Bubblegum Crisis Post 2040 Files
Part 2: Hunters
Chapter 14: Hindsight
by P. Kristen Enos (bgcpost2040@aol.com)
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A Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 English Dub Version Fanfic. All rights belong to AIC, ADV Films and the other creative powers that be. I just want credit for writing the story. Contains spoilers! Rated PG13. Yuri warning! Nothing in here should be a shock if you've watched the episodes and paid attention. All I'm doing is filling in the gaps with my own interpretation of events! Special thanks to egret for betaing!
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Reika paused before the building labeled The Silky Doll, the home of Sylia Stingray. The twilight sky backlit the building well, even though the shop itself was fairly dark, showing that the business was closed for the day.
Once she decided to call and ask for a meeting, Reika couldn't stop having a swirl of memories and emotions which were all associated with the woman in question. They had arranged the entire meeting by exchanging messages, not able to catch each other live and keeping the content formal but pleasant, not at all hinting at any of the depth of their past interactions, good or bad. And now she stood in front of Sylia's home, knowing that she was inside waiting for her. Her anxiety level and increase in heartbeat worried Reika as she questioned just how much she was over Sylia, especially when there were so many things that were left unresolved when Reika stormed out of the Silky Doll that final time.
Thinking that it was probably best to leave everything alone, Reika started to consider turning around and stepping into the waiting limousine.
Just then, the glass door slid open. A distinguished, elderly butler stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"Mistress Reika, it is good to see you again," Henderson greeted genuinely.
Seeing that it was too late to leave now, she bowed in response and smiled. "You too, Henderson. It has been a long time, hasn't it?"
"Yes, and you've certainly grown into a beautiful young woman, as we always knew you would."
"Such a charmer as always, Henderson. Do you remember Kou?" she said, motioning to the man who stood nearby.
"Of course. Master Kou, it is also good to see you as well." The two men exchanged cordial bows. The butler then turned back to the young woman and said, "Mistress Sylia has requested that I prepare dinner for your staff as well, which is waiting in the dining room. You can have your driver park your limousine in the underground lot, which is already opened for you."
Reika smiled at the way Kou subtly perked up and looked at her questioningly. She nodded, at which he then went to tell the limousine driver.
"In the meantime, Mistress Reika," Henderson motioned for her to enter, "May I escort you up to see Mistress Sylia?"
Reika took a deep breath and nodded. "Of course. Lead the way."
They walked through the storefront and up the stairs and to the then elevator, with Reika silently taking in every detail. She knew the place had been destroyed during the Boomer Revolution, and the building had the feeling of being brand new, yet there was a certain aura about the place which was undeniably familiar, no matter how many years had passed. When they reached the top floor, Reika looked through the open living room space to the patio and pool outside. There was a table set up with a nice dinner for two, complete with candles and a bucket of chilled wine. Just beyond, she saw the silhouette of the hostess, whose back was turned towards them as she stared at the Tokyo view before her.
"I can take it from here, Henderson," Reika said softly to the butler once they stepped out of the elevator. "Thank you for your escort."
He nodded and went down to tend to his other guests of Kou and the limousine driver.
Reika slowly walked out to the patio, her heels clicking softly on the tiles, not at all trying to hide her approach, aware that there was no way she would be able to surprise her hostess. She finally stopped about twenty feet behind Sylia and waited. She didn't have to wait long before Sylia finally turned and faced her, a slight tilt to her head and a gentle smile already formed on her lips.
The two women wordlessly studied each other, taking in the changes of the years as well as the fact they had both dressed up for the reunion. In the silent exchange of looks, it was understood that they were not picking up from the harsh and hurtful circumstances of their last face-to-face meeting, and that this was an opportunity to heal old wounds.
"Hello," Sylia greeted softly.
"Hi," Reika responded, breaking into a shy, pleased smile of her own.
Sylia then looked at Reika's hair and said, "I thought it was my imagination when I saw your picture on the phone message, but you definitely grew out your hair. It looks nice pinned up like that."
"Thank you," the other woman answered. "And you look... like you've achieved peace at last."
"I have. I have finally settled my ghosts once and for all."
Reika arched an eyebrow and asked, "Anything to do with the Boomer Revolution?"
Sylia grinned. "Everything to do with the Boomer Revolution. Shall we sit?"
As they moved to the table and took their chairs, Reika was pleased to see Sylia briefly wipe her palms on her skirt, the only sign that she was nervous. Knowing that the anxiety was mutual, Reika was able to relax a bit.
"I do want to say that I am sorry to hear about your parents," Sylia offered as she opened the wine bottle. "I know how close you were to them."
"Thank you," Reika said softly, trying to suppress the stab of her own pain. "I'm managing. A lot has happened in the past couple of months. But it helps to keep busy so I don't dwell on the bad things for too long."
She was also surprised that Sylia knew since Reika had never mentioned it in any of the messages they exchanged. Then again, she should have known better than to expect anything less of Sylia. Plus, there had to be a certain amount of educated guessing on Sylia's part for why Reika was now head of Hou Bang.
The women were silent as glasses were exchanged and wine was poured.
Reika had ten million questions that she wanted to ask, but no idea of where or if she should begin.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me," she finally offered. "Especially on such short notice."
Sylia looked a little surprised by the statement. "I won't deny that hearing from you was not something I expected. But I would never turn you down, Reika," she stated. "Admittedly, you have piqued my curiosity by stating the intent is business. So we can either jump right to the heart of the matter, or do a little game of catch up first."
"I'm all for finding out what happened to each other since then," Reika said as she took a bite from the dish that Henderson had prepared. "Who goes first?"
"Since you're the guest, ask your first question."
"How is Nigel?" Reika began with a challenging look.
Sylia shook her head to herself and chuckled. "You are very much a Chang, my dear Reika. Nigel is doing quite fine, and yes, we are together. He still lives in his machine shop. -- And before you ask, he and I did not begin our... relationship until about six months after you left."
Reika pursed her lips at that last comment and asked instead, "But you two never married?"
"No, we don't have that type of a relationship." Sylia grinned and commented, "Honestly, can you picture me ironing underwear and changing diapers?"
"Not when we were together, no. Your turn."
"All right then: Should I congratulate you on your engagement?" Sylia asked with a sly smile of her own.
Reika actually blushed at the question, glancing at the ring that felt even more foreign than her Clan ring. "If you want to be polite, yes. If you want to be genuinely Sylia, no."
The other woman said nothing but her smile remained.
"You remember Densuke? We reestablished the engagement two weeks ago. Turns out he was still single after all this time," Reika explained, referring to the man who was part of a marriage agreement that had been arranged when they were children. When Reika reached the age of fifteen, and after realizing that she had a different romantic interest, she had her father call off the engagement.
Sylia's smile disappeared as her eyes widened at the news. "Densuke Watanabe? If he's just as charming now as he was fifteen years ago, then I'm not surprised he's still single."
Reika frowned. "You sound just like Irene, only you phrased it a lot more eloquently. But you have your father's legacy, and I have mine," she said, holding up the hand with the Clan ring. "I just need someone who is convenient, won't be in my way, and will father children who won't look like mutants. Densuke is ideal in that it feels like we are mutually using each other, so there are no expectations of anything deeper on either side."
"It sounds like you've committed yourself to the idea all the way through."
"Well, I don't want to think about the wedding night until I have to..." Reika admitted with a blush. "And there may be a lot of champagne involved just to get me through the wedding ceremony alone."
"So does that mean you're going to acquire someone on the side?" Sylia asked with a curious tilt of her head.
The other woman frowned and said, "That'd be incredibly tacky and clichéd, wouldn't it? I'd have a husband, at least one child, and a multi-national empire to lead, which means even less spare time, never mind not being home. I don't think I'd be able to respect or want a woman who'd put up with the first part never mind the rest. No, I've come to accept the fact that it's just not an important part of my life anymore."
Sylia narrowed her eyes skeptically and commented, "So at the age of twenty-eight, despite being beautiful, affluent and the head of a multi-national... business, you've determined that you can live the rest of your life as if you don't have a heart or hormones?"
"As I said, it's not important for me anymore," Reika stated firmly.
"Now this is a moment to ponder," Sylia remarked as her smile returned. "Here we are: You're engaged to be married to a man, with plans to reproduce -- "
"And you're in a long term relationship with a man with no plans to even live together," Reika finished with a grin of her own. "I know I wouldn't have pictured this ten years ago."
"Me neither. Fate can be funny at times."
They exchanged a wry look before they focused on eating.
Finally, Reika looked at the other woman seriously and asked, "Do you think it was my fault for walking out?"
Sylia was quiet for a moment before answering, "You left. I stayed. And this is our first conversation since then, over eight years later. I'd say it was very mutual. I don't think there would have been any other resolution that would have been less painful. And I think we were both ready to move on given the circumstances."
"I think, my biggest regret wasn't the loss of our romance as much as the loss of our friendship," Reika admitted softly, not able to look up from her plate. "After all, we were best friends from almost ten years."
Sylia reached over and squeezed Reika's hand. "I've never thought of us as anything less than friends. And I never will. Just because we're not lovers anymore doesn't mean I don't love you."
Reika squeezed back and smiled. "I'm glad it's mutual."
With the final truce having been reached, Reika took a sip of wine and asked, "So, have you kept in contact with Mackie?..."
-- End Chapter 14 --
