I pushed the door open after the person within told me to come in. I felt…nervous even though it probably didn't show on my face.
"Kiku, I presume?" Talia Gladys beckoned me to sit down. I only nodded as she pushed on, "Welcome to the Minerva, I was informed you would be joining us from Chairman Durandal unexpectedly not long ago."
"You are Gladys, captain of the Minerva, pleasure to meet you," I said quietly, greeting her as I bowed politely.
"This man shall escort you to your new room, it's great to have you on the Minerva…and especially on our side." A man brought me out and we trudged through the clean empty hall. It smelled slightly of lemony disinfectant that gave me a little headache. Then…
Voices. Young voices coming from up ahead the hall. They made me even more nervous. I made sure to avoid their glances as I straightened my red uniform. It wasn't a good sign when they ceased talking abruptly after seeing my escort and I.
"Is she a pilot?" a calm voice asked my escort and I dared to look up. The one who spoke had long blond hair half covering his face and was accompanied by two others wearing a uniform.
My escort nodded curtly, "Ray Za Burrel, sir, this is Kiku Nana, she is the pilot of the Angel and is a new addition to our crew."
"The Angel?" a black haired boy said smiling slightly, "Welcome aboard the Minerva, I'm Shinn, Asuka Shinn."
"Uhm…thank you, pleasure to be here," I nervously said, "You're pilot of the Impulse, right?"
He nodded looking slightly surprised and amused altogether at the same time, "You heard of me?"
"The chairman is most proud of you," I smiled unsurely, "And I hear a lot from him."
"Oh, really?" the blond boy, Ray raised his eyebrows. He seemed too calm to me and somehow it was getting on my nerves and made me even more uncomfortable.
"How so?" Athrun Zala asked. He was also present, and his eyes narrowed on me, sort of like how a predator eyed its prey.
"Chairman Durandal is distantly related to me and," I bit my lip, "since my family died he has been in custody of me."
Silence isn't golden. This one certainly wasn't and seemed most uncomfortable and nerve-wracking. They must have had pity on me since they, in turn, looked uncomfortable after I mentioned I was an orphan.
"Miss Kiku, I should show you to your room now," my escort said politely, holding my bag. He broke the uncomfortable moment and I felt grateful.
"Hmm, could you take my bag to my room? I feel like going out for a stroll." I didn't wait for an answer, walking off then rather rudely. The Minerva was at port and would be leaving probably sometime soon but I just had to get out of there, the disinfectant was getting to my brain. And it made my head throb and caused me to over think in a way.
When I got off the Minerva I felt slightly better even with the polluted dirty air. Looking around I saw many things but then it struck me. I had nowhere to go. Going back just yet felt like suicide. So I stood there like a moron with my mind pretty much blanking out on me.
"Where are you going?" a figure stalked up to me, it was Shinn.
"I…seriously don't know…" I chuckled slightly insight of myself, "Anywhere but back there I guess…" I shrugged as he cracked me a smile.
"Well, you're going to be stuck on the Minerva for quite awhile after this."
"Shinn, do you know something?" I asked him even though I knew his answer and reaction.
"What?"
"When I walked off the ship I not only didn't know where to go but…I discovered I have no home now."
He stared at me with his red eyes, as I pressed further, "Even in custody of the chairman I have neither a home with him or a sense of belonging. My true home was the peaceful place that was destroyed.
"The irony of all this is why I hadn't noticed earlier," I laughed bitterly at my own realization and stupidity. I expected some form of laugh from him but his reaction and answer was not what I had expected.
"Your home is the Minerva now," he stated it rather simply, "Just like me. Our home is the Minerva. We both have no other place where we belong now. Except with one another."
"But I don't belong with you or Ray or that Athrun Zala! You all have each other while I'm just the stranger who came today. I belong with nobody and have nobody." My voice in strained monotone now, I had to be careful not to let him see my true emotions…I am only here for service after all, not some school with friends and popularity. Unneeded emotions were not necessary and only got in the way of this line of work.
"You do. Ever since you stepped foot onto that ship," he pointed at the Minerva, "You had become our companion and friend, and you belong with us now…because we are now your family, or maybe as close as it gets, and you are part of our family now…and families belong together, right?"
His face showed raw emotion, no restraint. I…sort of liked that of him. He reached out his hand for me, Asuka Shinn. And, I took it since I knew he truly believed I belonged with him and he belonged with me, even if it was only this moment, this second, and this day.
This was the start of friendship, possibly. I think. And I liked it, possibly, or impossibly, because he showed me acceptance then when I thought I had none at that point. He, in a way, saved me from something unknown even to me even if that was inside of me. Could this raw emotion rising inside of me…be happiness?