A/N: D: Another urge!? Why are you doing this to us? Really?...I have no idea. XD Yet another random oneshot...that might turn into a twoshot...but I can't help it. It was just there. Sorry if Jr.'s a little OOC, but he's always been hard for me to write. Consider it an experiment. ;)

Enjoy or don't...but I hope you do. C:

Hinting

This guy is bothering me. Both-er-ing me. Yeah, I totally just said that to myself. What? Don't you ever do that? Can't I just talk quietly to myself and everything be fine on the outside?

Jr.

Fine.I sigh and stir a spoon in my cup. I hate business meetings, but I have to come. In the end it's really my final decision that counts, not Gaignun's. He's just the figure head. The guy that sits there and does what I say...ok, that's not completely true, but the point is that it's my decision in the end. It's Gaignun's job to enforce it. The thought makes us both chuckle. He does a better job at hiding it than I do though. Only a small glint in his green eyes gives away that he's thinking- or listening to me think- something funny. I, on the other hand, laugh out loud and disturb the young buisness man in the middle of his presentation. I'm not exactly sure what he's trying to push on to us right now. He's already gotten our support. His company has had the backing of the Kukai Foundation for a good five years. I remember him because he always looks at me strangely when I enter as if to say 'What the hell is he doing here?' It's a well-known fact that you have to please Gaignun Kukai's "son" with the presentation as well Gaignun himself or else it's a no-go. This guy, however, missed the memo because he was too busy flirting with his hot boss. Yeah, that's right Gaignun I said that. You know it's true.It's important to know the people you're going to support and I happen to know his boss very well...or Gaignun does.

No, unlike the usual stuffy, plump, buisnessmen they usually sent us, he greeted Gaignun first, stared from him to me then back to him as if to say "uh..." I think I would've accepted that better than the pat on the shoulder and, "Oh, I didn't know that the Little Master would be joining us," he gave me.

Gaignun had thought this very funny while I fumed angrily on the inside, gave him a stiff smile and automatically decided to deny whatever he was pushing.

...So wait...How exactly had our Foundation given him support in the first place? I look over at my little brother. That's how.

It was very important for us to be involved with such a rapidly expanding corporation, Jr. It's good for our image and essential to us if we want to have a say in the industrialist empire more and more planets and star clusters are becoming. Weren't you the one who told me that when you convinced me to allow a very, very large sum to aid in the development of Vector's new model A.M.W.S.?

Well...that was different. We need more anti-gnosis weapons. Besides, they helped us out a lot during the whole Federation fiasco we went through by giving us permission to borrow KOS-MOS.

Gaignun smiles at that, swiftly placing a hand over his mouth as if to wipe it away.

Tell me the truth. You just wanted to test run one of the prototypes. You don't care about anti-gnosis weaponry, you care about being able to blow things to hell and back.

That's not true! I defend, glaring at my coffee. I like helping people. Charities are fine. Ridiculous donations I'm all for. Aiding in the extermination of a species determined to destroy the human race? Why not? Helping this guy get a promotion for treating me like a kid is not what I like to support.

Jr., Gaignun sends as he shifts slightly in his high-backed chair to my right. He always gives me the head seat; a symbol of power. It's small gesture, but I hardly get the chance outside of the Durandal to embrace my rightful place. Gaignun's eyes never leave the young man but he raises an eyebrow at me as if to say Oh really?

I make it painfully obvious I'm not paying attention at all to whatever the guy is saying. If you'd been staring at us from his position you'd see me looking around the room as my thoughts jumped topic and Gaignun's unwavering, welcome gaze. He gave off this calming aura. He was constantly polite, always charming, had a smile for everyone and knew just what to say and just when to say it. He seemed to walk with purpose. Every step brought him towards some imaginary goal. He's always busy.

It's probably a good thing that Gaignun's so polite because he's making the guy feel important by pretending to be interested. If idiot up there knew I was the real person to impress and noticed my complete and undivided unattentive behavior he might've become a little nervous.

Gaignun grins and wipes it away again.

I give in and go into what I like to call Foundation Mode because if I don't stop talking nonsense and seething with anger over what this guy has said to me twice now then I might end up making the wrong choice. This company is one that is based on preserving the authenticity and integrity of the human race. They provide the highest quality in advanced medicine for under privileged and work to give free health care. They also work alongside Vector in order to create their medicine. Best of all, they do absolutely no human testing. I had originally loved the idea and in truth, Gaignun hadn't had to persuade me too hard. The people at our Foundation don't ever worry about medicine. We take care of it. I've never liked the idea of people going without medicine simply because they can't afford it. After we discovered Mary and Shelley locked in that horrible place as test subjects and learned of the horrible way they were treated, we have absolutely been against anything pertaining to human experimentation. This company had been thinking along the same lines as Gaignun and I before but now...I don't understand. He's taking an opposite road... Had he been lying to us before when he had presented the last time?

My mind turns serious as I try to twist my thoughts around what he's presenting to me. Gaignun can sense my stress and from him I get confusion. He's wondering what's going on too. I shake my head at the information he's pointing at on the hologram on the wall. Frustrated, I open the portfolio he had given to us and it only proves to my increasing concern that what I thought earlier was true.

Gaignun. I send angrily.

He hadn't made a move, reading in my thoughts what I had been trying to discern. He seemed shocked, but he was handling it a lot better than I was. Who the hell did this guy think he was?

Calm down, Jr.Gaignun's trying to make me relax. He's like that, always trying to calm the storm that is me. The eye of the hurricane and usually, it works. Gaignun's smooth voice isn't going to work this time, however. How could I possibly relax about something like this?

"Test subjects?" I hiss, disbelief in my voice. Gaignun stiffens a little and Idiot up there flat out stops talking.

"Excuse me?" He asks, a little irritated at my interruption.

Gaignun's sending me soothing thougths and images but it's still not helping. I pick up the black portfolio and wave it angrily. "What the hell is this about test subjects? I don't remember anything about test subjects in the original agreement."

Gaignun's mind is silent, waiting for a reply. I stare daggers at Stupid up there and he seems to shrink at the power behind my voice. He fumbles with something for a moment. "Well? What? Were you planning on skipping that part? Didn't think I'd actually read the damn thing? Shove it in the fine print somewhere so when we actually found out you could claim it was in our portfolio?"

Gaignun's voice breaks through my angry one. "Please, excuse him but I'm curious as well. I thought we had strickly agreed on no human experimentation. It was spelled out very carefully in the contract made five years ago. Perhaps you care to elaborate..."

"Certainly Mr. Kukai. You must understand, a growing cooperation such Welsler Industries must appeal to our other supporters--"

"And by appeal you mean run experimental tests to satisfy your other supporters?" Gaignun shakes his head and begins to flip to the very page that set me off. "The setting of test subjects for pharmaceutical purposes. Thirty-seven of these people have died?" Gaignun shakes his head and frowns sadly. "I can understand the growing need for finances. However you could have informed us. This is unacceptable."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kukai but it was nec--"

"Oh you'll be sorry alright." I growl, breaking their professional banter. I push myself out of the comfortable seat in order to stand and slam my palms onto the desk. Gaignun sighs and leans back in his own seat. "There is absolutely no fucking reason for these tests, financial gain or not! Has the Second Miltian Government been informed? How about the Federation? If not, you'd better bet your sweet ass I'll have them all over this before you can even think about fucking blinking. Oh what's that? Yeah, go ahead and look to Gaignun for help! He's not going to do anything, he's just as pissed about this as I am, he's just more eloquent about it!"

I'm leaning over the table now, almost crawling on top of it. Gaignun's past the warning me point and has gone on ahead to making sure I don't kill this guy. He's sitting back in his chair, his eyes focused solely on me, waiting to catch me if I lunge at him. Bastard's just standing there, a little taken a back by my anger. "Just what the hell does your company do anyway? You're going against the principle first set up in article fourteen of the contract, not to mention contradicting your own goddamn slogan! Yeah, that's right asshole I read the contract. Surprised that a 12 year old boy can read? Well whoop die-fucking-do! I can are you happy now shithead?"

I'm up on the table now. There's a sudden itching in my palms and the thought to grab guns flickers across my mind. I start to reach for back pockets, but I feel Gaignun's hand on my wrist. Its prescence alone isn't enough to make me stop, but the painful mental wave he's stabbing me with is. I shoot a dark look at him, which he returns with a tired expression. "There's no point. There's no reason that people should be dying so others can live over medicine. It's ridiculous."

I'm glaring at Gaignun now. "Ridiculous." He nodds.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Greene, was it? You can leave now. I'm sorry for my son's outburst, but my opinions mirror his own. Welsler's funding will be dropped. We will contact Welsler's and set up the nulliment papers. Thank you for your time, you may leave."

Idiot nodded and left the room. The sound of the sliding door followed after him. Gaignun sighed and ended his onslaught, dropping my arm and sitting back down. He looked up at me for a few moments, green orbs questioning why I have to make his life so miserable.

"I didn't do it, they did."

He sighs again and tilts his head to one side.

"No I did not go ballistic. You prevented me from going ballistic."

He looks down at the portfolio and shakes his head.

"Damn right it's a shame. I want a full-scale check on this industry and every pill or potion or concoction they produce. I want both the Federation and the Second Miltian Government to know about these deaths and if they already do I want you to put pressure on them to stop the testing. Understand?"

Gaignun's eyes snap up to meet mine.

"Yes, you can do it. You've done it plenty of times." I throw my hands up in frustration. "Why do people--Ugh! Why does anyone? Damn! I hate business meetings. I fucking hate them. Something bad always happens."

"Are you alright, Jr.?" Gaignun asks from his seat. I run one of the falling hands through my hair and pace on the table.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I shake my head. "Did that not just infuriate you too? Gaignun, that's the same stuff we pulled Mary and Shelley out of. Some of the things they've told us I'll never want to happen to anyone. God! I-I feel like going there myself and killing something."

Gaignun smiles softly at me. "Wouldn't that be sort of defeating the purpose?"

I glare coldly at him and he raises his hands up in defense. "Your words, not mine."

"Whatever."

His eyes follow me as I jump off the table and plop down into my chair. I stare up at the ceiling, trying to calm myself down. I glance at my coffee cup and wonder if it's still warm. I pick it up, look in it, shrug and pour the whole thing down my throat. I catch Gaignun staring at me and sigh. "You always look so worried."

"I am worried."

"About me?"

"Always about you."

I shrug and place my feet up onto the table, reclining into the comfortable chair. "Well you shouldn't. I'm fine."

He's silent for a moment before a slow, secretive smile makes its way onto his lips. "It's not you I'm worried about. It's the poor people like Greene who become your victims."

The urge to flip him off is very strong. I consider doing it, but decide that it's pointless in the end. I'm trying to relax now, coming down from the draining anger that had forced me to threaten and almost kill a man who was probably younger than me. Something flickers through my mind. It's there and its gone again in a flash. I shake my head a little.

Hm? Gaignun, did you say something?

"No. It's nothing, Jr."

I close my eyes and try to relax. Sure doesn't feel like nothing.

Gaignun ignores my prying and picks up his portfolio. "So," he says, holding it up for me to see. "As much as you'd like to use one of these for your next target practices, we need them in case we have to present some sort of evidence."

I nod, a whatever gesture sent from my arm. There it is again.

Gaignun, are you sure you didn't say something?

"I said don't fall asleep. You have a habit of doing that and then who has to carry you back to the Durandal?"

"The people think it's cute!" I defend, finding my voice.

"I think it's a pain."

"Aren't I always a pain?"

There it is again!

"Gaignun, seriously. Is there something wrong? I keep getting this weird sort-of pulse thing from you."

Gaignun shrugs. "I don't know. Perhaps..."

He pauses for a moment, blinking at the table. I push myself up, worried. "Gaignun?"

"Perhaps I'm just tired." he says, smiling. It feels a little awkward to me though.

I pat him on the shoulder and he stiffens a bit. You're hiding something.

You want me to be hiding something.

And you want me to be a good little boy and let assholes like Idiot kill innocent people.

"What is it?" I press again.

"You...need to be more careful, Jr."

"Is that what this is about?" I scoff.

Gaignun's always like that. He keeps his mind locked all the time. It's almost a struggle to get anything out. I'll get him to tell me the truth sooner or later. This isn't the first time I've felt a pulse like that...

"Hey Gaignun, you know you can tell me anything right?"

"Then would you mind if I told you that the way you acted today was positively primitive and juvenile?"

I sigh and lean my back on the table, bracing myself on elbows. He stares at me, a blank expression covers his face. Definatley hiding something.

"Please. You would've loved to see me rip him a new one. You were practically begging for it."

"If begging is another word for silently praying for the poor man to survive your next encounter then yes, I suppose so."

I roll my eyes and nudge him a little, "Come on. If I weren't around your life would be absolutely boring! And I'm not talking the boring 'Oh what shall I do today?' but the full out basket case can't do anything boring."

"A basket case could have fun and that didn't really make sense."

"You don't really make sense."

"Logic was never your strong suit."

"Just because I don't wear one..."

Gaignun laughed at my stupidity and I pretended to be offended. He knew it was fake and I knew his laughter was genuine. Good enough for me.

"Hey Gaignun, when was the last time we actually hung out? Like did something together? You're always so busy."

Gaignun shrugged and sighed, but seemed happy that I'd brought up the subject. "You're busy too, you know."

"Yeah, but I would skip work for you any day." I say before adding with a smirk, "I skip it a lot, so why not?"

"I'm aware that you skip work because I get stuck with yours."

Oh! That's right. I sweat drop a little. "Heh. Yeah well I'm the oldest. You need the experience."

"Of course." Gaignun says in mock agreement. He starts to get up from his seat, grabbing the portfolios as he does and reminding me to grab the cup before I leave, to which I of course grumble and complain that I'm not a maid. Then Gaignun, ever so sly reminds me I'm a guest here to which I remark that guests leave messes on our Durandal all the time. With that he sighs, that flicker bothering me again, and admits defeat. We're both pretty tired so I try to convince him to take the day off with me. We can skip. Mary and Shelley can take over for us. They do just as much as us and we've done all the hard work today. Gaignun's a stiff though and has to argue with me. I try to think of some reason to make him blow off just one day of work.

"Aren't I important enough?"

"I waste more energy on you than I do anything else."

"Didn't answer my question."

"Yes I did."

"You're such a neglectful father."

"You're such a disobedient son."

I huff at that one.

You're a terrible younger brother.

You're a terrible older.

Pffft! I'm not very motivated to be a role model

And I'm not very motivated to view you as such.

Gaignun!

Jr.

"Goddammit." I whine.

"Language, Jr."

"Yes, father." I spat. He snickers at that. Our conversation has lead us all the way back to the Durandal. The shuttle takes us onto the ship and we both head for the Residential Area. I can't wait to land back at the foundation and start punching holes in contracts and finding loopholes that will put someone behind bars. God, that damn flicker again.

Gaignun?

Hm?

...Nothing.

I walk with him, whining a little bit here and there, trying to distract him long enough to figure out just what that flicker is. Our connection is always stronger when we're closer. We walk to his door and he looks expectantly at me as if waiting for me to say something else and I plan to.

"Come on, Gaignun. You just sit in that room all day and do nothing but paperwork."

"That is the job I was given. Yours is to act as commander of the ship. What are you doing bothering me?"

I chuckled. "I'm bother you because that's my real job. I just thought the truth might make you upset." I sigh heavily and lean against the corridor wall. "Listen, I know you're busy. Really really busy. I know, because a lot of that paperwork that's about to bury you in there is mine. But how about this,"

He seems entertained by me right now, observing every little thing I say and enjoying the comical, exaggerated way I'm motioning while saying it.

"I'll actually do my work today. Yeah, that's right. I said it. I'll do my work today. Then tomorrow, we'll bust up in this bad boy and take care of all that extra work I've been piling on you. I'll bring food and we'll find something to watch on the U.M.N. or listen to some kind of music."

He seemed to like the idea, but he was trying not to let me know it.

"Come on, that way it'll be like we're having fun but--but---! (Get this, because this is the cool part) we won't! You know why? Because we'll be doing our work! What do you say?"

Hah! He can't resist that! Look! The wheels are already turning...come on, you know you want to. Just say yes. Come on.

He laughs at my thoughts. "You know...Jr., there's something I need to tell you."

Sweet...I knew he wouldn't keep it to himself.

"Shoot."

There it is again.

He hesitates for a moment. It must be something really hard to say. I drop my playful demeanor for a second and exchange it for a serious one. He opens his mouth to start when I hear a cheerful, "Jr.!"

Hm? I feel someone on my arm before I have time to turn around. MOMO.

"Hey, MOMO." I say, smiling at the Realian. She giggles a little and blushes at her name. She's so cute.

"How did it go? The business meeting."

I sigh and roll my eyes. "Don't ask."

"Was it really all that bad?" She asks, a little worried.

"Yeah," I admit, pulling away from her slightly. "Pretty fucking bad. It's over now though. What have you been up to?"

She blushes a little, probably embarrassed that I would care. I smile warmly at her and her blush grows pinker. Cute.

I hear shuffling and the door sliding open. Oh, right!

"Gaignun!" I say quickly to stop him.

He turns to me slightly, half way in his room.

"Weren't you going to say something?"

He looks from me to MOMO and smirks. "Don't worry about it. Good to see you, MOMO."

"You too, Gaignun." She says, waving a little bit.

He gives her a polite smile.

Hey Gaignun

Jr.?

You're going to tell me later, right?

He doesn't answer me. He walks into his room silently, the door sliding shut behind him.

Damn. That flicker again...

A/N: Phew. I've seriously got to calm down on these things. And to all of you freaking out, or to the CN people who've been worried I've quit writing it. *cough* Albedo's Jerusalem *cough* I haven't. Just been on vacation and didn't expect to be working on it. These oneshots just randomly pop up. Don't freak out. I'll update soon, k? ;)