Bubblegum Crisis Post 2040 Fanfic Series

Bubblegum Crisis Post 2040 File 1: Dominant Species

Part 3: Casualties

Chapter 28: Family Matters

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 stood by the window and looked out over the grounds of her family home. Tucked away in the country-side, the Chang Compound was a self-contained complex, surrounded by aesthetically pleasing stone walls and a thick forest that were centuries old. This was Reika's home during her childhood and during breaks in her years at private school.

When she had attended Tokyo University, she had stayed with Sylia up until their break up. She finished out the rest of her college years in a private apartment that then became Irene's when the elder sister relocated to the U.S.

Reika thought it was interesting that when she moved back home permanently nothing about the place itself felt different even though she now had the perspective of being the new Mistress of the House. Now she knew all of the secrets of the buildings and rooms that had been forbidden and relatively uninteresting as a child. With that knowledge, as well as a continually growing understanding of the true power of the Hou Bang Clan, more and more she knew her only life choice was to be the best leader she could. Failure was not an option.

A soft tapping at the doorframe showed that her late morning appointment was here.

She turned to find an unsure Sho standing in the open doorway. She greeted him with a warm smile and motioned for him to come in. "Welcome, Sho. I'm glad you were able to make it here on such short notice."

The young man took a step in. "Thank you for arranging this discussion. Irene wanted me to tell you that she's checking on Linna right now and will be a few minutes late."

"Oh," Reika said, knowing that Linna was still unconscious which meant that her sister was actually in discussion with Mrs. Takeuchi, and she had a creeping suspicion that she knew about what. "Well, I'm glad you're a little early because I wanted to have a private discussion with you. I know if Irene found out I had especially asked for private time, neither of us would be able to survive her curiosity."

Taking the cue about privacy, Sho closed the door and chuckled. "True, she was never good about being kept out of the loop unless she proactively chose to do so."

His future sister-in-law smiled and said, "It seems you know my sister quite well. I think that's an extremely good sign. Please sit down."

His nervousness quite evident, Sho sat down in one of the two chairs before the desk while Reika sat on the other side. "What do you wish to talk about?"

"The Plaza Slaughter," she said simply, noticing how he paled and dropped his gaze. "When I first heard about it, I naturally assumed it might have something to do with Hou Bang, or at the very least Chang Enterprises. But the more I think about it, the more that doesn't seem quite right. If I am convinced of anything at this point, it is definitely that Irene was spared for a very distinct reason, as a message of sorts. I know you work for a top secret division for Genom, which has some dark shadows as far as the boomer technology world is concerned. Was that message meant for you?"

Sho wasn't able to bring his gaze up from the spot on the carpet. When he spoke though, his voice was surprisingly firm, "Reika, I would never, ever willingly endanger Irene. She means the world to me. If it means that I must choose between my professional passions and her, she would always come first. That's all my honor will allow me to say. I ask you to be satisfied with that."

Reika stared at him, studying his composure and absorbing his statements. "I have one more question: do you think this matter has anything to do with my parents' deaths?"

The man looked up in genuine surprise and shock. "I-I honestly never thought there could be a connection. I truly believe your parents died in a real accident."

She sighed and said with a sad smile, "I consider this matter closed between us for as long as you stick by your promise that Irene will always come first."

"I do."

"Then that's good enough for me, Sho. Welcome to the family."

The man looked clearly relieved by the deep breath he let out and the hopeful glance he gave her.

She smiled at him reassuringly.

Just then, a soft knocking came from the closed door.

Sho happily jumped to his feet and let in his fiancée.

Reika noticed how tired and haggard Irene looked as she sat down in the spare chair, as if the younger woman had had very poor sleep the night before. In their extremely brief conversation yesterday to confirm that Irene was indeed moving back home temporarily, Reika had a sense that even though her sister said she was "fine", she was a lot more shaken up about the events than she was letting on. She had never seen her sister be so unnerved and cautious, something that she was clearly hiding from the public.

She also noticed the momentary sharp look her sister gave her that indicated that they had private matters that needed to be discussed.

"I wanted to have this meeting because even though I am trying to help uncover the madness behind the Plaza Slaughter, I realized that there may be some things you two want to discuss in regards to your safety for the time being," Reika explained. "Am I wrong?"

"No, that's true," Irene said softly. She reached over and gripped Sho's hand. "Sho and I had a long talk last night about how we felt about everything that's happened, and what our options are for going forward. We've decided that perhaps this would be a good time to move out of the country, at least until things settle down. Although I admit I don't know if I would ever feel comfortable and safe enough to move back to Tokyo permanently."

Reika was definitely surprised by the news, given that Irene had always been the self-proclaimed "Tokyo girl." It was an indication that her sister was extremely shaken up by the near death experience.

"I see. Any idea of where?"

"That's where we thought you could help us," Irene answered. She gave Sho a prompting look.

Taking the cue to speak, Sho said, "I am… very disillusioned with my career choice right now and am looking to start over in a new field, related to scientific research, preferably related to electronics. We didn't know if you were aware of any part of Chang Enterprises, or its subsidiaries, which could offer such a chance for someone like me."

"Ah. Well, when my father died, he had been in the process of acquiring Perry Electronics," Reika said. "After I took over, I made certain the deal was secured, but I admit I hadn't yet given any thought to what we were going to do with the company. I do know my father's intent was to let you take over its research facilities as a wedding present. Once you were in charge, you could continue to support their current projects or determine a different focus. I don't see any reason why we can't go forward with my father's plan. It would please him if we did. Would you still be interested?"

Sho seemed hopeful at her words. "I would appreciate such an opportunity. But if I remember correctly from what your father had said, they don't have a headquarters in Tokyo."

"That is correct. They're originally a British company, with their international headquarters in London and an Asia-Australian headquarters in Melbourne. I think Father had planned to either relocate the Melbourne headquarters to Tokyo, or just create a new one. If you two decide to relocate to either place, that would save us that final step."

Sho looked questioningly at Irene, who smiled and nodded.

"I like that idea," she said to both of them. "I admit I would have a preference for London. It would be a chance to get to know that side of our family, as well as an opportunity to brush up on my English."

Reika smiled and said, "Make certain you brush up before you call our relatives. Is there anything else I can offer to help with the relocation? I can assign some aides to help with your move, as well as private language tutoring if you feel it's necessary. We have an extremely good staff for language teaching. I use them myself to pass the time on my plane trips."

"I could use the help," Sho admitted.

"I think we could use all of the assistance we can to make this happen as soon as possible," Irene said, which her fiancé agreed to. "I would rather use my own inheritance since it's there for a reason."

Reika nodded. "All I ask though is that you still hold the wedding here in Tokyo, once you've settled and this sordid matter is finally put to rest, which will hopefully be sooner rather than later."

The engaged couple readily agreed.

"Then I will make the phone calls right now, unless there's something else you wish to discuss?" Reika threw it out as a general statement even though she was looking right at her sister.

"Yes, I would like to talk to you for a moment," Irene said. "Sho, can you leave us alone for a bit? Let Mrs. Takeuchi know we're definitely staying for lunch."

His concerned returned as he looked back and forth between the sisters.

"I promise no yelling this time!" Irene said with a smile, realizing his concern. She gave him a peck on the cheek. "Just need to settle some matters with Reika, that's all."

He looked relieved as he bowed and went off on his errand.

Once they were alone, the two sisters looked at each other for a moment.

"Where do you want to start?" Reika asked, having a good idea of the one or two issues that would be of immediate interest to her sister.

Irene's grim statement returned. "Mrs. Takeuchi assures me that Linna's going to make a full recovery. Do you believe her?"

"I have no reason not to," Reika admitted. "I guarantee she will get the best care possible."

"Mrs. Takeuchi also said that she fell from a third floor building. Was it an assassination attempt?"

"…Yes," her sister said, knowing better than trying to hide the truth that would come up eventually. "That's why we're keeping her here during her recovery. She's officially under police protection as far as her work and the general public is concerned, Her parents aren't even allowed to know she's here, even though they do know the extent of her injuries because I called them myself this morning."

"Well, once she recovers, what then? Will she still have to hide?"

Reika glanced at her Clan ring, a habit she realized that she picked up from her father. "The positive part of her needing such a lengthy recovery time is that it means I have that much more time to bring this whole matter to closure. By the time she will be ready to resume her regular life, she won't need to hide anymore. And if Hugh-Geit won't hold her job for her that long, then I'll make certain she'll find employment through Chang Enterprises, if it has to come to that. At least, that's the plan for now."

Irene nodded, taking in her sister's explanation. But it was clear she was trying to figure out how to address another burning question on her mind. She finally took a deep breath and said, "Mrs. Takeuchi also said Linna's actually here because she's a friend of Sylia's. And it was noted that Sylia stayed here for a few hours in one of the guest rooms…. I came by your room early this morning in the hopes to talk to you, but you weren't there. Were you with Sylia?"

Reika let out a sigh and said, "Yes, I was, and no, we didn't do anything. She and I decided to try being friends again now that I've moved back to Tokyo, and it's actually working out very well. It's just an extreme coincidence that she happens to be a good friend of Linna's as well. Sylia asked me to house Linna only because she knew that we had the equipment and staff to take care of her, and that I wouldn't personally mind."

"I see," Irene said softly, her tone and statement resigned. "Then the only thing I have to say to you is that I'm sorry for doubting your ability to be the Head of the Family. After what happened, I realized there is so much more to our family that Dad probably sheltered us from, which you're starting to see. And I would personally like to continue to be ignorant. Still, instead of my criticism and doubt, I should have supported you from the beginning. Mrs. Takeuchi tells me that everyone is confident that you're on the path to success, and they're all proud of you. And we all believe Dad and Mom are."

Reika didn't say anything but she was amazed, since she hadn't known this perception existed. She was surprised at how pleased she felt and it showed in a shy smile as she said, "Thank you for that."

Irene then broke out into a smile and said, "I will add one thing though: I will never forgive you, knowing you'll bring that jerk to my wedding."

Reika chuckled and said, "Just promise me you won't knock out his front teeth again. Remember that we're not kids anymore. These won't grow back."

"Only if he behaves himself," she said with a scowl.

"Kou will be there to ensure it, even if I don't expressly say anything for him to do so."

The sisters shared a giggle before Irene looked at her seriously again.

"I do have one final needle I want to poke at you, Reika," she said softly. "Even though Dad made certain the Clan Life had as little impact to us as possible, I do believe that he truly loved us. And he loved Mom. I never got the feeling he was ever truly unhappy even though he had an incredible burden on his shoulders. I'd hate for you to live a life of less quality."

Reika gave the words a nod of acknowledgement. "Thank you for your concern, Irene. But Dad wasn't a woman, nor was he gay."

"True," her sister conceded. "I guess I'm just too much of a romantic to think things have to be like this for you."

Reika took her into a hug and said, "I assure you that I'm learning to take my moments of happiness when I can. The opportunity to take care of Linna is one of those."

Irene hugged her back fiercely and said, "Then just promise me you'll get closure on this mess. I don't care about the details of how it's done, just do it. I'll trust you when you tell me the matter is settled."

"I promise."

Then a thought passed across Irene's mind, causing her to stiffen a bit. "There's also something I think you should know. I don't know if it'll make a difference, but I never had the chance to tell Linna about Densuke. And I noticed you weren't wearing your engagement ring at the hospital. I don't think she has a clue."

Reika's eyes got wide as she froze herself. "…Oh…"

-- End Chapter 28 --