What you recognize I don't own. As always foreign, and alien language will be in asterisks. And it's also going to be pretty short, basically sort of flashes into her life not only because I have writer's block on how to expand this story but also because just having flashes of her life seems to fit the story much better than my normal fully written out stories
In an nondescript building there was specialized training going on for a seven year old with an equally specialized instructor, the seven year old had been training since she was five years old because it was needed due to special abilities she had been born with and the fact that she had very unique sets of parents. The training she was currently undergoing was because of a recent incident and as such revelation about just how involved she would have to be within her family's lives
"And stop!"
The attack is stopped and the trainee faces their trainer
"It isn't always easy, telling friend from foe is it?"
"I was about to attack an ally?, but I..."
"There's a reason police officers either have codes or other means to identify someone working undercover, and even if they don't have something for the field once in custody, because that can't always be avoided, but once at a station they will then do something there to reveal their true identity"
"And thus why you stopped me from my attack, because I automatically assumed it was a robot and there wasn't time to reveal flesh and blood, because even if they were to decide not to reveal their identity as an undercover officer until at the station they still need to identify themselves as flesh and blood so that I don't overdo it when trying to take them down and into custody"
"Exactly, we're going to have to continue working on you with that little problem of yours"
"It's not such a little problem guys"
"We think it's little, but don't worry we'll get there I promise"
"How can not hearing someone trying to talk to me be considered a little problem?, I only heard you because I am trained to obey your voice and also the voices of my family"
"Because of said training you just mentioned, you didn't listen to me initially either kid, that took time and effort, like with those code words I know you're also trained to, I just didn't use one this time because I knew that simply telling you to stop would work as this is a basic training exercise that isn't flashing you one bit"
"But I will have to hear any person stopping me, officer or not"
"True, very true but we'll get there I promise, plus all officers with you at any given time will be given a code word to stop you at need as a backup plan okay?"
"Okay...okay let's do this then"
It would take a few months but eventually Kerenai would be able to listen to anyone during a fight where it seemed that the majority of the opponents were robots and also learned the various code phrases officers would use in the field to reveal their undercover status
"Good, you're ready to be out in the field at a moments notice then since you've just passed the test"
"That's good to know, almost hurting allies isn't a good thing in my mind, but like you said get me some training and I am good to go"
"Exactly, now then all that's left is for the rest of the officers to learn that you've mastered your weakness that we're aware of"
"That isn't going to happen until the next incident unfortunately"
(Sighs) "I know, but...what do you know of the current situation in the area?"
"Not much in all honesty, my family does their best to keep me out of it unless there's really no other option for everyone's safety"
"Very well then I will not say anything either"
The next day was when Kerenai's new skills were put into practice and she proved that she had learned to listen to anyone she was fighting and stood down immediately if asked because three separate undercover officers had identified themselves as flesh and blood if not actually identifying themselves as officers
"So...you stopped yourself from killing people this time around"
"I never killed anyone"
"Okay let me amend that statement then, you stopped yourself from severely injuring anyone this time around"
"Only through training, lots and lots of training to get myself to the point where either a specific police code word or simply officers and civilians saying no more to fighting get through to me during a fight"
"I see, what now for you?"
"Whatever life throws at me due to my unique circumstances"
"I understand, don't like it but...I was told about you when I first took this position and also what that means for our interactions in the future and as such while I may not like the situation I will do what I have to do to protect you and the citizens of this place"
And so from the age of eight to the age of thirteen things actually went pretty smoothly, Kerenai began training with the military at age ten and went through accelerated training not only because of her circumstances but also because she picked things up that quickly. And then six months after her thirteenth birthday Kerenai was visiting friends out of state when there was an attack by EDC enemies and the enemies hit hard, fast and big making it harder to defeat them and then things took a slight turn for the worse temporarily with Kerenai and her group because their original route was cut off due to road damage and loss of transportation as they were all out of the vehicle assessing a possible new route
"Well...this complicates things a bit"
"No kidding, you have any plans?"
"Uh...for now run, we'll come up with a better plan together once we're actually safe"
"Good idea, let's go"
Five minutes later and everyone was out of breath but temporarily safe
"Okay now what?"
"Well, we have two objectives, take down that target and get the package to safety right?"
"Yeah, what of it?"
"I have...means of taking down that enemy that I am not getting into right now because we simply don't have the time, instead I suggest we split up the group with half taking the package and the rest dealing with that thing, be warned though that those who stay with me to deal with the enemy will have paperwork to sign afterwords, standard procedure with me for reasons that again I'm not getting into right now"
"I don't know, I think that all of us should stick together and everyone sign paperwork"
"Well whatever we do we need to decide fast because we've got incoming"
Kerenai looks to see that the enemy was indeed coming and then she spots something else, something that makes her very happy
"Right, plan C it is"
"What's plan C?"
"Easy, we get to that military vehicle over there and use it in our escape"
"But that's..."
"Not in this situation it is, let's go, now"
They get to the car and then Kerenai speaks up again
"I'll take the gun, one of you take the wheel"
As soon as they get inside everyone realizes a quick problem
"How are we supposed to drive stick?"
"Wait, none of you are trained on stick?"
"Nope, though how the keys are still in the truck is beyond us"
Gives out an aggravated sigh
"Fine, I'll take the wheel, someone else will have to take the gun, now then that gun is very easy to use, just pull back on the handle on the side of the gun, aim and then shoot, normally there's other directions to give but right now point and shoot is all you need to know, it has a fresh thing of ammunition that I just put in I just hadn't primed it yet so that's what you guys are doing"
"I'll do it, I've never handled a gun myself but my parents have taught me a little bit about gun range safety seeing as how dad's a police officer and mom does competitive shooting every so often"
"Good, prime that thing and then shoot, tell me when you need to reload, if we don't have backup by then I'll give you directions on that, and now everyone needs to hang on because temporary crazy person behind the wheel!"
"What do you mean by tha...at?!"
Everyone quickly finds out what Kerenai meant by temporary crazy person behind the wheel because her driving was not sane by any reasonable standards, while the weapon ultimately didn't defeat the enemy it did weaken it and give the group the chance to get to a point of safety where other military vehicles were stationed and firing on the enemy as soon as it was in range unfortunately they weren't doing that much better
"Oh for crying out loud, what is it going to take to take down that thing?"
"No help for it then, everyone of you that was in the truck with me is going to have to sign paperwork, Sergeant usual protection protocols will be in place after this so be ready"
"Understood"
"What are you talking about?"
"You'll find out in a moment, okay troops everyone fire on my command, and...FIRE!"
As soon as the shooting started Kerenai simply held out her hands and exclaimed one sentence
"Full...Arranyan...support!"
A flash of light was seen but it didn't look like anything happened but suddenly every shot was doing severe damage until the enemy was destroyed, as soon as that happened Kerenai collapsed unconscious for reasons that were only known to the Sergeant, unfortunately what no one knew was that there was a second enemy waiting in the shadows and as soon as the first enemy was defeated the second one showed up
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me"
"Lt. I leave the group up to you for now, Kerenai..."
"Understood sir, standard protection protocols active for her, get her and the others out of here we've got it handled"
As the group was taken to safety the Sergeant explained some of what was going on in that what Kerenai had done might not have worked and there would be two enemies being fought, that Kerenai had remained conscious long enough to see the first enemy taken down was incredible all things considered
"Everything else you need to learn will be explained to you after paperwork is signed and she's woken up because I have no right to explain anything other than the protection procedure that we've just done"
"Why would she need paperwork and protection detail?...who or what exactly are you Kerenai?"
"That's for her to explain when she can, all I can say is that there are...complicated reasons behind everything that is happening between you guys right now"
"Okay, what exactly was the protection procedure that was done?"
"When she does what you saw her do and then goes unconscious she is in a very vulnerable position and is actually at risk for some very dangerous things to happen to her, as such we take her to safety the moment she's unconscious where we and others know that she's safe, or at least as safe as we can possibly make things depending on various factors"
When Kerenai finally woke up she explained everything that the group needed to know about her powers and her family because that was also needed in the explanation this time around
"This must make things hard and complicated for you at times"
"Yes it does, but it's also the life I'm used to and I know the consequences if anything should truly happen to me"
No one knew that those exact consequences and then some would be felt only three years later when Kerenai was asked to help in France temporarily for not only training reasons but also because she was trusted. Unfortunately there was a terrorist group in France at the same time and Kerenai and her group that was acting as a courier was ambushed and the ambushers were skilled fighters actually succeeding in injuring Kerenai and sending her into the river with those that had seen her fall believing that she wouldn't survive and was actually unconscious. She finally got out of the river and as soon as she was on dry land she started hacking up what sounded like a lungful of a mixture of water, dust and cigarette smoke, but finally she managed to catch her breath
"Okay, sit rep time, ambushed, separated from the group, and" (hisses in pain suddenly when trying to move to a standing position) "definitely hurt...also probably about a day from Paris, thank goodness my family insisted I learn French a few years ago and then also made sure I maintained my fluency, now then too dangerous to get a ride so it's all walking for me...oh man that means I'm actually about three or four days from Paris depending on how much these injuries slow me down, my family is not going to be happy about this at all, however I was the one to make that decision for safety reasons"
The person looks around for anything to help her walk even a little bit faster with her injuries and finds a stick long enough and also strong enough to support her as a crutch or walking stick, they then double check their non-electric supplies (which were completely fried by the water) and figured that scavenging was their best option for both food and water. Ultimately the trip back to Paris did indeed take four days, by that time the person was beyond exhausted, in excruciating pain due to ignored injuries, definitely disheveled and dirty and overall just completely over the whole experience, but they also knew that they had to go to one last place before getting the rest and medical attention they so desperately needed, but they were also struggling to put one foot in front of the other due to being at their physical limit, as such they started saying out loud what had become a mental mantra during the past four days of little rest and barely enough food to keep their energy up enough to ignore the pain as much as possible and still be able to mentally function
"Just one more step, come on just one more step, that's it one foot in front of the other, almost there you can go just one...more...step..."
They ultimately tripped and lost their balance going down on the sidewalk, though at least the person also managed to roll onto their backs and cover their eyes to protect them from the sun that was beating down on them finally unable to go just a step further. At the same time though a police officer who had been following her for her own safety knelt down beside her on her left
*Miss, do I need to call an ambulance?*
*Need...need to get to Parliament, important I get there immediately*
*Miss, you appear to be injured and in need of medical attention*
*Not denying that, unfortunately government has to come first for a very important reason that you're unfortunately not allowed to know despite being a police officer*
*I'm afraid that I can't let you do that miss, I'm going to call an ambulance and get you medical attention now*
*Officer if I don't get an escort to Parliament I will knock you out cold and drag myself there, I need to talk to the government and I need to do so immediately*
Hearing that the officer sighs and asks for a car at his location explaining that someone was being very insistent on talking to Parliament despite their obvious injuries and exhaustion. Five minutes later and the car arrives and the person struggling to get to Parliament is helped into the car
*Again you really should go straight to the hospital*
*I'm not denying that I need treatment, believe me I know that better than you do, unfortunately Parliament is a more urgent need right now, again for reasons that I can't tell you*
Fifteen minutes later and she was at Parliament and was walking into the main chamber only under support of the two officers who had been in the car that had picked her up, when they actually got into the chamber there was shouting coming from two sources, one source was the person on the screen and the other source was the main speaker of Parliament, one shouting in English, the other shouting in French and neither giving in to speaking the same language or concessions to allow for smooth communication, but she would change everything with just one shouted word
"QUIET!"
Once there was complete silence in the chamber she cleared her throat and spoke in a normal voice
"Now then, Minister, English is the only language the Captain knows and Captain, you know full well people tend to revert to their native language under stressful situations, and a near war because of my disappearance definitely counts as stress, and yes it's me code Kerenai Alpha, Alpha, Bravo 2658 Theta Theta, Zulu 9968...and I can't continue due to injuries and in desperate need of medical attention"
"Sorry, but I need definitive proof"
(Sighs) "Fine, then how about this..." (switches languages) *I'm the only one who knows this language and you know it*
"You win you're Kerenai, get medical attention and your family will be told you're alive, someone will visit you in the hospital later"
"Understood, now then I think you guys still have talking to do so do it, but either employ a translator or stick to English"
With that Kerenai finally is forced to give into her body and passes out completely, fortunately there were medics already waiting in the wings to take care of Kerenai since they had listened in over the police radios and knew that they were needed for a patient that was insisting on ignoring injuries for reasons that were now known to everyone in the room
*We'll take her to the hospital immediately then, we'll also let them know that an EDC officer will be on the way with the rights to sign paperwork correct?*
That was quickly translated and the officer on the screen confirms that the officer that would arrive at the hospital had the authority to sign paperwork for Kerenai. Once at the hospital when the doctor heard what little was known about the patient he was amazed that she had walked in her condition, and this was based on her injuries alone
*I'm going to need the whole story at some point but considering her condition I'm surprised she could even walk, as it is her legs might never be the same again, especially her left*
An hour later and the EDC officer allowed to sign paperwork arrived and she was sent into surgery, because the medics had done stabilization without the needed paperwork but now they needed permission to do surgery since that wasn't a life saving measure. Once that was done all the doctors could do was wait until Kerenai regained consciousness so that they could get the full story of what had happened to her to better understand just how she not only got her injuries but was also in the state she was in when she had arrived in the city. Three days later and they finally saw her stir, and also be coherent while stirring since the first time she stirred was after surgery (her body always reacted weird to anesthesia despite how badly her body might need rest), unfortunately she came up to resistance in the form of wrist restraints due to the fact that during her three days unconscious she had accidentally punched someone, and between that and her almost pulling out vital medical equipment the hospital knew her wrists had to be restrained for her own safety. Also unfortunately there were different levels of coherent for Kerenai, the level she was at was that she was coherent enough to know she was in an unfamiliar location and restrained, she was still a bit too foggy to realize she was in a hospital, so the first words out of her mouth were an understandable threat, fortunately though there was an EDC officer on standby for when she was awake enough to have any sort of conversation
"As soon as I get free you're going to regret keeping me hostage, and any other hostage you have is getting freed as well"
"I don't think you will Kerenai"
"Why do you think so and who are you?"
"Well, considering that you're in a hospital and restrained for your own safety you're not breaking free, as for who I am I'm an EDC officer"
"Huh?..."
"Focus Kerenai, if you're still confused once I know you're actually focusing I'll do any explaining you want that I can give you within the scope of my knowledge"
Five minutes later and Kerenai was fully focused and recognized that she was indeed in a hospital setting, she also realized that she was sore in her legs and as she continued to think the officer could tell when she remembered what had happened
"Right, France, severe injuries, let me guess I had surgery at least a day ago"
"Three days ago actually"
"Usual anesthesia reaction?"
"Yep"
(Sighs) "Great, guess that explains the restraints, what do you and the doctors know?"
"That based on your injuries it had to have been bad"
"Oh yeah, barely diverted a war as it is through getting to Parliament at the same time they were talking to my family"
(Sighs) "I'll go get the doctor so that you don't have to repeat the story more than you absolutely have to"
Fifteen minutes later and Kerenai had explained things in French, she had started by saying that some of what was going on was classified but that as they needed to know the doctor could be told that she had been injured in a fight and had actually wound up in the river where she suspected she had broken her left leg and seriously bruised her right leg, she also mentioned hacking up a lungful of water and a few other things immediately out of the river and then the long walk to Paris just to let people know that she was actually alive before severe consequences happened (only the EDC officer was cleared to know about the near war being diverted and the officer had their suspicions about who France would have been at war with)
*You actually underestimated your right leg actually, you may have a fractured ankle in the right leg, but your left leg is definitely broken in at least two different places and your explanation about the river explains your lungs, you're lucky you don't have full blown pneumonia considering what you've told me about what you've been through*
*If I don't have pneumonia what do I have?*
*A nasty chest cold at the most, your lungs aren't completely clear of possible infection but they aren't what I would see with pneumonia patients either*
*I want to see the scan myself, I might be able to explain what you're seeing*
*How so?*
(Sighs) *I can't fully explain but let's just say that my family situation has forced me to learn various skills and that includes some rudimentary medical skills such as reading my own scans so that I can explain things to any doctor who takes care of me that isn't my normal doctor*
*Reading scans isn't so rudimentary Kerenai*
*Either way I can read my own scans and can help you figure out if it's an actual infection you're starting to notice or not*
Kerenai looks at the x-rays and sighs yet again and everyone could tell that it wasn't a good thing, it was sort of a combination of frustration and depression
*I'm afraid it's not good news, I don't have pneumonia or cancer but...I do have a lung condition that is only seen in EDC officers and sometimes military personnel depending on certain factors, you will need to check the officer for the same condition as well I'm afraid*
*What is it exactly?*
*It's something that's only really recently been noticed and doesn't even have an official name yet, but what is known is that it makes the person more prone to infections, smoke of any kind is a bad idea and it could potentially be fatal as well from what little is known about it so far*
*Wait is it basically cystic fibrosis but one that's developed?*
*No, there are some big differences between cystic fibrosis and what I have, the main one being that I won't develop a buildup of mucus from lung infections, and there is another big difference in that only the lungs are affected not any other organs unlike cystic fibrosis*
*What can I do in the meantime to help ease any symptoms you might have?*
*Course of antibiotics to start off with, and if I develop breathing issues I will need breathing treatments that will help ease my breathing*
*Understood, you're staying in the hospital for a few more days by the way just to make sure that the surgery site is healing well, plus with you having that weird reaction to anesthesia and then being unconscious for so long afterwords is a bit concerning, even with your obvious state of exhaustion now that I have the full story*
*The anesthesia reaction happens every single time for unknown reasons, as for the unconscious bit I'll have to agree with you there that I need observed for a bit longer because that is unusual even with my reaction with anesthesia where I come up punching and wanting to pull out vital medical equipment every time even if I'm supposed to be too exhausted to fight medicine keeping me under*
*So you know why you were in restraints then*
*Yep the coming up punching and wanting to pull out my IV is a safety issue, what I'm wondering is why the officer didn't just have me restrained from the start as is procedure in America*
*We were hoping that you wouldn't have your usual reaction due to sheer exhaustion this time around*
*Lesson learned then right?*
*Yep, lesson learned*
*Good, now then besides the lung issue and possible brain issue, any other things I need to worry about that weren't dealt with in surgery?*
*Maybe, while your right leg wasn't broken so far as the x-ray could tell you're still going to have to be careful once we let you out of bed and put weight on that leg due to the fact that it was severely swollen and the swelling hasn't gone down a whole lot since we treated you when you first arrived at hospital*
*Understood*
*When can she start moving around by the way?*
*Later today we'll see if you can't start walking around on crutches, because you know full well we have to worry about blood clots*
*Why haven't you been giving me meds then?*
*We have, but they're not as effective as they should be for some reason*
*When I get a chance I'll ask my family about that then in case that's normal for this disease*
*Wait, what about operating procedures already established?*
(Sighs) *That goes back to some classified issues regarding what happened to me here in France*
*You mean you may be stuck here for a bit incommunicado with your family now that you've averted major trouble*
*Exactly, it all depends on...things happening once released from hospital that not even you as an EDC officer is cleared to know about*
*Ouch, that's very, very rare indeed...why are we still talking in French if the conversation is supposed to be between the two of us*
*Because I didn't want to have to switch back for this next bit, doctor depending on how things go with me being up and about and hopefully figuring out what's up with how long I was unconscious about how long do you estimate it will be before I can give any sort of report to certain people who need to know more than just the fact that I'm alive?*
*I would prefer it if they waited until you were released*
*It can't wait that long, by the way when you say a few more days about how long are you talking about in regards to how much longer I need to stay to try and figure out the reaction I had?*
*At least four more days, I might extend it to an entire week depending on how well you progress, if it really is that important...*
*It is*
*Then two days from now provided you don't have any major relapses*
*Understood*
Two days later in complete privacy Kerenai made her report regarding the fight and that was when she learned that she would have to be careful once discharged from the hospital until she was medically cleared for flying because she had already been warned that even if she was discharged she might not be able to fly and as such she was possibly in danger until she could go home because of what the whole ambush was about in the first place
*But...*
*Listen Kerenai, I know that you just want to act normally once discharged but the group might find out about you being alive, as far as we know right now they think you're dead after that dip into the river and the news is cooperating with the government to keep your survival low key, only saying that an unidentified person recently walked into Paris after falling into a river from an unknown distance and unknown direction which makes it hard to determine if transportation was available to them, not even the unit you were with knows that you're alive*
*Say...what?!*
*Easy Kerenai, they'll be told soon enough but we wanted to make sure that you were truly on the mend first, if we had told them that first day and then you had died...*
*I get it, I don't like it but I get it*
*But basically the group is why you have to be careful even if the media is cooperating, because if they find out who you are...*
*I know, I know, what about the others?*
*One dead, one in a coma, the rest are in protective custody*
*You know they won't believe without proof*
*Video will have to be proof enough and you know it*
*Indeed I do...wait why am I not going into protective custody?*
*You will be, but in a unique form because you need to get home*
*Got it*
*By the way do you know when you're getting discharged?*
*At least another two days, maybe longer depending on what the doctor says*
Two days later and she was dismissed from the hospital, but only a day later she would indeed be forced to become incommunicado with her family because of what she had done in France, in fact she quickly realized that she would be forced to leave the country and maybe even Europe in it's entirety, ditching her identity and heading either to Russia or some where's in Asia, and even then the journey would take time for safety reasons
"Right, get so a safe house, change identities and then make a decision from there on what my next move is, thank you family for allowing such a thing in the first place, unfortunately you're not going to know about the fact that I'm using another identity because I'm going to hack into the EDC and US government to make my movements invisible to you guys"
Three hours later and the transformation into a new identity was complete
"Goodbye Kerenai, hello Parker, now then a quick hack or two and then I'm off to Russia first and then ultimately Japan, via, China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines and then finally Japan and hopefully my zig-zag path will confuse the enemy enough so that they don't track me down via my new identity, but first thing first is to get out of Europe to actually get to Russia and that means, the route to Russia is going to be..."
Looks at the physical globe in the safe house
"Yep, decided tentatively Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, and Ukraine, and then for Russia to China hopefully by that point it will be safe to take a plane, but still the majority of this trip is going to either be through walking or hitchhiking, I'm definitely not going to enjoy this one bit. Now then onto hacking my family and my government for the safety of everyone"
After hacking into both her family security and her government she then spent the next three months getting to Russia, during those three months she had also started to learn Japanese and was very thankful that she had an ear for languages which meant that if she wanted to learn it badly enough (or in the case of a few languages was forced to learn by her family) then she would learn a language much faster than other people trying to learn the same language and as such while she was by no means fluent she could call herself at the very least proficient in the language which basically meant she could hold her own with very basic conversations, safely eat out and be able to explain at least some of what was going on in regards to why she was claiming asylum to the Japanese government without a translator, unfortunately she was pretty sure she would still need a translator for some things in regards to the Japanese government and language simply for the fact that she didn't have very many people to practice the language with. She also realized after getting to Russia that she was tired, and as such needed some actual rest, not what she called rest which was typically two hour naps with one or two days of eight to twelve hour sleep periods a month and no relaxing whatsoever, actual, true rest that involved actually relaxing for about a week and getting solid rest for same week as well, maybe even longer depending on several factors including just how safe she felt in Russia after doing everything she had to safeguard her family and country while also being on the run
"Right, guess it's time to actually find a place to act like a tourist and relax for a bit, reassess after one week and go from there, but Japan is a must at some point soon, good thing Russian is one of the languages my family forced me to learn"
And so for a week Kerenai relaxed in Moscow once she arrived there two days after entering Russia, the primary reason she chose Moscow in the first place was because of airports, and then a week after acting like a tourist Kerenai knew that it was time to leave and continue the journey to Japan and safety because while she technically knew that she could always request asylum in Russia or any of the other countries she had visited she had chosen Japan for two very important reasons, the first was because of the fact that if needed she could go to South Korea or return to Russia pretty easily at need and the second reason was because of Japan's unique relationship with the United States from the Second World War to present including how Japan had it's own version of a military that could protect itself at need without help from her family, she also knew from talks with her family that they would respect her right to request not only asylum but also any request to keep her presence a secret from her family, any country would in reality but all other European countries were too dangerous in her mind because of what she had been doing in France in the first place. That was also why she had ultimately chosen Japan, not only because of time and distance away from France but because she had a slight suspicion that the people that would be after her would never think to look at Japan or any of Asia really as a hiding point, the only reason she didn't have Russia as first choice despite its sheer size to allow her hiding places was because of how tempting it would be to camp out on the one place that was closest to home and she currently couldn't afford such temptation, at least with Japan it was close to home without there being a temptation of getting too close to home
"Well time to catch a flight to China and then the rest of the journey to Japan, though I am beginning to wonder about my plans to go straight through without rest, that might give me trouble again sooner next time, hm...I'll think about that once in China"
Once in China and on the journey to Japan she realized that yes she did indeed need slightly more frequent breaks or her health would dramatically suffer, not only because of her lung condition but her mental and emotional well being was also taking a hit with the non stop traveling she was doing and as such she made a silent vow to actually enjoy the countries she was going through, she would keep traveling yes but she would also make time to just relax for a day or so and also start to ensure more regular sleeping hours as well and enjoy the culture even just slightly (while she ate the local food she rushed through it in a hurry never really enjoying the different tastes and never attended any celebrations or ceremonies either). As such a journey that would have taken probably another three or four months took much longer and as such it was nearly a year since leaving France that she finally arrived in Japan (though admittedly part of what had extended her journey was a nasty storm in the Philippines that caused mudslides and shut down roads for two solid weeks, plus boat travel was slow going as well)
"Right, time to switch to Japanese and hope that they understand me well enough to take me to Tokyo and the government, where I can get translators because I am not fluent in this language, I know enough to get by with food, directions and part of the asylum explanation but that's it"
And so that's exactly what she does, she finds the nearest police officer and explains that she needed to get to Tokyo to talk with the Prime Minister and that she needed a translator since she wasn't fluent in Japanese, that her native language is English and three days later she explains the situation and would be granted asylum and her request for anonymity regarding her family was also respected and thus began her life in Japan waiting for the day she would be able to return home
Years into the future
"Kerenai never would be able to return home, twenty-eight years after first seeking asylum in Japan those that had been after her for so long finally found out her location, though that wasn't from lack of trying on the terrorists parts, they had searched for her for twenty-five years before giving up initially. As for Kerenai herself she had quickly become fluent in Japanese and while she initially stayed away from working with the government and instead found work at a ramen shop after fifteen years she found herself unintentionally helping the government when she saved the lives of the current Prime Minister and his body guards, after that day she no longer fought the pull to work with a government once more and became a security officer for not only the Prime Minister of Japan but also any foreign dignitaries that came to Japan, minus the American President, the Vice-President or even the Ambassador. However eventually after the initial twenty-five years of searching Kerenai, while not taking back her name or even contacting her family as she longed to do so, finally relaxed her security ever so slightly and worked with the Japanese Self Defense Force whenever they weren't involved in EDC matters, three years later and the Japanese Army was working with local police on matters regarding security issues on their bases and Kerenai recognized the patterns as the terrorist group that wanted her dead and as such she offered to be the bait that would capture said terrorists once and for all, she let it leak to them that she was alive and in Japan. Once the terrorists found out where she was they came for her with a vengeance and three months after revealing herself to the terrorists she was killed in an ambush, though she was said to have given as good as she got seeing as how while she hadn't killed all the terrorists that day she had killed or severely injured the majority of them. She would die three days after the ambush from her injuries, but not before she was finally reunited with her family, after her death there was discussion about where she would be buried and it was ultimately decided that she would be buried in Japan with full military honors"
"Why wouldn't her family force the issue and bury her here?"
"That we don't know, all we know is that she has a grave in Japan some where's that not even I know the location of, though there's also an empty grave here in America as well for her family's sake, and the sake of those who want to honor her sacrifice"
"Where's her empty grave?"
"Arlington"
"I see...in regards to her Japanese grave, what name is on there?"
"I believe it's the name she was known as in Japan but I can't be completely positive about that, also know that that particular grave is guarded and only certain people have access if they are not part of the Japanese government or an EDC officer"
"How does one gain access?"
"That I don't know either"
"Why is access so limited?"
"It's...it's complicated but most have simply come to accept that the limits exist"
What no one knew was that initially there wasn't supposed to be a secret place where Kerenai was physically buried and her visitors limited to the Japanese government, the EDC (which automatically included her family) and select people who passed very rigorous tests, unfortunately between the outrage that a foreigner, even one that had lived there for so long under asylum, was allowed to be buried there and yet not be a citizen and a few attempts at desecrating a potential burial site it was decided by the Japanese government and her family that her true burial site be hidden away, while her public burial site was considered to be Arlington only because of the high security of the place. As such Kerenai was safely hidden away in Tokyo itself on imperial palace grounds with just a very small marker so that anyone who did visit didn't know that a foreigner was buried there unless you were already in on the secret, and all EDC and Japanese government agents had long since gotten good at discretely visiting her grave
"Was she ever given a cure for that unknown disease that was prevalent throughout the EDC?"
"Yes actually, about five years after she sought asylum in Japan a cure was discovered and she was one of the ones who received it, though it was very discreet due to the secrecy involved in her even being in the country at the time but they managed it"
"Wow, still, it would be nice to visit her actual grave instead of her public grave someday"
"It's for the best I'm afraid, now then get along to bed, after all we're going to Arlington tomorrow to visit her public grave"
"Wait, I thought we were going to see the ceremony regarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier"
"That too, but the whole reason behind telling her story was in preparation of the visit to her grave tomorrow"
"Oh...goodnight"
As soon as the kids were sent off to bed the adult simply sighs and looks out the window
"If only you could have lived to see this great-great aunt Kerenai, according to the Cybertronians you would have if not for the ambush"
The person then went to bed while thinking about how surprised they had initially been finding out that they were related to the Cybertronians through Kerenai, and that connection was primarily through marriage as well because while she had never married while in Japan for safety reasons she hadn't known that she'd had an older cousin and also an older brother and both had gone on to marry and have kids of their own and the decedent of her brother was the one who was visiting Arlington that day while the descendant of her cousin was currently in an unknown location due to work reasons, but they met up regularly otherwise. The next day the group visited Arlington and Kerenai's public grave and the descendant of Kerenai's brother was shocked to see her cousin there
"What are you doing here? I thought..."
"I was allowed to come home earlier than the others, by the way I have news that you need to hear in private regarding family matters"
"Oh?"
"Yep"
Once alone the descendant of Kerenai found out that the two were finally allowed to visit their ancestors grave in Japan, the reason behind why family besides the Cybertronians were not automatically granted permission was not only because Japan had only recently found out about them but also because of the fact that back when everything had happened there had been discussions regarding Kerenai's human relatives if any having access and it was decided that for any living relatives safety that they weren't to be allowed automatic access because of the fact that except for EDC officers foreigners near the Imperial palace weren't received very well by the natives, especially since not even the natives had access to that area of the city except by special permission. A few weeks later and both finally visited the grave for the first time, but both also knew that they wouldn't be able to visit often because of the safety concerns they had been told about from the start
"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now"
"Indeed it is, I have to get back to where I last knew my group was"
"I wish you weren't doing something classified"
"That's part of my job kiddo, you know that"
(Sighs) "I know, doesn't mean I have to like it though"
"True enough, true enough, Kerenai family vow?"
"Never alone even if you feel alone, go to family at need as they will always protect you but most of all..."
(End it together) "protect your family, and your country no matter the cost"
And with that the two separate once more, one to go back to work and the other home, knowing that it might be a while before face-to-face contact was established again as another layer of safety for the Kerenai family. Once a connection was discovered it was decided that phone calls were the safest considering the one person's career, plus as they were not a direct descendant of Kerenai they didn't have as much protection from the Cybertronians as a direct descendant would, though only because for the one person the unknown older brother of Kerenai had been thought dead for a few years shortly after Kerenai was born and by the time he was revealed to be alive the adoption had already gone through, when the brother had found out about Kerenai he and the Cybertronians had long and hard discussions where it was decided that their connection would be hidden for a time for her safety and his, but that the two siblings could start meeting and become friends before the reveal, unfortunately Kerenai never knew about her older brother thanks to the terrorists. As for the brother he himself decided that his family would never have as much protection as any potential kids his sister might have again as a safety measure for everyone but he also knew that the Cybertronians would protect his descendants at need because of his blood relation to Kerenai, thus where the family vow started, a combination of what Kerenai did and what the Cybertronians had promised her brother from the start