A/N: Well, here it is. Next chapter. All I have to say… Well, please, please remember that this is labeled as R because of language and violence. Both are prevalent here. Actually, quite a lot. So I will ignore anyone freaking out or telling me that I'm sick, etcetera. I just think I need to say this before this specific chapter, because it's already going to piss a lot of people off. But just know that I have been planning this out since the very first concepts of LnDHnS. It was bound to happen. Anyway… just… keep your eyes open. This is going to be the beginning of the turning point after all. Okay, on a less cryptic note, this one will actually be about two weeks long again, maybe closer to three. But it probably won't be as long as the other one for sheer lack of events. So don't expect it to be as long or as chockfull. We need some downtime to do some smaller characterization before stuff happens. Anyway, since there isn't anything else for me to say, let's get this party started!
---
There was no way in hell that Inez could have missed the new home which was so obviously the property of Yurika and Jun. Inez had noticed, in looking up a map from the Jump Station to the house, that it was in a rather nasty part of Tokyo. So the fact that it was small was one tip she got. But all the other houses, with their fenced in front yards and driveways, were also of about the same size. So she had another big clue: the big semi truck parked in front. It had a label from a pretty popular chain furniture store, and Inez had to assume it was theirs. And although there wasn't a large slew of cars out in front like Inez had expected, it was actually the shouting that gave it away.
"Motherfucking MAGUS! Jiro, you dropped that table on my damn foot!"
"I'm sorry! I thought you had it!"
"That thing better not be scratched, or I'm not gonna stop hearing about it. And if I don't stop hearing about it, you don't stop hearing about it!"
Inez pulled her rental car to a stop and parked it behind one of two SUV's also parked in front. She could easily see Gai jumping down from the back of the truck to meet up with Itsuki, who was holding her foot and jumping up and down on the sidewalk. Jun and Akito were carrying a rather interesting, leopard-and-zebra-print chair into the house. In a moment, Ryoko and Izumi walked down the ramp out of the truck carrying another one.
Inez shook her head and stuck her hands in the pockets of her striped blue dress. "Looks like I'm a little late."
Ryoko snorted a laugh. "Looks like it. Glad you could show, Miss Fr–"
"Ah, ah, ah. It's Inez today. I don't think you all calling me 'Miss' anything will help us out." Izumi slowly set down her end of the chair and walked rather briskly to where Inez was standing. She tentatively wrapped her arms around Inez's neck, an affection Inez quickly reciprocated. But Inez felt Izumi's arm leave Inez's body almost the exact second the catcalls began. Pulling away Inez could see why; Izumi was answering their whistles and hoots with a well placed raised finger.
"Nice to see you again too, commented Inez, her painted lips curling up a bit. Izumi smiled back and cleared her throat. "You might want to go help Hikaru and Yurika inside. They're setting things up and putting crap away."
"I'll do that then." Inez made a quick beeline for the front door just as Akito and Jun were coming out to grab another piece of furniture. She passed by them quickly and entered the house.
Despite it being small, it was quite clean and had a lot of light, probably because the windows didn't have curtains yet. It was somewhat empty, but the kitchen appeared to be fully stocked with their appliances. The living room was getting there, with the chairs, couch, and table just left in the room, without position or purpose yet. The walls were absolutely bare, but Inez could see several nail holes from the previous owners. What she could see was where Yurika and Hikaru were. "Yurika?"
"We're in here!" called out a voice that was so obvious not Yurika's from down the hall leading out of the kitchen, living room, and dining room area. Inez followed it cautiously, yet quickly, to not be in anyone's way that was still bringing furniture off the truck. She soon saw Yurika in the farthest doorway at the end of the hall, breathing heavy and wiping her forehead.
Inez leaned against the door jamb and waved hello to Yurika. This was obviously what was to be Jun and Yurika's bedroom, and while the rest of the house was in shambles, their impressive bed was all put together and ready for anyone to sleep in it. Already, Hikaru lay on it, her bare arms tossed on the red covers haphazardly. Inez crossed her arms. There was nothing else put up in the room yet besides the massive bed, and there actually were boxes of stuff still stacked around. "You guys have been doing just the bed?"
"Gee, make it sound easy, why don't ya?" complained Hikaru weakly. "We put in the appliances, got them wired right, and put the damn bed together. I… am ready to pass out." She turned onto her side and closed her eyes, pulling her glasses off. Yurika frowned and sat down on the bed heavily, trying to bounce the redhead. "Oh, knock it off, Hikaru! You act like this is the only thing we have to do today!"
"It isn't?"
"No." Inez interrupted the two girls and readjusted her glasses. "Not by a long shot. From what I can tell, though, they have most of the living room furniture off the truck."
"Yay, more room to work!" cried Hikaru leaping off the bed. Inez was a little surprised by her sudden return of energy, but Yurika didn't bat an eye. "No more stuffy bedroom!"
"She certainly has a lot of enthusiasm."
"No she doesn't." Inez raised an eyebrow at Yurika's response. Yurika smiled softly at the doctor. "She's trying not to burst into tears. She's gonna miss us… all of them are. If not us… then most definitely Junny. They're so close, you know? Really close. I've tried my best to become one of them, but I don't think it worked." Yurika stopped and crossed her arms. "And just think it's nice that you're trying to, for Izumi's sake."
"I… I didn't know I was." Inez shook her head. "But I don't really think it matters."
"No." Yurika nodded as she walked into the main part of the house, where Hikaru was already humorously trying to figure out the best position for their news chairs, couch, and tables. "It probably doesn't."
Inez frowned. She was well aware of the fact that Hikaru, Izumi, Gai, Ryoko, Akito, Itsuki, and Jun were all very, very close. So close that, as Inez saw just then, an incoming Gai could slap Hikaru on the butt to get her out of the way, without any repercussions or feelings of dishonesty, as he and Itsuki pulled in a rather confusing looking bookshelf down the hall. Of course it was obvious that this companionship was long standing and probably would be for quite some time. But Inez had little idea that Yurika was jealous of their amiability. Of course, she was a late introduction to their household, going to live there only after she had broken up with Erina, but Inez thought it interesting that such a popular girl as Yurika would strive, and fail, to be part of that little group.
It was heartbreaking, in a way, how Yurika wanted to so be counted as "one of them", that she would even propose to one of their friends to do so. Was that the real reason she was marrying him? To be part of their group? No, Yurika couldn't be that self-centered. Inez was aware that Yurika was a bit more immature than most, just as Akito was as well, but this wasn't something Inez thought Yurika would try to use to become more likeable. And Yurika thought Inez wanted in on it? Fat chance. Inez was perfectly content dating Izumi. She didn't need the rest of them along with it to add to the insanity of her life.
"Why, oh why, Jun, did you not just get a bunch of guys to pull the crap off the truck?"
"Because that would cost more money, and we're already going to be living off Yurika's fortune until I get a job!"
"Aw, how cute, Junny wants to be the man of the house. Too bad he's the one wearing the skirt."
"I am not bi, Hikaru!"
"However denied it supplied it…"
"…What?"
"I don't know, it sounded good."
"You totally suck Ryoko."
"Hey, fuck you, Izumi!"
"I was under the impression that that was my obligation," interrupted Inez, not being able to help herself. She may not want to be part of the group, but a couple of shared laughs never hurt anyone. And shared laughs there were, along with a pat on the back from Ryoko herself, to whom Inez was retorting in the first place. "I like her. Izumi, when did you give her a sense of humor?"
"Probably when you were growing one of your own."
"Ooo, that bites right down to the heart!"
"Lame!"
"Shut up, Hikaru!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Less talkie, more workie! Hikaru, maybe we can position the couch to face that wall and the chairs on the sides, facing each other…"
---
Inez had left soon after they had all taken a break and eaten lunch, which was right after they had gotten the dining room table and chairs set up. But it was only three hours later that all the furniture bought was in place and many of the important details such as clothes also found homes. But as the sun was finding a reason to leave the sky, those that really did not want to leave suddenly had a very pressing matter to address: saying goodbye.
As Yurika had expected, the goodbyes they gave her weren't as tearful as she expected. Hikaru gave her the tightest hug of her life, while Ryoko made it very clear that this wasn't the end of them by hugging her as well and whispering in her ear, "You keep me updated. I refuse to be an Assist without absolute knowledge of the situation." Akito had elected to just shake her hand, while the others were full of good wishes and reassurance that her residence and company had been a pleasure. So Yurika got to see quite well how each of them gave their best wishes and begged Jun to not go.
Ryoko was the first to reach her brother, and, solemn as the dead, placed both of her hands on his shoulders, staring him in the eyes. Jun looked like he was going to tear up a little, and Ryoko slowly kissed his forehead. She didn't say anything, and neither did he, but she did place her hands on his cheeks and nod slowly, as if encouraging him while being comforting. Then she gave him a quick squeeze of a hug, one that Jun reciprocated with the same amount of swiftness.
Hikaru followed, and with almost no solemnity. She leapt upon him, wrapped her arms around him tightly and burying her face into his shoulder. She would have wrapped her legs around his waist, Yurika knew, if Yurika wasn't present. It wasn't a sexual thing for them. It was true comfort. Hikaru sobbed openly, which may have been the only thing that brought Jun over the edge. Hikaru let go of him so slowly, they could barely see that she had let go until she actually had, fully. She took his hand and placed it in the center of her chest, patting his hand there for good measure. "You'll be in here, forever." Jun nodded and hugged her again. "Don't have too much fun at home without me," he whispered hoarsely, his voice cracking a bit.
Itsuki rolled her eyes and smacked Hikaru upside the head, causing her to retract and cry out in pain, not to mention calling her a bitch. "Come on, it's not like he's going off and we'll never see him again! He's within driving distance, for Magus's sakes! But if you need anything, Junny, you tell us." Junny nodded quickly rubbing any tears off his cheeks and away from his eyes. "You're right. I will, I promise." Itsuki smiled and patted him on the head. "We'll miss you though… Call us everyday!"
"Yeah, because we all know Hikaru will actually be the only one home." Gai rolled his own eyes and earned a raspberry from his near-sister. He smiled though, giving Jun his own hug. "And when Itsuki means anything, we both mean anything. Money, sleeping area, food, you need it and we'll get it for you." Jun nodded slowly, almost falling from Gai's hug. "The guest house won't be anyone's ever again. It's not even a guest house anymore… it's Jun's house."
"Idiot, this is my house now." Jun smiled as Gai let him go and glanced around sadly. He nodded slowly. It was Jun and Yurika's home now, but Jun still referred to Yamada Manor as home. Yurika wondered how long she herself would do the same. She expected it to be much longer for Jun, though. Ever since they had been back on earth, he had slept, ate, and lived within Yamada Manor.
"Well, I suppose it is." Gai chuckled goofily, scratching the back of his head. He was quickly shoved out of the way by his boyfriend, who gathered Jun up in an encompassing hug that seemed to somehow beat Hikaru's. "You tell me whenever something happens. I want to know. I love you so much, Junny, and I don't want to lose my best friend."
"You won't. Flamma, Akito, you may see me more often!" Yurika nodded. "Right! I may end up dragging him to Peaceful Days once or twice."
"Once or twice? I'll come everyday while I'm out looking for a job." Akito smiled and ran his hands through Jun's chin-length hair. "You better promise."
"I promise. Everyday."
"Good." Akito slowly let Jun go, stepping out of the way for Izumi. Izumi just held his shoulders, and didn't hug him. She kissing his cheek however, and whispered something that even Yurika with her attentive ears could not hear. In response, Jun nodded, glancing at Yurika quickly, unnoticeable to everyone but Yurika's eyes, because they too were quite attentive.
They each grudgingly left the house, both Akito and Ryoko stopping at the door as Jun and Yurika followed them out. No words, but a nod of understanding from each of them was shared before both future Assists joined the rest of their circle in the two trucks parked out front. Both Jun and Yurika waved to them as the trucks came to life and drove out of sight.
Yurika tried not to be jealous. She really did. But the longing, lonely expression that stretched Jun's face was absolutely tragic, as if someone had just run over his puppy. Frowning, she wrapped her arms around Jun's shoulders and rested her head on his shoulder. It was wrong for her to be jealous. They knew Jun better than she, and she had known him longer. She had scorned him and dropped him her so many times, she even wondered why he was here with her. So she had no reason to feel bad for herself, just because her fiancé had some of the best friends of his life tell him that they loved him.
"Junny…" He stiffened at the name, but then relaxed more than he was prior. The name seemed to help him let go. "Itsuki was right. We'll see Akito and Izumi everyday, and probably the others just as often. It'll be okay."
"Yeah."
"I'm serious." Yurika looked him in the eyes before cocking her head to the side. "It's all going to be okay. We're… We're going to work out, and we'll still see them all the time. Living apart from them won't matter." But even Yurika had to wonder who she was kidding. Living apart from them would matter, especially in Jun's life. Ever since moving out from his mother's house, he had been surrounded by people, something that should have been traumatic or something for a shy person like him. But he had come to depend on it, Yurika could tell. Always having someone around to talk to. Now, half the time he would be alone at home until he could get a job. Yurika felt a bit sad for him.
"Junny… what did Izumi say?" Jun broke out of her awkward embrace and sat down on the leopard-and-zebra print couch they had picked out on a whim. He rested his elbows on his knees and threaded his fingers in his hair. Yurika sat next to him, resting a hand on his back softly before caressing it.
"She said… 'You will always be ours.'" Yurika's eyes narrowed at the statement. "What does that mean?"
"They're very protective. Of me, of each other. Izumi was just… reminding me that no matter what happens… I have a place with them."
Yurika had never felt such a desire to be in their gang than at that point. It wasn't because she wanted them to accept her, or anything like that. It wasn't even a popularity issue either. It all boiled down to their love; their love for each other that seemed to transcend common understanding of love. They were in love with specific people, but their own familial love, adoration, and devotion for each other, people who didn't even shared genetic ties, was something that Yurika never really felt with a group of friends. And Jun, who never had very many friends, had achieved it. She wasn't jealous of Jun's relationship with them… she was jealous of the relationship in general.
So jealous, that she would have done anything, at that moment, to be considered someone who could defend them to the death, even if they did not match her efforts.
---
"How's it goin', Itsuki?"
"Good God of Spirit, I haven't been in an Aesti in months. I feel my touch slipping…"
"Please don't say you're going to crash it, Itsuki."
"Hey, fuck you, Jiro!" Itsuki stuck her tongue out at the window open in her cockpit. As far as they knew, all tests had passed with this particular prototype initially. Ryoko had already told them that the feet were much, much better, and the arms, while still a bit heavier than usual, were workable. The only thing left to check was the missiles themselves before they made the complete prototype. That sort of thing was something they couldn't exactly trust Ryoko to do herself. This one didn't have all the bells and whistles of distortion fields and weaponry, and Ryoko wouldn't need any of that to destroy the targets without the missiles. Besides, they weren't sure in particular whether hers would work correctly in an atmosphere, so they chose one that would have to work in an atmosphere: Itsuki.
"Just remember, Kazamo, the blue ones are the ones without distortion fields. There are more of those at the start, just to check to see if the filling mechanism is working. The red ones towards the back have distortion fields protecting them."
"Okay, Chief, shut up! I know this field, we helped design it, remember?"
"Just don't bust it up too much," Uribatake grumbled, unlatching the large hangar doors with the push of a large red button. The doors opened vertically to empty air. After all, the hangar was above ground, several stories above, in fact. Itsuki smirked as she saw both the blue targets closer to her and the red ones several kilometers out. She saluted Uribatake's visage in the window to her left. "Ready when you are, Chief."
Uribatake looked to his own left, where Gai and Ryoko sat watching the gray Aestivalis, Gai stroking his chin and Ryoko sipping a soda. Gai nodded, giving Uribatake the go-ahead, who gave Itsuki a thumbs-up. "Steady as she goes."
"All right! This is how we do training up on the Moon, Jiro, Ryoko. Might want to watch!" Itsuki fired up the thrusters and let the robot take itself out of the hangar before gunning it, doing a figure eight around some of the blue targets. She stretched the right arm of her Aestivalis out as it hung upside down in the air. "Firing one!" Itsuki closed her eyes, the latches for the filling mechanism opening. She blinked at the words that flashed brightly in another communication window. Uribatake had really gone all out with this one, despite it just being a prototype. Here it was, telling her her progress when she hadn't done anything yet. Itsuki bit her lip and she focused all her energies on the various melodies playing in her head. She did have several going at once, but she didn't care as long as they broke the sound barrier.
"Ready for launch!" squeaked the window before closing. Itsuki glared at the blue target within her sights. "Target locked," she whispered, readying herself for the launch. Once she was braced for a sudden toss that would usually come from a heavy-duty missile being launched, she let it go, reveling in the lack of kick the ejection had. Well, it was a pretty small missile, now that she could see it.
It hit the blue target, exploding on impact. Itsuki let her jaw fall slack and her eyebrows meet as the smoke dissipated. "Jiro, do you see this?"
Gai's face appeared, and his incredulous expression matched hers. "Yeah." He could see better than her, and gave her an extra window that showed his view. The target was still whole, bouncing back and forth from the force that was put on it. Itsuki took her hands off the controls and crossed her arms. "Well, that totally sucks."
"It's gotta be the missile design," concluded Ryoko. "You hit it dead on, and it really should have blown it up. I heard ever piece of it, and I wanted to go deaf."
"Gee, thanks. I am so happy for your professional opinion." Itsuki winked at Ryoko's window to show she was just kidding. "Anything we can do about the missiles, Chief?"
Uribatake traced his lips with a finger. "Well, I think what the problem here is the fact that we just sort of assumed that everything we'd want to hit would have a distortion field."
"So why didn't we have a system set up in case they didn't?"
"Because we also assumed that if it could go through a distortion field, it could knock out anything without one."
"Well, obviously not!"
"All right, so we screwed up! We'll make something to go between the two layers so that when it hits something, then it'll open up, and if it hits something without a distortion field, it'll still pack a punch!"
"Actually… wouldn't that work better?" interrupted Ryoko, thoughtful. "If we wait until it hits the target to let out whatever's inside, wouldn't whatever's inside have a better chance of hitting the target? It's usually just an environment thing anyway, right?"
"Yeah, it is," said Gai, scratching his cheek. "Could we do that, Uribatake?"
"Well, sure. We'd need to redesign the missile launcher to be a bit longer to make up for the bigger size, but it shouldn't be a problem."
"All right, guys, I'm going to go after one of the distortioned ones!" Itsuki positioned her Aestivalis so that she could see one of the far red targets easily. She closed her eyes and the filling mechanism opened once again. "Firing two!" She quickly filled it with the hardest sound she could ever imagine, bones cracking, nails squealing, metal twisting, all of it. The missile quickly filled and she fired it.
This time they had to wait for Itsuki's word on the target's condition, because they weren't even in earshot of Itsuki's painful noise. Itsuki smirked as the smoke dissipated. "Congratulations, Chief. You're little distortion field destroyer on this things work perfect! Hit and sinker!" Back in the hangar, they all cheered and clapped, with Ryoko letting out a few howls of her own. Gai laughed. "All right, that's all we need then. Bring her back home, Itsuki."
"Roger that." Gai looked at Uribatake. "So all we need to really do now is get it to work against unprotected targets."
"And make sure that it works with the distortion fields on, and test to see how fast we can get them out, and start making catered ones for the different focuses in combat…"
"You worry too much, Uribatake. There's no rush. It's not like there's going to be any fighting anytime soon." Ryoko drained her soda can just as Itsuki landed her Aestivalis in the hangar. "Hey, you loser, you fly like a newbie. What's the matter?"
"Out of practice. But I'm sure you don't know what that means, do you?"
"Never. I need to head back to my office before someone comes into the building armed with poison baby food."
---
Yukina grumbled as she kicked her legs in the chairs she was sitting in. She had been sitting there for almost an hours, and they were getting sore from falling asleep. She jumped up and shook her fists, stomping her feet at Minato, who was still sitting in the seat next to hers, concentrating on the crossword puzzle in her hands. "Magus, Minato, would it have HONESTLY killed your brother to take a freaking Jump Shuttle from Beppu City to here? At least those are relatively on time!"
"I'm bored too, Yukina. But this is how he decided to get here, so we'll just have to wait until his plane arrives." Yukina sat back down and propped her head up with her elbows on her knees. Minato's logic made sense, but she didn't have to like it. Besides, Yukina didn't really want to think about why Toju hadn't taken a Jump Shuttle. Most people that had little to no opinion about Jumpers had welcomed the quick transportation method with open arms. It was fast, had little repercussions if done right, and could take you just about anywhere for the exact same price. Because people tended to prefer it, save for those anti-Jumper bastards, Yukina felt extremely uncomfortable being in a place that was only still running because anti-Jumpers used it. She readjusted her white gloves so that her hands were firmly inside them before hooking a sandaled foot on the chair so she could hug her knee.
Because of this knowledge, that usually only anti-Jumpers used airports now, Yukina had opted to break out her gloves again. Right when she was getting used to not having them too. But Yukina couldn't help that, even if no one approached her while they were waiting, she had the distinct feeling that they were still a good idea, just in case Toju chose to take an airplane simply because he was, in fact, an anti-Jumper. Yukina hoped he wasn't. Yukina didn't ever meet her grandparents, and she was sure her parents were both only children. So Minato was the only family she had left now, and she wanted to accept Minato's family as her own.
"Flight Seven-Four-Six now arriving at Gate Nine. I repeat, Flight Seven-Four-Six from Beppu City now arriving at Gate Nine." Minato folded up her newspaper and stuck it and her pencil in her purse, slinging it over her shoulder. "That's ours, Yukina."
"Finally!" cried Yukina, leaping out of her seat and scratching her neck where her short braid tickled her skin. She stood next to Minato, glancing at her sister-in-law. Minato sure looked tense. Well, Yukina was too. Minato hadn't seen him in three years, but Yukina had never met the guy. She nervously wondered what he would be like. Would he be a fun guy? He had to be if he was trying to be a game designer, right? But computer geeks could be a little crazy, like Uribatake and Hikaru. But they were the funny kind of crazy. Amusing. Good entertainment. Would this guy be good entertainment? What were his hobbies? Would he look like Minato? Would he be tall? Short? Muscular? Skinny? A bit on the chubby side? Yukina bit her lip and worried it in her teeth. She should really, really stop worrying, because she was starting to get the shakes.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Minato's shoulders fall as she make an emission that sounded like partially a sigh and partially a gasp. Yukina looked to her, then to where she was looking quickly. There stood a man that was most obviously Toju, the way Minato was looking at him. Either that, or there would be some talk in the car on the way home. His hair was cut very close to his head, almost military style, but still long enough for Yukina to realize that it was in the exact same brown as Minato's own tresses. His face was rather long, and his chin a bit pointy, something that set him and Minato apart, obviously. His pointed chin was covered with the beginnings of a small goatee, but the rest of his face was nicely shaven. His eyes were much smaller than Minato's, yet still the same color of brown, Yukina could tell, as he walked closer to where she and Minato stood. His lips pouted out a bit more for a man than Yukina expected. She decided he had Jun lips.
He was of Minato's complexion, maybe just a shade lighter, and while he wasn't skinny, he wasn't built either. Just toned enough to say he exercised, but it wasn't about to become a body-builder, or go crazy with it. Yukina had to raise her eyebrows at how he was dressed though. She was no fashion critic, but his metallic-print shirt was something she really didn't like. But he wore blue jeans and carried a red backpack on his back, something that reminded Yukina that yes, Toju was in fact a normal guy that just paid more attention to his face. Metrosexual, in a way.
Toju and Minato embraced tightly, with Minato groaning that she missed him. She held him out by his shoulders. "Let me get a look at you." She glanced over his appearance quickly, which really made Yukina wonder what it was for. She could tell what the guy looked like from that far away. Closer wasn't helping, and Minato probably didn't see as many details as she did. Minato kissed his cheek nonetheless and hugged him again, rocking them both back and forth. Yukina had to smile at the spectacle. "Just like I remember you. Still having trouble with girls, there, Toju?"
"No, actually, I have a girlfriend back in Beppu now… Akita Masae. Really beautiful, I say, but pretty weird sometimes." Toju's eyes fell upon Yukina and he jolted back, shocked to see someone with Minato. He stared at her as Minato looked over her shoulder at her. "Apparently we have a few stories to trade about these past three years."
Minato let go of Toju and stepped back, holding a hand at Yukina's back. "I think some introductions are in order. Yukina, this is my little brother, Haruka Toju." Toju gave her a rather dorky hand salute that Yukina was sure she had seen the pilots do at least once in regards to each other and Uribatake while on the Nadesico. Minato smiled brightly as she faced her brother. "Toju, this is Shiratori Yukina," Yukina held out her right gloved hand and shook hands with Toju, "our sister-in-law." Yukina smiled smugly as his jaw promptly fell away from his face.
"Sister-in-law?!" Minato nodded and held up her left hand, where she still wore Tsukumo's ring he had offered her on his deathbed. Yukina relished the fact that Minato had not said that she wasn't married. But she supposed this would end up as part of the story she would tell him about her big brother. Toju struggled to make some sense of the situation. "Wait… you got married and you never told me?"
"She's not married," interrupted Yukina. Even if it did make her feel good to think of Minato as married to her brother, may he rest in peace, it wasn't true, and Yukina wanted to give him the facts. He at least deserved that. "It's a long story though."
"How long can it be?"
"Long enough to be put off until we get home. You might want to be sitting down for this one." Yukina saw Minato's motive immediately. "Shouldn't we go check the rest of your bags?"
"Yeah we should." It wasn't that hard. The story of Tsukumo's death and Minato winning custody of Yukina was a good way to probe someone's standing on both Jumpers and Jupiterians. It was quick and easy, but not the very first thing you wanted to tell someone when you first met them, particularly when they were family. And Yukina had no family but Minato now. Yukina wanted the rest of Minato's family to like her.
Yukina was silent on the car ride home, particularly because she was too busy listening to Minato tell him the story of how she got on the Nadesico and all that had happened there prior to that fateful January in 2198 when the crew had discovered that the "Jovian Lizards" were in fact human. Yukina had heard this tale from various sources during her own time on the Nadesico, including Minato's version. It was long enough, and detailed enough that Minato had just pulled into their driveway as she was getting to the part where Omoikane was being quite the bad computer. But then they had to drag Toju's luggage, one of which, in fact, held HIS computer, into the house. But it was only then that Minato made her brother sit down on their couch before he began to unpack his stuff and put it in the room they had set off for him.
Yukina sat down herself, threading her fingers within themselves. Minato, actually, sat down on a dining room chair she dragged into their living room. She took a deep breath and began. "So, sometime after that, I met Yukina's brother, Tsukumo."
Yukina's eyebrows shot together. There was no "sometime after that" to it. Tsukumo and Genichiro attacked Kawasaki on Christmas Eve, Genichiro Jumped to the moon two weeks prior, and Tsukumo infiltrated the Nadesico. He took Minato and Megumi hostage, and that's when everyone learned that the Lizards weren't lizards at all. There's was this big, huge get go involved! And Minato left it all out and called it just meeting Tsukumo.
Toju nodded, scratching his chin. "And then you fell for him." Minato nodded slowly. "Yes. I did. But there was still the war, and he was a soldier." Yukina held on to the end of Minato's statement and waited for her to say, "…on the other side." But it never came. Yukina looked at Minato as if she had lost her mind. If she didn't get it out soon, the story was about to hit some bumpy parts where her heritage was going to be a major factor.
"But he did wish for peace, and had a nearly flawless plan for peace. We were all ready for it. But… during the negotiations with Jupiter, their terms were for nothing less than surrender. Tsukumo objected and… he was assassinated." Minato looked away, frowning. Yukina clenched her teeth in anger. How DARE Minato not tell the whole story! Was she ashamed of Yukina and Tsukumo's place of birth? Ashamed that they were on the other side of the war she herself had fought in?
"That's horrible," commented Toju, looking truly sympathetic. Yukina wrinkled her nose in disgust and crossed her arms. He didn't know her brother. He didn't know why he was killed. Only because Minato refused to tell the whole story. Minato nodded. "He was assassinated by Jupiter because they didn't want peace. Then they blamed Earth for it to make Earth look even more horrible to its people. He…" Minato looked at the simple diamond ring on her finger. "He proposed to me on his deathbed. I accepted… and I gained custody of Yukina."
"And that's all she wrote," interrupted Yukina, getting up off the couch, still feeling extremely pissed off at Minato. Minato just looked at her though, and Yukina could see in her sister-in-law's pleading expression that Minato did what she had to do. Minato had every intention of telling the complete version, but… it was a better choice for her to tell the edited version that said nothing about what side of the war they were on, where they had been born, any of that.
But that didn't mean Yukina had to like it.
Minato nodded quickly to her brother, standing up. "Right. That's the gist of it." She smiled reassuringly at Yukina, who still frowned, her anger clearly in her head. Toju got up too, and wrapped an arm around Yukina's shoulders. "Well, while it was tragic, I'm glad you've made yourself part of our family, Yukina." He messed up the hair on the top of her head, and her anger quickly dissipated. Minato's reassuring smiled turned into an ecstatic grin.
"Well, now that you know all there is to know… you need any help unpacking your stuff?"
"Nah, not really. On the other hand… I'm starving! You know that they only gave us peanuts and soda on the plane? God, I swear that they really just want everyone in the world to be anorexic! He squeezed Yukina's shoulders. "Besides, I want to get to know Yukina a little better. She knows where I'll be sleeping, right?"
"Yeah, I do." Minato nodded. "I'll make us some sandwiches then. Yukina, I…"
"Gotcha. Don't worry about it. Come on Toju." Yukina grabbed the rolling suitcase that she thought weighed twice herself and dragged it helplessly down the hall, Toju followed with his backpack and two other huge bags. Yukina stopped at the door leading into their study and opened it. She went in to the center of the room before setting his big suitcase up and holding her arms out. "This is our study, and you'll be in here." She walked over to the gray couch. "There's a pull-out bed in here, and there's extra pillows in the closet if you need them." Toju nodded and put one of his big duffel bags on the floor while tossing the other one onto the couch. He then let his backpack drop before he knelt down to open the really heavy suitcase, unzipping it slowly. Yukina narrowed her eyes. "What's in there, anyway? I think it weighs more than the whole freaking Nadesico."
Toju opened it up to show a bunch of piece of electronic hardware, including a pretty big monitor. "My computer and my laptop, that's what. Had to tear them apart so I could get on the plane. Stupid airplanes. You know where I can set up my baby?" Yukina bit her lip. The desk in there already had the computer Minato and she shared. She really didn't want to unhook it. She scratched her itchy neck, and Toju waved a hand. "It's okay. "That one was there first. I'll just set it up on the floor."
"Oh, come on, that's rude of me to ask you to do…"
"Hey, it ain't the first time. Freshman year of college, my roommate was a total asshole. Took up the only desk we had for himself. Had my whole system set up on the floor. Year after that, I had it all set up on top of my drawers. I think I'd feel a bit weird if it was at a desk anyway." Toju freed his monitor, setting it on the couch. As he pulled out his box, he looked up at Yukina with his small eyes. "Hey, you wanna help me?"
Yukina shrugged. "Sure. I don't know much about computers, but I suppose I could…"
"Don't know much about computers? I thought computer classes were required in high school?"
"Yeah, but I'm going to do it in a couple of years. Only get one elective this year and next, so I'm doing Choir. Don't really need to know much about computers anyway… My best friend's sister's one of the biggest hackers in the world, and Minato's co-worker builds his own robots for fun." Toju's eyes widened. "Wow… Sounds like there really was more to that whole Nadesico story than I thought."
"Yeah, really. Like… I don't even think she told you about their little beauty pageant they had on there."
"Maybe you should tell me what you know. Hey, can you get that motherboard for me? It's the really big card-thing. You can't miss it." Yukina noticed it right away. Just as she was about to grasp it to pull it out of the suitcase, Toju grabbed her wrist. "Whoa there. You wanna fry my stuff?"
"Huh?"
"Your gloves, girlie. They gotta go." Yukina looked at her hands. Yeah, her white gloves were still on. She had forgotten that she was even wearing any. She guessed that she wasn't so not used to them as she thought. Biting her lip, she pulled them off quickly and grasped his computer's motherboard, pulling it out and handing it to him.
"Thank you very much, ma'am. Why do you wear gloves anyway? It's the freaking middle of June." Yukina bit her lip harder, feeling her blood rush up to the surface of the skin there. Minato had avoided it so well, even if it did piss Yukina off, and now here was Yukina at the point where she could lie and lose his trust, or tell the truth and risk him hating her. But she didn't have to tell him the whole truth… did she?
She threaded her fingers together as he worked, waiting for an answer. "Well… I'm a Jumper," she spit out quickly, lowering her head and wishing she left her hair down today so it could hide some of her face. Toju raised an eyebrow, yet continued his work. "Really."
"Yeah. Got the controller and everything." Yukina looked at the back of her right hand, at her silver design, watching Toju's activity slow as she knew his eyes were on it. He hadn't believed her at first, but there was no denying it now. He sighed deeply. "What are you, fourteen? What did you have to get nanomachine treatment for? You're certainly not a robot pilot." He set his screwdriver down and sighed again. "Look, I think you're probably a good person, Yukina. I like you well enough, but… Just know that I don't totally agree with your choice to become a Jumper. No hard feelings, all right?"
But as Yukina clenched both her fists and her teeth, it was obvious that it was not all right, and that there were some hard feelings present. She stood up and fisted her hands on her hips. "What do you know, huh? There are kids a lot younger than me that got nanomachine treatment! Of course, it was a different kind of nanomachine, but that's not the point! The point is that you're making assumptions and you don't even know! It's not like I had a choice anyway… I was born this way, for your information! Do you think I actually LIKE being hated, ridiculed, and shunned because of this thing? Do you think I chose to be born on Jupiter?!" Yukina covered her mouth the second the word flew out of her mouth. She hadn't wanted to say it. She had been holding on to it as long as she could, but it just came out.
Toju looked at her as if two different things had happened. One of which, that she just proclaimed herself king of the cheese. The other, probably as if she had just let her bowels loose in her pants. Both disgusted and confused screamed his expression, with his eyebrows making love and his jaw kicked off the face, his upper lip twisted upward into a shocked sneer. He closed his mouth and shook his head quickly, violently grabbed other pieces of his computer. "Get out of here. I don't want to speak to you anymore. You should go back to your precious planet. Dirty Jovian."
Yukina felt her eyes well up as she ran from the room, down the hall, and into the living room where Minato had just set down three plates of sandwiches, each with a side of crackers. Her face lit up at the sight of Yukina, but she quickly frowned as she saw exactly how upset Yukina was. It appeared to only take Minato three seconds to put two and two together, and she fell to her knees in front of Yukina, holding her shoulders.
"Yukina, I'm so sorry. Please, just don't believe anything he says. At all. Please, I love you, Yukina, and if Toju can't understand that just because you're from Jupiter that you are a person too…"
"Minato, he told me to go back to Jupiter! You want me to disregard that? I want you to kick him out!"
"Yukina, you know I can't do that…"
"Why not?"
"Because he's family, and we have an obligation to make family feel comfortable in our company…"
"No, Minato!"
"Yukina, you're not going to go back to Jupiter. I'll talk to Toju, I'll try to make him understand!"
"Minato, you were so worried about people teasing me and hating me at school for something I couldn't help, and you're going to let this close-minded bigot stay in our house? He called me a dirty Jovian, Minato! What about your obligation to give me a safe home?" Yukina gasped at her own words, and Minato's face darkened. Yukina narrowed her eyes at Minato, not longer yelling, but cruelly whispering. "You never cared for me, did you? You never did! You just felt like you were SUPPOSED to bring me to Earth and take care of me? You never wanted to, did you?" As Minato opened her mouth to retort, Yukina broke out of Minato's grasp. "No, not anymore. You can feel as obligated as you want to take care of Toju, but not of me! I won't be your obligation!" With that Yukina left their house, running down the street.
Minato ran to the door, but stopped before crossing the barrier. She frowned. She really had done Yukina wrong. She should have made sure Toju would be okay with Yukina before letting him stay. He may have been family, but he was an adult, and Yukina was a child. Minato had to think of Yukina first, but she hadn't. So why wasn't she running after her now?
Yukina ran until she couldn't run anymore, which was pretty far, especially since she had been practicing to make it on the track team for next year. Panting, Yukina realized that she was in the general neighborhood of Peaceful Days. Yeah, her days weren't going to be so peaceful anymore, not with Minato's brother there to take precedence over her. Anger boiling up in her again, Yukina spotted the Nadesico-crew-run restaurant and coffee house and headed straight for it. At least that was one place where she was welcome.
Once inside, she sat right down at a booth far from the window, closer to the small stage and coffee shop part of the restaurant. She felt eyes on her, but she ignored them. Instead, she opened up a menu and looked at what they actually served at this place. She had no money on her, she just remembered, so paying would probably be a problem. She bit her lip and considered leaving just as she heard a friendly, girlish voice, causing her to look up. "Hey, there, Yukina. Haven't seen you around here much. Can I get you a drink or something?" Yukina raised her eyebrows at Eri, who cocked her head to the side with a smile. Yukina sighed dejectedly. "I would, but… I don't want to rob you guys out of a drink… I forgot to bring money."
Eri blinked for a second, then glanced over her shoulder to where Akito was taking the money from someone at the ordering counter. She looked back to Yukina. "Don't worry," she whispered. "It's on me. You want a soda, right?"
Yukina, taken aback by this gesture, blinked a couple of times. Eri tapped her pen on her notepad, and Yukina decided it was probably a good idea to just go along with it. "Uh, yeah, sure. Mars Cola."
"All righty. I'll be right back, then." Eri went to the cash register and whispered something in Akito's ear, handing him something out of her jeans pocket. Yukina expected this to be some of her own money, and her opinion of Eri skyrocketed with this gesture. She then headed to the back, where Yukina couldn't see her anymore. She bit her lip as Akito obviously tried to not look at her, uncomfortable. She knew he was trying to make her feel like a regular customer, when she wasn't. Here she was stealing money right out of Eri's pocket.
Eri quickly returned and placed the glass of carbonated liquid down on a napkin in front of Yukina, then placing a straw in it. Eri smiled at Yukina, and Yukina pointed at the drink. "How much is it? I can at least pay you back later…" Eri put her hands on her hips. "I said it was on me, and it's on me!" But Eri actually sat down across from the Jupiterian girl, flipping her side ponytail over her shoulder. "But you can tell me how come you're here, if you're so worried about paying me back."
"What's to say there's a reason I'm here?" retorted Yukina quickly, her face flushing at the embarrassment of being found out. She crossed her arms and looked away, towards the wall, with her nose in the air. "I was just in the neighborhood is all, so I figured I'd stop in!"
"But you forgot your money?" Damn. Caught fair and square. Yukina let the indignant act go, slouching a bit. Eri cocked her head. "So what's the real reason you're here?"
"To cool off, I guess." Yukina took the rest of the paper off her straw and sipped her drink. "I was in the neighborhood, I just… I left home."
"You ran away? But Akito told me about when Ruri ran away and showed up on their doorstep, and he said she had luggage with her. Where's yours?"
"I didn't run away!" Yukina bit her lip. "Okay… I ran away. But not the kind of running away you're thinking of. I just… I needed to get away from home for a little while, you know? Away from Minato and that slimy asshole her brother is."
"Minato has a brother?"
"Yeah. And he's a complete jerk-off. Called me a dirty Jovian and everything! And Minato's letting him stay with us over the summer… Magus, I hate him already and I've only been around him for, what, two hours, tops?"
"Well, that's horrible! Did you tell her?"
"Yeah, and she freaking…" Yukina fell silent and crossed her arms, resting them on the table. "Eri, I think… I think I messed up." Yukina quickly looked away, her face reddening as she remembered the horrible things she said to Minato. "I told her that she felt obligated to take care of me. That… That she didn't care about me. I told her she wouldn't have to worry about me being an obligation anymore."
Eri shook her head slowly, frowning. That small gesture made Yukina bite her lip for the thousandth time that day, regretting every single thing she said to Minato in regards to Toju. She had really done it this time. She proved every aspect of the ugly name Toju called her. She really was a dirty Jovian, wasn't she? Yukina tightened her teeth's grip on her lip as she felt tears flood her vision. That gesture, that expression, in Yukina's blurred vision, was not that of one of the cooks on the Nadesico, but actually looked like that of her brother. Tsukumo was ashamed of her. And she had no one to blame but herself. "Eri," she whispered, "what am I gonna do? I was so mean to her… I want to tell her how sorry I am. I love her. I… I don't want her to leave me alone anymore. She's all I have now." Her vision cleared as the first tears escaped her eyes and trailed down her cheeks. Yukina covered her face and sobbed. "What am I gonna do, Eri?" she cried, feeling a hand turning her in her seat to face away from the table. Then arms around her, squeezing tightly. Yukina returned the hug, burying her face in Eri's shoulder and threading her fingers in the long hair that flowed down her back. Wait a minute.
Yukina pulled away quickly upon realizing that it wasn't Eri she was embracing. Instead, it was Minato herself, tears in her own eyes. Yukina hugged her again, even tighter. "Oh Magus, Minato, I am so sorry. That was so wrong of me…" Minato squeezed back just as hard, rubbing her back. "I know. I'm sorry too. I should have made it clear to Toju instead of easing him into the idea… I would never, ever leave you, Yukina, and only because that's what I want, not what's expected of me. You know that?" Yukina nodded quickly.
They both sat like that for several minutes, in hysterics. Once they both calmed themselves, Minato stood up, no longer kneeling, but kept holding Yukina's hands, swinging them back and forth. Yukina smiled. "So how did you know I was here?"
"I called them ahead of time and asked if you were there. How Mei said you hadn't arrived, but she would call me if you did. It must have been only ten minutes later, and I'm calling everywhere… Uribatake's house, Mugendai Headquarters, Ayame's house, everywhere I thought you might end up, when I get a call from How Mei saying you were right there. So I drove over here as fast as I could."
Yukina looked over Minato's shoulder to see Eri behind the counter, who waved. That little sneak must have told How Mei when she went to go get her drink. Yukina smiled at her nonetheless. She leapt up out of the booth. "Well then, we should head on out."
"You know he's still there, right?"
"Yeah." Yukina brushed it away with a hand. "No big deal. He stays out of my way, I'll stay out of his. As long as he keeps his mouth to himself, I wouldn't feel any urges to set a tornado after him.."
"I was under the impression that you were empty."
"Nope, still got a teeny little bit of Amano-san's." She grinned. Minato shook her head and waved to How Mei before taking Yukina's hand and leading her out of the restaurant. "Give him a good reason to fear Jumpers, is that what you want?"
"Only if he acts like an ass."
"I suppose that's agreeable."
"Hey, you didn't yell at me for swearing!"
"Well, it's true. He did act like an ass."
"…You're going to talk to him, right?"
"Absolutely."
---
Uribatake was actually fairly done positioning up the majority of his furniture before he actually heard a quick repetition of knocks on the door. He wiped the sweat off his brow before going to the door and opening it haphazardly, rolling his eyes as he saw who stood there. "Nice of you to show, since the truck showed two freakin' hours ago…"
"Oh come on, you know you love me." Hikaru stuck her tongue out and her head into Uribatake's home, looking about. "Shit man, you got done already? I was under the impression that I was still going to be needed."
"Thus the outfit, right?"
Hikaru nodded quickly. It was much, much skimpier than the shirts and shorts she usually wore, a pale yellow tank top and miniskirt, but she grinned despite. "I've gotten the art of wearing things for the local pervert down pat."
"Ah, but I was under the impression that Yamada was gay." Hikaru giggled. "You are such an asshole. So, are you like, gonna let me in or what?"
"Not if you're calling me an asshole." But Uribatake stepped out of the way so Hikaru could enter and switch her shoes out. He then went back into the dining area and finished pushing the chair into position. Once he was happy with their location and direction, he went back into the living room, where Hikaru was still standing around and looking at what appeared to be everything. Not just the new furniture or the old that stayed around, but also the walls, little knick-knacks he got to keep, some of the picture frames on top of his TV. He raised his eyebrows and pushed his glasses up a bit. "Is my home really that interesting to look at like you have ADD?"
Hikaru literally jumped, jarred out of her thoughts, she looked behind her and scratched the back of her head. "Oh, no, it's just… Well, I've never actually seen where you live. I mean, you've seen Yamada Manor a million times…" Hikaru looked away, obviously a tiny bit embarrassed. Uribatake shrugged, not seeing the big deal. "It's not like it's the greatest place in the world or anything." He stretched his arms up, then out straight ahead. "You wanna watch TV or something? No use in you heading back home so quick."
"Yeah, especially since we see each other so little."
"What's up with that, anyway? I see just about everyone else that lives in your house all the time."
"I guess I'm just a homebody." Uribatake instantly regretted his question. He sat down on his now red couch and patted the seat next to his, reaching for the remote. He had expected Hikaru to sit down slowly, especially as she sounded a little bit down herself all of a suddenly, but instead, she jumped and landed on her shins on the cushions. Uribatake frowned. He knew what was going on. "Hikaru… I'd really like it if you were a bit more honest with me."
"What are you talking about?" She cocked her head to the side innocently. Uribatake just sighed and shook his head. They both knew EXACTLY what he was talking about. But he just elected to go along with her little lie, if only for a little while. Turning on the TV, he flipped for several channels before he shook his head and asked her. "Got a preference?"
Hikaru nodded and took the remote from him, turning it off. "On top of not seeing each other, we don't get to talk much. I don't know anything special." Hikaru laid her head on his shoulder, wrapped her arms around herself. "Tell me something they don't know."
Uribatake pursed his lips in concentration. "Well, my mom used to be a science teacher. She was the one that got me interested in machines, not the war. She showed me how household things worked, and I just went on from there."
Hikaru nodded her head slowly, her eyes closing as she reached up and pulled her glasses off. Uribatake lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulder, caressing her side lovingly. He really felt like Hikaru was exactly what he wanted in that moment. All uncertainties melted away as she snuggled up closer to him, as if she intended to use him as a big pillow. But her hands folded and unfolded her glasses nervously until he took them from her. She opened her eyes and tilted her head so she could see him.
"…I'm worried about messing this up." She sat up staring at her hands in her lap. "That's why we don't see each other often. I tend to… mess up my relationships. I'm always looking for someone to be with, that when I find one, I kind of…" Hikaru slowly fisted her hands, dragging her nails along her thighs so they made pink lines on her flesh, "…sink my claws in, so to speak. Get dependent. Try to be with them a lot. I… I don't want to push you away, so…"
"You do by doing so." Hikaru looked away, her face growing red. Uribatake shook his head and pushed some of her hair behind her shoulder so he could see her despite this. "I don't mind. I honestly do not care if you become close to me. Even in this short time we've actually been together like this, I think I'm pretty close to you."
What the fuck was he doing?! He wasn't even sure of what he felt for this girl, yet here he was, talking as if he knew since day one. He isn't like this. Uribatake Seiya did not fall in love, and certainly not with girls ten years younger than he was. Sure, she was attractive in the way that had he didn't think was attractive in the first place, and she shared his hobbies which was always a plus for a captivating girl… Wait! Hikaru wasn't captivating! She was just the average girl, nothing special. But somewhere in Uribatake's head, something argued that statement. She may have been average, but she was definitely something a little more than that.
"I don't want you to lie to me. I want you to feel open to me. I want you to trust me. I mean… I… I trust you and all, and I don't feel any reason to lie to you. I just…" Dammit, now he had no clue as to what he was supposed to be saying! He scratched the back of his head to buy himself some time. Where had that little voice of logic gone in his head?
Hikaru narrowed her eyes at him. After swallowing, she shook her head. "So what are you trying to say? That…" She seemed to be having as much trouble saying it as he. It wasn't something people who had been really good friends before their relationship said. It wasn't something that people who had only been together for about three weeks said. But it was something they both were suddenly thinking of.
"I… I don't know! Maybe!" Uribatake watched Hikaru's eyes widen before he himself looked away. "I mean… I think so. I'm not entirely sure. This sort of thing just doesn't happen, you know!"
"It doesn't." She was surprisingly calm for such an admission. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw her smile, but just barely. "It doesn't happen. But… You just admitted it. Didn't ya?"
"Yeah… Yeah, I guess so."
"So I guess it does happen, sometimes." Hikaru grinned. Uribatake snorted. "You can be such a dork."
"Hey, you're the sappy one."
"No, you started it!"
"Pfft, whatever." Uribatake shook his head and grasped her chin, kissing her. It started just like any of their other kisses, barely there, just touching, nothing behind it. But he let himself actually take it a bit deeper, with his girlfriend more than willing. And so they made out on his new couch, hands caressing over clothing and hair, yet not leaving any feeling of loss when they had actually stopped.
Why had Uribatake even bothered to deny that he was head over heels for the redhead in his arms?
---
Pale eyelids flew up to reveal crimson eyes frantic as the body they provided sight for sat up abruptly in bed. Breathing heavy, Izumi had the blankets and sheets off her body and her feet into her slippers before she realized that her train of thought that had interrupted her dream of superheroes and vampires was without base. She had that day off. There was no reason to go flying to Peaceful Days today, as they didn't even expect her there. Still, with it being nearly noon by a glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand to her left, there was no reason to stay abed. Izumi stood, stretched, and began to gather her clothes for the day, a black sweatshirt and a pair of jeans, before heading for her bathroom for a shower.
After blow-drying and brushing her hair out so it still lay loose with her omnipresent bang covering the right side of her face, Izumi finally put her feet back into her navy blue slippers before actually leaving her room. The hallways that circled that top half of Yamada Manor were brightly lit, thanks to all the plant-lined windows along the hall. Izumi navigated the corridor expertly and without thought, until she reached the first set of stairs leading to the bottom floor. It was there that she stopped, noticing that Hikaru's room door was ajar, though the room was relatively dark due to her thick curtains. Surely she too wouldn't be still sleeping…
As Izumi stuck her head in and turned the light on, intent on waking her best friend and yank her out of bed, she realized that Hikaru wouldn't still be sleeping. While the room was a total wreck of clothing, paper, and various other items of unknown use, both beds were at least somewhat properly made, and empty. That made no sense. Hikaru often stayed up to four or five in the morning. It wasn't like her to have left before noon , or even be up.
Of course, it was then that Izumi smacked herself lightly on the forehead. Of course Hikaru wasn't in. She wasn't even home. She had gone to Uribatake's that morning to help him out with his furniture. Izumi snorted at the absurdity of that statement. Hikaru probably showed up late because she didn't want to actually do any work. And they were probably fucking right now. Izumi knew Hikaru was sick and tired of being the last virgin, especially with her extensive knowledge of the act.
But Izumi had more pressing matters to worry about rather than how she was going to castrate their former mechanic: namely, the fact that, with Hikaru gone, no one was in. As Izumi turned the light off in Hikaru's room and descended the stairs, she ticked off on her fingers where everyone had gone. Even though she had had the day off, Akito still had work, so he was probably busy acting like he loved cashier work over at Peaceful Days. Gai, Itsuki, and Ryoko had probably all headed to Mugendai headquarters for another fun-filled day in the office. And… Izumi shook her head. That was it. Hikaru was busy screwing Uribatake senseless, Akito was busy take orders and money, and Gai and Itsuki were busy arguing, while Ryoko was probably busy playing many different versions of Solitaire. And Izumi…
Izumi was actually somewhat lonely. As she entered the kitchen in search of a bottle of water, Izumi felt a little puzzled at this feeling. It was one that she hadn't felt in quite a long time. Not since… Rinji died. Izumi shook her head. There was no need for depressing thoughts. Not just because people were off being busy. Perhaps Izumi had become more dependent on those she cared about than she chose to say.
As Izumi positioned herself to stand on the counter next to the refrigerator, she glanced out into the bright, early afternoon. The Yamada Manor patio served them little, and while Yurika had chosen to utilize the pool before leaving, all Izumi had ever seen the brick-tiled outside area used for was to leave the kitchen and go into Jun's house.
She meant, the guest house. She could see in clearly through the windows that lined the little breakfast nook which usually served more as a place to store things from pockets. Although no curtains were drawn, it still seemed dark, despite the light that flooded the living room there. Izumi slid to her feet and walked out of the kitchen and into the guest house.
Even Hikaru's room wasn't so dark. Of course, as Izumi turned on the overhead lights, it also seemed bare, despite the fact that nothing really had been moved. The desk under the stairs still had that wastepaper basket next to it, that computer on it, that chair inviting someone to sit. That TV still sat next to the stairs, and the couch still faced it. The decorations and plants in the room were still in place, but yet, there was something that left Izumi with an even darker sense of desolation. There was no stack of CDs on the desk. There was no thick science fiction novel or literary classic on the coffee table between the TV and the couch. There wasn't even a sweater tossed on the couch, a sign that Yurika was living in the same house as Jun. There wasn't even the baseball sitting on the floor, on the couch, or on the table. Izumi liked that ball. If you ever came in to watch TV or visit with Jun, it was always something to mess with, to throw up in the air and see if you could hit the ceiling. Something to keep your mind busy. And that was a specific sign of Jun's presence. Now, the only hints of such was Izumi's memory of laughter and tears shed in this little room, and the faint red tinge that was Jun's signature that kept fading in and out of her vision.
Izumi frowned deeply and leaned against the door jamb leading out to the sunny patio. There was no denying that Izumi missed Jun. They all did. Despite the fact that he sucked in an Aesti, he had become their friend. It felt as if an important piece of their circle was missing, with Jun not humming and typing something, or sitting with his rock music on full blast while reading one thing or another. Izumi felt closer to Jun than some of the other people that had lived there. Jun was logical and knew what the consequences of his actions often were, even if he did tend to follow his emotions more than his head. He had provided so much insightful conversation, and now Izumi couldn't help but think that her life wouldn't be complete without Jun in close reach to talk to about the everything they had. He was like Hikaru in a way that Izumi knew she could trust him absolutely and completely. And now he was gone, no longer living with them.
But it wasn't as if he had died, Izumi had to remember. He just moved to Tokyo , to be with Yurika. A move she had to applaud. Despite the fact that it was a move that nobody really wanted to happen, Jun was doing something that would help further his relationship with Yurika. He had been obsessed with their former captain for as long as Izumi had known him, and the fact that he was so close to marrying her, and had moved out to make sure that it would work this time made Izumi happy that he was gone, no matter how much she missed him. Marriage was the one step Jun was about to make that she hadn't had the chance to achieve, though she had come close twice. If Jun was going to do what he felt necessary, Izumi respected that.
Izumi sat down on the old guest house couch and picked the remote for the TV off the table, turning the box on and changing channels slowly. Surgery on babies. Hamsters having babies. Stupid teenage soap opera.
"Whatever happened to all the good shows they used to have on TV?" whispered Izumi harshly, turning the box off and tossing the remote back on the table. She twisted in her seat so she could put her feet up on the couch, crossing her arms and pouting. She swore never to have another day off again when she knew Hikaru wouldn't even be home. Izumi didn't like solitude anymore. She wanted to at least have someone to talk to before she depressed herself with her lonesome feelings. But, as she had already come to conclude, Hikaru was busy fucking Uribatake, and everyone else was probably either busily working, having grand office sex, or working so hard they would just come home and fall asleep in the parlor. This was probably the bad part about all of Izumi's close friends living with her.
Suddenly, a flash of insight made Izumi smack herself in the forehead once more. Aqua, was she really that dumb? All her best friends may have lived with her, but one key person in her life did not, and she certainly did not mean her mother. Izumi picked up the phone and, from memory, dialed Inez's lab.
After two rings, Izumi heard Inez's rather lethargic sounding voice. "Doctor Inez Fressange." Izumi felt a grin grace her face. Inez would be in her laboratory during her lunch hour, and thoroughly bored at that. It was her work ethic, she supposed, that made her do so, but Izumi assumed that didn't mean she had to make herself like it.
"Hey there, it's me. How's it going?"
"Izumi! What are you doing calling here?"
"What is it illegal now? Am I not supposed to or something?"
"No, it's just… Never mind. I'm just a little bored. Of course, I did skip out of the lunch trip today to get a little more work done, but I can't seem to find anything that needs to be done now."
"Lunch trip?"
"Yes. Erina, Kaguya, Viktor, and Goat had all planned to go out to lunch at some restaurant that serves sandwiches or something… Like I said, I skipped out. I don't like talking business over food anyway. So, is something wrong?"
"No, I was just feeling a little lonely, is all. Home alone and everything, so I needed to hear a friendly voice."
"Why, did you and Hikaru have a fight? Or is she actually out trying to get a job for once?"
"I find it extremely amusing that you think Hikaru's out getting a job. No, she went to Uribatake's to supposedly help him with his furniture. I'm pretty sure she's making good use of the fact that she broke her hymen when she learned to ride a bike."
Inez snorted. "I see. So you really are home by yourself."
"Yeah. I guess missing Junny on top of no one being home is what's really up."
"How are you with Jun having been moved out?"
"Me? Well, I feel okay about it. I think it's a good idea and all. It's just that something feels like it's missing here."
"Ah."
"Yeah. But, hey, no worries. His leaving got you up here. When are you going to come up again anyway?"
"…I don't know. Probably not for a while." Izumi instantly frowned. Something about Inez's voice suggested that she was hiding something. That, and the fact that the usual respond was something along the lines of, "When are you going to come down here?"
"Why not?"
"Things are getting… a bit hectic around here. I think I should lay low for a little while, if only to find out what's going on."
"Why, what are you talking about?"
"Izumi, please don't call me here anymore. I trust you, but… I don't want you involved. Things could take a turn for the worse if you are, and I don't want to risk it."
"Uh, okay. All right." It was twisted logic, Izumi knew. What did Inez want to protect her from?
"You sound skeptical. Just trust me on this, Izumi. It's almost one. I have to go."
"Okay. Bye."
"Good bye." Click. Izumi turned off the phone and stared at it in her hand. Inez had to "lay low"? Whatever for? Did this have to do with the fact that Inez and Kaguya were kept for questioning longer than Yurika and Akito? Did Inez just not want to turn the eyes of those out for vengeance towards Izumi just because she may be connected to Inez?
As Izumi set the phone down, Izumi narrowed her eyes. Maybe she was looking at this the wrong way. Maybe… Inez wasn't trying to protect her. Maybe she was trying to protect herself. Inez knew well of Izumi's previous romantic endeavors, even being betrothed against her will to one of them. Inez knew the consequences of dating Izumi. But with a killer on the loose… Oh Aqua. Inez thought she was next. It would make sense, as she too was a big and important person. And… Inez wanted to prevent that by staying away from Izumi. Keeping her away.
Izumi nodded to herself slowly, sadly. It made so much sense, that Izumi had to commend Inez for her thought processes. Izumi would stay away from her and not contact her, if necessary. It was self-preservation after all, and who could argue with that? Certainly not Izumi. She knew she was a techno boy band. Izumi snickered. Inez would be kept safe as long as Izumi had a say in it. After all, as long as no one knew her combination, she would be absolutely filthy rich, right?
Snicker.
---
Yurika looked over the warm display of chicken, smiling as one of the attendants of the deli cam over, probably to ask if she needed some help. Yurika held up her hand and shook her head before the woman could say anything, pushing her cart along. There wasn't much Yurika needed to get from the grocery store. Coffee, orange juice, milk, and maybe something she could use to make dinner. She didn't really know what she wanted to make, but she knew she was in the mood for Italian. And as long as it was somewhat easy to make, there wouldn't be any problems.
Yurika laughed at herself as she picked up a small red onion from a display, looking it over. She couldn't remember a time when she was this domestic. Thinking about what to have for dinner, trying to find something easy enough to make without fucking it up, such as the pizza she was now considering as she placed the onion in a bag. She only needed one. She wasn't even this much like a housewife while they had been on the run from the Nadesico, and certainly not during the short time she had been with Akito.
She frowned as she picked up a couple of cloves of garlic. She did not what to think of him. It just… depressed her how she had messed it up for them. Because they had no adult, real friendship before Yurika began insisting that they go out, they had nothing to go on. No real memories other than their time on Mars as children. They had both changed, and while Yurika had failed to see it before, she saw it now. Now they just had mutual friends, but that was good enough for her. But while Akito had been something of a school-girl crush, she had to admit that she pretty much had the rest of her life after the war planned, mostly dependent on her relationship with Akito striving and thriving, which it did not.
But Yurika had been so naïve then! She had even saved her first kiss for Akito. But she knew now that all it really was was a symbol of devotion. Akito had just been a silly, baseless crush, after all. But Nagare… he had been different. He had approached her, for one thing. Yurika really felt much closer to him, somehow. She didn't know why she felt so much more comfortable with him. Maybe… while with Akito, she was always trying to prove herself. But Nagare had done the opposite and tripped all over himself to please her. And despite the fact that Yurika couldn't trust him to be a one-woman man, she had trusted him enough to have sex with him. She had given Akito her first kiss, but she had given her virginity to Nagare. But Yurika still believed that she had loved Nagare during his time. Why else did thinking about him as she picked up a prebaked crust for the pizza she was to make that evening, even though she was happily engaged to Jun, make her smile and give her a feeling of warmth? It wasn't as if they hadn't ended on bad terms. Yurika had accused him of opening a door with Izumi before the attack of Magus and broken up with him. But it still made her happy to think of him. Unlike her other past relationships in Akito and Erina.
While thinking of Akito made her feel sorry, and Nagare made her feel as if she had just gotten hopped up on helium, Erina positively incensed her. Her relationship with the current CEO of Nergal still confused her as to how it began. Everyone knew it had officially started at the Peace Ball, when Erina had been able to say all the right things and had gotten her to crumble. But why she had crumbled still confused Yurika. She had NEVER had lesbian tendencies before, and everything Erina stood for made Yurika sick. She had been an opportunistic bitch during her time on the Nadesico, and their time together was impersonal at best. They had always talked little and were extremely unlike any romantic fantasy Yurika had ever had in her life. It was a relationship where they both could get whatever they wanted from the other without too many scruples as to the repercussions to their relationship. From what Yurika could tell, it was a common practice for Erina, but Yurika didn't play that game. The sex was nice, mind-blowing even, but at what cost? Impersonality with the person you were supposed to care about? And if that's what led Erina to go to Kaguya –
No. That wasn't what had happened. Erina had lost use of Yurika, so she went back to the one that she did still have use of. Kaguya. Erina had used her, and the fact that Yurika had let her do so made her grit her teeth as she lifted the can of coffee off the shelf and into the cart. And she had only let her do it because she was still so naïve. While she was more experienced and mature with Erina than she had been with Akito, she hadn't been truly scorned sore until she had been with Erina. But she knew it now. She knew how to identify real love, she knew how to trust, and she knew cruelty. So, with a soft smile, she was in a better position to be engaged to Jun. The first time, Yurika had to admit that she hadn't really understood the implications that she was going to marry Jun. But she did now. And that was half the reason she proposed to him at all.
Simply put, Yurika definitely loved Jun. And possibility that she couldn't be in love with him was absurd. He had tried so hard to honor her and care for her and protect her most of her life that she barely even knew that she had walked all over him all those years. Her fling with Erina had been the last straw, but in looking back, Yurika expected it to have come sooner. Jun's control of his emotions around her had been amazing, and she couldn't help but respect that.
But it wasn't guilt that made Yurika love Jun. He was so very loyal to her, in ways that the others either hadn't been or she had messed up in not acknowledging their loyalty. He had put up with her shit for so long and for so little that Yurika had full out expected Jun to tell her no when she proposed.
Why had she proposed? Yurika could not imagine her future anymore without him, for starters. She didn't want to plan it all out, out of fear of jinxing it, but she had let herself fantasize. Jun would become a successful songwriter, and Yurika would stay home to keep house. They could adopt a child to care for, since the concept of childbirth made Yurika want to be violently ill. They would watch their child grow and develop, calling each of Jun's friends aunts and uncles. Jun and Yurika would grow old together, until they passed away and left a sizeable amount of money to their child and their friends. Despite the morbid end, it was a fantasy that made her so enthusiastic in regards to marriage to Jun. She would have been perfectly content just being with Jun and not worrying about the rest, if he liked. This was what love was after all. Not caring what happened or if what she wanted ever took place, as long as she was with Jun.
It just took her three years and three other partners for her to figure it out.
---
Itsuki stretched long and luxuriously, reaching her arms high above her head before she collapsed in the chair she sat in, leaning back and rolling her head on her shoulders. She hated it when she had to do work at home. Of course, it was only reviewing the newest design for the missiles of the new frame, but still going through all the angled stills and blueprints that Uribatake had been able to get them right before they had left for the evening. And of course, Itsuki was the missile expert of the two of them…
There was a knock on the door leading out of the office and into the library. Before Itsuki could reply, however, it opened to show her girlfriend. Itsuki smiled and gestured to the chair against the wall as she sighed and stuck the drawings back into the folder. Ryoko saw them though and shook a finger at them. "Those the new drawings?"
"Yeah. Like I can tell if they're going to work from the drawings alone. They look fine though. We just gotta build them and test them. Then that should be that with the cannon system and we can work on the different customized frames." Itsuki closed the folder and set it on the desk, spinning in her chair. "What's up?"
"Oh, I just came to ask you… Izumi just called and said that they'll be running late tonight, so Hikaru and I are gonna go pick up takeout. Any preferences?"
Itsuki glanced up to the ceiling as she thought about her choice. "Can you pick me up a turkey sub? Just tomatoes and peppers… and I don't care about the bread or cheese."
"Sure. What do you want to drink?"
"Eh, just a soda. When are you guys leaving?"
"Not for a little bit yet. Hikaru's bugging Jiro for what he wants for ideas on what SHE wants. I suppose we'll just go when she's good and ready. Why? Just curious?"
"Not really." Itsuki stopped spinning her chair and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. As she was still dressed in the light blue dress she had worn to work that day, she knew she was actually showing quite a bit of skin, with the low cut neckline and went down to her abdomen. But Ryoko hadn't batted an eyelash. She was so dull sometimes. Unlike her brother, who was a grand barrel of laughs.
"Just curious on how you're doing with this whole… Jun thing." Ryoko face feel slightly, which made Itsuki frown. Ryoko could be occasionally boring, but making her feel a bit bad. But Ryoko just shook her head, the green ends of her hair brushing her shoulders. It had been growing out amazingly, and Itsuki believed she just might be ready to but it again. It was a bit shaggier than Itsuki had ever seen it before.
"No, it's all right. I miss him a little. Both of them, really. Yurika considers me her best friend and all, and I suppose we're pretty close, and Jun IS my stepbrother and all… And we see them every morning at Peaceful Days but…"
"It's not the same." Ryoko nodded at Itsuki's response. "I understand. I miss them not camping out in their house anymore. Magus, I can't even call it the guest house anymore!"
"None of us can, I think." Ryoko fell silent, staring at the knees of her khaki pants. Itsuki expected her to get up and leave to go ask Hikaru if she was ready to go. But it had already been a little more than a week. There wouldn't still be a reason for Ryoko to be overly sad about Jun and Yurika no longer living there, especially if they saw them everyday. She didn't make materialistic attachments like that.
Instead of letting Ryoko leave her chair, she cocked her head to the side and played with the end of her no-nonsense braid that was beginning to get a little wild. "What's wrong, Ryoko?"
Ryoko shrugged. "I was just… Thinking."
"About what?"
"Well… Just for… curiosity's sake, when are WE going to move out of Yamada Manor?" Ryoko slouched in her seat and looked away, as if ashamed.
Itsuki narrowed her eyes and dropped her braid, her whole face screwing up in skepticism. She could not believe that she had just asked that. "Why?"
"Hey, I'm just curious. I know we're not all going to live together forever, especially not Hikaru and Izumi. I was just wondering when we were going to go out and go find our own place like Jun and Yurika did."
Itsuki shook her head quickly, as if trying to refute this understand as soon as she could. "I honestly don't think we'll ever leave."
Now it was Ryoko's turn to appear incredulous to mirror what she felt. "Why not?"
Itsuki took a deep breath. Of course, she had suspected she would, eventually, have to answer this question, but she cursed Jun and Yurika for making it come so soon. She had expected it once Izumi and Hikaru felt their time was done there, not while they were still using the house for all it was worth. She threaded her fingers and sat up straight. Then she began. "Once upon a time, Kazamo Manor was my home. Jiro and I both visited each other's houses often, but Kazamo Manor was where I lived, officially. But, one day, while I was here, in that library often there, I believe, a Jovian Chulip fell on my house, killing my nanny, my parents, and Jiro's parents.
"Through our mourning and sudden growing hatred for the war we ourselves had been ignoring, we decided to not avoid the war anymore. After we finished our education, we decided that Jiro would set up Mugendai to run itself during the war while I joined the military ahead of him. Jiro had planned on joining the military once he was ready, but instead he had been called to join the Nadesico before he could do so. But you know that story, don't you?" Itsuki knew Ryoko was nodding. They all knew that story. They had told it on the Nadesico, they had told it as they passed Kazamo Manor with its murderous Chulip sticking out of it for the first time, and it was a story they knew well because of this. It wasn't one they would easily forget.
"But… I don't see what that has to do with your staying here in Yamada Manor."
Itsuki shook her head slowly. It didn't, really. "Despite the fact that we were once set to be married, Jiro is more my brother than you will ever know." Itsuki closed her eyes as she remembered perfectly what had happened that day, once the initial shock and tears had passed. "When… when our parents died, Jiro swore something to me. He swore that Yamada Manor would be my home no matter what. If I couldn't live in my own home, I would live in his. He called me his sister then, and said that family should stick together. He was going to do what he must for me, and only because he loved me. Not the way he loves Akito, or that I love you, but in the way that… you love Junny. And even if I have the means to go and rebuild Kazamo Manor for myself, I couldn't leave him here. He had done so much, gone out of his way to make his home mine too. I couldn't make it sound like I disfavor our familial bond by leaving. So here is my home, and here I shall stay." Itsuki narrowed her eyes. With Ryoko's head bent, she couldn't see her face. It made her worried. "Ryoko, are you all right?"
"Yeah, it's just…" Ryoko reached up and wiped an eye, making Itsuki widen her eyes, taken aback by the idea that she had talked Ryoko into tears. "It's just that… that so beautiful, you know. I just… I wish I could have that kind of connection to Jun. He's… He's my big brother, you know? And when he's in trouble or feeling bad he always… He always fucking goes to Akito and Izumi. Just once… I'd like it if he needed me for something."
Itsuki rolled her chair closer to where Ryoko sat, taking Ryoko's hands in her own and trying to bend down to see Ryoko's face. "But Jun does need you. He needs you to live his life as he wants. He wants you approval, needs it. You told me yourself that Jun had considered you first for an Assist in his wedding before Yurika got to you first. You guys may not talk all the time, but Jun wants to give you a say in the most important event of his life. I think that counts so much more than Jiro giving me permanent room and board here, where it's no big deal to be getting free room and board."
Ryoko shook with a small laugh as she sniffed. "Well, it's only fair, Itsuki. Junny and I are legally siblings. You and Jiro are just by concept."
"Magus, rub it in, why don't you?" Itsuki pulled Ryoko's face up and kissed her softly. She smiled at her girlfriend before letting a hand fall from Ryoko's cheek so that she could possibly bring a more happy smile to the face of her tomboy.
"Ryoko, what the fuck is taking so long? Ah, shit, I should have known." Itsuki and Ryoko's eyes and heads turned quickly to the door leading into the library. "I knew you were into office sex, Itsuki, but I didn't think it literally."
"Shut the fuck up, Hikaru," Ryoko's voice recovered before Itsuki's. "We were talking."
"Talking, fucking, it all depends on what you want to call it. We gotta stop at that chicken wing place for me and Gai. He wants to be a pussy and get the mild ones."
"All right, I'm comin'." Ryoko let Itsuki's hands slip down her body as she stood up. With a quick kiss into her violet hair, she stepped over their chairs and left with a quick wave. Itsuki smiled.
She had every intention of staying and living here for most of her life. And with that gesture, Itsuki knew Ryoko did now too. So even if Izumi or Hikaru moved out, they would be sad and miss their own brand of mundane chaos, but it would be all right. They were surviving with Yurika and Jun gone after all.
---
"…and then after that, Yukina and I headed back home and Yukina had headed off to go do some more of her English homework, since she needed a reason to not be in the room. I don't think she heard a word, since she was already pretty huffy when it came to him. And I could hear every note of her video game music in the living room."
"Sounds like she wasn't working on her English homework at all."
"Oh, she was. After I finished discussing the problem with Toju, I went in to check on her and I had to get her to turn her stereo down. You won't believe what they have kids doing these days for the standard English class. You'd think they were fluent!"
"Well, it's not like I had the full experience of a Japanese English class. They never wanted me in there because I would always annoyed the teacher because I tried to correct their English. But you talked to him about it, what did he say?"
Minato had been utilizing her communicator for nearly an hour that night. Minato was fully aware that most of the others had no reason to continue the use of theirs, though they did have them, but Minato would be damned before she gave up her only connection to her best friend, despite how much younger she was. It wasn't as if she could just call Ninlan up on the telephone, after all. This was the easiest way, though the time difference did tend to get to her. Even now, Minato had to call late at night, dressed in nothing but her bathrobe in her intentions to go to bed right after, for her to reach Ninlan in the height of the afternoon.
"Well, the gist of what I said was that I do respect his opinion and all. He has a right to one of course, and I respect that he has made a choice. But I told him that for the duration of his stay here, he has to keep quiet about his feelings toward Jupiterian and Jumpers in general. If only to keep up the harmony of the house, you know?"
"And has he?"
"Generally. I admit that there have been a few moments these past couple of weeks when Toju and Yukina have been a bit… quarrelsome is probably the best word. They try to steer clear of each other, but sometimes their arguments and name calling erupts without warning."
Megumi sighed and rested her face in her hands. It was obvious the time there. While Minato felt a bit messy with her hair loose and dressed in her pajamas, Megumi was still very tidy, her hair still in a perfect pile on her head while she was still dressed in her voluminous, sparkling white dress, even if they both sat on their beds. "It must be terrible for them to make you choose between them. Your only brother and your only sister-in-law… I'm just glad my family never gave me that lovely luxury."
"Ha, ha. Very funny. But it's not that it's all that hard. Toju did eventually put two and two together, so to speak, about Tsukumo. If his sister's a Jovian, he is too, after all. Toju actually tried to chew me out for agreeing to marry a Jupiterian, even if he was on his deathbed."
"Ooo, I can just IMAGINE! So, where did you bury the body, Minato?"
"I didn't kill him, but it certainly did leave a sour taste in my mouth. I honestly don't think he'll be asking to crash here next summer." Minato paused, then ran a hand through her somewhat tangled locks. "Speaking of murder, what did Rumiko have to say about that whole Martian thing?"
"Oh, Gods! It was all I could do to not let him try to reinvestigate Yurika again! And I may not even like Akito any more, but I honestly don't believe that either Yurika or Akito were even slightly capable of murder. It's just not like them, you know? And Miss Fressange's explanation about how knowing it was a Martian that did all this didn't narrow it down much made sense."
Minato hissed and shook her head slowly. "I don't know, Megumi. Miss Fressange's explanation sure did seem to come at a very convenient time for her, to take the blame away from her and all."
"You don't think…"
"No, of course not! It's just… I'm just saying it looks suspicious, is all." Minato shook her head again. "This isn't a good subject at all."
Megumi crossed her arms and scoffed. "Well, you suggested it!"
Minato let out a laugh, but didn't argue this point. "When are you and Rumiko going to come back to Earth for a visit? It IS your turn to drop by, after all…"
"Well, we're both expected to show back there in three weeks for Ninlan's induction into the System Alliance, so…"
"You aren't serious?!"
"Yeah. I guess they were impressed with the way we handled a rebellion and call for independence."
"Extra points for pacifism?"
"I guess. I know we didn't get a perfect, unanimous vote in because I guess a few of the bigwigs thought we were wimps for letting some of our land and power go. But I suppose more of them thought we were wise for preserving peace at any cost, even our own political power."
"So when is the ceremony?"
"Not for three weeks, but it's going to take place in Northeastern United States . I want to try to convince Rumiko to let us come in a bit earlier so we could have some time to visit you guys in Japan ."
"That sounds great! I can't wait 'til you guys show! But… I'm afraid you guys'll have to stay at a REAL hotel."
"Oh, of course. If we didn't, I'd have to listen to Rumiko complain that he had to sleep on a couch bed, oh my Gods!"
"Has that whole Emperor thing really gotten that bad to his head?"
"No, not really. Just enough to cause him headaches. He's really getting better about his pretentiousness, which is good. I'm really proud of him and gaining a little bit of humility."
"Ah, nothing like non-Jumpers that love Jumpers, right?"
Megumi smiled and nodded, but looked a bit beyond the window. "Hey… what time is it there?"
Minato glanced at her alarm clock. "Eleven, why?"
"Don't you have work tomorrow?"
"Yes, why?"
"Gods damn it all to hell, Minato! You are not going to lose your job because of me!"
"I'm not going to lose my job regardless."
"Well… Gah! Minato, I, as Empress of the Grand Empire of Ninlan, order you to bed!"
"Yes ma'am." Minato gave a small salute, which made Megumi smile again and giggle. "Good night, Minato. Sweet dreams."
"Have a good evening, Meg." Minato then waved before closing the window, pulling back her sheets and disrobing. Talking to Megumi always gave her a good feeling about everything, even if things were going bad. Minato was usually an optimist, but when things weren't looking so good, even the optimist could use a little outside help to pull herself together. She got into bed and wrapped herself up, smiling. And that was why she and Megumi were best friends. Why Megumi had chosen her to be her Maiden Assist. Because they both leaned on each other equally, so no one's problems seemed larger than the others. Because they weren't. And if they were, they would make it through together.
---
It was a standard Monday in Peaceful Days. Right at the tail end of the morning rush, where those that were still hanging around had no real intention of leaving for work, they entered. Yurika looked up as she heard Izumi cry out, "Ah, the cannons have come to reload!" Ryoko sighed and slouched, rolling her eyes. Yurika smiled out of courtesy, but then frowned to herself. Izumi had been certainly generous with the puns lately. Yurika could only wonder what it meant. But this thought left her as Ryoko sat down at one of the booths, obviously waiting for Gai and Itsuki to finish up getting their morning coffee, news, and gossip from those that ran the restaurant. With a glance at the punster, Yurika left the small counter and sat down across from Ryoko, patting her on the shoulder as she walked by. "Hey, what's up?"
"Ah, nothing much. Just stopping by like usual. I just don't feel like getting anything today." Ryoko leaned back in the booth, cracking her fingers. "So how's shacking up with my stepbrother?"
"Magus, make it sound so scandalous, why don't you?" But Yurika grinned and let out a small laugh. "Actually, it's been really nice. It'd be great if we could get some privacy around there though… Everyone and their brother's been showing up with food and decorations and good wishes…"
"Everyone, like who?"
"Just about everyone we know in Japan , really. Mr. Prospector, Uribatake-san, Mr. Hory, Minato and Yukina, Kaguya and Erina… That one really kind of confused me. Oh! And my father!"
"Ah, so what did dear Daddy say about you shacking up with Junny?"
"Oh, stop it! He got all blubbery about how his little girl is growing up and taking responsibility. You'd think I was going on the Nadesico all over again." She stuck her tongue out and rolled her eyes.
Ryoko let out a small laugh at her face before leaning back on the table. "So it's been nothing much other than everyone in Japan knocking on your door and giving you fruit baskets?"
"Oh, Gods, no. Junny put in an application a few days ago."
"Ah, the lazy bum going to finally get a job?"
"We hope so. It was answering an ad for a songwriter for some local band… 'Subtracting World', I think they're called. But they want someone that doesn't want to be in the spotlight and let them do the musical work."
"Sounds perfect for Jun."
"I thought so to, but he hasn't gotten a call back yet, so he's in pretty low spirits… I've been doing my best to bring him back up, but you know how Jun gets when he's down."
"All to well. So to stop him from burning down the house, what did you do?"
"Um…"
"Ah. So you've been fucking left and right. And why were you worried about my making it sound scandalous?"
"Oh, you!" Yurika laughed, hiding her mouth with a fist as she blushed. "Well, once I got him past the basics, sex has been, well… quite interesting."
"How so? Come on, spill it. How many times have to made him dress up like a nun?"
"That was NOT my doing, actually. He was the one that was so insistent that we do all those damn funerals."
"Now that's a detail I missed. Jun went out of his way to cross-dress? Eh, not something I'm surprised by. So you got the role-playing down, then?"
"Um, actually… it's a lot deeper than that."
"Huh?"
"Well, um… he can be very hot, you know. Sometimes it hurts, he's so hot."
"You mean… Warm?"
"Yeah. Apparently it's hard for him to hold back when we're having sex, so he just does enough to not set the room on fire."
"Ah, so you guys got that whole magical aspect to it."
"You could say that."
"And you…?"
"Well, um… I'll just say that we both concur that it's a whole different experience to feel someone's else orgasm."
"…You went into his HEAD?"
"We tend to do that most of the time, actually. He feels everything I feel because I allow him, and he lets me feel what he's feeling, even manipulate his sensations a little so they're, well… a little more intense." Yurika blushed at this admission.
Ryoko just smiled and shook her head. "You should be ashamed of yourself. Using magic on him while you two are fucking. What does that make you, the embodiment of Magus's Rage, where the rage part is describing his hormones?"
"Oh, stop it!" Yurika laughed again, but as the humor faded, her smile did as well. While it may have been an entertaining subject to dabble in, Jun's and her sex life was not why she had come over to Ryoko. She had come over to make sure everything was okay. "So, um… Did anyone tell you about who Junny picked for his Assist?"
"Yes, and Jun is an asshole."
Yurika bit her lip. "You know… it's perfectly okay if you decide to drop out. I won't think of you any less or anything. I know how infuriating Akito can be… Oh, what do I know, you live with him! It's just…"
"Yurika." Yurika looked up to see Ryoko cupping her hands. Ryoko stared her down, her lips in a perfect line and her blue eyes denying Yurika's to look away with embarrassment, shame, or boredom. Ryoko was demanding to be heard without saying a thing. It was so odd how Yurika could tell this. It wasn't as if she was Hikaru or Izumi, or even Itsuki for that matter. Just because Yurika considered Ryoko her closest friend didn't mean that Ryoko reciprocated. So when did Yurika become to adept at identifying the tomboy's intentions through her actions?
"I already had this discussion with Jun. I'm surprised her didn't tell you about how I almost killed him. He gave me the impression that that would be the first 'my stepsister is a psycho!' he would have given you." At Yurika's shaken head, Ryoko mirrored the action. "The fact that I have to kiss that disgusting, warty, herpes-filled mouth that is Akito's does not, is not, and probably won't ever deter me from giving up my position as your Assist. And dear Terra, I hope that Jiro didn't hear a word of that." Ryoko looked over her shoulder worriedly, gritting her teeth and widening her eyes as she tried to glance discreetly from where Gai gave Akito a quick kiss before coming a bit closer and yelling at Itsuki to get off the phone, where Ryoko's girlfriend promptly gave him the finger. But she quickly turned back to Yurika, even if her eyes lingered a bit longer than her visage.
Yurika smiled gratefully, grinning so much that all of her top teeth showed. "I am so glad. I honestly didn't even know who else I could possibly get! I mean… we've had our moments, you know?"
"Yeah. Good moments, those have been. Not that many recently, which makes me wonder why the hell you decided I was your best choice for Assist."
Yurika bit her lip again, her eyes downcast. "Well… I just really feel that I can trust you. With everything, although I know I shouldn't unless you ask. I just… I want you to have a position in it, you know? I want you to be important on what's going to be the happiest day of my life."
Ryoko's mouth curved upward slightly in a smile that was more similar to Ruri's than should be allowed. She patted Yurika's hands. "Hey, I know we don't really have a reason or anything to bond all that much… And I know you miss the house. How about you and Junny pop by sometime for dinner?"
"Here's a better idea. How about you and Itsuki come over to OUR house next week for the same?"
"Uh… but our house would have Akito the Cooking Slave to exploit."
"He would also be making my life that night a living hell. Just some of our time."
"You got a point. All right. Next week, you say?"
"As in week from tonight. Gotta wait for the check to come in for groceries before I start planning the lavish meal in honor of Junny's esteemed stepsister."
"You flatter me. But last I recall, your cooking sucks more cock than Akito on a good day."
"I've been practicing! I follow all the cookbooks to the letter and I don't daydream."
"Yeah, sure."
"Ryoko!" Both Yurika and Ryoko looked up at the single word. Itsuki had her head tilted to the side as she carried her to-go coffee, courtesy Izumi; a thick black binder with some rather interesting degrees of disarray applied to the various papers inside; and her yellow purse slung on her wrist. She widened her dark eyes and shook her head quickly, expectantly. She rolled her eyes before heading out of the restaurant.
Ryoko scratched the back of her two-colored head. "My fishwife calls."
"Then perhaps you should heed it."
"Week from tonight?"
"Yeah. I'll call you with the details, like time and what horrible food to expect."
"All righty then. I'll be waiting by the phone!"
Yurika grinned and waved as Ryoko pushed open the door leading both in and out of the restaurant. She stood and walked back over to the counter, clapping Izumi on the hand as the taller woman held hers up. Akito, working the other cash register, raised an eyebrow. "And just what was that all about?"
"Girl talk of the leader-type persuasion. You wouldn't understand, being male and subordinate and all."
---
Aqua green eyes met dark blue behind a red sheer curtain in the mirror. A small smile broke out on Yurika's face, and Jun mirrored it as well. But Jun's smile turned to a grin of disgust as he covered his eyes quickly. "Good Goddess of Fire, Yurika. I like you cleaning your teeth and all, but I don't want to see the damage of the act, okay?!"
Yurika grinned brighter before cupping her hands under the running water of the faucet, taking some of the trapped water into her mouth to rinse all the foam from her teeth-brushing just moments before. Then, after wiping her mouth with a hand towel, she picked up her brush and started pushing it through her hair. "So what do you suppose I make for our little dinner tomorrow? I was thinking of making a stew… or maybe just a salad and some bread. Ooo, I saw this one recipe for zucchini bread this morning!"
"Zucchini BREAD?" Jun gave Yurika an incredulous look over the top of the book he was reading. "Yurika, when did you get to become such a… vegetarian? We had a salad for dinner yesterday, and a casserole made from TATER TOTS the day before!"
Yurika turned back to Jun, then turned fully before fisting her hands on the hips of her revealing nightie. "I just think we should be eating healthier, that's all! Is there something wrong with that?" At Jun's narrowed eyes and raised eyebrow, Yurika bit her lip and caved. "Okay, I just really, really like to lose some weight. Do you understand that, since I moved into Yamada Manor, I gained nine kilograms? NINE, Junny! And I solely blame Akito and his cooking."
Yurika smiled as Jun did. "But that would mean you DUALLY blame Akito and his cooking!"
"Grammar Nazi."
"Exactly. Hey, turn the fan on, please? It's getting warm in here."
Yurika flipped on the switch by the bathroom door, turning the ceiling fan they had installed last week. She then turned back to the mirror and got very close to it, pushing in her nose with a finger. She always did think her nose as a bit too pointy. "Hey, Jun…"
But before she could finish her question, the phone began to ring, startling both Yurika and Jun. Yurika glanced at the clock on their nightstand as she came out of their bathroom and into their bedroom. "Who the hell is calling at ten at night? I mean, I know it's Saturday and all, but talk about rude!"
Jun nodded slowly as he picked up the receiver and held it to his face. "Moshi-moshi?" Yurika hopped onto their bed and scooted up so she was sitting next to Jun, looping her bare arm around his and resting her chin on his shoulder. She tilted her head to see his face, and was rather surprised to see his eyebrows together and his eyes narrowed, looking off into the distance at nothing. "Yes, this is Aoi Jun." Yurika looked off into the same direction and stuck her lip out into a pout. So she would only get half this conversation. "You… You do?! What, now? Really? Oh, sure… Yeah, I can be there in twenty. Oh my Goddess of Fire, you have no idea how much this means to me! Yeah, sure, I can bring some of my stuff. Yeah, I'll be right there! Bye!" Jun turned the phone off and flung himself off the bed, eyes wide and hands shaking.
Yurika, having fallen to the bed, held herself up on her elbows. "What is it, Junny?"
Jun began to pace as his hands shook faster. He looked around the room quickly from side to side, as if not really sure what he was looking for. Once his eyes fell on the nightstand without the clock, he rushed at it, opening the drawer and pulling out a black binder. He opened it and flipped through it a bit, as if to make sure there were some key pieces in there. He looked back at Yurika with still-wide eyes. "I got an interview, Yurika. With Subtracting World."
Yurika's face brightened and she too leapt off the bed. "Oh my God of Spirit, that's wonderful, Junny!" She flung her arms around his neck and they both spun for a second. Yurika went over the conversation in her head. "Wait… they want you to go there NOW?"
"Yeah. And I don't care what time it is, I'm going to go right now. I… I need pants!" Jun pulled off his pajama bottoms and started rifling through their dresser drawers. Yurika, of sounder mind than Jun at the moment, opened their closet and handed him a pair of his jeans. Jun thanked her and shoved his feet through the holes roughly, missing the first time. Once he had on the pants, he quickly changed shirts three times, from his pajama shirt to a nice shirt, then a band shirt that Gai had given him for his birthday. After that, he ran his hands through his chin length hair and grabbed his portfolio. "How do I look? Fine? Okay?"
"Junny, I know you're excited, but calm down! You might scare them away if you show up so happy!"
Jun nodded quickly and started to shake his fists. "Okay, okay. Calm. Calm. I can do this."
Yurika shook her palms at him. "Okay, screw calm. You need to get over there!" Yurika grabbed her robe and followed as Jun practically flew out of their bedroom, wrapping it around herself and securing it before following him to the door, where he switched out his slippers for his shoes.
Jun then stood up completely straight, taking in a deep, calming breath through his nose. Then he turned and wrapped his arms around Yurika's waist. "I love you, Yurika."
"I love you too, Junny." Yurika pecked him on the lips several times. "You're going to do fine." She flashed him another reassuring smile, and he relaxed visibly.
"Thanks, so much, Yurika. Please… Don't wait up for me."
"Don't give me that. I won't be able to sleep until I hear from you."
Jun kissed her that time, picking up his portfolio from the floor and grabbing his keys off the hook on the wall. "All right, wish me luck."
"Good luck, Junny!" Jun smiled as he closed the door and locked it behind him.
Yurika took a deep sigh of relief and euphoria. Jun needed this so much. Jun had felt so worthless these past few weeks, with them living off Yurika's paychecks from both Peaceful Days and Nergal. Even if Jun wanted to take Yurika's name once they got married, Yurika knew he really wanted to prove himself worthy of him. "Idiot," she whispered. He had already proven himself a million times over. But if this was what Jun wanted, then she wanted it to. She loved him, after all.
Yurika then did something she never did. As she sat down on their freakish-looking couch, she clapped her hands together slowly, letting her middle and ring fingers crawl down so that they were curled into her hands, leaving only her thumbs, pointer fingers, and pinkies touching and standing. Then she placed the knuckles of her thumbs on her lips, letting her eyes slide closed. "Please, Magus. You've screwed the both of us up with Nagare. Now I need you to do something to pay us back. Please let this work out for Junny. Let him get this job. I don't ask for much. I don't care what they pay him. Just let them hire him. You owe me, and you know it."
After a few moments, Yurika let her eyes reopen as she glanced up at the ceiling. Of course, she expected no response, really. No immediate one, at least. It wasn't like her to pray. But she knew her patron god heard her. She was one of his "favorites", a label that made her squirm. And he did owe her, after all. Her and Junny, but Jun wasn't his. Yurika was. She shook her head slowly before reaching for the remote for their TV. "And I mean it, Magus."
---
It only took an hour and a half before Yurika's vow to stay up for Jun began to lose its power over Yurika's alertness and awareness. With the plan of waking up the second Jun got home to hear the news, she had gone off to bed. Of course, a little nap would help her absorb all the details when he came home anyway.
But she had barely been in bed fifteen minutes when she heard the bedroom door open. With a glance at the clock, Yurika sat up, rubbing her tired eyes. She had just achieved a light doze, and her sight was limited at best. She pushed the hair out of her face as she reached over to the lamp on her nightstand, switching it on as she felt Jun sit down on his side of the bed. "How'd it go, Junny?"
"I'm not Junny." Yurika didn't feel more shock at the words themselves than the voice that carried them. Rough, hard, yet familiarly female. Yurika jumped sky high as her head swiveled to see the women sitting on her bed. Women? There were two?! Yurika's pulse raged at the base of her throat as she scrambled to vacate the bed, attempting to see who had entered her house without permission, but the light attacking her eyes made it impossible for her to identify the women.
She didn't make it out of the bed before the one who had spoken had plunged her butcher's knife deep into her chest, missing her protective ribs and piercing straight into her left lung. Yurika's vision clouded with stars as she felt her blood slowly begin its mission to drown her. Shaking, she turned her head, which had fallen against the headboard, to her attacker, her mouth agape in shock. The woman shook her head slowly. Yurika could just barely make out a soft smile on her face as she began to feel the burning, raging pain in her chest. She raised her shaking hands slowly, to the gaping, gasping hole that was spurting blood that darkened her already red sheets. The woman clicked her tongue on her mouth. "Too bad, Yurika. We could have used you as a scapegoat, but you were leading them off the trail we desired them on a bit too much. Can't have them finding out, can we?"
Yurika coughed violently, more blood escaping through her mouth, beading on her silky nightie. The other woman looked away as if she was going to be sick. "God, how can you be doing this?"
"Like this." The knife sheathed itself into Yurika's other lung, scraping along her rib cage that time. Yurika cried out, gurgling as blood rose in her throat and pooled in her mouth as she flung her head back. Bad decision, she discovered, as the armed woman grabbed her blue-violet hair and held her throat out. She smiled evilly. "I love it when my prey becomes docile and accepts their defeat. Look, she's offering me her throat! Isn't it how lovely and beautiful how a small act of violence can get you whatever you desire?" She pulled the knife out of Yurika's chest once more and laid it on her throbbing, stained neck. Yurika shook even more as blood trickled out the sides of her mouth as she coughed and choked. She shook her head though, her aqua green eyes wide in fright and shock. The woman with the knife nodded. "You're right, Yurika. It's far too early for that. An obvious cause of death." The knife left her neck, but Yurika didn't relax in this woman's grasp. She had no reason to. The knife had found yet another new home in her body, just a little closer to the center of her chest than the first stabbing. This one didn't miss a thing. It hit dead-on to its target: Yurika's heart. For a moment, Yurika's body was seized as her heart attempted to work despite this fatal attack. But then her body fell limp, her hands collapsing in her lap and her head falling away from Yurika's killer, as if looking away, ashamed.
She stood slowly, pushing herself off of the bed. She flexed her blood-streaked fingers and glanced at her accomplice. "Oh come now. I told you about this months ago."
"But it was Yurika."
"Well, I suppose it is a bit more of a different story, yes. Mythos and Yurika are totally different stories." She glanced around the room, paying a great amount of attention to the metal pole that held up the red curtain that surrounded the bed. Then her eyes fell upon the ceiling fan, and her smile came back. She walked around the bed and pushed the curtain out of the way so she could have better access to the body that was once Yurika. "Come help me. I've got a great idea of what to do with her."
---
TBC…
---
A/N: In my defense, my conscience is beating the hell out of me for this. This had been in the plans for the longest time, from the very first outlines of IyM, but… I didn't think it would be so hard to do. Farewell, dear friend. Your part in this tale is over. Do as you will to ease my guilt, but things are as they stand. I didn't want to do it, but the show must go on. Feel free to review.
