Hi again!

So, how did you like the first chapter? Was it good?

In this one, we'll get to see just how much trouble these two will get into for their selfless deed...and weather or not they'll be able to win a debate against Zaha.

Enjoy!

September 25, 2039

Location: Mother Ship

6:26 A.M.

Lirio opened the door to the conference room and stepped in, followed closely by Mii, still holding the basket. She stopped and stooped low for a minute, placing the baby back in the basket and folding the blanket around her. The little one burbled and stretched her tiny arms out, and Mii gave her the tiny…lump of cloth they had found in the basket to serve as a stuffed animal.

"I know, little one." She whispered. "I know you're tired and hungry, but you have to stay quiet for a while, until we can explain to Zaha what's going on."

The baby starred up at her with those enormous blue eyes, then tried to put the stuffed…thing in her mouth and chew on it. She made a face and spit it out, and Mii couldn't help but giggle.

She heard the door on the other side open, and quickly slid the basket under the table as the rest of the Apostles entered and took their seats.

Zaha sat down. "Report."

Mazuma, a young man who's messy red hair draped over his left eye, went first. "Sectors 28 and 29 have been secured. The humans there are being rounded up as we speak."

"Very good." Zaha replied. "Shizu? Kali?"

A young woman with wavy blonde hair in a ponytail and glasses positioned neatly on her face stood. She gestured to the large, brutish man next to her who, despite his bulky appearance, bore a strange resemblance to her. "We investigated the old factory in Moscow and found only one survivor, but they were unresponsive and thus we could not carry out a neblade."

Zaha nodded. "Alright then." He turned to Mii and Lirio. "And you?"

Lirio spoke. "We investigated the explosion site. By the looks of it, no one in the jeep survived. We also found blood trails around the site, so anyone trying to escape must have been picked off by the armaments."

"Were there any other vehicles?"

"No sir, they were traveling alone. There were no useful weapons remaining-"

Then the baby squeaked.

Mii closed her eyes and sighed, fear building up in her. Zaha was obviously watching them, and she heard him order Lirio to show him.

Lirio began to reach under the table and she caught his hand. A simple, yet pleading gesture.

"We have to." He whispered. Then he leaned closer. "I won't let him hurt her, I promise."

Slowly, Mii released his arm, and watched as he gently removed the baby from the basket. She giggled a bit at being held, and then began to whimper again as Lirio placed her on the table, yet for some reason kept one hand under her head and one on top of the blanket.

Zaha's eyes widened and he stood up. "WHAT IS THIS?!"

"That, Zaha, is a blanket." Mazuma joked. "But I assume you're referring to what's inside the blanket."

Zaha began to approach them. "WHY IN THE GENERAL'S NAME WOULD YOU BRING THAT…THAT THING ABOARD OUR SHIP?!"

Fearing the worst, Mii grabbed the baby off the table and held her to her chest. "Y-You're not going to kill her, are you?"

Zaha laughed sarcastically. "Her? You'll be lucky if I don't KILL YOU!"

Lirio stood up. "Not unless you want to lose your arms!"

"YOU WATCH YOUR TONGUE! YOU'RE AS DEEP IN THIS SHITHOLE AS YOUR FIANCÉE IS!" With that last scream, the baby awoke and began to cry. Mii jumped out of her chair and retreated to the back of the room, where she proceeded to try to soothe the crying child.

"Zaha, please, just leave them alone." Shizu stepped in. She stood up and approached Mii slowly, extending a comforting hand towards them.

"I think she's hungry." Mii said. "She hasn't eaten since we found her."

"Well, what do babies eat?" Mazuma asked.

"Usually soft food, depending on how old they are." Shizu turned back to Mii. "Do you know how old she is?"

Mii shook her head. "There was a note in the basket, but we haven't read all of it yet." She lifted the still crying infant onto her shoulder.

Shizu lifted the basket out from under the table and rummaged through it, pulling out the note. She read a bit, turned it over, and nodded.

"Says here she was born on September 22, 2039."

"That was only three days ago." Lirio said.

Shizu nodded. "And this last part may come as an interest to all of you." She began to read out loud "'This child is a third generation GRAY clone, the 'perfect clone' of the alien leader Sing Love. Whoever finds her must treat her carefully and delicately, as a child should be handled.'"

That was when the room started spinning.

Mii closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall. The baby was still crying, though it wasn't as loud.

"Mii?" Lirio rushed over to her. "Are you alright?"

"Three days…" Mii opened her eyes. "She'll be needing milk, then."

"We don't have any baby formula, do we?" Mazuma asked.

"No!" Zaha said. "Nobody feed it! We are not keeping that thing!"

"Where are we gonna put her, then?!" Lirio countered. "She'll die if we just leave her on the street!"

"Then we'll kill it here." Zaha said.

Mii gasped. "No! Mi amor, no dejes que haga esto!" She clutched Lirio's jacket. "Don't let him kill her!"

Lirio responded by standing in front of her, acting as a shield from Zaha. "Don't think for a second I'll let you get away with that."

"Be sensible." Zaha said. "Both of you. This is against protocol. That thing would be better off dead than with us!"

"CALLATE LA BOCA!" Mii screamed. "SHE IS NOT A THING! THIS IS A LIVING CHILD, DAMMIT! TREAT HER LIKE ONE!"

The whole room stopped silent, save for the baby, who began to cry even louder. Zaha sighed in irritation. "Will someone please take that…child out of here?!"

Mii began to reach for the door, but Shizu stopped her. "I'll take her. You should stay."

"But I-"

Shizu stopped her. "You should be here to decide what happens. She needs you to protect her."

Mii hesitated, then passed the baby into Shizu's arms, who smiled and took her outside.

She turned back to Zaha. "And what would you have us do with her?"

"I would rather she be executed."

"Not an option." Lirio said.

Zaha sighed. "Why is this so difficult for you two?! She isn't even you're child."

"You're one to talk, Zaha." Lirio countered. "You brought Nafhe along for the invasion, didn't you?"

Zaha narrowed his eyes. "How I parent my daughter is none of your concern, Lirio." He sighed. "Alright, let's just say we do keep this child. She'll still need someone to raise her; nurture her into adulthood. No one here is willing to do that."

Mii stepped forward. "Lo haria."

Zaha starred at her. "What?"

Mii looked him straight in the eye and smiled. "It means 'I would.' If you'll allow it, Commander." Her voice dripped with honeyed sarcasm.

"You? Parent this child?" Zaha questioned her.

"You doubt me, then?"

"No…" He said suspiciously. "This wouldn't have anything to do with what happened six years ago-"

"It doesn't." She assured him, rather bluntly.

Zaha touched his finger to his chin and sighed. "…Alright." He relented. "The child can stay."

Mii's face lit up. "Well, Lirio?"

"Hm?" He looked confused. "Well what?"

She smirked at him. "Are you ready for the responsibility of being a father?"

He looked confused. "What? You think I…"

She sauntered up to him and wrapped her arms round him, making her best pouty face. "Please, Mi amor? The little one will grow up so much better with two parents instead of just one~"

"You are her fiancé, Lirio." Mazuma piped up.

Lirio scowled and gave him the middle finger, which Mazuma only laughed at.

He looked down at Mii and sighed. "Alright…Mii. If you're willing to be the child's mother…" He put his arm around her "Then I'm willing to be her father."

Mii laughed in delight and kissed him.

Mazuma dug the edge of this sword into the table. "Well, I guess all that's left to do is to just watch and see how this all plays out."

…

Mii entered the living room quietly, careful not to make any noise. Shizu sat in a large easy chair by the fireplace, which had a roaring fire in it, and in her arms Mii could see the little baby, now quieted.

She approached slowly. "Como esta?"

Shizu turned to look at her. "Quiet, for now. Turns out the poor thing really was hungry." She held the baby out slightly. "We have a definite shortage of pacifiers in this ship."

Mii bent down slightly and giggled as she saw what the baby was sucking on. "Apple slices?"

"It's a cheap fix, but it works." Shizu replied with a shrug. "She'll need some real food soon, though…" She looked at Mii. "Are you still lactating, by any chance?"

Mii started slightly and looked away. "It's been a long time, Shizu. I don't know if I'm still any good."

"There's only one way to find out." Shizu replied, standing up. She handed the baby to Mii, who sat down in the easy chair.

"Go on, give it a try." Shizu encouraged her.

Mii gave her a dirty look, but smiled soon after. Carefully, she undid the button on her top and pulled the fabric away, revealing her left breast. The baby seemed unsure of what to do at first, but she quickly latched on and began suckling.

Shizu smiled. "Well look at that." She patted Mii's shoulder. "She finds it tasty."

Mii smiled, but she kept her eyes on the baby, who was kneading her breast with her tiny hand…almost like a kitten.

"I forgot how good this felt." She whispered, closing her eyes.

"I can tell you missed it." Shizu said before turning her attention to the doorway. "Well, here comes the baby-daddy himself."

"Hi Shizu." Lirio replied.

"Mi amor, come look at this!" Mii called out in a whisper. Lirio approached them and knelt down beside the chair.

"Well, would you look at that." He whispered. He ran his finger over the baby's head, careful not to disturb her.

"You know…" Shizu added, sitting down on the sofa "Skin to skin contact between mother and child can help strengthen the bond between them." She smiled. "That's why breastfeeding is so effective. Humans like to call it 'Kangaroo care.'"

Mii smiled down at the child again. "I'm just happy she's getting something out of it." She looked up at them. "I was worried I was all dried up."

"You said it yourself," Lirio replied, kissing her cheek. "Maternal instinct never goes away."

"I'm glad I was right." She replied. "Hey, Lirio, did that note say if she head a name?" At this point the baby stopped suckling, and the milk was beginning to dribble out of the corners of her mouth. Mii loosened her grip slightly and re-buttoned her top, and Lirio went and fetched some Kleenex for her to clean the baby's mouth off with.

"I don't think so…" He replied. Then he looked puzzled. "What's that?"

"What's what?"

He adjusted her blanket slightly, then reached in and pulled out a pair of dog tags on a long silver chain. "This…"

He took it off the baby's neck, and Shizu came closer to get a look. "It says…"

"Black Rock Shooter…" He finished. He handed the dog tags to Mii.

She looked at them and scoffed. "They couldn't come up with a better name?" She said. "Wait, what does the other one say?" She turned it over and smiled.

"Well?" Lirio asked. His fiancée smiled and handed the tag to him.

"Stella." She said. "According to that, her name is Stella."

And there you go. They get to keep the baby! Yay!

Now I know Stella was not born in 2039, in the canon she was born in 2035, but I had to move down the date a few years to make room for *spoilers*.

So how do you guys think this is gonna go? A little GRAY clone being raised by two aliens sent to take over our known world? Please tell your opinion in your review...and please review. (I can't read minds, guys, especially through a computer screen.)

Thanks again to The Omega Mega One for helping me edit. And helping me come up with a title.