Part Two

The Shangri-La was in an uproar, the moment Soldier Blue returned with the dying clone in his arms. With badly-shaken looks in their eyes, the elders of the Mu could only watch as Soldier Blue carefully laid him on one of the beds in sickbay.

"Such an uncanny resemblance….." Zel muttered; speaking for all of the elders, in this instance, as sickbay personnel took over from there.

"But it doesn't make sense! Why would the Terra system go so far as to make a clone of Soldier?" another asked, uneasily, as she gazed at the pallid features of the other Mu.

"Good question…..and it's one he won't be able to answer, with certainty. All we can do now, is help him feel at home here. Can I count on all of you….?" Soldier Blue asked, wearily; the adrenaline from his rush into sickbay now well and truly spent.

"You can count on us, at least, Soldier." Another of the elders said, quietly, as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and smiled at him.

"Thank you." Soldier Blue said, with no small amount of relief in his voice, before he then began to make his way out of the sickbay, and back to his own quarters; knowing that he still had more work to do, before he could rest.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

For the first time in my long, pain-filled life, I feel nothing. Well, maybe that isn't quite the truth…..but at least the agony I had been forced to endure for so long has finally been stopped. And yet, even as I lie here, I can feel the minds of those who call this ship home….Their curiosity, (probably about my looks) and even…..worry? Concern for my wellbeing? How strange.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"There's been no change since he was first brought in here?" Soldier Blue asked, about a week or so later, as he and the head doctor in sickbay looked over the clone's charts. The doctor could only sigh and shake his head in some exasperation.

"Aside from the fact that his vitals are showing some improvement, and he's in some way aware of us, as we try to help him, he's shown no signs of waking any time soon. His mind is very closed off; whatever that damned computer had done to him, he's taken it upon himself to try and heal it alone." The doctor muttered, then added, "Very much like you would have done, in the same situation."

"I see…..I suppose I should try reaching out to him, next?" Soldier Blue asked, rhetorically, as he then turned and looked at the slumbering clone; focusing his mind on the clone's mind, and gently calling out to him.

"Can you hear me?" Soldier Blue asked, silently; jumping somewhat, when the clone became aware of him, and reached out as well.

"Yes…..I can hear you….It's just such a strange feeling…..to know that you can hear me." The clone softly replied, his relief over finally being free of the lab still readily heard in his voice, as he spoke.

"Had you been calling out to me for a long time, then?" Soldier Blue questioned, as he closed the physical distance between them, and sat down beside the bed the clone now lay on; his eyes taking on a hint of sadness, as he did so. Ever so slightly, the clone nodded.

"All my life…." The clone answered, "From the time I was 'born', till now, I have been telepathic…..In the back of my mind, I could sense you….But lately, your life-force has been getting weaker…." At this, Soldier Blue could only manage an abashed smile; for the first time in his long life, someone had seen right through him, and noticed the secret he has been hiding for a good while, now.

"All living things die, Aoi. Even Mu." Soldier Blue said, as he made sure that this thought was kept from the sickbay personnel nearby.

"'Aoi'? Who is that?" the clone asked, taken off-guard by the name, and by the Soldier's subsequent warm smile in response to his confusion.

"That is your name, my friend. In an old language from Terra, it means 'blue'." Soldier Blue replied; smiling again, when the clone opened his eyes, and gave him a bewildered look.

"Then you have accepted me? What about the rest? Will they accept me, too?" Aoi asked, as a look of childlike wonder began to appear in his bright red eyes.

"What the rest of the Mu think shouldn't matter, Aoi. Your life is your own. Live it how you see fit, not according to how others think you should live it." Soldier Blue encouraged, as a tearful smile appeared in the newly named clone's ageless eyes, and on his face.

"Aoi…..My name….is Aoi….I have a name now….." Aoi whispered; his voice barely audible, amidst the sounds of the machines close by, and the sickbay personnel going about their business.

"And that is something no one can take away from you." Soldier Blue murmured, as he watched the clone take in this new development with wonder in his eyes.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

And thus, I was named. In the days and weeks following that, I regained even more of my strength, and got to know the Mu who called the ship home. I even found myself exploring said ship…..much to some of the Elders' dismay….

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"Aoi! Wait! Slow down!" one of the cadets shouted, as a white-haired, red-eyed blur raced through the hallways.

"Not on your life, Toma! I mean to enjoy my newfound freedom!" Aoi replied, with a laugh, as he touched down on the metal floor, and skidded gracefully to a halt; grinning when the cadet's exasperated thoughts reached him.

"Giving them a rough time of it, Aoi?" Soldier Blue asked, as the spirit version of himself joined the exuberant clone in the hallway; smiling and sighing in some exasperation, when Aoi laughed softly at that.

"Wouldn't be me if I wasn't, Blue. You know that better than anyone!" Aoi answered, as both Toma and Leo arrived beside him; his eyes glinting with mischief, as they did so.

"I am starting to wonder if this is what fathers must feel like, when their sons are being too much to handle…." Soldier Blue muttered, then gave his clone an odd smile. He remembered very keenly that it hadn't been too long ago, that Aoi had been too ill to even leave the sickbay….And now, it pleased him to see that said clone was regaining his strength, his scars were beginning to fade, and his heart was starting to open up to those around him. And yet, despite how much Aoi's progress pleased him, Soldier Blue knew that more pressing matters were still ahead, that needed to be handled.

"If anything, I'll soon be able to make another foray into the educational city again. Aoi, can I count on you to keep an eye on things while I am 'out'?" Soldier Blue asked, as he returned his attention to the trio before him; startling them with the sudden seriousness and certainty in his voice and eyes.

"Going to look in on Jomy again?" Aoi asked, in turn; not particularly liking the idea, but not arguing the point, either. He knew that the Mu Chief had chosen the unsuspecting teenager to be his successor sometime before, and it wasn't in him to try and dissuade Soldier Blue from carrying through with his plans. Soldier Blue nodded, then placed an insubstantial hand on Aoi's shoulder, in a comforting gesture, when he'd sensed the clone's unease.

"I know you're uneasy about this, Aoi, but Jomy represents the future. Leo and Toma both know this, as well. Try not to worry. I will return safely." Soldier Blue reassured.

"Unlike last time?" Aoi muttered, as a deadpan look appeared on his face; remembering how the last foray had gone, as well as how long Soldier Blue had been bedridden by it. At this, Soldier Blue's expression deadpanned as well.

"Please, don't remind me." Soldier Blue mumbled, a bit moodily, even as the two cadets quietly snickered at his expense, and as he rubbed his forehead in irritation at having been reminded of the recent mishap.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

And yet, he still went. Even though the effort must have exhausted him, he still went out to see about his successor's wellbeing. I guess something can be said about stubbornness, in the face of physical weakness….and Soldier Blue is probably the most stubborn of us all….

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Only the most sensitive of those on the ship could have felt Soldier Blue's return to the ship; as it was, if Aoi hadn't been sitting at his bedside when he 'returned', it would have gone completely unnoticed by everyone. All that announced it, was the sound of his breathing picking up slightly, and just the barest hint of a wince appearing on his pallid features, as his soul re-occupied his body again.

"Not…..one word…..Aoi." Soldier Blue managed to gasp, before opening his eyes, and giving him a weak glare. At this, Aoi could only hold both hands up in front of him in a wordless gesture to shield himself from the Mu Chief's words, and the piercing look he'd just given him.

"I didn't say a word, Blue." Aoi replied, honestly (or, then again, maybe not as honestly as he would have liked).

"But….you were…..thinking it." Soldier Blue grumbled, as he slowly forced himself to sit up; reluctantly accepting a glass of water from the clone, after he had done so. At this, he got a feigned look of insult from Aoi, which quickly became a slight grin.

"Yare, yare…...So, how was Jomy, this time?" Aoi asked, as he sat down on the bed beside Soldier Blue.

"Uneasy about his upcoming Adult Examination, nervous about whatever the future holds in store for him…..The usual….." Soldier Blue murmured, as he rubbed his forehead with one hand, and sighed wearily.

"Think you're going to need any help in the fight against Terra's Number Five?" Aoi questioned, when he'd sensed how tired the Mu leader truly was. At this, all he got was a shake of the head.

"No….Though your help is going to be needed, when we bring him here." Soldier Blue replied, quietly.

"How am I going to be of any help, in that?" Aoi couldn't help but ask, as he watched Soldier Blue get up; his own apprehension growing, as he thought of the upcoming battle.

"Just help him find his place here. That's all I ask." Soldier Blue said, in response, as they both left his quarters, and started heading to the room where the Elders and Harley were waiting.

"Help him find his place here? How do I do that, when I'm not even sure what mine is?" Aoi wondered, as they made their way to the meeting room. Despite his time on board the ship, and the friendships he'd forged during that time, he could still sense that he didn't quite fit in with the rest of the Mu. Even though his telepathic powers were on par with Soldier Blue's, just the fact that he was a clone of their leader, set him apart.

"It's been almost half a year since I was freed from that hellhole….and yet, even though they trust me to some small extent….a good number of them still think I might be a spy, sent by those damned computers….." Aoi mused, as he abruptly left Soldier Blue's side, and headed for his favorite spot on the ship itself; the outer hull. Several weeks prior, Harley had moved the Shangri-La out of its' underground berth, and into the thick clouds just beyond the mountains that bordered Ataraxia City; doing his part to prepare for Jomy's imminent arrival.

"Quite a sight…..Even though all I can see are clouds, and the ground beneath us is barren and dry, it's still a far cry better than what I had seen day in and day out in that damned lab!" Aoi inwardly sighed, as he took his usual seat on the Shangri-La's nose, and started cloud-watching.

"Thought I'd find you out here!" a woman's voice said, after a few moments; startling Aoi into turning, and seeing one of the Elders appear just a foot or so behind him.

"Ella-san…..Am I in trouble again?" Aoi asked, as he looked questioningly up at her; feeling even further confused, when she chuckled, and in turn gave him a warm smile.

"No, you're not in any kind of trouble, Aoi. It's just that Soldier was a little concerned about you, that's all. He knows how uneasy you are about this." Ella replied, as she took a seat beside the clone; her mismatched eyes showing true warmth, when she sensed the confusion within Aoi.

"It's within reason, Ella-san. Soldier's about to try something that has never been attempted before…..To interfere while Terra's Number Five is starting Jomy's Adult Exam…Will he have enough strength to pull it off on his own?" Aoi murmured, then glared at the clouds in front of him, "Damn it, I wish he'd let me pitch in!"

"He's so like Soldier, in that respect…..He wants to help the one who had helped him, and is frustrated that he can't." Ella thought, as she watched Aoi continue to sit and glare into the thick clouds.

"I think he just wants you to save your strength, for the real test to come….That being our leaving Artemesia behind, and heading for Terra." Ella said, as she tried to calm Aoi's nervousness a little bit.

"Personally, Ella-san, I honestly don't see what's so great about Terra, to begin with….and I know Blue won't live long enough to see it for himself…..What guarantee do we have that I'll make it? I'm already three hundred years old and I'm a clone! It's a miracle that I have even survived this long outside of that artificial womb I had been imprisoned in!" Aoi stated, in some agitation, then softly added, "My life could turn out to be even shorter than his remaining time….." Yet Aoi could only feel some surprise, when Ella suddenly reached out to him and embraced him gently; holding him close in an effort to comfort him in some way.

"You shouldn't worry so much about that, Aoi…..Live each day as it comes, and don't dread it. And….when Soldier's time does come…..live on for your own sake." Ella murmured, as some tears appeared in her eyes, but she didn't allow them to fall.

"I'll try, Ella-san…..That's all I can say…..I'll try….." Aoi quietly promised, even though he wasn't feeling as certain as he would have liked. And little did they realize, just what kind of trial they were all about to face…