Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoy! I hope to post at a regular pace, maybe every two or two and a half weeks depending on school and work. If you have any suggestions or want to correct my facts, you can reach me on the Plastic memories reddit at /r/plamemo !
"Nice to meet you! I'm Tsukasa Mizugaki" Tsukasa said with a smile as he shook his new partner's hand.
But could he really call it a smile? Behind that smile of his was sadness and pain. He struggled to maintain his formal composure, nine months he had been waiting for this day, yet he still was not prepared for it. He chose to recycle Isla, he could not bear to part with her, even if she was a totally different person who knew nothing of him and the relationship her old self and him had.
"Nice to meet you. I am Misaki, I look forward to working with you. May we get along well." Old Isla said emotionlessly.
Tsukasa flinched at her name, of course that is her name (Misaki translates roughly to beautiful bloom). Then Tsukasa and Misaki ceased to shake hands, which only saddened Tsukasa more. The warmth of the familiar hand which he held so tentatively before had vanished, leaving him with grief. He did not show this however, the last thing he wanted to do was to worry the others, let alone his new partner.
Tsukasa maintained his ploy and asked Misaki in an animated voice, "So, how long have you been activated? Think you are ready for what lies ahead?"
Misaki started back at Tsukasa with lifeless red eyes. Her lips curled slightly downward and frown lines appeared on her forehead. "Of course I am, why would a Giftia not be preloaded with the information required to fulfill their desired role?" Misaki said with annoyance, her eyes still firmly staring at Tsukasa.
Tsukasa gave a slight sigh. She was far from the Isla he once knew, but even she had to go through change to become who she was. So Tsukasa held on to hope that he could at least make her a more cheerful person. He then replied, "That does still not answer my first question."
"Three days. So I am not being retrieved anytime soon." Isla replied in a monotone voice.
Tsukasa scratched his head nervously as he spoke with a forced smile, "That's glad to hear. I am looking forward to a long and healthy working relationship together."
Misaki gave a nod in reply and the room fell into an awkward silence. Tsukasa shot Kazuki a glance. She stood leaning against Takao's desk with a nervous frown. She quickly gave Tsukasa a nod and addressed Misaki.
"Your desk is the one of the end on the left, facing towards the window. Tsukasa sits across from you. If you have any questions, ask me. I am Kuwanomi Kazuki, but you can just call me Kazuki if you would like."
Misaki turned towards Takao and gave a slight bow saying, "Thank you, I will make sure to bring any questions I have to you."
She then turned to face the rest of her coworkers, who were all sitting at their designated desks. She gave a slight bow and introduced herself. Everyone else introduced themselves in return.
Meanwhile, Tsukasa stood by looking at everyone. They all seemed to have cheerful expressions on their faces, but he was certain they were feeling some sort of grief on the inside.
He then walked over to his desk and sat down. Despite being vacant for nine months, everything was tidy and organized, this was most likely Michiru's doing. He gave a glance at Michiru, who noticed and gave a soft smile with a wave in return, bewildering Tsukasa
"She must be having a good day, being so friendly in the morning never was her strong suit." Tsukasa thought to himself.
Suddenly Misaki's monotone voice could be heard, Misaki was seated across from him at her desk. "So Mizugaki-san, what is our first task for today?"
A bit startled, Tsukasa replied, "Well, I just got back from a nine month training session today, so I don't really know myself."
He then turned to face Kazuki who had an embarrassed grin on her face, "Oh, sorry! It slipped my mind. How about you and Misaki get to know eachother a bit better. If you want a job to establish your skills together I have one for you. But first, have Misaki at least get familiar with her computer so she can put it to good use in the future."
"Sure, it would be beneficial for our partnership if we knew each other's capabilities." Misaki replied with a nod.
Tsukasa only gave a smile. "Kazuki forget something? Now that is unusual" Tsukasa thought
Kazuki walked over with a file in hand and placed it on Tsukasa's desk and said affirmatively,"You can read up on this while Misaki gets her bearings."
Tsukasa gave her a nod and started to skim the file. It was rather small, so he was hoping it would be an easy job.
A few melodramatic hours went by, everybody seemed to be catching up on paperwork so it was mostly quiet besides the tapping of keyboards. Then Yamanobe broke the silence with a yawn. With his arms outstretched he asked, "Hey Isla, could I have some tea please?"
Utter silence filled the room, everyone stared up at Yamanobe with a mixture of disappointed and concerning glares. With the exception of Misaki who tilted her head in confusion. "Who is this Isla?" She asked.
Yamanobe quickly realized his mistake and waved his hands apologetically out in front of him saying, "Sorry, I am still used to having her around, she is a former employee who worked here for many years"
Misaki gave a hesitant nod in reply. Tsukasa was unsure if she fully accepted Yamanobe's answer, or was confused. It didn't seem to bother her for long however, for she quickly started working again.
Kazuki gave a slight huff and turned back towards her work. Michiru gave a disappointed sigh, and Zach and Constance gave each other nervous looks. Yasutaka gave a slight chuckle but quickly silenced himself after receiving a devilish stare from Sherry. Tsukasa only gave a slight frown, while he was hoping this could be avoided, he never doubted that someone might accidentally address Misaki as Isla. Despite the fact he knew it might happen, it still could not help put feel a stinging pain in his heart. Tsukasa gave a quick glance to Misaki, who was busy typing away at her computer, and then back down at the file.
He had read the file cover to cover several times, and had a pretty good idea of how to handle the situation. Based off the information, this should be a rather easy retrieval if they play it right. It just seemed simple when compared to the jobs he received when he was partnered with Isla. He shrugged it off thinking it is most likely due to his leave of absence combined with his new partner.
He close the file gently and hoisted it over the dividing wall between his and Misaki's desk saying with a gentle smile, "Here, read up on these when you have time. Knowing our target will make this a lot easier. I am hoping to pay them a visit tomorrow if you are up to it."
Misaki looked up from her screen, took a hold of the file, skimmed through a few pages, and then closed it. She set it aside and looked back blankly at Tsukasa and replied, "Not a problem, I'll be up to it."
Tsukasa nodded in acknowledgement, and started to work on some paperwork. The rest of the day was uneventful and progressed as if nothing had happened.
When the end of the day came near, it dawned on Tsukasa if Misaki knew where they lived. So he looked up and asked her. "Hey Misaki."
"Yes?" She replied.
"You know about the policy of us living together right? You also know where we live and which apartment is ours and have a key right?" He continued.
"Yes, I know all of that. And yes, I do have a key. I have spent my nights there. However, I will not be back tonight." Misaki replied apathetically
"Why not?" Tsukasa replied with a confused face.
"The engineers said they need to run some diagnostic tests with me. I will spend the night there so they can complete them overnight." She said
Tsukasa noticed Michiru gave them a concerned glance, but quickly looked away when she saw Tsukasa had seen her. He decided to ask her about it later as he replied to Misaki, "Okay, as long as you are able to help me with the retrieval tomorrow, I have no objections."
Misaki said nothing in reply, she was already engrossed in what was left of her daily work. Tsukasa, who had gotten done about an half an hour early, leaned back in his chair and spun around to face the window. He folded his hand behind his head and propped his right leg on his left. He then sunk into deep thought. He prefered that he would spend a night in the apartment alone, it would give him some time to adjust. He just hoped Misaki had not made any drastic changes to the place.
After work, Misaki and Tsukasa parted ways, so Tsukasa walked home alone. The rest of the team had headed home before them since Tsukasa decided to give Misaki a "grand" tour of the facility before heading out. He thought it might make him feel better, but it only hurt him. He walked slowly home, scuffing his feet, hands in his pockets, and his shoulders drooping. Memories of his time together with Isla flooded his thoughts. He gave out a deep sigh and kicked an empty soda can down the sidewalk, and one he caught up to it kicked it again. It was a lot harder to deal with this than he thought, a lot harder.
After a short walk, Tsukasa arrived at his apartment. The apartment illuminated itself the second he stepped across the threshold. Tsukasa took of his shoes and walked in, giving the apartment a once over. Nothing had changed, it was exactly the same as the day he left it.
"Well that's a relief" Tsukasa thought as he went up to the loft.
He then set his bag in his desk chair, pulled out Isla's diary along with her old keychain. Tsukasa then laid down on the bed and took his keychain out of his pocket. He held the three items out in front of him. This was his proof that Isla existed, that the love they shared was real and did happen. They were the things he would make sure nobody would take from him, for as long as he had them, his memories would never fade.\
With this thought in his mind, Tsukasa quickly fell asleep, clutching the items that still carried the scent of the woman he loved.