I highly suggest while reading this, you listen to 'KOAN Sound & Asa - Starlite'! It's an emotional song that I wrote this story to. Please Enjoy!
Oscar was sitting on one of the lower roofs of the house, turning his helmet in his hands as he sat, looking out of the rice fields. A bottle of Soju sat next to him, half-empty, yet not neglected as he picked it up and drank it every minute or so. His hair was messy and a short layer of stubble had grown on his chin, his wearing a loose shirt and a pair of well-beaten jeans. He could hear the house-staff moving around down below, making dinner by the smells of it, but he couldn't bring himself to be hungry anymore.
The pilot's eyes only closed for a moment before the flashes hit him, him being overwhelmed as he tried to save his teammates. Despite how hard he fought, he could only watch in horror as people he had been tasked to train and command dropped, one by one. Soon, it was only him and Peter. They had fought well until Peter's back had touched the barn behind them, cornering them.
He could see their ship in the horizon, coming to save them, but they would not make it in time. Peter knew that, Oscar knew that, and so did the militia. Oscar had all but panicked as he watched his titan's shields drop layer by layer as he beat back the four remaining titans, and then, they were at the point of no return.
"Pilot, you need to eject."
"No, I'm not leaving you here!"
"Pilot, now!"
"Just hold on a bit longer! We can make it, we-"
"Oscar!" Peter's tone was exasperated, grunting hard as they took another strike to the side from the Ogre's weapon. The pilot bit his lip, shaking his head as his titan continued, "Remember… Remember Mission 232…?"
"Yes, but…"
"Just... promise me, you'll always remember it."
Oscar blinked slowly, not noticing systems booting up in the corner of his screen, "I… I promise, but-"
"Good. Now keep that promise."
"What does that m-" Oscar's gut dropped as the hatch flew open and he was ejected hundred of feet into the air, his breath leaving his lungs and his eyes flying huge.
"I love you, Oscar." Peter's voice was soft in his earpiece, snapping him out of his daze to look down as the red-hot chassis went nuclear, drowning out his scream of horror in the explosion and shockwave.
Oscar jerked his eyes open, rasping for breath as he looked around and found himself on the rooftop, back home, at the house. His eyes fogged and he scrabbled for the soju, bringing it to his lips and chugging it till he couldn't fill his mouth anymore, breaking it away and choking at the burn down his throat. No matter how much he drank, he couldn't drown this pain.
"Oscar…" A soft voice called to him, and he looked over to see the worried brown eyes that adorned the gentle face of Amy. He heart fell, and he looked back away, bringing the soju to his lips but not having the strength to tip it back.
"I'm okay, Amy." He paused, then looked back at her, "How… did you get up here?"
Amy blushed but did not answer, then reached forward and took the Soju, putting it to her lips and taking a little drink, but cringed, "Yuck."
"You know it tastes awful," Oscar said, unamused, but his eyes twinkled. Amy smiled, and offered it back.
"I know, but it makes you happy again to see that face." He let a little smile show before he looked back down at his helmet, sighing. Amy scooted closer, resting her head on his shoulders.
"...how long has it been?"
"Three months."
The pilot's heart sank, and he set the helmet on his lap, rubbing his face, "Has it? God, I'm so sorry…"
"It's alright, Oscar. Peter was your best friend, you need time to mourn."
"But three months? I've neglected my duties, my friends, my wife…"
"He was like your other half, love. Someone like that isn't easy to let go."
Oscar dropped his head, silent. He and Amy had know each other since childhood, as a friend, but had only previously become 'more than'. They had been romantically involved for three years, and married for two. Peter was very fond of her, more than he had been with any other women who'd shown interest in his pilot. The memory of the first time Peter ever made her laugh and had felt joy from it came back and stung him and he shut his eyes, breathing out shakily. AMy noticed.
"...I climbed the tree." her voice made him open his eyes, then furrow his brow and look at her.
"In those clothes?" he gestured to her geisha.
"I may have flashed a maid or two."
"Amy!" His voice was horrified yet she laughed, kissing his cheek earnestly, his cheek flaring.
"We're women, it's different! Come love, come downstairs. You need to eat, wash, and rest. Please, for me."
Oscar sighed, but her pleading eyes were enough, and he nodded, "Very well."
The pilot felt refreshed when he woke up the next morning, the sound of birds chirping and the smell of flowers drifting through the open window. He opened his eyes and shifted to find Amy asleep, head against his chest. Her hair was spread out around them, and it brought his heart much relief to see her calmly sleeping… how many night had he refused to come rest with her, has stayed in his study and hidden away to dwell in the pain? Too many, the scent of the fresh sheets and incense answered. Shutting his eyes, he decided for once, he'd do something with his day.
He was cautious as not to wake Amy as he slide from the bed, wrapping himself in his Kimono and leaving the room silently. He was greeted by a maid at the top of the stairs, who quickly bowed her head.
"Good morning, sir!"
"Good morning, miss Lacy. Is everything well today?"
Lacy nodded, "Everyone beside the head cook is accounted for today, her child is down with the flu."
"Is she now?" Oscar hummed, thinking, "If you are able between duties; would you or miss Tia fix me a basket of medicine spices, teas, and fresh bread, then bring it to me?"
"Of course sir, right away!"
"Thank you, Miss Lacy." he smiled, and the maid returned it with a bright eyes grin before she hurried downstairs. He only slowly followed after, yawning. By the time he made it to the main floor, Mr. Shawl had hurried come over to greet him. Shawl was no more than a dozen years older than he, someone he remembered being brought in when he was a young child to become an paid manservant. He had risen among the staff gracefully, but their friendship still prevailed.
"Good morning, Sir! Feeling much better after a full night of rest?"
"Indeed. Shawl, I realize I have been down and out and putting most of my duties on you, and I apologize-"
"Oscar," Shawl smiled, stopping the pilot in his tracks as he put a hand on his shoulder, "It is alright. Lady Amy and I have been sharing the load equally, as she will not have much to do until the harvest season. There are only a few matter to attend to, but first, please, have some breakfast with us. I'm sure by now Mss Lacy has alerted everyone of your better mood.
Oscar blinked at Shawl, then a smile crossed his face, and he nodded, "I would enjoy that."
Shawl was right, every one of the housestaff was there, including some of the leader of the rice-tenders had come inside. They stared excitedly as the master of the house entered their dining area, him suddenly feeling very crowd shy. His timid blush must have been obvious as Lacy and Tai burst into giggles, but went silent after a cough from Shawl. They quickly sat down, both men at adjacent ends of the tables, their right seats left unattended. Once everyone was settled, the whole table dug in to eat.
"How have you been, Master Kione, sir?" One of the rice-farmers asked after a few minutes of him observing the staff interacting with each other. Oscar smiled softly, it was no secret why he had been home for such an extended amount of time with no IMC contact or visits.
"Better, thank you. How are you and the farmers?"
"Well, we had a dry spell a while back and had to dig the irrigation routes deeper, blew out a few men's back but they're allright now."
"And the rice? The Koi?"
"Right as rain, it never affected them. Some of the male betas seeped into the female's pools, during that last rain so we've had more than expected."
"Hmmm… I'll give my brother a call and see if he needs more beta."
"Most appreciated, the boys don't like being crowded so."
Oscar smiled, then turned his head to Amy's assistant, the finance manager, "How are things, Miss Shannon?"
"Very well sir, the last harvest brought in much, we've been able to expand the budget and make room for any…. Well, little ones."
The pilot had been sipping water and about choked, coughing and looking at Shannon in shock, not noticing most of the laughs from the staff. "Pardon!?"
"Well, you both are married now, and have been for a few years. It could always happen."
"Shannon-" He cut himself short when he felt hands on his shoulder, the staff's laughs cutting short, and looked up to see Amy. She was smiling.
"We haven't considered them yet, darling, I know, but we always have to prepare for… surprises."
Oscar was silent, the made a soft humming, nodding as she let go and sat, leaning toward him. He leaned back over, planting a kiss on her cheek.
"You're right. I apologize for my reaction, Shannon."
"It's quite alright sure, I spoke out of line." Shannon smiled.
"Not at all, you've brought up a very valid point. But, hopefully, no surprises yet."
Amy only smiled.
The meal went peaceful from then, and soon they were done. Lacy came running with the basket before Oscar left to go check the fields with Shawl and the head farmer, Amy following them to the edge of the house and receiving a kiss before she went back inside to help attend to any unsettled business. The walked through the fields were peaceful, the three men engaging in a professional conversation for a long time until they made it to the head cook, Vivi's, house. It was a brief visit but filled with much thanks, and Oscar left feeling glad he got out of bed today.
Soon, they were going along the koi ponds, him crouching down and checking each pond, asking of changes in school sizes and water quality. There were hundreds of pools, but he had remembered exactly how each one should be, and what families of fish lived in each. Every time he would dip his hand in, the fish would come hurriedly towards it, and realizing it was him, become frantic. Oscar would only laugh and get splashed, fully enjoying every moment of it. It was almost dusk by the time they were coming back, walking along the edge of the giant pond that came to the back of the dojo.
It was out of the corner of Oscar's eye that he saw a ripple, and stopped, turning towards the pool. Shawl stopped with him, but the farmer was not there, having left a few hours ago to go help with feeding.
"Is here here, Sir?"
The pilot was dead silent until he saw the ripple again, and smiled, "I believe so." Very carefully, he shed his shoes and stepped into the water, wading out until he was waist-deep. His hand glided out across the water and he gently smacked the surface. Nothing happened for a long minute, and he frowned, "Maybe n-"
The water before him parted as a snout of a giant koi fish breached the water, followed by a whole head, and soon, stopped that the frontal fins. The beautiful black and white fish let out a bellow at him, and a grin crossed his face as it glided up so it's giant eye could look at him.
"Kisho."
The fish bellowed again as he stepped forward and laid next to the giant eyes, shutting his own and petting the smooth scales. "I know, I missed you too, Kisho."
Shawl, meanwhile, stood at the edge and smiled, watching man and fish interact, looking over as Amy came out to watch.
"M'Lady."
"Hello Tim." Amy smiled, looking fondly at Oscar, "Is he feeling better?"
"Very." Both their grins got a little wider when Kisho splashed Oscar on purpose, the man spitting water and starting the chide the beast in Japanese ,"I hope it stays this way."
"As do I... When he's done, can you tell him he someone to call back? I have to run back, I'm helping with dinner."
"A call?" Oscar called from the pool. looking right at Amy. She nodded, him frowning, "Is it…"
"No, it's not IMC. It's a personal call, someone's mother… Hana?"
Oscar's eyes widened, a vivid flashback of a smiling, blue eyed woman on a strangely colored planet hit him, and he stood frozen long enough that Amy and Shawl got worried.
"...Oscar?" The pilot shook himself, rubbing his face.
"Thank you dear… Sorry, I just… havn't heard that name for a long time."
"Is it someone from work?"
"Sort of… I better go in and see what this is about." He started wading out, stopping when Kisho grabbed his Kimino with his mouth, "Oh, c'mon! I'll be out here tomorrow!"
The fish bellowed, and the two on the shore burst into laughter as Oscar was briefly pulled underwater, popping out to spit water and scold the giant fish in louder Japanese.
It was another hour before Oscar made it to his study, in dry clothes. He sat in his office chair, lifting the tablet that was paired with the comm that he put to his ear, and found the most recent call. Hana, huh? He remember her, the girl from Smith's lab that mysteriously disappeared after the Accident… Peter was never fond of her. He shook his head, deciding NOT to think on that, and called the number back.
They answered after the third ring, a woman who sounded in her fifties or sixties.
Well Well, I was sure I'd be in my grave by the time you called me back.
"I apologize ma'am, I was out tending the fish. You are Hana's mother?"
Mmm, not exactly. My name is Inashiya, and I am Kama's, or some you might know as 'Hana', mother in law.
Oscar was quiet, then furrowed his brow, "You… are? I had no idea H-... Kama was married."
Yes, and she has been happily for the last ten years… well, until now.
Oscar felt a chin run down his spine, immediately pulled back to the night before the Accident; his shoulder-blade rippling with the feeling of nails down his back, goosebumps rising from hungry kisses on the neck, lips parting from fleeting kisses. He shook his head, horrified, She was married?!
"Oh…"
Mhmm. Don't worry, I do not blame you. It was consensual, yes? She knew she was Breaking the Unbreakable Vow.
"My god… I'm...I'm sorry, I never wanted to bring this sort of conflict into your life, but… can I ask… why are you… calling me?"
My daughter in law has three children, the oldest two are eight, and the youngest, three. Now my lovely son, his sweet twins and Kama herself all have bright, beautiful blue eyes. It's a very powerful color, however, the youngest, she… is not like them.
That chill came back, stronger, "Can you elaborate?"
She was much smaller at birth, paler and ugly. We thought maybe she was sick, or maybe my son had a bad batch, but...it seemed when she turned one, that was not the case. You see, my 'granddaughter' has brown eyes, something common in a bad batch, but as she started to grow, those eyes changed. Now, she has eyes similar to a single bloodline that can be traced back to a single family, a dominant trait like a mutation. An anomaly. My 'granddaughter'... has Golden Eyes, a trait only find in The Kione Bloodline.
Oscar's jaw dropped, his hand shaking as the tablet pinged, and a picture opened. A little girl, three or four, standing in a field of flowering in a red dress, staring at the camera with a wondrous face… those bright gold eyes staring back at him.
"Oh… oh my god...Oh my god…"
Now now, Oscar, take a deep breath and come back, I'm not done talking. We have some things to discuss. Kama has sinned on the highest level, and the little girl… she has no place here. With your permission, we'd like to dispose of the child, and quietly forget this all happened.
Oscar jerked upright in his seat, staring at the wall in horror, whispering "...what did you just say."
It would be very simple, sir. She's already been stricken from the family records, a Kione has no place in the HouseHold of the Asakas. She's a rat, a roach, a sin.
"Are you saying that you're going to kill the child?!" Oscar's blood rushed through his ears.
Not only her, but her cheating mother as well.
"What?!
They have both sinned, and for that, they must be punished.
"Wh- no! No, you cannot do that! They are human beings!"
Well, I suppose you are right… but that is my call, unless you'd like to offer me something in return.
Oscar fell dead silently, staring at the floor, then sitting up, his voice a deadly cold "How do I know this isn't fake?"
Hmnm, I thought you'd say that, but here, to ease your doubts. The tablet pinged again, and he opened it, his eyes widened. There were two pictures side by side, one of the little girl being held in the air by her hair, golden eyes visible, clearing beaten all over her body. In the other photo was a woman whose face he couldn't forget, her blue eyes pleading, long hair cut down to her scalp like they'd skinned her. Five million credits for the life of the woman, Ten for the child.
"You… You…" Oscar was in disbelief, mouth working but no sound coming out.
I'll give you 24 hours to reply. If I don't hear from then, they'll be dead within fifteen minutes. I look forward to hearing from you, Oscar Kione-Vallso.
The line went dead, and Oscar continued to stare at the photos. It was then that it hit him, his unbridled anger, his hate, his loss. He grabbed the desk, screaming in an unbridled anger, and flipped it over, throwing the contents everywhere. It was then that Oscar experienced his first Switch.
It was hours later that he snapped awake, his vision blurry and his head pounding. He reached to grab it, groaning, cursing because damn his skull was pounding There was a whisper and a little gasp, then he felt someone's hand grab his own, blinking to see the face of his tired wife.
"A...Amy?" He rasped, eyes going bigger when she started to cry, but her meek smiled adorned her face.
"Hey…"
"Amy, what happened? Why are you crying?"
Amy's smiled faltered, and she sighed, putting her head against his chest, "You had a fit, destroyed your whole study… when we tried to calm you down, you…. You scared me so bad... "Did I hurt you?" Oscar asked, terrified, sitting up with a low groan and pulling her into his lap.
"No, No, but you gave Shawl a nasty black eye… and may have scared the whole place half to death…. Oscar, what happened?"
Oscar looked at her eyes, so plain and brown, yet what he loved most about her. He looked around to find they were alone in the master bedroom, the door shut, yet it was possible someone was standing on the other side. He decided he didn't care, pushing his head into her neck and shaking, letting out a soft sob.
"Amy… I... I…"
"What is it, Oscar? You're scaring me." Amy's voice shook, and he broke, tears welling out of his eyes.
"Before… you and I… got romantic… I… I had a one night stand with a woman that I didn't know was married...she… she had my child."
She completely stopped moving, and he let a few sobs break through before she grabbed his chin and gently tipped his head back, looking at him. There was no hate, no malicious, no anger… just… confusion.
"And that made you tear up a room?"
"N-No… The mother in law, she called me… they're going to kill her, her and the child, if I don't pay them to spare them."
That was when Amy's face paled, and she moved away, looking at Oscar in horror. She started to shake her head, "Oscar, it had to be a fake, there's no way-"
"The tablet, the one in ny study, where is it?" Oscar's voice was stone, Amy clamping her mouth shut, and shakily looked to his bedside. He turned, seeing the tablet, and opened it, finding the pictures and turning them to show her. Her breath caught in her throat, looking at the little girl, and back at her husband. "Five million for the woman… ten for the child."
Amy went silent, then, "How do you know they haven't killed them already? You'd have to be there, able to see they were alive, able to make sure-"
"Amy, wait, you… are you suggesting I do this?" Oscar looked at her, amazed. She looked at him.
"I… I don't know.. I don't know Oscar! Even if we give them the money, they're no guarantee they won't kill them both anyhow. I wish… I wish Peter was here, he… He would know what to do…" Amy sobbed, Oscar pulling her close again and hugging her, his heart aching. Tears ran down his cheeks as he mentally reached out for a link that wasn't there anymore.
Peter… what would you do? Please, help me, guide me… I know you're still in my heart… please show me what I need to do!
Oh Oscar, you already know what to do.
The pilot's eyes shot open as he felt a little tug at the other end of the bond, sitting up and looking over his shoulder, out the window, where he was so use to seeing his titan in the morning. But nothing was there, only the sweet cherry blossom petals that drifted through the wind.
"...Peter…"
-Two weeks later-
Oscar stood in the overbearing sunlight on the dry sands of a neutral planet, just inches outside of the shadow of his ship, the Black-Blooded Amiela, holding a case in one hand and a rifle in the other. There was sweat that formed on his brow as he watched another ship drift slowly into view, a private ship, by the size and shape. It only stopped when it was almost nose to nose with his, and someone opened a hatch on the belly before an elevator slowly began to lower down.
"I will give you the money.
Good, I'm glad to see you come ar-
"But… you will give me the child. Alive."
...I see no harm in that, we have no use for a rat anyway.
Oscar's face was stone as he made eye contact with a man adorn in Militia gear, and the woman standing next to him. He knew that face, those eyes, but his heart was harder when she saw how close she stood by the man, despite her black eyes and bruised nose. Traitor! His mind screamed at her, Kama looking down to break his glaring stare. The elevators touched the ground and the two stepped off, Oscar now noticing the dog-crate in the man's hand. His anger skyrocketed, and he made eye contact again with the husband.
"Where is the child."
The man, without any thought, tossed the dog-cage forward, it landing with a hard thud and tipping on it's side. There was a meek cry of pain, and he could see little finger piercing through the holes to hold on. His anger bubbled over, but became calm when he heard the click of a gun, and looked up to see Kama with a gun pressed to her head, then man holding it. She didn't look afraid.
"Where is the money." The man stated, smirking.
Oscar scowled, walking forward and crouched down, looking in the dogcage. He could see someone move towards the back, the crying becoming more obvious. But he could see them, the burning embers of gold staring back at him, even in the low light.
Amy, are you sure you want to do this?
Yes Oscar. A million times yes. She is your daughter, and by marriage, now mine. Bring her home, Oscar… we can do this.
... If you think we can, then so do I.
Slowly, he stood, and tossed the case at their feet. The man looked down at it, then at Oscar, and muttered something to Kama. She bent meekly and picked it up, opening to see that indeed, there was what they wanted.
"I am glad that someone still has a heart." Kama said quietly, but Oscar spit at her, bending down and grabbing the dog cage by the handle, slowly turning it and picking it up.
"If I ever see either of you again, I will kill you on the spot." He warned, and turned, heading back to the ship. The ship made a low groan as it opened its cargo bays and a drop started to descend, he could see Amy standing in the glass window with Sienna and Shawl. They looked horrified once they noticed the dogcage, and Oscar could not blame them. The small child started to wail, and he tightened his grip on the handle.
I wish Peter was here to see this.
He'd have made an amazing uncle, don't you think?
...you're right, Amy...He would have.
"It's alright, child," Oscar felt tears coming to his eyes now as he started to shake, the reality of the situation setting in. "You're coming home."