A/N: Heidern's birthday is September 1st! You know what that means.
Looking out the window of his 'office'-one of the secure hotel rooms that they stationed out of quite often on their travels, when they were not with the fleet-Heidern noticed the September sun was on its path toward setting, though there was still a couple more hours of daylight. The thermometer outside read around fifteen, which was a relief from the previous August heat. The weather could sneak back up, of course-or even drop suddenly-but for now it was pleasant, and it would probably be under ten when the sun set. He had cracked the window, allowing the air to blow in. It scattered some of the brown hair about his head before it fell back down; despite being in his mid-forties and having lived a rather turbulent life, he had very little gray to speak of.
Having another year pass by, the commander reached into one of his folders to remove a few of his favorite pictures to look at, as he always would this time of year. He carried a few personal items with him, given the amount he traveled. He didn't take all of his keepsakes with him; some of them remained in his desk back with the fleet, or in his own apartment, which he rarely saw more than two weeks out of the year anymore.
The first picture he picked up did not have any people in it, but showed a fair-sized living room with a piano, which brought him back. His daughter had not yet been born. He had one or two family pictures in this folder, but most of those were kept in his more private stashes at the base or his home…as this life was long past him by now. The memories still stung, and he would have to make sure they did not happen again to someone else, but he was confident that with his current group, they would not, no matter what was going on out there.
Other pictures, however, were of some older missions. When Ralf and Clark had first joined the Ikari unit, they had already been on several checkered missions, and he was looking for skilled people. He had approached them personally, given he knew what sort of high marks they came with. They had then almost immediately ended up involved in some of their bigger missions to date, and after the portal incident, he had them promoted due to their incredible handling of what was, to many, considered to be a nearly unbelievable situation. He would never see them separated, given they had been friends and partners since their twenties. Soon after, Ralf would become his second-in-command after he made sure the pair were promoted yet again.
Smiling softly at one picture of the three men when Heidern was in his mid thirties-Ralf himself had perhaps just turned thirty and Clark was still in his twenties-the bigger man had a cigar in his mouth and both had on their trademark red and blue. They had just decided to always wear their favorite colors in some way. Heidern was dressed in his more laid-back outfit in this picture-instead of his more formal shirt, he had on a simple, army-green t-shirt. He remembered the two had gotten him to loosen up quite a bit.
Not many knew how those two had been a rock of sorts for him during his darkest time.
He chuckled at the fact they had insisted on wearing bullet belts as if they were in the movies, however. Besides their credentials, Heidern had chosen them because of their almost larger than life attitudes and zeal for life; these were the types of people he wanted in his unit, not just stone-faced killers. He wanted people who did not take lives lightly and with no reason, and who knew when to hold back. He also wanted folks who knew when to follow the rules…but also when to throw the rules out the window, as mercenaries had to do sometimes, for the greater good. Heidern played by the rules most of the time, but not all of the time, and he was not afraid to break them if they were getting in the way of a better future.
The unit had been wildly successful. Others joined-which he vetted incredibly well, and eventually, the girl he had adopted managed to convince him to start training her, whom of course everyone knew now as Leona. She had not met anyone else of the unit yet-he kept that side of things more clandestine in terms of his new family. She knew some of the men on the base, of course, but she was mostly kept off the major fleet at the time.
He at first resisted her requests, but he knew that many people joined the military at seventeen or eighteen, and he figured at that point if she still wanted to, he could trust things, especially with the good people who would be at her side. Ralf and Clark hadn't even properly met her until her first mission-but they had bonded as family within a year, which warmed his heart and helped soothe any of his old hesitations he had about letting her join.
Picking up another picture in his battle-worn hand, it was a rather tired looking Ralf and Clark. Heidern-still in his thirties in this picture-stood proudly with them, and he knew this was taken from soon after the portal incident. The debriefing on that had been rather extensive, to say the least. He recalled the pair had slept for roughly a week afterward, having suffered, in Ralf's words, "The worst goddamn jet lag they had ever suffered."
Moving ahead, there were pictures of him with the later crew-Ralf, Clark, and Leona, together after the Orochi incident, with Leona wearing Ralf's headband in her hair, the three of them looking much closer than on their first mission the year before that. There was another with Seirah, when she had joined. In this picture, she was off to the side, a bit more behind the scenes in those days. During the Those from the Past mystery of a couple of years ago, she had certainly finished coming into her own with the unit, helping with many investigations after being welcomed back into the unit.
Pausing for a moment, he grabbed a bottle of one of his favorite, old bottles of scotch and poured himself a small glass before heading back to the desk to sip it. Flipping toward another old photo-this one had one of his old friends in it, Ling, who was also now no longer with them-he heard a heavy knock at the door.
"It's open," he said. The Ikari unit took up three entire floors of the hotel, and he would often leave the door cracked if he was there so his men could find him easily.
It was Ralf and Clark, both of them looking rather happy. As they walked in, he couldn't help but notice that they were dressed decently; instead of their usual gear, they wore black jeans with short-sleeved, plain gray shirts, and they had on button-down overshirts in red and blue, respectively, worn open over them. Their hair was also presentably combed. Clark did not have on his sunglasses, either, though he noticed them on the front of his shirt.
"Happy Birthday, Commander!" Ralf said cheerfully.
"Indeed. Happy Birthday."
"Hello," he said, looking up from the pictures and smiling. He wasn't used to seeing them dressed somewhat nicely at this time of evening on a Thursday, but seeing them in those colors made him smile, especially given the pictures he had just been looking through.
Looking over at one of the pictures-the one after the portal incident-Ralf picked it up carefully and laughed.
"Oh, man. How can I forget this?" he said.
"That was one of the more interesting missions, yes," Clark replied.
Ralf put the picture back down. "What are you up to, boss?"
"Just…remembering," he said, picking up another picture.
"I guess when you get older it's time to make sure the ol' memory doesn't go out, eh?" he teased.
"I would be careful," said the commander with a smirk, "You are not that much younger than me."
Clark chuckled as Ralf made a face, though the mood was, as always, light between the three. "Anyway," he said. "You know we have to take you out to dinner."
"Yeah, I know you all took me out just recently," Ralf said, "But it seems as good a plan as any around here."
"It's perhaps a bit dull," Clark said, "But, well…"
"Trust me," Heidern said. "I'd rather have a nice dinner with my friends and partners than something overly loud."
"Yeah, there was that one year…" Ralf grinned.
"I do believe you two outdid yourselves with the punch that time."
"Yeah, they already hit me with the sink," he said. "I figured we'd do something a little more laid back." The two sat around his desk, taking a peek at some of the pictures. Picking one up of Heidern standing near a mortar, he smiled. "This one might have been on our first big jungle mission together!" he said.
Clark nodded. "I am pretty sure it was. I kind of remember the scenery."
As the three looked some more, there was another soft knock.
"Yes?" the commander said, recognizing it.
Leona walked in and saw the three gathered around. "Happy Birthday," she said to him.
"Thank you, Leona," Heidern replied, sliding another picture over to Clark who was motioning toward one.
"I guess they told you?" she said. She was also dressed more nicely, wearing dark blue jeans, which she didn't often do, along with one of her tank tops and a jacket worn over that.
"Dinner tonight. Yes. Is it soon?"
"Yes. I think our ride will be here in ten or so minutes." She peeked over at the picture of her, Ralf, and Clark, when she first wore his bandanna tied in his hair. She touched it, smiling softly. "By the way. Duo Lon wishes you a happy birthday as well. He wasn't able to make it, but he offered to bring you back any sort of imported alcohol you might like." Everyone knew Heidern's tastes for old whiskey and black beer, neither of which he drank to excess, but that he simply liked to collect and drink from time to time.
"I will let you know if I think of something. I'm just glad to hear from him."
The commander finished his drink off while he set his glass aside; the other three glanced at the pictures, occasionally pointing and chuckling at one. Leona had settled between the other two, picking up the one where her two partners looked like they had been on a ten-thousand year trip to the future or something along those lines, chuckling at how they still seemed to smile no matter how tired they looked. They never talked much about that mission-though she thought, perhaps one day, they would.
Heidern stood to grab his coat as he looked at the three of them standing together close; this made him happy, thinking about how far his unit had come.
"One day I ought to tell you about our time in Antarctica," he said after a few moments.
"Oh, you never heard about that one?" Ralf chuckled. "Good lord. You want to talk about the cold."
"The base was interesting, though. I'll say that much."
Placing down the last picture, Leona stood to allow her father to gather them all up, sliding them carefully back into the folder. He knew that over time, he had made new memories, and they had grown fonder as the time went on.
"Let's go, then?" Ralf grinned. "Don't wanna keep the ride waiting!"
Heidern grabbed his light, green long jacket and threw it on, keeping the hat off for now. As they headed down the hall, the music played softly in the background as they got onto the elevator to the lobby, nodding at a few of the other men who were out and about. One or two wished him a quiet birthday greeting. Other evening arrivals not connected to the unit arrived; the rest of the hotel functioned as normal. Security was not an issue, as the floors that were available to them were the upper ones, which were usually unable to be reached without a special passkey.
Stepping outside, another smile spread on Heidern's face when he saw Adel there with one of his larger, nicer cars; next to him was Whip, who waved happily when she saw the group come out of the lobby. The Bernsteins, despite being rich, were not much of 'car collectors', but of course had a variety for various needs-limos of various sizes, Adel himself owned a sport sedan, though it was a bit too small to move more than three or so others. The pair leaned casually against it, Adel wearing his now-trademark long, black jacket, cargo trousers, and boots, with a dark blue, hooded cotton shirt. Whip chose to wear her dark green slacks, boots, and button-down shirt, though of course did not have her usual arsenal on her.
"Seirah. Adel," he said warmly. "You both came."
"Of course I came, Commander," Whip grinned. "Like we'd miss this."
"Hey com-Heidern. Happy Birthday," Adel said.
"Oh yeah, and of course my brother and his partners wish you the same," Whip added. "They're in the US at the moment, but they said they would catch up with you soon."
"I'm glad to have you all here," he replied. He then looked around, running a hand through his hair. "Is Henrik here?"
The young man shook his head. "I thought I'd drive you this time." He chuckled. "I'll just have one drink. You all can have fun."
This made him smile again as the large group maneuvered around to get into the car. It wasn't a limo, per se, but the back could hold four people fairly comfortably, two facing the other. Heidern took the front seat as the blond slid into the driver's. He thanked the valet who had come over to let the others into the back seat in German, tossing him something in return, which he knew was likely a hefty sum, given the young man's generosity.
"You remember where you're going?" Whip asked as she sat behind him, kneeling on the seat a moment.
"Of course," he smirked, looking over his shoulder at her. "I know this place like the back of my hand."
She grinned at him, tweaking him under the chin affectionately with her finger as she sat back down, sliding the seatbelt across her shoulder as they put the windows down a bit. The car smelled clean and comfortable, and given its more pristine state, was probably one of their more 'business' oriented cars, as the ones Adel used for more casual purposes would have a hoodie, jacket, or a couple of CD cases and other small odds and ends scattered around.
The group settled as Adel put the car into gear and pulled out of the hotel's driveway and into the city. The cracked windows allowed the cool evening air to blow in.
"I don't think I've ridden in this one before," Heidern said.
"Henrik usually drives it," the young man replied. "They picked it out when I showed them what we had."
This made the commander chuckle. "Really?"
Ralf spoke up. "Yeah, we were tryin' to figure out what to pick you up in. We wanted something stylish…"
"But not too fancy," Clark continued. "The limo was a bit much, we thought." They knew their commander, and while the man didn't turn down a limo ride, his style was more 'classy, yet low key.'
Heidern said as much. "You guys know me too well."
"Of course," Leona said, quietly.
As they maneuvered through traffic, he looked out the passenger side's window and smiled softly, allowing his mind to wander a bit as the rest chattered. He came to the conclusion that he was, indeed, extremely lucky to have such a tight, close-knit, trusted 'family.'
A/N: I had to get a little in for Daddy Heidern. Nothing much-just a chat, really, among his crew. These guys are incredibly close-knit, and I love to show it!
I try to keep the Ikari Lore timeline solid from the source material, but there ARE some unknowns. SNK never un-canonized the Ikari Warriors games. Heidern was 34 when his family was killed and started the unit soon after. Ralf is 4 years younger and Clark 9, and had known one another since 'their twenties', though exact times are not specified.
We don't know when they joined exactly, but due to the fact the games are *called* Ikari Warriors, I put the missions basically right at the start of when the unit was formed(by the time '94 rolled around, they were his two top operatives as per the source material, so it feels like it makes sense.)
He found Leona after he started the unit, but we know from the source material that she didn't go on her first mission until '96(he did resist her wanting training at first, but eventually allowed it, and to join when she came of age.) She was roughly 9-10 when she was adopted, was 18 in '96, so he'd have adopted her about a 1-2 years+ after the unit was formed. Ralf/Clark met her the first time on that first mission as per the team story, so Heidern indeed kept things quiet there.
The 'Portal Incident' refers to the events of Ikari Warriors 2. The piano was mentioned in the 2003 Boss Story with Adel, as his daughter Clara used to play. Antarctica was made up by me, again, not EVERY mission of theirs is recorded.
And yes, for those just arriving to my work-Adel and Heidern have been friends for some time now(XIII shows this, though I had them working together for most of the Ash Saga stuff), and he and Whip are an item, and have been since the XI incidents(which I suppose are about two years before this story at this point.) He gives the unit a hand when needed. Duo Lon and Leona have also been an item, and Heidern had actually hired him for a few things here and there in the past, I like to imagine.
Henrik is the OC name of the Bernstein's head butler.
Anyway, as usual I just wanted to drop a little bit of lore in the author's notes for those catching up with the series! Hope you enjoyed the little birthday fic for the head Ikari honcho.
