I'll Marry You When I Get Back
By Darth Kyrie
Disclaimer: Invasion of Astro Monster/Godzilla vs. Monster Zero (1965), the English dub, and it's characters are property of Toho studios and I in no way own them or am profiting from their use. This story is intended purely for entertainment purposes.
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"You know you've never told me your name?" Glenn rolled over, sheets pulling tight around his torso, looking at Miss Namikawa as she sat on the stiff-backed bungalow chair, combing the frizz out of her glossy black hair,
"My name is Namikawa," she replied, smiling indulgently,
"And you work for the World Education Corporation," Glenn continued, following the familiar pattern, "And so on and so on-but what is your first name?" He frowned, "Well, your last name...aw hell, your given name?" Miss Namikawa put her brush down on the leather-upholstered desk with a muted thwack, silk robe slipping away from her neck to reveal blemishless ivory skin. She alway wore such soft things, things that rippled and flowed against Glenn's hands as he removed them, things that slid to the floor in shimmering puddles. She had explained they made her feel more human, that in her hometown the fabric was coarser and stiffer with no trace of supple softness. Glenn thought soft things suited her,
"My given name is...Kin." She stood up and went to the window, fiddling absentmindedly with the tie of her robe as she looked out over Lake Myojin,
"Keen?" Glenn forced out in his hopeless New England accent, "Doesn't that mean...gold?"
"Yes." Miss Namikawa stared blankly out the window,
"That's very pretty," Glenn observed,
"I hate it." Miss Namikawa's impeccably manicured hands clenched around the balcony door handle, dark hair glittering in the porch light, "My...guardians thought gold was a worthless, silly thing. Unfeeling, barely functional, good only to be an ornament."
"That's harsh." Glenn rose from the bed, hauling the sheets up as he moved, wrapping them around his waist, "Why don't you change it?"
"What?" Miss Namikawa turned to look at him as he strode towards her, stopping an arm's length away,
"If you hate it so much you should pick something new," Glenn explained, reaching out to wrap his heavier hand around her slim one,
"I can't change it!" She protested, scandalized, "If I'm not Kin then who am I? Just another female. A unit for reproduction."
"You're no machine, Baby. You're a flesh-n-blood, smart, beautiful, capable woman." Glenn pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her slight but strong shoulders, "And you're worth a hell of a lot more than your weight in gold."
"Glenn-" She looked away from his searching gaze, their faces inches apart. He could feel her clipped breaths, smell the pleasant sting of the tsubaki oil she had just combed into her hair,
"How about Kee-mee-ko? Or Ah-ee-ko?" He suggested playfully, attention flicking down to her parted lips, "I knew a girl named Aiko once, it didn't suit her."
"You have known a lot of girls, Glenn." Miss Namikawa turned back to him, smiling slightly,
"But none of 'em were you." He replied swiftly, "There's a whole world of names out there and you can pick any one you choose and it'll suit you 'cause you picked it out and that makes it yours."
"How about Umi?" She suggested,
"Ooo-me?" Glenn's brow furrowed, "Ocean?" She looked out at the lake again. It's dark surface glittering in the moonlight, the sparse lights of cottages and houses skating over it's concealing depths. Glenn slid his fingers carefully along her skin, tugging the silk robe off her shoulders,
"It suits you. Beautiful." He bent down to kiss her exposed skin, "Mysterious." His lips brushed along the curve of her neck, "Alluring."
"Precious." Miss Namikawa breathed, almost inaudibly, "Sustaining."
"Dangerous." He breathed. Miss Namikawa started,
"Dangerous?" She looked down at him, pulling away, "Why would you say that?" Glenn laughed and ran a hand through his tousled blonde hair,
"My friend Fuji warned me to stay away from 'the wrong type of girl'," he explained, "And I think you qualify."
"Oh really?" Her tone as frangible as spun sugar, Miss Namikawa shoved him away, grabbing her robe off the floor and making a beeline for the suitcase near the door where her clothes rested,
"No, wait-" Glenn stumbled and dropped the bed sheets as he scrambled after her, "I didn't mean it that way."
"Then what did you mean, Glenn?" Miss Namikawa spat out, dark eyes flashing,
"I mean, I've never really gone for 'the right kind of girl', you know?" He stumbled over his words, "Going steady, gettin' married, those were never in the cards for me, especially since I spend a lot more time up in space then I do with my feet planted firmly on the ground. But you, Namikawa, you make me wanna give it a go. And that's dangerous. You're dangerous. The most dangerous kind of woman for a man like me."
"And what kind of man are you?" Miss Namikawa asked, uncertain,
"One who loves you. Madly," Glenn declared, meeting her eyes with his own steely blue ones, "And who'll keep on loving you whether you're Namikawa or Kin or Umi or somebody else." He strode forwards and took her in his arms. She hugged him back just as tightly, silk robe once again fluttering to the floor, "I won't promise that my work will never take me away," he murmured into her hair, "But I can promise to always come back to you, 'cause no matter how many planets I visit, none of 'em have you."
"Oh, Glenn," Miss Namikawa gasped closing her eyes and breathing into his chest, "You don't know what you're saying!"
"You don't feel the same way about me, is that it?"
"No, no!" She pulled his head down and kissed him firmly on the mouth, trying to express the passion she couldn't put into words, "No. I love you, Darling. Madly."
"We'll be mad together then, eh?" Glenn smiled again, stroking her hair,
"No one must know," Miss Namikawa whispered against his skin,
"So it's to be a secret romance?" Glenn chuffed, "Don't worry, Umi. I won't shatter any of your hard won 'wrong girl' reputation." Miss Namikawa playfully swatted at him, "Hey, hey! Watch the head!"
"Why?" She grinned back, "It's not like you're using it."
"Baby, you wound me." Glenn clapped a hand to his heart,
"Never." Miss Namikawa promised.
"Hell, I think I'll marry you," Glenn declared. Miss Namikawa paused, eyes wide, before slowly smiling,
"Don't you have to meet Fuji at headquarters in a few hours?" She shook her head, amused,
"Aw, well, I'll marry you when I get back," Glenn promised, "But let's try and get some sleep before I have to leave okay? Love takes a lot outta a man." Miss Namikawa smiled wryly, picking up her robe and draping it across the bungalow chair while Glenn tugged the sheets back onto the bed and into some semblance of order. He laid down and held up an arm so she could snuggle underneath. She crawled in beside him, switching off the bedside lamp before laying her head on his chest, tucked underneath his chin, their hands clasped together on his stomach.
Glenn was asleep in moments, a soft smile on his lips. Namikawa lay awake, sleepless eyes glittering in a dark room.
The minutes ticked by like years. Glenn shifted and rolled in his sleep, murmuring occasionally. His fingers slowly unwound from hers and slipped down to his side.
Much too soon the door creaked open, letting in a slice of yellow light. A man entered dressed in a dark, ill-fitting suit, darker eyes staring out dead and lifeless from his plaid face. Miss Namikawa stiffened but made no move to wake her sleeping lover.
The Controller spoke only a few words, an evil smirk slashing across his grayish face,
"All preparations are made. Do not worry." A low chuckle escaped his bloodless lips as he took in the sleeping American wrapped around his agent's lithe form. Shamed, Miss Namikawa averted her gaze as the Controller took his leave, shutting the door with a muted click. The starlight returned, reflecting off the lake to make tiny shadows dance on the bungalow ceiling.
Neither alien noticed that Glenn's eyes had briefly flickered open, closing again when Miss Namikawa cuddled back down to his side, her fingers clutching the sheets in a death grip. She didn't sleep a wink. In the morning she would blame her own uneasiness on Glenn's nighttime tossing and turning.
Glenn would have only the haziest memories of the incident come sunrise, but a vague recollection of Miss Namikawa's tense limbs and white-knuckled hands would convince him that his vision was no nightmare. He knew he could trust her instincts, even if his own senses deceived him. After all, she was the girl he was gonna marry.
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Dear Glenn,
When you receive this letter I shall have been eliminated for disobeying the directives of our computers. I have no regrets. With you I have found a love beyond all computation. You were right, mankind cannot live as machines because man is immortal. A material machine can be destroyed. We machines of the Planet X can be destroyed by, of all things, a certain simple sound.
Goodbye, Glenn
て Umi Namikawa
