A/N: Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, b11 – write a fic between 750-850 words.

Jobs with Questions

Carly wasn't used to being the one who had to answer questions. Rather, she was the one to ask them – yet, Mikage was sitting on one of those uncomfortable hospital chairs and firing more questions than Carly knew the answers to.

Though, to be fair, it wasn't because Mikage was asking them too quickly or that Carly couldn't keep up with them. The simple fact was that Carly didn't recall any of what Mikage was questioning her about.

'I really don't remember,' she repeated for what felt like the millionth time. It was probably the tenth, but repeating questions was so much more interesting than repeating answers. She almost pitied the people she interviewed – but she didn't get to do too many interviews to begin with, so she couldn't pity them too much. It was her job after all.

Mikage bit her pen cap. It was sort of amusing watching her, actually. She was dressed all professionally, but she was biting her pen cap like a nervous little kid. Or an agitated one. Or a bored one. After all, Carly couldn't give her much to go on.

'Why don't you ask Jack?' Carly suggested. It could get them both a break from the useless question-answer cycle. 'He was there, wasn't he?' She knew that much at least. She didn't remember per say, but she knew he was there. Maybe it was her cracked glasses. Maybe it was just wistful thinking.

Mikage flushed a little. Carly looked curiously at her, but didn't pursue the line of questioning. The reporter in her rebelled, but she had personal reasons. And sitting up in a hospital bed with retrograde amnesia wasn't the context she wanted to be arguing her affections for Jack in.

'He's…busy,' Mikage sighed. 'With Yusei and the others.'

'Hmm…'

Mikage switched to tapping her pen against her clipboard, and Carly hummed to herself. 'Is it boring, working for the Public Security Bureau?'

'What?' Mikage almost dropped her pen in surprise. 'Of course it isn't. There's the Director and important people and the ordinary citizens and their safety. And then there are criminals, and then people just causing trouble, then making sure everything's going smoothly in big events like the Fortune Cup. There's…' Her voice trailled of. She had a flush on her cheeks again. 'A lot of things.'

'You get most of that in reporting too,' Carly said thoughtfully, 'in somewhat of a different context. But it can't be interesting sitting here listening to me answer your questions with "I don't remember".'

'No,' Mikage agreed. 'And you're not my favourite person in the world to boot, but it's still a nice break.'

Mikage wasn't Carly's most favourite person either, but that didn't mean they had to be down each other's throats. And, judging from the weariness in Mikage's voice, that mightn't be a bad thing if Carly could muster up the enthusiasm for it. 'The Dark Signers were that bad?' she asked sympathetically, instead – before realising what she'd just asked. Was I that bad?

'Some.' It seemed Mikage realised the implication as well. 'The people came out alright, at least. And places are being rebuilt. And once the bridge connecting Satellite and Neo Domino City is done, those guys will have access to all the things we've taken for granted here, and hopefully they'll have better lives. And Divine is gone, so that's another thing. And…well…'

'The Ener-D reactor?' Carly suggested. At Mikage's sharp look, she added: 'Whoops. That's on the not supposed to know list, isn't it?'

'What do you remember?' Mikage asked.

Remember, Carly noted. Not know. 'Just what you guys told me on the helicopter, and that Divine knew something about Goodwin's involvement. I didn't get enough time to read the file before – ' Her vision grew bright for a moment, and she winced.

'I see.' Mikage picked her pen up and noted something. 'It'll be in the files we retrieved, I imagine. I'll check on that.'

'Is it important?' Carly asked.

Mikage paused. 'Not really, no,' she said finally. 'Just like it's not important whether you remember what happened after your duel with Divine or not. It's just…black holes, and I'd like to know what should be in them.'

'Yeah…' Carly's voice trailed off thoughtfully. 'Me too.' She paused. 'I guess your job and mine are kind of similar. And we both ask a tonne of questions. You're better at answering them than me, though.'

'Thank you?' Mikage sounded unsure whether to take that as a compliment or not. 'Reporting and Public Safety are quite different though, aside from asking questions.'

'Not really. I want to make people smile. Don't you? And when they're safe because of your hard work, aren't you happy?'

Mikage had to admit that Carly had a point there. Albeit an obscure one.