A/N: Prepare for one noticeable change to the main plot.
Disclaimer: I do not own Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans.
Falcon of Tekkadan
Chapter 41: Natural for a Human
Following the deaths of Naze Turbine and Amida Arca, a funeral service was arranged on Saisei. Before the service, Kenji and Orga were standing before the memorial to Naze and Amida, with Shino behind them.
"I'm sorry. Naze's body was seized by Gjallarhorn with the Hammerhead. The Ma'am's Hyakuren, too. We took off in such a dramatic way, and this is how it ends up." Shino said.
"You guys did well." Orga said. "Sorry, but could you give me and Kenji some time alone?"
Shino said nothing and walked out of the room.
"Bro..." Orga said.
"Uncle Naze..." Kenji said.
When it came time for the service, Kenji, Orga, Eugene, Akihiro, Shino, and Ride were standing to the side of the room while the former Turbines members were grieving in front of the memorial.
"Naze... Naze..."
"Ma'am..."
Kenji looked to see a very tall flower stand with Jasley Donomikols' name written in kanji form. His eye twitched. "Is Jasley mocking us?" He thought.
"I see it's made it here. Good, good." A voice called out.
Kenji turned to see Jasley and two of his guys in the room, looking at the tall flower stand Jasley obviously arranged to be put in the room. The two subordinates were complimenting it.
"That's awesome."
"Your name is so cool."
"Who are they?" Eugene asked.
"Jasley Donomikols." Orga said.
"The guy who I believe was the one who sold out Naze and my father to Gjallarhorn." Kenji said.
Jasley and his guys saw Tekkadan standing at the side.
"I thought it smelled in this room. The space rats are here. Even Kenji Hayabusa."
"This is for your revered big brother and uncle. Better say farewell properly."
"Although it seems like not a strand of that filthy long hair is left of him."
This pissed Eugene off, but Orga stopped him from going over to punch Jasley in the face. Even though Orga was angry himself.
"Serves him right, eh?"
"He got what was coming to him."
Jasley then walked up to Kenji and bent down so that he could see eye to eye with Kenji. "You must feel so unlucky right now, huh? First your father and clan get killed. Your girlfriend Almiria marries someone twice her age. Now your uncle and aunt get killed as well. Very unlucky..." Jasley said all this with the most punchable smirk on his face.
Kenji just said nothing as he slowly walked over to Jasley's tall flower stand, grabbed his katana, and proceeded to cut it down and into pieces.
"Hey!" Jasley yelled. "Do you know how much I spent on that?"
Kenji glared at Jasley. "Are you and your thugs just going to keep standing there insulting us with your presence?" He asked back in a dark tone, pointing his katana at the unwelcome guests.
Jasley huffed. "Whatever, I've paid my respects and I'm a busy man, let's go guys." He and his guys simply walked out of the room.
After the unwelcome guests had left, everyone turned to Kenji and they all said. "Thank you!" At the same time, too.
After the funeral had ended, Kenji and the guys went back to the bridge of the Isaribi to discuss what they should do about Jasley.
"I can't accept this." Shino said.
"Yeah. Turbines were stabbed in the back. We know it's that Jasley guy who's behind it all." Eugene said.
"If you want to do it, we're all for it. Orga." Shino said.
"That's not what Bro wanted." Orga said.
"Orga." Shino said.
"Besides, the remaining Turbines girls have to find their places in Teiwaz. If we act rashly now, we'd cause them trouble. Bro and Ms. Amida protected their family with their lives. I have to respect their wishes." Orga said.
"You're right." Akihiro said. "But..."
"Yeah." Shino said. "This just feels so..."
"Hey Kenji." Eugene started. "Don't you want to get back at Jasley? He's been giving you problems even before you joined Tekkadan."
"Believe me I do, but I can't let vengeance control my actions. My mind needs to be still and calm so that I can strike perfectly. Jasley will get what's coming to him, but not now. Like a predator stalking its prey, we need to be patient and wait for our opportunity." Kenji said.
Suddenly, Ride enters the bridge. "Excuse me... Oh, Mr. Akihiro. Ms. Lafter is here."
Everyone was surprised.
"Lafter is here? And she wants to speak to Akihiro? Is this going where I think this is going?" Kenji thought.
Akihiro went to speak to Lafter while Kenji, Eugene, and Shino followed to watch.
"So, you guys are leaving tomorrow, right?" Lafter asked Akihiro.
"Yeah, Barbatos is all fixed up now. But Phoenix's new sword is still in development and its wings need to be repaired and reinforced, so Kenji will stay behind on Saisei until it's ready. Once it's done, he'll go on the transport ship to deliver Phoenix to Isaribi." Akihiro explained.
"I'm sure Kenji won't be bored. He'll probably play with the children while he's waiting." Lafter said.
"They do see him as an older brother..." Akihiro said.
"If you'd like, how about we go for some drinks?" Lafter asked.
Kenji, Eugene, and Shino, who are hiding around the corner, looked at each other in surprise. Kenji whispered to the other two guys. "Guys, Akihiro is being asked on a date. Possible romance alert."
"Now?" Akihiro paused. "Okay."
This made Lafter happy. "Then..."
Akihiro started to walk away. "Hold on, I'll get the others."
This disappointed Lafter. "Okay..."
Kenji facepalmed and whispered. "No, meathead." He turned to Eugene and Shino. "Guys, we may need to intervene, get ready."
Eugene and Shino nodded. Once Akihiro reached the corner, Shino grabbed him and put Akihiro between himself and Eugene with Kenji in front of them.
Kenji whispered. "Dude, what the heck are you doing involving other people?"
Shino whispered. "Are you stupid?"
Akihiro whispered. "You guys were listening? Want to..."
Shino whispered loudly. "Where are your brains? Go with her alone! Don't you realize what this is?"
Akihiro was confused. "Huh? Why alone?"
Kenji facepalmed again. "Lafter Frankland is asking you on a date, meathead!"
Eugene nodded. "That's right. There might be some love there that you can't buy with money."
Akihiro was still confused. "Date? Love?"
Shino was frustrated with Akihiro's apparent stupidity. "Forget it. Anyway, we're busy. You go by yourself on behalf of Tekkadan. It's Deputy Boss' orders."
Eugene was surprised at that last statement. "What right do you have to say that? But yes, he's right. Deputy Boss' orders."
All Akihiro could do was follow his "orders."
Kenji a hand on Akihiro's shoulder. "You'll thank us for this later. Now get going."
Akihiro went back to Lafter to tell her that the guys are busy then went with her to get that drink. But they weren't going alone, Kenji was following them to see how it plays out. He even changed into plain civilian clothes to remain incognito. He told Eugene and Shino what he was going to do and that he'll spend the night at McMurdo's house once he was done spying on Akihiro and Lafter's date.
Kenji followed them and saw that they went into Pub Someday, the pub that Tekkadan members usually go to for drinks. Normally it would be a problem for children to enter the pub, but Kenji knew everyone on Saisei so the staff let him in through the back without drawing attention. Once inside, Kenji got himself a newspaper and sat in one of the empty tables away from the bar where Akihiro and Lafter were sitting. He opened the newspaper and pretended to read while actually listening to their conversation.
"You knew such a fancy place?" Lafter asked. "This is cool, Akihiro."
"When we came to Saisei last time, the whole Tekkadan crew came here." Akihiro said.
"I feel strange inside." Lafter put her hand on her chest. "Like a lot of things have been robbed from me in here."
"Yeah." Akihiro said.
"I used to work on outlaw ships ever since I was a kid. My crewmates were all women, but the owner was a brute of a man. We were always gloomy, and we didn't even talk. I thought that was the norm. But Darling and Ma'am saved us. I didn't really know anything until then. Not just reading and writing, but things like happiness, joy, and warmth. Things natural to humans. What it means to like somebody. Having something to protect. I learned all that after I joined Turbines. Darling and Ma'am built me up to be the person I am now." Lafter explained.
"It's the same with me, too. I think I found out who I really was after I joined Tekkadan." Akihiro said.
"What kind of person had you been?" Lafter asked.
Akihiro struggled to answer. "Well, I don't really know how to put it into words."
Lafter smiled. "You're kind, Akihiro. I used to think you were just a muscle freak. But you're the most considerate person. You think about other's troubles as if they were your own. You're clumsy, but you can be there to comfort them without saying anything. That's who you are."
Akihiro was taking in those words. "Lafter."
Lafter giggles. "And you know what? If you're there close to them, they feel nervous and just stand up again."
Akihiro blushed a little. "You're making fun of me."
"Of course not, I'm praising you. Because it's those things about you that I..." Lafter got quiet before talking again. "I'm going to stay behind here. Mr. McMurdo said he's going to protect us. But we can't just keep relying on him. And I want to pass on the legacy of what Darling and Ma'am taught us."
"I see. I respect you. You see through to your obligations and look after those you cherish. And you live an honest life. I want to be like you." Akihiro said.
Lafter nodded. "Yeah."
Kenji still held the newspaper up, but he couldn't help but smile. After Akihiro and Lafter left, Kenji went out through the front door quietly to keep following them with the newspaper in hand. He reached a corner and hid with his newspaper disguise while they were standing nearby, probably to give each other proper goodbyes.
"I guess this is really goodbye." Lafter said.
"I'm sure we'll meet again on the job. I'll be counting on you then. Plus, Kenji will still be on Saisei for a few more days when Tekkadan leaves, you can always talk to him if you want. Speaking of which…" Akihiro turned to where Kenji was standing. "I know you're right there Kenji!"
"Me too!" Lafter called out.
Kenji put down the newspaper and walked towards them. "How'd you guys figure it out?"
"Your swords…" Akihiro and Lafter said at the same time.
Kenji looked down and saw that he still had his swords tied to his belt. "Oh, right…"
"Anyways, you'll be okay here on Saisei, right?" Akihiro asked.
Kenji nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me too much."
"Oh, I forgot!" Lafter proceeds to hug Akihiro. "Squeeze."
Akihiro was shocked at this. Kenji just smiled, holding in his laughter at Akihiro's reaction.
Once Lafter let go, she laughed. "Come on, it's just a hug. Why are you blushing?"
Akihiro just stood there without saying a word while Kenji was still trying not to laugh.
Lafter started to walk away. "Later."
Akihiro just smiled before turning to Kenji. "You have a place to stay?"
Kenji nodded. "Yeah, Grandpa McMurdo's place."
"Okay, I'll have your uniform sent there, later Kenji…" Akihiro started to walk away as well, in the other direction.
"Aw man, I was hoping to see a goodbye kiss..." Kenji thought before he went to McMurdo's house to sleep.
Sometime later, the Isaribi already departed from Saisei, Kenji was helping Azee and Lafter with their shopping while he was waiting to receive confirmation that Phoenix was ready.
"So, it's agreed that the Turbines' old Mobile Suits will be donated to Tekkadan?" Kenji asked.
"Yes, you can store them with Phoenix on the transport ship." Azee said.
"Okay, cool." Kenji said.
"Maybe I bought a little too much. But we won't be able to go shopping like this once we start working." Lafter said.
"Yeah." Azee said, then she suddenly stopped.
"What's up Azee?" Kenji asked.
"I forgot to buy something. It's the shop we just went to. You two hold on." Azee started to walk back the way they came.
"Want us to go too?" Lafter asked.
"No, I'll be quick." Azee said.
Lafter looked around. "Hey, there's a teddy bear shop, let's go Kenji. I want teddy bear, and I think you can get one for Almiria too."
Kenji considered it. "Huh... Great idea, let's go."
The two of them went into the "Bear Factory" shop to get teddy bears. Once inside, Kenji put down all the bags he was carrying and stretched his back while Lafter took a look at the bears on display.
"Wow. These are so cute." Lafter said.
"Yeah, they are. Let's see." Kenji began to pick out one to be sent to Almiria.
"What's with this one? It's glaring." Lafter said. Kenji turns to see Lafter holding a teddy bear with large eyebrows that looks... like...
Kenji tried so hard not to burst out laughing. "It's Akihiro! I think you should totally get this one. And make sure you show it to him the next time you see him, I would love to see the look on his face when he notices the resemblance."
Lafter looked at the teddy bear again and smiled. "It does kind of look like him." She turns around to the clerk. "Excuse me, I'd like this please."
"Okay, one second." The clerk said as she went to the back of the store.
Kenji took one that was dressed like an angel and turned to Lafter. "What do you think about this..." He then noticed a man in a suit outside pulling out a gun and pointing it at Lafter.
Kenji immediately dropped the angel teddy bear and lunged at Lafter. "Lafter! Get down!"
By a stroke of dumb luck, Kenji managed to tackle Lafter to the ground before she was hit by the assassin's gunfire.
Lafter was confused. "What? Is that gunfire?"
"Stay down! I got this!" Kenji got up, kicked open the door, and charged at the assassin with his hand on his katana's hilt. Once he got close enough, he quickly unsheathed his katana to cut off the assassin's arm holding the gun. Then he stabbed and pinned the assassin to the wall on the opposite side.
"Who sent you? Was it Jasley Donomikols? Answer me, now!" Kenji demanded.
The assassin coughed up some blood, then he fell limp.
Kenji pulled out his katana then cleaned off the blood before sheathing it again. Lafter came out to look at her would-be killer. "That man tried to kill me? But why…?"
Azee's voice was heard. "Lafter!"
Kenji and Lafter turned to Azee run up to them amid the growing number of bystanders crowding around the scene.
Azee hugged Lafter. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine, I'm just shocked." Lafter said.
"I don't know what's going on here. But what I do know is that Lafter isn't safe here in Saisei anymore. More assassins will be coming, and it might be the same for the other Turbines as well." Kenji turned to Azee. "Find the other Turbines and tell them to hide."
Azee nods.
Kenji turns to Lafter. "Lafter, we need to get you off Saisei now. Whoever is behind this will keep targeting you until you're dead."
Lafter tried to object. "But..."
"Listen to him Lafter! Who knows when and where you'll be attacked next? You'll be safer with him." Azee said.
Lafter stood there for a minute then nodded. She and Kenji both ran towards the hangar bay to collect the Mobile Suits and prepared to leave Saisei while Azee went to warn the other Turbines members and inform Mr. McMurdo of this attack.
Once the transport ship was ready with the Mobile Suits, Kenji and Lafter left Saisei towards Isaribi and Hotarubi. On their way there, they contacted Isaribi to inform them of what happened with Eco and Azee joining the call from safe locations. Tekkadan was shocked at the news, especially Akihiro.
"What? Someone tried to kill you, Lafter?" Orga asked.
"Yeah, if it wasn't for Kenji here, I'd be dead right now." Lafter said.
"By who?" Eugene asked.
Eco gave an explanation. "We confirmed that the assassin is one of Jasley's thugs, but Jasley himself claims that he had no involvement in this attack. Even though he says he's innocent, he still went up to Mr. McMurdo and said that all-women organizations will still be under threat of attacks and offered to have his people look after us."
Lafter slammed her fists down on the ship console. "That liar! He tried to make an example out of me just so that he can get his filthy hands on the rest of us!"
"First Father and my clan, then Uncle Naze and Aunt Amida, now this! I won't speak for everyone else, but that bastard needs to pay!" Kenji said.
"Of course, Mr. McMurdo turned him down for us. But it seems like some other Teiwaz top dogs are on Jasley's side. Mr. McMurdo is busy handling them right now." Eco said.
Eugene slammed his fist on the wall monitor. "That rotten scum!"
"Kenji, I managed to get the other girls and the children into hiding before Jasley's thugs got to them first. But I'm not sure how long we'll hold out." Azee said.
"Understood. Guys! We have got to do something about that bastard! Now!" Kenji demanded.
"Dang it! We should've gotten Jasley when we had the chance." Eugene said.
"Let's go get them now." Dante said.
"Yeah, it's not just for revenge. Who knows what might happen to Turbines?" Shino said.
"Boss!" Dante said.
"Orga!" Eugene said.
"Boss Orga!" Ride said.
"Boss!" Chad said.
Akihiro steps forward. "Lafter, are you okay?"
"I'm fine Akihiro, I'm just... scared. I almost died." Lafter said.
"Orga." Akihiro clenched his fist. "Give us the order. I had to let go of Masahiro and Aston already. I don't want to go through that a third time…"
"You know what it will mean once we start attacking the second-in-command of Teiwaz, are you guys prepared for it?" Orga asked.
"Yes, sir!" Everyone on the bridge said.
Orga turned to the screen. "What about you Lafter, will you be joining us? There will be no turning back."
Lafter sighed. "It's not like I have a choice now. Sorry girls."
Eco nodded. "We understand Lafter."
Azee also nodded. "That's right, just stay safe out there."
"Okay, then we know what we need to do, once Kenji and Lafter arrive, we attack the JPT trust and deal with Jasley Donomikols once and for all." Orga declared.
Kenji and Lafter eventually arrived on the Hotarubi with the Mobile Suits. Orga and Akihiro greeted them. Orga then gave Lafter her very own Tekkadan jacket. "Lafter Frankland, let me be the first to welcome you to Tekkadan, I just wish it was under better circumstances."
"I'm just glad to be part of a family again." Lafter said as she put on the jacket.
Orga pointed his thumb at Akihiro. "Akihiro insisted I assign you to his unit. So that you can stay by his side."
Lafter was relieved. "I see, thank you Akihiro."
Akihiro nodded. "I wouldn't want it any other way, welcome to the Muscle Unit."
Lafter blinked. "The what unit?"
Akihiro sighed. "Blame Shino for the name..."
"That makes sense. Ah, before I forget." Lafter leaned up and kissed Akihiro. "I think… I've fallen in love with you, I know it's sudden, but I just wanted to say it before something happens to me again."
Akihiro was trying to find the right words. "Lafter… when you said someone tried to kill you, the idea of your death… broke something in me, it made me feel afraid."
"Akihiro..." Lafter said.
"This love thing… I've never experienced it before, but I think that's where that fear came from. Maybe. I'm still not sure yet." Akihiro said.
Lafter smiled and took Akihiro's hand. "Then let's figure it out together."
Akihiro smiled as well. "Yeah, together."
"Orga." Kenji started. "Tekkadan can do whatever they want with the rest of JPT Trust but leave Jasley Donomikols to me. This is personal for me."
Orga nodded. "You got it Kenji. Let's go get him."
