"Legendary flowers"
A Cyborg 009 fanfic

Summary: Going to the Cherry Blossom Festival can be very special for two boys, a girl, and a baby...

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"So beautiful", Francoise mused, staring at the cherry trees as she (carrying baby Ivan in her arms), Joe and Jet walked through a Tokyo park filled with them, searching for the spot that GB and the others had already reserved to enjoy the Hanami festival. "They look so lively, so pretty...".

Joe, who was walking by her, stopped.

"Did I say something wrong, Joe?", the ballerina asked, turning to her best friend.

"Ah... Not really", the Japanese replied, smiling. "Well, you see...".

"Aw, will you start your speech?", Jet interrupted with slight disdain, stopping too. "You sound like the Professor or Ivan...".

"No, Jet, don't worry", Joe said, smiling to him too. The American blinked, and everyone could see that he wasn't expecting that. Shimamura noticed too, and after enjoying such a delicious discovery, he spoke again. "I was daydreaming".

"Can we know what's the daydream about?", Jet quickly said. He wouldn't let Joe win.

Joe took his time. When he put his thoughts in order, he placed a hand on a cherry tree and spoke. "Cherry blossoms are not only the symbol of the samurai, but also of spring, beauty, purity, and something simple. And since they float briefly in the wind and almost immediately fall to the ground, they also refer to an ideal way to die"

"That's why they're so commonly shown in animated Japanese series", Jet concluded.

"Yes... and no".

The voice wasn't Joe's... They all stared at Ivan.

"Were you awake and listening?", Joe asked.

"Yes. I just let you talk before butting in"

"And what do you want to say about the subject?"

The baby stared at Jet from under the bangs covering his eyes. "As it was already said, cherry blossoms are the symbol of samurai. They were raised and trained to live and die for the lord they served under. The cherry trees have a blooming period shorter than other trees, also, and their blossoms also fall to the ground rather than having their petals float. In Japanese culture, it's a symbol about how the samurais, and later the kamikaze pilots, would gladly give up on their lives to get them to end up heroically".

The four Cyborgs stared at each other silently after Ivan finished. In those times people wanted to die with glory and honor, but in the present everything is different. None of them wanted to die before destroying the Black Ghost organization, and now that they were done with it they hated the idea of losing the lives they gained back after so much fighting.

"Whoa", Jet murmured. "I don't buy it, you see. They wanted decent deaths or whatever else, but I don't get that about dying before the good name is stained, or leaving without thinking of the friends or families they left behind - only thinking of honor or the lord". To make his point clear, the redhead lightly kicked the petal-covered ground. "Dunno about you, but I disagree. I'd rather fight for what I want and later live to tell".

"That's what you think, Jet, and...", Francoise started, lightly tilting her head. Right then, a light wind blew, and some pinkish cherry petals swirled around the Cyborgs before touching the ground. They were silent again, thinking about those warriors of the past, and how different they were of the warriors they once were...

"Huh? What's that?".

Francoise was the first one to look up after Joe spoke. Thanks to her super vision, it was easier for her to see what he was talking about.

"It's a cat!".

Effectively, a big white cat was staring at then from one of the branches of the tree they were standing next to. The animal blinked, then quickly jumped to the floor, stared at them again, and started to sniffle at Joe's feet.

"Seems it wants you to take it in your arms", Jet said, raising an eyebrow. Joe did so, and the animal extended one of its paws to touch Ivan. Francoise reeled back, but the baby extended a hand and touched the cat without any hesitation.

"You don't need to hide, GB. I knew you were here right from the start".

"What?!".

The cat jumped from Joe's arms, stood in two feet and, after checking that none one was looking at them, touched its bellybutton. In the following second, Great Britain was there. "You blew my cover. But it's okay."

"Why are you here?", Joe asked.

"I came here to find you", and the actor winked. "We thought you were lost, since you never made it to the place. And since the surroundings are full of people in their own picnics, I chose to turn into a cat and jump from tree to tree, rather than walking".

"Good idea", Ivan said. "Do you have anything else to say?".

"Like, thinking that is NOT a good idea to confess your love for someone else under a cherry tree?", GB replied.

"That means love may die soon", the baby concluded. Joe could swear that Ivan was about to laugh.

"Exactly, my dear little Sherlock", and GB used his powers to, for a moment, look like the legendary detective. After he went back to normal, he pointed at the persons around them, who were eating and enjoying themselves under the trees. "We shall hurry up, lads. Or Chang will lecture us for not eating soon the special menu he prepared for this day...".

"Okay!"

And the five friends started to walk, laughing and talking, as some more cherry flowers fell to the ground. But they were too busy enjoying the moment to notice.