered far too well.

Renais gave the older woman a tender hug, careful not to touch least her perpetually overheating cyborg modifications burned the elder on accident. "They love you so very much, Kaidou-kaa-san. Bare with them for a bit longer, ne?"

"Always," Kaidou Sakura chuckled. "Always."

Renais giggled as she bounced out of KouRyu's cab. Kaidou Sakura smiled, leaning back slightly to rest her head. At least she had an excellent view of the show, so to speak.

Two points of light descended from the J-Ark. Her two angels: Ikumi, her dear young son, glittering red, and his older brother Soldato-J 002 who swooped in to land with the same grace as a falcon. The angelic glow around Ikumi faded when he landed, and J's wings returned to being a simple scarf. Not that there was anything simple about a cyborg from another solar system. And of course TOMORO-0117 was monitoring everything even if he couldn't be present in corpus. When both boys looked towards her, Kaidou waived, smiling.

"TOM-chan tried to scan you again," KouRyu whispered, one conspirator to another. "AnRyu and I told him to behave. Besides, its not like he can't get all the information he wants from your J-Jewel."

Kaidou-san's fingers brushed the oval gem. It was as large as her hand and held by a gold backing with simple gold chain. Ikumi had given it to her before her first cancer surgery. It had been... interesting, to see first hand how a J-Jewel reacted to G-Stone generated energy. An event not to be repeated without prior warning.

Both boys thus satisfied that their mother was going to behave herself, the duo plus Renais made their way towards their home. Ikumi still had his key in his jacket pocket and so he opened the door. Then jumped back, putting his hand over his mouth. J, being J, did not so much as wince. Renais looked over her shoulder towards where KouRyu was parked.

"More than just the refrigerator went bad," KouRyu reported.

"Maybe the rice cooker?" Kaidou-san wondered aloud.

J went in first, followed by Renais. Ikumi paused for a moment – and then, glowing once again, floated inside.

There was a pause. A family of raccoons ran out the front door. Then a much longer pause. Right when Kaidou-san was about to go and see for herself, unable to take the suspense any more, Ikumi floated back out of the house. KouRyu was kind enough to roll down the window.

"How bad is it, dear?" Kaidou-san asked when Ikumi did not immediately say.

"We have a potato field in the pantry," Ikumi reported, trying not to wince. "Some raccoons made a nest in the linen closet. I think they came in through the attic. The refrigerator is totaled. Everything inside is... mush. There's... stuff... in the rice cooker. It all stinks."

Kaidou-san took her son's report with a smile and a nod. "It could have been worse. The sewer could have backed up." Ikumi winced at the thought. "Well, we needed a new refrigerator any way, and the rice cooker was past its time. The pantry needs to be emptied and scrubbed clean. We'll also need to see if more than potatoes started growing there. The canned goods might be salvageable. And a lawnmower. We'll need a lawnmower for out here."

And she would not be allowed to do a thing. Infuriating and entertaining all at the same time. Who knew? They might put her on the J-Ark's command deck's throne of a chair just to be certain she did not do anything too stressful.

"Um..." Ikumi started to say.

Kaidou-san sighed. "Ikumi. If the house isn't clean by tonight, then I'll stay in one of the J-Ark's bedrooms. But until then, no."

Her son blushed purple in embarrassment. "...I better go back and help, then..."

"And no overworking yourself! The same for J and Renais!" Kaidou-san called after him. Ikumi acknowledged he had heard her with a slight wave, then floated back in. Kaidou waited a moment before looking towards the dashboard. "KouRyu, dear, I've a sneaking suspicion they won't listen."

"That's Renais-onee-chan for you!" KouRyu giggled, her dashboard lights flickering in a deliberate reflection of her mirth. Her voice became raindrop soft. "Should AnRyu and I call them in?"

Kaidou-san nodded rather than speak aloud. TOMORO-0117 had already shown he was watching her; better not to do anything suspicious just yet.

Thirty minutes later, around the time J was carrying out the duck tapped shut refrigerator by himself – both proving Kaidou-san's suspicions and leaving her wondering where they had gotten duck tape – they made their timely appearance. The Amami family van chugged up the lane at a sedated pace. For a minute it looked as though they might be going anywhere else. Then they turned, heading up the driveway, and parked about a foot from the house.

Amami Ai whistled in admiration of J's showmanship, accidental though it may have been. As she got out of the van she laughed, "Oh my. That must be the refrigerator of terror AnRyu mentioned."

Mamoru opened the sliding door; a mop fell out from the interior, but it did not ruin his entrance. "There's really a potato field in the pantry?"

Amami Isamu was declaring, "I'll unload the lawnmower!" and putting actions to words before J could say so much as hello.

Though Soldato-J did promptly ask, "What." in as deadpan a voice as possible.

"Set that thing down for a minute, please and thank you," Mrs. Amami requested. She had a measuring tape in one hand.

"What," J repeated.

"Well how else am I going to get its measurements? Need to know how big it is so we can buy a matching replacement." Mrs. Amami's grin was disarming... if she had been talking to anyone other than the Trinary Star System's number one warrior.

J put down the refrigerator, though he did think ahead first (as always) and put it on the driveway rather than in the way of the lawnmower. His next action was to hop – it wasn't high enough to be a jump, but it was sufficient to cover the distance between the house and where KouRyuu was parked on the street – to land on the step just below KouRyu's door. Without prompting (and trying not to giggle) KouRyu rolled down the window.

"Mother," J started to say.

"Yes, J?"

For a moment it looked as though J might say something else. But then he said, "Please take care of yourself," and nothing more.

Kaidou-san gave her elder son a gentle pat on the head. No additional words were needed. Nodding, J walked back towards the house.

"No, really, is there a potato field in the pantry?" Mamoru asked as J past.

Grabbing the fallen mop, J answered, "There won't be in a few moments."

"Waha!" Lighting up in an ethereal green glow, Mamoru gathered everything with telekinesis, and floated a school's worth of cleaning materials behind him as he followed behind J. Once inside, Kaidou-san was sure he was calling out to Ikumi to let him know reinforcements had arrived.

And about five minutes after that, the North Pole Lion landed neatly on the J-Ark's cannon deck. Roaring a hello, he set down his two passengers: They were instantly recognized as Shishiou Guy and Utsugi Mikoto. Both were wearing worn cloths and carrying industrial suitcases, one per person. Renais rushed out onto the balcony while J, Ikumi, and Mamoru dashed out into the front yard, all roughly at the same time.

"Hi, Galeon!" Mamoru giggled, waiving to his giant mecha lion. Galeon rumbled, a sound which reminded Kaidou-san of a giant kitten purring.

J and Ikumi both looked towards their mother, who was the picture of innocents sitting in KouRyu's front seat. She hadn't lifted so much as a finger, after all.

"Oh dear. That is a lot of seagull droppings," Mikoto noted, for the moment ignoring the mixed glare/giggles their arrival was receiving.

"Yo, J!" Guy held up the suitcase he was carrying. "Leave the balcony to Mikoto and me! We brought industrial strength poop removal formula, deck stain, and fresh paint!" And while J was still glaring, Guy asked, "Is there really a potato field in the pantry?"

"Not for long!" Mamoru giggled.

"Waha!" Guy laughed. And without so much as a by-your-leave he was having Galeon drop himself and Mikoto off at the balcony level, whereupon the duo said hello to Renais and promptly got to work.

Task completed, Galeon curled up atop the J-Ark's cannon deck for a nice sunlit nap. Hopefully TOMORO-0117 wouldn't mind too much.

"Did mother call in all of Three G?" Ikumi grumbled, a touch embarrassed that his friend was seeing his house in such disarray. Not to mention what the neighbors must think. A space ship was one thing. A lion was a whole different situation!

"No one else is coming?" J half asked, half demanded of Mr. Amami.

Mr. Amami gaily laughed, "Nope, just us! Well, unless something else happens. Oh, Ai, don't forget to pick up the pizzas!"

"I won't, sweety!" Mrs. Amami laughingly answered. Measurements having been taken, she was halfway to KouRyu. When she was in the driver's seat she asked, "Ready to do some light shopping, Sakura?"

"A nice small adventure would be a joy, Ai," Kaidou-san laughed.

"Only a small one!" KouRyu ordered, adding quietly, "TOM-chan isn't kidding about shooting AnRyu and me to Pluto if we let anything happen to you."

"Then a nice small adventure it is," Mrs. Amami giggled. "To the mall!"

"Roger! KouRyu express to the mall, now departing!"

---

TOMORO-0117 was sure KouRyu's "take off" had been a jest at his expense. Worth it, though, to see Kaidou Sakura happy; the first time she had been happy in over a year. Negative emotions had a negative impact on health, and her health was delicate enough. No need to compromise it further.

Sensors turning back towards home, TOMORO-0117 analyzed the bio-hazard signature inside. Seventy percent of the issue was coming from the refrigerator. Twenty percent came from the winged annoyance's droppings, which the cyborg and his support wings were taking care of with efficiency. The remaining ten was attributed to the raccoons. Arma had hypothesized that the vermin had made their entrance from the attic. The structure known as home for all its importance was simple. A half microsecond to scan it, and TOMORO-0117 had its blueprints at his digital fingers.

Hum... Yes, there was a hole in the attic which was big enough for a full grown raccoon. A more detailed examination showed several such holes... and quite a few more raccoons. More than what could be accounted for during their absence.

"J."

"Yes?"

TOMORO-0117 could hear Arma and Latio in the background, both of them giggling while trying not to. TOMORO-0117 assumed it was because J was in full armor yet participating full-heartedly in the cleaning effort. At J's acknowledgment of the incoming communication, TOMORO-0117 continued, "I have run a full diagnostics on the attic. There are multiple holes in the roof, roughly raccoon sized. There are multiple raccoon intruders in the attic at present. Based on the number of entryways detected they have been present for a significant amount of time."

"Hum." J looked up, picturing the attic in his mind's eye. "How many raccoons?"

"Twelve at a minimum. Some may possibly have kits."

"Twelve racoons with kits," J hummed.

"In the attic?" Latio asked, giggles turning to a stunned whistle. "Well, if we're feeling nice, we could relocate them all to the woodland park on the mainland." Which would involve capturing and transporting the raccoons. Capturing and transporting in what would be the next question.

"And if we are not so nice?" J inquired.

"We let Renais-onee-chan handle them."

Which would involve a shotgun and significant damage to the attic's structure. The former, though more labor intensive, would result in the least amount of damage.

"TOMORO, signal KouRyu. Ask her to add cadges to Kaidou-san and Amami-san's shopping list."

"Understood."

"We're going to have to clean the whole attic out, then," Arma noted, also looking up in an effort to picture the attic above. "The holes will need to be patched. And if there's holes, we'll need to check for mold."

"Oh, in case rain got in, too." Latio hummed, thinking aloud, "I wonder if any seagulls got in...?"

Considering how badly they had damaged the balcony... If seagulls had gotten in, this project was going to take another day at least. Possibly longer depending on the amount of damage discovered.

TOMORO-0117 began the process to set up a guest room for Kaidou Sakura.

---

Due to the health risks involved, and its relatively small size, they limited who was allowed in the attic: Those who had full armor only. In other words, J was handling the attic as a solo assignment. Kaidou Sakura was effectively banished to the front lawn along with Mr. and Mrs. Amami. Mr. Amami was nursing a tall glass of iced tea, as doing the entire front yard in two hours had been exhausting for a man who worked ninety percent of his day in front of a computer. Given the overgrowth, that he had been able to mow it all in a single sitting had been quite the accomplishment.

"Oi, J, got 'em all?" Guy yelled up the attic stairs.

There was a squeak preceding a raccoon attempting to run for its life. Guy rushed forward to grab it, but before he could, J had its tail in a vice grip and was yanking the pest off its feet. The raccoon was in a sealed cadge along with the rest of its family faster than it could process.

"The last one," J announced, grinning.

"Oi, oi, they're not Zonders. Maybe you could be a little more gentle?" Guy suggested.

"The attic is worse than the refrigerator, cyborg. They should be grateful I am allowing them to keep their lives."

"Worse than the...?" Guy started to asked. Stopped, when he poked his head up inside the attic for a look. "Guh!" He swiftly made a full retreat.

Guy got the impression J was rolling his eyes at him, though the Soldato's helmet made confirming this impossible. Though the annoyance in his growl was not concealed as he shoved the stuffed trap into Guy's arms. Knowing an order when he received one Guy made his exit with vermin in hand.

"Aww, how cute!" Renais chuckled, waiving at the little family as Guy made his way through the living room to the front door. The raccoons chittered, not the least bit calm given their abrupt departure.

"Don't tell that to J," Guy suggested. "Here, you take these guys outside. I'll go help J with the other cadges."

"How many others are there?" Mikoto asked, tentative. The girls had done a decent job on dusting the living room and looked ready to start on the carpets.

"Amami-san brought back five cadges, and J took all of 'em, so..." Guy shrugged. The cadge's handle hissed but otherwise did not react to Renais grabbing hold.

"Come on, cuties. There's a car heading to a raccoon paradise waiting outside for you."

"They are not cute," J grumbled, hauling another two cadges into the living room. Guy and Mikoto took one a piece; thus relieved, J went back to grab the remaining two cadges from the attic.

"Don't you mind grump old J-kun," Renais cooed. The raccoons, not understanding a word she was saying, continued to chitter in fear.

She abruptly handed the cadge off to the first person she saw – Mamoru, who had been coming out of the kitchen – and double timed it upstairs and to the attic. There was a loud crash and a startled yelp. For a moment, Guy, Mikoto, Mamoru, and Ikumi all looked at one another, confused. Had that been... J who had yelped?

About a minute later, J stormed past, missing his helmet and scowling, grip too tight on the cadges' handles. "Out," he growled, coming dangerously close to throwing the cadges just to be rid of them.

"Renais...?" Mikoto began to ask.

"Don't ask," Renais advised. Steam hissed as her cold coat began cooling down her perpetually overheating systems.

Mikoto and Guy exchanged a speaking look, while Mamoru looked towards Ikumi. The later shook his head negative, as confused as Mamoru.

Renais continued, "Once the raccoons are loaded into Volfogg's trunk, we are all going to take a nice long break. And maybe vaporize the fridge while we're at it. But we are going to take a break!"

There were apparently laws about where one could and could not release raccoons. As KouRyu had been keeping a running commentary on their activities for her sister's (and eavesdropping older siblings') benefit, Volfogg had been aware of their unique predicament. As always twelve steps ahead Volfogg had secured the required permissions to release the raccoons into a raccoon friendly, not so urban environment. He had even gone so far as to come in person to pick up the critters.

Which went a long way towards saving the vermin's lives as J's temper was near a boiling point. The ninja noticed the raccoon droppings on the heel of J's right boot; wisely, he chose to say nothing.

"All loaded," Mikoto confirmed, closing the trunk.

"Ah." Volfogg flashed his headlights in an automotive equivalent of a wave. "I hope the remainder of today's activities remain pest free." Without a further goodbye, Volfogg backed out of the Kaidou household driveway, then headed off down the road.

"Well! That finishes that!" Guy laughed aloud, clapping J on the shoulder.

J glared at him – and then sighed, relaxing. "I suppose raccoons were easier than bird droppings."

"Heh. If we went by stench alone it'd be a real contest."

"Did anyone think to grab the pizzas?" Renais demanded. While Mikoto had been settling the raccoons, she had gone back inside for refreshments. In one hand she was carrying out a trey of glasses; in the other, a forty gallon pitcher of water.

Mrs. Amami gestured for Renais to put the trey on the picnic blanket. "Not pizzas, no. Thinking on it, trying to use the oven now with the kitchen in such disarray just didn't make sense. So we picked up sandwiches instead. KouRyu is hanging on to them."

"That's your cue, Guy," Mikoto stage whispered, bumping her hip against Guy's.

"Right. Right after we wash up."

Which was a wise decision, J supposed. Who knew what those pests had gotten into?

Hands washed and sandwiches collected (and promptly distributed) their break became an immediate picnic. J had noticed Three G was fond of hosting picnics. Be they on Earth, at Orbit Base, or deep space – which had involved mother, the J-Ark, and a drunk Genesic GaiGar, and the less thought of that picnic the better – Three G seemed determined to squeeze in as many picnics in a year as possible. They were so very... social. A total change from the Soldato Division; from the Red Planet as a whole.

"Nee, nee, Mikoto-nee-chan!"

Pausing mid bite of her sandwich, Mikoto looked towards the bubbly La- Mamoru, J mentally corrected himself. He needed to practice using Earth names while not on mission. The cyborg's support wings was asking, "Yes?"

"Did you and Guy-nii-chan reschedule your wedding yet?"

"Wedding?" Kaidou Sakura repeated, blinking.

"Reschedule?!" Mrs. Amami sounded scandalized.

"BioNet sort of... blew a hole in the last one," Guy admitted sheepishly. "We didn't even get to file the paperwork with the government office."

"But Guy-nii-chan, that was two whole years ago!" Mamoru held up two fingers in emphasis.

"We have been kinda busy since then." The cyborg was starting to blush.

"Too busy to file the paperwork?" Mrs. Amami demanded. "Young man, there is a time and place for cold feet. You two are well past that!"

"Y-Yes ma'am," Guy whimpered.

Guy. The cyborg who had bested the Four Machine Kings, the Z-Master, and the Eleven Masters of Sol. Whimpering. Soldato-J weighed the merits of fighting or fleeing. He dismissed both when Renais laughed, the kind of laugh which was reserved for picnics.

Mrs. Amami continued her council: "File the paperwork, at least. Then you can take your time for a formal ceremony."

"It doesn't even have to be a big ceremony," Mr. Amami chuckled, weighing in on the conversation. Putting one hand to his mouth so that his wife could not see (never mind that she was sitting right next to him) the portly man stage whispered, "All we did was file the paperwork and go to Hawaii."

"And my parents never forgave you, did they, papa?" Mrs. Amami cooed, wrapping both arms around Mr. Amami before kissing him.

"Waha!"

"Eeewww! Mom, dad~!" Mamoru protested.

When Kaidou Sakura put down her glass, the noise, soft though it was, was sufficient to quiet them all. Perhaps he was being melodramatic but for a moment... For just a moment, J could have sworn the wind itself stopped.

"J." Kaidou-san waited for him to acknowledge before continuing, "In the corner of the attic on the left hand side tucked under a bluebonnet sheet is an oak trunk. Please go get it."

She seemed... determined. As though steeling herself for a painful situation. Not even when she had been facing chemo therapy had seen seemed so stoic.

Soldato-J did not ask questions. He set his plate and glass aside and went. Up the stairs, leaving his helmet where it had fallen at the base of the attic stairs, upwards into the dark, humid den. The stench was easy enough to ignore. There were three sheets in the attic: One turned grey with dust and age, one turned black with the same. And then there was the third sheet, which looked comparatively new. The bluebonnet sheet, called such due to both its color and the decorative stenciling. The oak trunk was half the size of the refrigerator but weighed twice as much in part due to the cast-iron fasting which secured it.

When J returned with the trunk, the small group had shifted to form a semi-circle around Kaidou-san. The old woman looked her age; more so, somehow, with the way she held a bronze key turned green with age. At her direction J put the trunk down in front of her.

Kaidou-san hesitated for a moment. Then, with a sighed wince, she put the key into the trunk's lock. The mechanism worked as though it were new, unlocking without protest.

There was a group gasp from Mikoto, Renais, Mr. and Mrs. Amami, Mamoru, and Guy when Kaidou-san opened the trunk. J could not understand why: Inside was fabric. Brightly colored, orange on peach with a cherry tree outlined in gold thread, and preserved well enough to appear new, yes, but just fabric.

Kaidou-san stood, pulling the fabric out to reveal it to be a kimono. Though he had no taste for art, J admitted the piece was museum quality work. Almost like a bit of the sunset sky turned tangible.

"I locked this all away when my husband died. I couldn't bare to see it... nor could I bare to part with it." Kaidou Sakura folded the kimono into a neat package once again.

And handed the package to Mikoto.

"Oh I couldn't!"

"Yes dear. You could." Kaidou-san gently wrapped Mikoto's hands around the kimono. "I have been more blessed than I can count. It is time and past this bring another as much joy on their wedding day as it brought me."

"Oh Kaidou-san...!" Mikoto swallowed tears as she abruptly hugged the older woman. Gathering herself again, Mikoto pulled back enough to bow, her head nearly touching the picnic blanket. "Thank you so very much!"

Guy was also bowing, head half as low as Mikoto's. "Thank you, Kaidou-sama."

"There is a catch, of course." When Mikoto and Guy both looked at her, Kaidou-san grinned – or tried to. The mirth of her expression did not reach her eyes. "I expect to be receiving wedding invitations before fall ends."

Mikoto looked to Guy, who nodded and replied, "Yes ma'am!"

Kaidou-san continued to smile a smile that rang hollow for the remainder of the day and long into the evening. And even as he worked with Arma and the others to put their home back into proper shape, Soldato-J 002 was left with questions he could not ask. What was a wedding? Why did these weddings make mother so sad? And why did all this talk of weddings lead to Renais looking at him with an odd, contemplative expression?

"Oh my gosh its sunset already!" Mr. Amami gasped loud enough to be heard through the whole house, including the attic. "I gotta get home! Work tomorrow! Satellite launch in a month! No time to dawdle!"

"I can come back tomorrow again, if you'd like?" Mrs. Amami asked.

Ikumi shook his head negative. "Today was the worst of it, thank you."

"All right. But we're leaving the cleaning supplies. And our number is in the school directory if you change your mind."

"I could stay over?" Mamoru suggested. That he was up to his elbows in dirt may have been a factor in his offer.

"With the house in this condition?" Mrs. Amami turned back to Ikumi, and ignored her bouncing husband for the moment as he rushed about trying to find his car keys. "I know its home, Kaidou-kun, but its not back to being livable just yet. Once the attic is disinfected and all the holes are patched..."

"We were going to stay on the J-Ark tonight. Maybe tomorrow, too, if we have to."

Mrs. Amami looked out the side windows at the J-Ark's command deck. "Oh... Well, if it was alright with J-san, I suppose... But we'd have to go get you a change of cloths from home, Mamoru-kun. And get you washed up. It'd be rude to track in so much dust into such a nice space ship."

Soldato-J handed Mr. Amami his car keys; they had been hiding on the coffee table. "The J-Ark is capable of cleaning itself, Amami-san. Such a minor amount of dirt is a non-issue, though I thank you for your concern."

"Does that mean I can stay over?" Mamoru half asked, half begged.

J exchanged a look with Arma, who shrugged.

"If your mother is agreeable," J allowed.

"Waha!"

"Change of cloths, first!" Mrs. Amami was adamant on that point.

"Be back in thirty minutes!" Mamoru promised. The way his father was rushing out the door, a more accurate assessment may have been fifteen minutes.

"And what about the rest of us, Mr. J?" Renias asked, though her tone of voice was one she usually used for jokes. "Do we get to stay over? Maybe get a guided tour?" As if they had not gotten enough of a tour during the journey back from the Trinary Star System.

"Humph. Why not."

Renais dropped the industrial strength suitcase she'd been carrying. "You're serious?"

"Of course he's serious!" Mikoto laughed. "Its not as though there isn't enough room!" To J she said, "Guy and I will stay for the tour, but not for the night. Not if..." and she looked out towards where Kaidou Sakura sat with the trunk and the kimono, all three kept safe from whatever the house-wide cleaning might kick up. Then Mikoto shook herself and smiled. "I'd better go get Guy."

Renais glared at him, and J had no idea why.

---

The "tour" lasted two hours and was less tour and more a game of memory. Guy, Mikoto, and Mamoru ran about, intentionally getting lost just so they could test their memory on how to best get back to "base" – which was the command deck, whether J was amused by it or not. Kaidou Sakura and Ikumi were in Kaidou-san's room looking over some of the books which had been packed away in the trunk. They seemed valuable, if only in emotional weight.

J had brought the the trunk inside the J-Ark, along with its kin from the attic, both to keep them safe and to free up some room in the attic. A professional was going to have to patch the multiple holes; they were beyond both Guy and J's limited repair skills. Hand either one a fried motherboard, and they could have it fixed in five minutes flat. Hand them handyman work, though... Calling them clueless was being polite.

Renais reclined in Arma's access chair, twirling a lock of hair around her fingers, looking out at nothing and everything all at once. The expression of someone deep in thought. Working on some paperwork via his console (why did humans complicate everything? Duplicates and triplicates and a waste of time all around) J did not disturb her.

When Guy and Mikoto left, the duo acknowledged their departure, but did little else. Dinner was a quiet thing in the J-Ark's little kitchen. At length, Kaidou-san convinced Latio and Arma to go to bed and herself retired.

The moon had risen to its apex before Renais spoke to J directly. They were in the hall; J had been heading towards his quarters, while Renais had been... Well, J did not know what she had been doing. Wandering the corridors, hand tracing the decorative stencil on the walls, Renais had not seemed to have any destination in mind. Wandering aimless, lost in the sky of her thoughts.

They passed one another. And then Renais stopped and said, "J."

J stopped as well. Turning slightly, he looked back towards her. She was not looking towards him, but instead out the window, towards the Kaidou home. Her left hand was buried in her cold coat pocket; her right was pressed against the window.

At his acknowledgment, Renais said, "You know, I don't know a damn thing about you. Well," her smile was more frown than smile, "I know you love Ikumi, and your mom. ...and me." The last she added in a half whisper. Looking towards him now, Renais stated, "But I don't know you. And you don't know me. Which leaves us where? All fine and dandy to say, "I love you," but it starts to sound hollow after a while."

"Renais..." J started to say. Words... He could never find the words.

Renais pushed away from the window. "Never mind me, J. Just a glitch talking out her –!"

Words, J was terrible with. Physical action, though, was his forte: Before Renais could finish speaking, J had moved to stand in front of her. Slowly, he put his right hand on her cheek, and held out his left.

Renais sighed, cupping his hand with her own as she leaned into his touch. Taking a deep breath, she let it out in another sigh – and pushed his hand away.

"We don't know anything about each other, and we have the gall to call it love."

J reached out to touch her right hand – only touch, not hold, fingers brushing the back of her hand. His J-Jewel glittered, receiving an echo of a glint from her G-Stone.

"I know you are a warrior. A phoenix. I-"

Renais put her left index finger over his lips. "Hollow platitudes. You don't even know when I was born. Or where. My favorite color or ice cream flavor. We know nothing about one another. We haven't even tried. If that's what love is..."

Taking her left hand in his, J interlaced his fingers with hers. It was always a shock to see how much smaller she was compared to himself, and yet she could do so much. "Renais, lend me a bit of your strength."

"What?" Even confused she was beautiful.

J took a steadying breath. Void swallow him, the words were catching in his throat. "I have not asked... because I do not know how."

"You are not going to blame this on a language barrier," she began to growl.

"No, no," J started to say. Swallowed.

Renais arched a delicate eyebrow. "Soldato-J 002. Are you... speechless?"

J nodded, because he knew he would squeak if he tried to speak. Squeak. The last Soldato squeaking. And for no other reason than because his mind went blank whenever he tried to speak to one particular woman.

"...you're completely clueless," Renais blurted, stunned.

J nodded again since it was the truth.

"I know you said you were created a Soldato but... I mean... Even Soldatos have social lives, right?"

"A... social life?" J repeated the odd words. By now he had resigned himself to the fact the Earth and her people would forever be confusing him.

Renais gaped at him, a reaction which caused J to blink. After a long beat Renais asked, "What did you do in-between fighting the Zonders? Besides eat, sleep, maintenance, that sort of junk. Did you read any good books?"

"Field reports?" J offered.

Renais stared at him. And then abruptly she started laughing. Wrapping her arms around him, she pillowed her head on his chest and laughed, and laughed – and as J was beginning to worry, her laughter eased into hiccups. Renais was both laughing and crying and all J could do was return her hug with equal force.

"I am an idiot."

"You are not."

Renais giggled at the growl in J's voice. "Yes I am. Not for the reason you're thinking, though. I thought... I thought you'd realized you'd made a mistake and just didn't want me to feel bad about it, which is why you hadn't – I was waiting for you," she poked him none to gently in the chest, "to ask me on a date. Cowardly me, waiting for the alien from the other side of the galaxy to follow silly, stupid human custom. ...not having the courage to ask you myself."

J squeezed Renais tighter for a fraction, wishing that words were unnecessary. A shame telepathy had not been included in Soldato designs. It would have been a boon for situations such as this.

Renais wiped the tears from her eyes. "We should talk," she said, smiling.

It was a non sequitur, but J was used to those from Renais. "About?"

"Me. And you. And whatever else we think about."

"So that we can better... know one another?"

"Exactly. Could even make it into a dating game. Truth or dare or twenty questions."

"We could be talking for a long time. My room is closer."

Renais laughed again. "J, if you were anyone else, I would be suspicious as to where this was going." She kissed him, a light peck against his cheek, before saying, "Its an Earth thing, J. Never mind."

J added the comment to a growing mental list of questions to ask the cyborg about later.

The rooms of the J-Ark were spartan in their design scheme. They had been built for war, not for aesthetics; though the J-Ark designers had tried to fit in both. By the Blue Planet's measurements of the latter, the designers had fallen short of the mark. As Soldato-J had been built for the former, he did not care.

Save for now. Now he cared quite a bit. There were no chairs in his room, only the bed, and while a triangle was a firebird's symbol and thus doubly fitting for Renais to lounge across it, it made things rather... close. Those rectangular beds humans used had more space. Here, Renais and he would have to sit hip to hip to face one another. Or he could stand... which Renais would not allow. So they sat side by side, J with his back reclining against the wall, Renais shifting so that she half lay on her side, legs tucked up a bit so she could fit.

And she was reclining against him. The heat of her perpetually overheating systems – the heat of her – soaked into his armor, into his skin, leaving him feeling warm in a more than a physical way. It was... nice. For a moment he imagined how it would feel to lay like this forever... then put such a thought aside.

Renais surprised him when she said, "This is nice..." Absently, her hand curled around his, her G-Stone pulsing in time with his J-Jewel.

"Yes... it is," J agreed. Renais giggled, snuggling a little closer (there really was not much room) and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Vanilla."

"Hum?"

"My favorite flavor of ice cream. Its vanilla."

"Ah..." He was supposed to answer, wasn't he? "I have not had much ice cream. There was none on the Red Planet."

"Oh the scandal," Renais giggled, teasing him.

"Mama... that is, Kaidou-san, seemed to think so."

Renais squeezed his hand slightly. "Its okay to call her mama. I know who you mean." Then she asked, "Do you have a favorite food?"

"Spaghetti." Simple but tasteful, and the first meal his mother had made for him.

"Spaghetti's good. I like strawberries."

"Those are good on vanilla ice cream." He hoped his answer was sufficient, as Renais had giggled again. It was supposed to be his turn to ask a question, wasn't it? And so he asked, "Where were you born?"

"Paris. I'll never forget the Christmas parade mom took me to when I was six. The city covered in lights, snow drifting down, carolers on every corner, an adventure on every street..." Her smile wavered. "That was the year we had to go into hiding. Because of BioNet." She shook herself of the less pleasant memory. "What's the first thing you remember?"

"Lord Abel." The memory was etched into his mind: The leader of the Red Planet, how sad yet determined he looked, as he explained the terror which had descended upon his people. How he had wished there was another way to combat the menace of the Zonders; how there had been no other reasonable choice but to create the thousand strong Soldato Division. At the time Lord Abel had asked them to forgive him imposing such an impossible task. J had never quite understood his reason for speaking so – until he had faced the enemy, and seen the horror Abel had so feared, up close and in person.

Renais shivered, "He sounds intimidating, all right," and curled up closer against him.

"...what?"

"Lord Abel. Larger than life and that bright red hair a fireball all itself." She paused, realizing he was looking at her with an odd expression. "What?" she demanded.

"I never told you what he looked like."

"But you were saying just a second ago..."

"I only said his name. I said nothing about him."

"But..." Renais sat up, her hand releasing his.

It was as though they were in the arctic circle, the room suddenly felt so cold, the red and green lights dimming.

...wait. His room did not have red and green lights.

Renais must have realized it as well. Slowly, she stared at her glimmering G-Stone. J's J-Jewel was equally active, flickering in time with Renais's G-Stone. J reached out, hesitated a moment – Renais met his hand, holding his.

Both gemstones began to pulse. The room felt warmer. Or was he getting warmer? Green and red light began to fill the room. Renais closed her eyes.

Music? "Christmas bells?" J wondered aloud. Where was-

The music cut out when Renais let go of his hand, as did the lights and warmth. Renais and J looked at one another with matching expressions of wonderment and confusion.

"TOM-chan?" Renais asked aloud.

"I was monitoring," TOMORO-0117's voice echoed in the suddenly too small room. It was little comfort that the AI sounded as confused as J felt. "It is a recorded fact that G-Stones are able to convey information from one unit to another instantly. The J-Jewel is a modified copy of the G-Stone. In theory, a G-Stone and J-Jewel could exchange information."

"Information," Renais repeated.

"Like thoughts?" J suggested.

"Possibly." TOMORO-0117 did not sound certain. "I am recording the data from your J-Jewel, J."

J acknowledged with a nod. Then, for a moment tentative, J held out his hand. Renais swallowed – nervous? – before reaching out and holding his hand. Fingers interlaced, J closed his eyes. Renais closed hers as well.

The two gemstones began to glow again, brighter this time. So bright J could see their glow even with his eyes closed. Focusing, J concentrated on the first time he had seen Earth's sky: Blue and brilliant, rivaled by Renais's beauty.

A small tickle at the back of his skull. Embarrassment? Not his – Renais! Opening his eyes, he found Renais was blushing.

"You think I'm pretty?" Renais asked, as though she could not quite believe it.

J closed the distance between them, the better for a kiss. Renais met him halfway. Feelings – twisted, intermingled, blended – as they kissed. For a moment J could feel Renais feeling as though she were about to fall into an abyss... and he let go of her hand. The kiss was still tender, and he still felt warm when they broke apart.

Renais's cold coat activated, cooling her – and her systems. She swallowed; almost said something, but thought better of it. She held his hand again, and kissed him a second time. The sky, wide and blue and beautiful, wings open wide to catch thermal updrafts and soar higher and higher, phoenix wings never faltering.

When they broke apart, what they felt was not so much a regret as it was serenity.

Robbed of words, Renais mumbled, "Wow..."

"Wow," J agreed, since that was the only word he could think of as well.

TOMORO-0117 wisely kept silent.

---

Day two of cleaning opened with Kaidou Sakura making phone calls to local general contractors, trying to find one who would be able to repair the attic and roof without costing her "an arm and a leg". It had been a metaphor meaning she was trying not to pay more than what the work cost. A rather... odd metaphor. Odd metaphors seemed to describe the whole of the human species.

It also opened with TOMORO-0117 speaking to Dr. Liger. While Renais's father's experience lay more in robotics than cybernetics, he had rebuilt Renais's cyborg modifications from the ground up and knew more about GS-Ride systems than any human alive. Currently, Dr. Liger was in his private NASA lab. While it was morning in Japan, in America it was inching past midnight.

"There's no one here in the lab with me, if that's what you're worried about," Dr. Liger chuckled. "So! Interesting readings, hum?"

"Yes." TOMORO-0117 transmitted the readings from J's J-Jewel.

Dr. Liger whistled as he worked through them. "Quite a lot of data seemed to have been moving. Both transmitting," he paused, frowning, "and receiving. Interest-" His voice cut off mid word.

"Dr. Liger?" TOMORO-0117 inquired when the man did nothing but stare at the data.

"TOMORO. What was Soldato-J 002 doing with my daughter?"

"Talking. Renais called it a mini date."

The man took a deep, steadying breath. "Just talking? Nothing... intimate?"

"Kissing was involved."

"But nothing else? Just talking? A little kissing?"

"Yes." TOMORO-0117 then did a rather stupid thing and asked, "Why?"

Dr. Liger looked uncharacteristic glum. "Despite her opinions to the contrary, I do love my daughter. I want her to be happy. I also never want her heart to be broken. Which J could so very easily do... and he wouldn't even mean to. Which just makes me all the more worried." He paused, then demanded, "And if I ever find out you told either of them what I just said, I will do percussive maintenance on your computer core with a diamond tipped chainsaw. Clear?"

"U-Understood." J? Hurt Renais? The concept was difficult to calculate.

In a swift change of mood, Dr. Liger laughed, "Great!" Like father, like daughter, the saying went? He was continuing, "Now, this data explains a lot of theories I had. Like back during the fight against the Eleven Masters of Sol – how was Renais able to co-pilot King J-Der? Simple!" he answered himself before TOMORO-0117 could, "J taught her how without even meaning to! An amazing thing these Infinite Information Circuits. Still so much we don't know about them! You know, I bet Renais could pilot the J-Ark herself, now... We should test that!"

"Not recommended," TOMORO-0117 immediately attempted to veto the idea. A pilot other than J or Arma? Even if it was Renais, he would rather not.

"Oh, I agree, not right now. Renais is a month and eighteen days past due for maintenance. Would want to try something like this when she's all tuned up."

TOMORO-0117 ran back the last second of audio to make sure his inputs had not been scrambled. They had not been. Which meant he had to inquire, "Renais is forty eight days past due for maintenance?"

"Hum? Oh, yes, she is." Dr. Liger waived his hand as though to wave away any concern.

Forty eight days past due for maintenance. With her systems as botched as they were, her actions at present were not reckless – they were life threatening.

"Why?" TOMORO-0117 demanded.

Dr. Liger sighed, mood once again depressed. "You have her records, TOMORO. You know what BioNet did to her. Four months of torture."

"Torture?"

"...they didn't use anesthesia. She was conscious for every procedure."

TOMORO-0117 felt his processor slow. Conscious. For every procedure. For four months. The psychological damage alone... As a cyborg she required monthly maintenance, which meant returning, time and time again, to a room identical to the one where BioNet scientists had... had violated her.

"Oh," TOMORO-0117 managed to say.

"Exactly so," Dr. Liger concurred.

TOMORO-0117 managed to ask, "Is there a way we can assist?"

"That won't end up with Renias screaming at you or J? Ha! If you do find a way, tell me, please." The emphasis on the plea was half joke, and all real. Now that he was monitoring for it, TOMORO-0117 could detect the stress patterns in his voice.

"I will."

Dr. Liger looked at the monitor pickup; TOMORO-0117's communication to the NASA lab did not have a visual, so Dr. Liger could not "look" at him per say. The old man sighed – and it was striking to see how old he looked, when he stopped trying to act like a man forty years younger.

"Thank you, TOMORO," he said at last. Then in a lightning change of mood, he clapped his hands together. "Oooh! This is so interesting! You know we've been working on a JJ-Ride system for a while. Or trying to. Can't even make a J-Jewel yet!" His laughter at their predicament was genuine. "But this – this is proof of concept! J-Jewels act identical to G-Stones! We could really build a JJ-Ride!"

Diversifying their power sources for mecha was a sound tactical decision. Their lack of a J-Jewel was understandable: They were working from zero, so to speak. With the G-Stones, they had been able to examine an original. At present they had no original J-Jewels to work with. Perhaps...

TOMORO-0117 set the idea aside for further investigation. There was a more urgent issue at hand. His timing would have to be perfect or else.

The chance came around eleven o'clock. Downstairs had been sufficiently cleaned, pantry set back to order, and new refrigerator installed. Upstairs was also sufficiently cleaned. All that was left was the attic, and Kaidou-san had selected a contractor she believed capable of repairing that issue; however, the contractor and her team would not be arriving until tomorrow. Which meant everyone was coming inside the J-Ark to join Kaidou-san (who had graciously agreed to do all her research and phone calls from her quarters on the J-Ark) for midday refueling. And "everyone" included Renais.

No trickery. No slight-of-hand. Renais would loath any such actions.

So instead TOMORO-0117 decided to be blunt: He decided to ask Renais outright.

TOMORO-0117 waited, patient as an AI could be, until J and Renais were alone. Not as long of a wait as he had anticipated: Kaidou-san appeared to be aware of certain events (which events was a question of some debate) and had conspired to get J and Renais alone. A simple conspiracy: Claiming to be late meeting an old acquaintance, asking if KouRyu or AnRyu were available to provide transportation, Arma being "convinced" to help her off the J-Ark. Little things, perfectly innocent – and sufficient to entrap J and Renais in the kitchen with cleanup duties.

"Renais."

Shaking the soapy water from her hands, Renais chuckled, "Well, this is a first. Yes, TOM-chan?"

"While reviewing the data from the J-Jewel with your father, Dr. Liger mentioned you were forty eight days past due for routine maintenance."

J gagged, "Over a month...!?" while Renais growled, "Oh did he?"

"He was rather concerned." And before Renais could say something about her father she would later regret, TOMORO-0117 stated, "Your system specs are on file. The J-Ark's automated maintenance system is available if you wish."

"Oh, yes, because having a computer knock me unconscious for a stupid tune up would make it so much better!" Renais snapped.

"I would handle it personally," TOMORO-0117 promised.

Renais faltered. And then she yelled, "Who does it isn't the problem, its the damn process! Its like having a scar yanked open over and over and goddamn it!"

J caught both her hands in his before her fury could endanger the dishes.

"Let go." It was half a request, half a plea; her voice was so cold.

J wrapped his left hand around her right. "Show me?" It was a question with no weight behind it. She could refuse, and J would never ask again.

"Show you how much of a coward I am?" Renais dismissed the idea with a snort; her cold coat triggered, adding frost to her furry.

"Unless the definition of cowardice has changed recently, begging for mercy from people installing cybernetic enhancements by force without anesthesia does not qualify as cowardly," TOMORO-0117 noted.

J stiffened, jaw shut tight. There was a thread of steel in his voice when he asked, "BioNet scientists. Are they already dead?"

"What, and if they're not, you're going to go kill them for me?"

Renais's angry sneer fell into shock when J answered without hesitation, "Yes."

"J..."

"They hurt you, in a way worse than any Zonder could. I would kill them, so they can never hurt you again. Or anyone else. Ever."

Renais almost chuckled. "That is either the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me, or the craziest. Probably both."

"Renais..."

"It hurts, you know. Maintenance operations. I know... I know they aren't BioNet. They even put me into REM sleep if I ask. But it still hurts. The heat... the heat is always there, even when I dream. Even when I don't dream. Even now..." Renais shuddered, an emotional and physical response. "I hate it. I hate it! I just want to be... normal. Go shopping without worrying about setting the cloths on fire just by touching them. Giving a friend a hug without sending them to the ICU. And I can't... not without setting the world on fire. And every month I get a reminder that I can never be normal. I can only ever be a – a freak. Because of what BioNet did to me."

"You still fight. You still fly. You soar above their reach." J rested his head against hers.

Renais dismissed J's claim with a sad sigh. "Not according to Three G. Three G wants BioNet locked up. I just want the vermin dead. All of them. I want all of BioNet dead for what they did to me!"

"You want revenge. For yourself, and everyone they have ever harmed." J wrapped his right arm around her in a hug; his J-Jewel was beginning to glow, Renais's G-Stone slowly brightening. "Their deaths alone will not bring you the vengeance you seek. Eliminating BioNet, all of it, from its field troops, its scientists, to its progenitors – that will."

"...you understand," Renais whispered, not quite sure she could believe it.

"Yes. I felt the same, after the Red Planet was mechanized by the Zonders." J paused for a moment, for a half second internal debate – and then he asked, "May I show you?"

"Like last night?" At J's affirmative, Renais agreed, "If it'll work."

J closed his eyes; Renais closed her eyes as well. Both gemstones glowed brighter, filling the kitchen with light.

A voice from a distant past spoke: "This planet is finished..."

---

To visit a cemetery was akin to visiting another world. All the humdrum bustle of life fell away into quiet solitude when one stepped through the gate. This particular gate, Kaidou Sakura had not walked through in some time. Twelve years, in fact. The shrines were not as well kept as they should have been; she overheard a pair of monks gossiping about offerings, both to the dead and to the shrine, were at an all time low.

"Mama?" Ikumi asked.

She had stopped walking. She felt so very heartsick seeing the grave again. A quick prayer for courage, and she turned to her youngest child. "Ikumi-kun. This is... This is where papa is buried."

As always it was impossible to tell what her son was thinking. TOMORO-0117 had tried to explain it once: That Ikumi was a kind of living computer, that he was... different. That he could remember all that had happened to him since infancy – since before infancy – which was a heavy burden for him. Time had made it a little lighter of a burden: These days, he was acting more like a child should, and less like a world weary adult. And he would never be one to wear his emotions on his sleeves, unlike the Amamis' child.

Ikumi watched as she washed the grave, then set up the incense. It was a small shrine, so she could not place much, just three sticks on the grave's right and left sides. Kaidou-san had been about to light a match to start the incense burning – when Ikumi reached forward and, using a pinch of his power, lit them himself.

Its been a long time, Daisuke, Kaidou-san thought, sighing. Clapping her hands to gather any nearby kamis' attention, she offered her prayers to her husband's ghost. High above, an advertising bi-plane flew past. They were at the wrong angle to see what its streamer said.

"I think he would have driven J nuts," Ikumi said. "Wouldn't have stopped pestering him for explanations on how the J-Ark worked until he understood it."

"And then he would have started annoying poor TOMORO-kun." Kaidou-san's smile was edged with old, worn sadness. "I still have the deed to his plane, you know. It was in one of the trunks. The airplane school still has it; keeps it in good repair. If, when you're old enough to get a license, you'd like to learn how..." She chuckled as she stood. "I wouldn't have to worry about you doing stunts. Not like other mothers would."

Ikumi looked down at his J-Jewel pendent. He often looked at it rather than at the sky when he was thinking.

"I'd like that, I think," he decided at length. "J might not."

"J could take lessons, too. If TOMORO-kun will let him." At Ikumi's odd look, Kaidou-san chuckled, "I have had a lot of time to read up on Soldato-J 002 and the J-Ark. TOMORO-kun and Soldato-J... they aren't really one person, but they aren't really two, are they?"

Ikumi shook his head negative. "Not really. They were made to be... paternal twins, kind of. Abel needed a lot of warriors in a hurry, not just... children."

Kaidou-san wrapped her arms around Ikumi's shoulders. The shorter child blinked, looking up at his mother. The old woman shook her head, smiling in understanding. "You and J couldn't have saved the Red Planet alone. It hurts, I know, to have power yet know you're powerless."

"Like being a nurse, and not being able to save his life..." Ikumi swallowed down tears.

"Just so," his mother agreed, the grief too old to bring fresh tears to her eyes. "But you have to focus on the victories. Or the grief swallows you whole. And you and J and TOMORO-kun... what a grand victory against the Eleven Sol Masters!"

"...do you want to be a nurse again?" Ikumi asked.

"No," Kaidou-san answered without hesitating. "Medical knowledge has gone a long, long way from what I used to know. I wouldn't know how to catch up. Besides, if I went back to being a nurse, who would keep J and TOMORO-kun out of trouble while you're in school?"

Ikumi short of shrugged.

Changing the subject, she asked, "Have you given any thought to what high school you want to attend?" It was wonderful, in Kaidou-san's guilty opinion, to be able to ask that question without having to worry about how to afford even the worst schools' tuition.

Ikumi shrugged again. "A talent scout from Tokyo University came to the school. They... were thinking of putting me on the advanced path."

"Is that what you want?"

"...no."

"Then I will in no uncertain terms tell this talent scout, and any and all of his friends, to leave you alone. And if that doesn't work, we can ask Renais if she would... speak with them." Her son gave her a long, long look. "Overkill, yes, but I never want you to feel as though you're being pressured into a life you do not want to live. I want you to have a happy life, not a miserable one. Or," she tugged him gently away from the grave, "we could ask J to speak with the recruiters."

The image of Soldato-J 002 in full armor talking to (more realistically, glaring into submission) college recruiters was sufficient to tease a giggle from Ikumi.

As the two walked away, speaking of happier topics, the wind caught up the incense smoke. For a moment – just a moment – it looked as though a man might be sitting at the grave. Grey haired, bespectacled, wearing a pilot's jacket with the name KAIDOU in bold letters on his breast pocket, the man smiled.

And then in a puff of flame both he and the incense were gone.

---

All right. This... wasn't going to be hard. All the other times she had walked into a room like this she had been alone. Not alone, alone, but no one without cold gloves had been able to hold her hand. But now... Now, an alien from a planet where the seas were made of fire instead of water, who could hold her hand without getting third or worse degree burns... A man who thought she was beautiful, who loved her for who she was, not what BioNet had made her; who had gone through so much and actually understood...

J holding her hand should not have made that much of a difference. But it did, because it was J.

"The old fart makes me take off my cold coat. Interference and what not," Renais murmured. She was stalling already, trying to postpone it even further.

"Unnecessary," TOMORO-0117 stated.

...right. Because the Red Planet had been (metaphoric and literal) lightyears ahead of Earth when it came to technology. Of course a silly little thing like her cold coat would not cause an issue.

J squeezed her hand. Swallowing fear, with his blue, blue eyes meeting her own, Renais tried to not run. There was no pity to his actions, no sympathy for her plight. Just... understanding...

She made it into the room. What she found inside was both expected and not: A circular dais bristling with circuitry that pulsed in a steady hypnotic rhythm. There should have been wires as well, to connect her GS-Ride gauntlet to the main computer. There should have been carts with tools so cold they would feel hot to the touch. There should have been ten people, a regular old pit crew, there to change her oil in ten minutes flat.

But there was just the circular dais/table/bed/thing. No tools. No people. Just her, the table, J, and TOM-chan.

"The automatic maintenance system is an enclosed system," J was saying, through Renais was barely listening to him, trying as she was not to remember BioNet. Each step closer made it all the harder. He squeezed her hand to catch her attention, and Renais heard him say, "The lid will come down once maintenance starts."

Lid. There was... a lid...? Looking up – and looking a little wide-eyed – Renais could not see a lid. It wasn't as though the room was not well lit, she just... couldn't see anything on or in the ceiling that looked like a lid.

Trust me, that squeeze meant.

Renais swallowed. "Lid. Right. Won't... panic about the lid." Bloody wonderful; she was going to break the damn thing at this rate. Assuming she didn't break herself first.

The dais lowered so that she didn't have to jump into it. It was more like a bed at this height, all the easier to be restrained – to lay down in. J gave her hand a final squeeze before stepping back. Renais did her best to be brave with BioNet humming in her ears.

The hypnotic pulse of the circuitry sped up. A dome made of glass, or something that looked like glass, slipped over the top of the table/bed. From where she lay Renais could not see where it had come from. Heat was starting to build up but her cold coat did not activate. There was a prickle in her right forearm just underneath her gauntlet.

"Main computer connection to G-Stone, complete. Beginning maintenance cycle," TOMORO-0117 announced.

Renais closed her eyes, expecting to be sucked into dreams of endless heat. Instead, when she felt wind brush across her skin, Renais opened her eyes –

And found herself floating in an endless sky. No heat, save for the gentle companionship of the sun above. Renais turned to look at the world stretched out below... and was delighted to find the J-Ark keeping a lazy pace beneath her. Far enough below so that she had a grand view of Earth, the J-Ark followed along as nothing more than an equivalent of a lifeguard on duty.

It was an illusion, of course. Or maybe a dream started by a suggestion to her brain from TOM-chan. Or maybe a bit of both...

Fly, phoenix of my heart, J's voice whispered in her ear.

Excellent advice even if it was a bit sappy. Making a conscious decision not to think, Renais let the wind carry here where it may.

---

There were two weeks left before the wedding.

Things felt... hectic, at Three G Orbit Base. After Renais had explained what a wedding was, Soldato-J better understood why everyone was excited. Though at this point the ceremony between Guy and Mikoto was a formality – their relationship had survived a solar system exploding, after all. Little could dent their commitment to one another.

"Oi, J!"

J paused, turning towards where Guy's voice had come from. Down a level and across from him, at the cafeteria, Guy had a lunch trey in one hand and was waiving with the other. There were still two hours before his next patrol... Decided, J flew over.

"Cyborg."

"Heh." Guy chuckled, rubbing one hand behind his head. Apparently he hadn't though J would join him. "Got time for lunch? Its spaghetti day."

J dismissed his helmet. "Ah."

Guy secured a table for them while J collected his lunch trey. The spaghetti here was not as good as mother's, but it was tasty enough. They also had lemon cakes; J decided he might as well try a slice. Trey thus loaded, J took his seat across from Guy.

"So..." Guy poked at his curry rice. "I heard you and Renais raided a BioNet lab recently?"

"Shuu was there," J answered before Guy could ask. Ignoring Guy's startled blink, J noted, "It seems BioNet learned its lesson with Renais. They've kept him in good repair. His combat specs matched with previous data, at least. He also," and J was doing his best not to grin as he remembered Renais's expression during this part of the fight, "wanted to tell you congratulations, and that BioNet will not interrupt your wedding a second time. Their operations have been set back by three weeks due to multiple Three G raids."

Guy was looking revealed, confused, and happy all at once. "I don't suppose he said if he'd attend, too?"

"He did not."

Guy sighed, "Oh well. At least he's doing well... Though I don't think I'll ever understand why he joined BioNet."

Neither did Renais, who had been furious about not being able to shoot Shuu someplace fatal during his withdraw. Instead she had settled on shooting him in the thigh, and only there because Shuu's death would have put Guy and Mikoto – and thus the wedding – into a black mood.

"You know, Mikoto asked Renais to be her bridesmaid. They're going shopping for dresses this afternoon."

Renais had been giddy about the prospect, even if she had to wear her cold coat over her dress. And speaking of her cold coat, J needed to check with TOMORO regarding the status of a particular project...

Guy was saying, "I was wondering if you'd agree to be my best man."

"Best man?"

"Ah. Its a big part of the wedding. Basically? You'd make sure I don't do something stupid."

For a moment, J paused. "Such as...?"

"Making sure I don't look like an idiot the day of the wedding, helping to pick out the wedding rings, making sure I don't get so drunk I take Galeon to Jupiter again. Or if I do, come pick me up. ...this time without shooting me." Guy was trying not to wince, blush, and laugh all at the same time.

"I believe that qualifies as asking for a miracle," J stated, deadpan.

"Not as much of one as what uncle Liger is planning," Guy countered.

Renais piloting the J-Ark. A G-Stone syncing with a J-Jewel generator. The idea was sound in theory, but in application – it was both terrifying and wonderful, and the very thought of it made J feel as though he were about to step onto a battlefield without his armor.

"So...?" Guy asked.

Soldato-J sighed. "I will need a better briefing than, "keep you from something stupid" since asking me to do this qualifies."

"Sure! You have outer orbit patrol today, right?" At J's affirmative, Guy suggested, "I could come along?"

As outer orbit patrol tended to be uneventful, save for the occasional meteor shower or request from astrophysicists for bits of space junk, J agreed.

"Great! And... speaking of Renias..." Guy looked J in the eye. "Are you two dating?"

"I... believe we are, yes." J put down his fork, since this seemed to be serious. "I love her. The feeling is... mutual." J frowned at Guy's concerned look. "Is that a problem, cyborg."

Guy held up both hands as though to prove he was unarmed. "No, no, not a problem, per say, but... You're... don't take this the wrong way, but..."

"As Renais noted, I am clueless regarding human customs." J's expression was half a smirk, half a resigned smile. "However, I was thinking..."

When J's voice trailed off, Guy nudged, "Yeah?"

"Ice cream in Paris?"

Guy grinned. "J. You are not as clueless as you think. Little things like that can go a long way towards showing her how you feel as well. Just... I'm not quite sure you know how badly BioNet hurt her, here." Guy tapped his chest, over his heart. "Physically Renais is healed. Emotionally..."

"I know."

"Well, uncle Liger's going to pitch a fit on general principle." Guy grinned at J's confused look. "His one and only daughter dating. Doesn't matter how honorable you are, the one thing uncle Liger is going to be thinking is that you're the man who's stolen his daughter's heart. Metaphor," Guy swiftly added when J looked as though he might protest.

"Countering that she stole mine first would be of little use, I suppose."

"As useless as fighting a Zonder with a screwdriver," Guy agreed, grinning. And then he changed the subject by asking, "What do you think of the lemon cake?"

J poked at the concoction with his fork. It had not been bad, but... "Too much zest," he decided.

"Yeah," Guy pouted. "Mikoto wants a lemon cake for the bride's cake, but we haven't found the right kind of lemon cake yet. Four different kinds over the past two days, and all four struck out. I haven't even thought about what kind of cake I should get for the groom's cake. That's usually chocolate flavored but I don't like chocolate that much."

"There is cake at weddings?"

"A bride's and a groom's cake, yeah. There's also a lot of decorating, and there's a wedding reception right after, and... And before the wedding, the bachelor and bride's parties – two separate things. And-"

"I was under the impression a wedding was a ceremony, not a carnival," J interrupted before Guy could rattle on.

"It... well... its both. Sort of."

J stood from his seat with a sigh. "Come. We can finish this discussion on the J-Ark." Where he could get TOMORO to record everything so he could review it with Renais later. At present, being a "best man" was shaping up to be a tactical and physical chore.

---

"And that pretty much covers it," Guy concluded.

Soldato-J sighed, longing for a calming sky. For now he had to settle for ES void as the J-Ark headed towards Jupiter. To Guy he said, "Cyborg. Of the items you listed, only one is completed: The wedding venue itself. And the wedding is in two weeks."

"Yeah, well," Guy mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "Some of it is really hard...!" When J looked at him, Guy winced.

J sighed. Look at the situation as though it were combat; split it into its component parts. "Renais would better be able to assist with decorations, as well as cake selections, as would Swan. Ushiyama may be able to assist with the reception's venue. Mama is an excellent judge of taste; I believe she would be willing to help with finding a proper caterer." When Guy shook his head negative, J asked, "No?"

"Kaidou-san gave us her wedding kimono. That is enough – no. That is more than enough. Mikoto and I couldn't ask her for anything more."

"Major Hyuuma, then?"

Guy considered it. "Major Hyuuman worked undercover as a caterer once; at least that's what he said. He might be able to recommend someone at least."

"It would be a start."

"Jupiter approach in five minutes," TOMORO-0117 announced. "Package loaded. Prepping for launch."

Guy smiled, an honest, warm smile. "Thanks, TOMORO, J."

Souls and spirits, ghosts and afterlives... Across the Blue Planet they had a thousand traditions and a thousand ways of mourning the dead – and a thousand and one ways of... keeping in touch with the dead. When a person died, that was the end. Their body returned to fire, their ashes to the world, and all which remained was dust. But humans seemed to think otherwise. That some intangible form remained when the ashes were dispersed. A form – what they called a soul – which the living could communicate with.

When a soul talked back was when things got confusing.

When they had visited the gravestone of Kaidou Daisuke, Arma had done his best to explain how ghosts could read messages burned at their graves. The reason behind the burning made sense, but that a ghost would receive the ashes..?

It was a little task, which meant a great deal to his... To his friend. And so, even though he did not fully understand why it was important, J did not mind delivering Guy's letters to his parents' ashes.

"Oh! J, the bachelor party!"

"Will not involve alcohol, Galeon, or trips off Earth. I will be requesting Arma speak to Latio in securing Galeon's cooperation."

Guy laughed out loud. "Joke about it all you want, J, but in the end? I get to see you try on suits!"

"...I may come to regret this," J grumbled under his breath. Guy laughed.

TOMORO-0117 announced, "We have reached Jupiter. ES Missiles loaded. Ready to exit ES Space."

"ES Missiles, fire."

"Roger."

ES Space folded around the J-Ark, and their first sight was of Jupiter. The Carpenters had done an excellent job of repairing Jupiter's moons: There were no longer gravitational fluctuations or space junk being shoved out of the asteroid belt. Jupiter's storm glittered brilliant red against its orange skies. It also made for a handy target.

"Package missile loaded," TOMORO-0117 confirmed.

"Fire."

The modified missile flew true. There was a microscopic flash as it burnt up on entry.

"Package delivered on target," TOMORO-0117 verified.

Guy's smile was a sad happiness as he said, "See ya later, mama, papa..."

Alarms flashed across J's console as the J-Ark shook. The cyborg stumbled, grabbing for Arma's access chair as it was the only thing on the command deck he could use to steady himself. "J!"

J was reading the sensors right, but it was impossible. "A gravity well?!"

"Here? How? We're outside Jupiter's gravity influence!"

"Unknown." TOMORO-0117 growled, throwing the J-Jewel Generator's power into the engines – and instead of going forward, they were falling backwards, towards Jupiter "Unable to escape!"

"ES Missiles!" J ordered.

TOMORO-0117 tried. "Missile systems have been frozen!" the AI reported.

"What?!" J and Guy demanded.

"Energy surge detected! Readings match The Power!" That TOMORO-0117 did the AI equivalent of going, meep, was understandable.

For some reason, Guy was starting to grin. "J! Head right for it!"

"What?" J demanded. Had the cyborg lost his mind?

"Trust me!"

Trapped in an impossible gravity well, unable to escape, and with little hope – Well. J had done dumber things. Fighting the Eleven Masters of Sol came to mind.

"Regenerating Armor to maximum! Engines to full power! Target: The Power!"

"R-Roger!"

The J-Ark turned, her bow pointing towards the heart of Jupiter. At maximum acceleration in addition to the gravity well's pull, the J-Ark cut through Jupiter's atmosphere in eight seconds flat at a blistering speed of close to light.

"Energy from The Power increasing. It is... slowing us down?"

"Cut engine power!" J ordered.

The J-Ark coasted to a gentle stop at the center of Jupter's red spot.

Guy said, "Oi, mama, papa, you could have asked us to stop by."

There was a ball of light on the command deck. Bright – impossibly bright – J tried to shield his eyes.

When the light faded, there were two transparent humans standing in the middle of the command deck. One human J recognized as Dr. Shishioh Leo; the other was a female with short brown hair dressed in a white robe and flowing white scarf.

"We weren't sure you'd hear us, Evolunder Guy!" Dr. Shishioh's voice sounded as though he were speaking aloud, but with the faintest echo of telepathic communication.

"J would have. Or TOMORO!"

"Bah. No offense to them, but they'd wright off any message we sent them as glitches!" Dr. Shishioh opened his arms wide. "Oh, come here, my boy! My soon to be married son!"

That Guy did not hesitate to hug both transparent persons was not surprising. When the hug broke, Dr. Shishioh looked up towards J. "What's this about you dating Renais?"

"Isn't she Liger's daughter?" the transparent woman inquired.

"That's her! Regular old fireball, just like her mother."

J tried to keep his jaw shut, but it was a difficult thing to do. "You're dead," J stated the obvious.

"Our bodies are, yes. Our souls are still quite active ...oh dear," the woman murmured. "Leo, I think we may have broken his brain." The J-Ark shuttered, its main computer going offline. "...and the ship's AI."

"But... ghosts... ashes..." J sputtered.

"Not all ashes are quiet, dear," the woman smiled. She floated up to him – J took a step back, one hand reaching for the J-Jewel infused Will Knife. Transparent hands touched his J-Jewel. The gemstone pulsed brilliant red before quieting.

J swallowed a lump of nerves. "Mrs. Shishioh. Please do not do that again."

"Of course." Mrs. Shishioh's smile was a lot like mother's. The fact she was a ghost did not make him feel any better. "Let me just reboot TOMORO..." She touched her hand to the console, and the J-Jewel generator sent a jolt of power to the main computer core. It was something akin to a slap in the face with a wet washcloth.

Ghosts. Void swallow him in endless flames. Ghosts were real!

Mrs. Shishioh patted his cheek. "You are a sweet young man. Renais is lucky to have you. Though you're going to have your work cut out for you as Guy's best man." She floated back down to hug Guy again. "Really, Guy, whatever possessed you to take Galeon out to here of all places! And while drunk at that."

Guy blushed, admitting, "Mikoto had said yes."

"Oh!" Mrs. Shishioh hugged her son again.

J quietly made his way off the command deck, heading towards the main computer core. It felt as though the Shishioh family needed some time to themselves.

---

An hour later, the J-Ark was able to resume its patrol. Though TOMORO-0117 kept looking out the rear sensors... and kept seeing two transparent humans waiving goodbye, their smiles bright and happy. That there was a faint echo of The Power from a velvet box containing two ring-shaped pieces of gold in Shishioh Guy's right breast pocket – a velvet box and ring set the cyborg had not brought on board with him – did not settle TOMORO-0117 at all.

Why couldn't human dead behave themselves and just be ashes like normal sentient beings?!

---

They were in his room again. Once more Renais reclined against him, her head pillowed on his shoulder. It was a solid reality J could hold on to. Two days since the ghosts and he (and TOMORO) were still rattled.

They had decided they could not tell anyone what had happened near Jupiter. Guy was as happy as a metaphoric clam (why were clams happy?) and had presented the bride's ring to Mikoto as soon as the J-Ark had docked. While he was telling anyone who asked the truth – they were his parents' rings – he was not saying how he got those rings, except to the command staff.

Renais sighed, putting her hand on his chest. "All right. J, TOM-chan, fess up. What's wrong?"

J blurted out the truth without thinking: "We met Guy's parents."

"Uncle Leo and aunt Kizuna are dead."

"Their souls are not. They are still on Jupiter," TOMORO-0117 pouted – or at least it sounded like a pout.

"...what?" Renais squeaked.

J sighed; TOMORO-0117 rumbled over the intercom.

"...what?!" Renais repeated her question. "I mean... you're sure?"

"Unfortunately," TOMORO-0117 grumbled.

"That... makes sense."

"Ghosts make sense?" J half asked, half demanded.

Renais wrapped her hand around his. "Do you remember when we were trapped in the Trinary Star System? Down to two ES Missiles, ES Space having become unstable, no hope of getting home? Ikumi and Mamrou didn't have any energy left... but something opened their ES Window wide enough for the J-Ark to get through."

"But we did not exit at Jupiter," J countered. They had exited ES Space two billion lightyears from the Sol system.

Renais answered, "But the missiles were set to target The Power. What if... What if uncle Leo and aunt Kizuna couldn't use The Power to keep the ES Window's terminus the same? But they could open the window just enough..."

The terrifying thing was: It made sense.

J knew how ES technology worked, knew their escape had been a miracle; TOMORO-0117 had run the calculations independent of Three G scientists and confirmed it. The odds of the J-Ark having been able to escape the collapsing ES Space by using two ES Missiles had been less than point one percent. And yet, they had.

Which meant they would have to make another prolonged stop at Jupiter on their next patrol. Both to drop off another mail package... and to thank the ghosts.

Realizing that, TOMORO-0117 was mulishly silent the remainder of the week.

---

The venue was a small shrine on the outskirts of Hokkaido, selected for its remote location and roominess. The decorations had been kept small: Simple flowers, a few ribbons, a spattering of bows. Colors had been coordinated to match Kaidou-san's gift and the G-Stone's emerald hue. HouRyu, EnRyu, FuRyu, RaiRyu, KouRyu, and AnRyu either volunteered or were drafted (or were both) into helping set everything up. Volfogg had managed to escape being drafted into anything more than supporting event security, though Renais had done her best to drag him into more.

Renais had jumped into the event planning with everything she had. Checking and re-checking every detail with Mikoto, she had wrangled the caterers, wrestled the bakers, secured the reception, and completed it all with five whole days to spare. Five days which she spent with Mikoto trying to find a proper bridesmaid dress to match Kaidou-san's kimono that would not clash with her cold coat.

A quest which had become far easier when TOMORO-0117 completed his project: Regenerating Armor cold coats. Five of them in all, each had started out white as the Armor solidified – and Renais had been able to pick whatever colors she had desired. It was, almost, like going shopping for a new outfit. Almost like being normal. At least, as close as J could make it.

Renais had been giddy, grabbing J and twirling him about, and then blowing a kiss towards TOMORO-0117 (that is, the closest monitor she could see). Later, TOMORO-0117 reported AnRyu and KouRyu had "hugged" him, the two as giddy as Renais. TOMORO-0117 quietly admitted their reactions, both Renais's and the dragons', had been worth the hassle of designing the coats.

The bride and groom's parties were held without difficulty. No one got drunk, no one injured, and what photos surfaced were tasteful. Those photos that were not tasteful were collected, secured, and set for incineration – in Jupiter's atmosphere.

It was on the wedding day itself that the trouble arrived.

Not the trouble which made sense: Caterers were on time, the wedding venue was prepared, the reception confirmed. Nothing had gone awry.

Except Guy.

Renais diagnosed the issue as, "Cold feet." At J's confusion, she explained, "He's scared."

Guy? Scared?

"So get in there and talk to him!"

"Talk?" J demanded, trying not to fall on his face as Renais shoved him towards Guy's room. Attempting to maneuver in a suit was difficult enough without being manhandled.

"Talk. No fighting."

And before J could provide some kind of counter argument, the door to Guy's room was shut tight behind him.

"...ah... hi, J," Guy muttered. He was still in his Three G uniform; the kimono he had commissioned to complement Mikoto's hung neatly by the window.

"Cyborg," J acknowledged Guy's halfhearted greeting.

Silence held for a long time. Outside, the halls were beginning to bustle with the industry of last minute wedding prep.

J was about to try and say something when Guy said, "I can't do it. I don't... think I can go through with it..."

"The wedding?"

Guy nodded affirmative.

"Why?"

Guy looked at J – and an emotional dam burst loose, and Guy blurted out approximately one hundred and fifty three different ways he could ruin the wedding with his own stupidity. J listened to the diatribe in whole; watched patently as Guy began to pace the room.

And when Guy began to repeat himself, J stepped forward. Grabbed Guy by the shoulder, turned him so that Guy had to face him, and growled, "Cyborg. You asked me to make sure you did not do something stupid." J leaned in. "This qualifies."

Guy gulped.

"You will put on your kimono. You will walk down the aisle. You will say your lines – without error. Then you will walk down the aisle again, and take your seat in the reception hall. Nothing will go wrong. And if anything does go wrong, cyborg," J continued before Guy could speak, "I will handle it." If Renais did not handle it first.

Guy swallowed before managing a shaky grin. "Thanks, J."

Renais pounded on the door. "Thirty minutes! Let's go, boys!"

Guy looked first at the door; winced, then looked back to J. Took a deep breath. "Can't be worse than fighting the Z-Master, right...?"

J smirked. "Ah."

Guy looked towards his kimono, and gulped.

---

There was no gravitational anomaly triggered by the package this time. Instead, TOMORO-0117 witnessed the ghosts waiving hello.

And very quietly – so quietly J could not hear him – TOMORO-0117 suggested, "Look at the last photo."

The ghosts did; TOMORO-0117's last image before Jupiter passed out of view was of the duo bent double in laughter. It was rather humorous: A photo of Galeon with cans tied to his tail and a sign around his neck reading, Just Married, while Mikoto and Guy (still in full wedding attire) climbed into his mouth to depart for their honeymoon.

But TOMORO-0117's favorite part of the picture was hidden in the background. Tucked unobtrusively to the side, just within the frame, was Arma, Kaidou-san – and J and Renais, the latter holding the bride's bouquet, standing arm in arm just behind them.

Which, TOMORO-0117 supposed, was exactly how it should be.