Part Four: Faith in life.

August 14th, 2029AD

I smiled as Katsumi gave me a warm hug. She's doing better and better
each day. Yeah...she was still depressed and does mope about Roy. But
at least she doesn't rage about it anymore. I think she's finally has
a hang of that. Or at least I hope she's found a way to DEAL with it..
rather than just bottle it away..and allows herself to self destruct
on all of us.

"So how have YOU been?" Katsumi asked. "You and Ralph still getting
along."

"Yeah," I replied, blinked, then blushed. "I'm kinda acting weird
though. Or so Ralph says."

"Eh?" Katsumi blinked, then hummed. "Why? What's tipping him off?"

"I've....cleaned my apartment....and've started to..." I stammered.
It was hard to for me to admit this. I was embarrassed after all
"....cook for him and myself."

Katsumi blinked, then smiled.

"Well I'll be." She smiled at my admission, then winked at me. "Who
would have ever thought of that....Kiddy Nesting. I'd love to tell
the others that little tidbit."

"NESTING?!" I blurted at Katsumi, then waved a hand. "Hey now wait a
second!!! I ain't pregnant! I'd be told by the med techs if I was!!"

Katsumi laughed at my defense, and I smiled as she laughed. It's been
at least two and a half months she excavated herself from the rubble.
Funny how time flies. Then a thought crosses my mind. Didn't Katsumi
say that she missed her period a couple times a few days ago.

Wait...that means that....

The laughter slowly and painfully turned into sobs. Ah damn it! There
she goes again.

I reached over and embraced Katsumi. I held her as she bit out a
painful sentence.

"Roy....I....Roy...." She uttered. "....I'm sorry....I couldn't
protect you..couldn't protect us....and our dreams..of..family."

I pulled her in tighter. Not too tight mind you, I'd crush her if I
did. Just a little tighter. I felt like protecting her from
everything that came her way.

"I....Kiddy....I" She bit out "I....don't know if I can go on anymore.
Roy was...Roy was...."

"Don't Katsumi," I uttered, then nodded. "I know you're stronger than
to think like THAT."

"Demo I don't think I can. I....!" Katsumi uttered then stopped when
I wrapped my arm around her neck.

"Oh come on now," I smiled to her. "We all know that you can. You're
strong. Very strong. Keep you're chin up, okay? I'm counting on
you. Just like I did when we first met. Remember that."

Katsumi blinked at my words, looked down at her lap, then nodded at
My words.

"I'll...." Katsumi uttered. "....I'll try."

"That's my girl." I uttered and gently thoughtlessly caressed her
cheek. She picked her head up and a quizzical expression was on her
face. I blushed and looked away from her. "Ah....sorry."

"Its....okay." Katsumi uttered. "You were only trying to console
me, Kiddy."

"Yeah." I nodded then squeezed her shoulder. "Gotta go. Got a new
pair of rookies with us now."

"Eh?" Katsumi uttered. "More?"

"Yeah..." I nodded to her. "See ya tommorrow."


A short time later, I exited the med ward. Ralph was waiting for me.
He had a thoughtful brooding expression on his face.

"Ralph?" I blinked at him "What are you doing here?"

"Hmmm." He uttered, then sighed "Do you think you're the only one who
checks up on Katsumi?"

"Guess not." I sighed then blinked. "So why the long face."

"I saw you touching her face, Kiddy." He said simply. "....and you've
been paying a lot of attention to her lately. So I was wondering...
."

"Ralph." I said in a low and threatening tone. "Spit it out."

"I was wondering if you like her..." He said while gazing me. "In
THAT sort of way?"

I blinked then chuckled.

"What are you talking about you baka?" I scoffed. "I ain't like
that, and you know it Ralph."

"Your actions say differently." Ralph hummed, then sighed. "You've
always looked after her...always drawn to her...heck you were drawn to
her since the day she entered you're life."

"What are you talking about?!" I uttered. Of course I knew what
he was talking about. I just didn't want to deal with it at the
moment. "We needed Katsumi then...just like we need her now."

"As true as that may be," Ralph nodded then sighed. "I wonder how you
felt when she almost walked away from AMP...to learn of her father from
that category one Lucifer Hawk."

"I...I didn't want to loose her." I stammered. "We all didn't want to
loose her. She was OO's chance to shine. Until the gravitron's came
into play."

Ralph didn't say anything and I smirked.

"So...you think were all a bunch of lesbians?" I uttered, then chuckled
"You're a moron if you think that. The chief once told us why AMP is
all female Ralph. Want to know the reason?"

"Enlighten me." Ralph uttered.

"Women can give birth to new life." I grinned. "So it ain't what you
think. I gotta go on patrol now. Later."

Of course I forgot to mention Ami and Makoto, or Mako as I call her,
Were both lesbians. So maybe some of us were. But not all of us.

I returned to tower 00 an hour or so later. When I entered the office
, I found out that we had yet another new member. She was a raven
haired priestess who was chatting with Nami. The others, Ami and Mako,
were now in police school.

"Ah Kiddy you're back." Mana nodded to me from her station "Why don't
you go introduce yourself to our second Shinto priestess."

"Uh sure..." I nodded to her "What could it hurt?"

I walked up and nodded to the both of them.

"Welcome back Kiddy-san," Nami smiled then gestured to the shorter
priestess. "This is Rei Hino. Her grandfather has a shrine that is
also in Tokyo."

"Pleased to meet you," Rei bowed to me. "You must be Kiddy Phenil,
right?"

"Same here..." I nodded to her. "Welcome to the team."

Moments later the klaxons wailed. It was another third attraction.
We all looked to Mana who nodded to us. After gathering the data
On this one we ran to the shimagurhs bay. I couldn't help but note
That this was the fifth attack this week. Last week there were a
total of nine Attacks. What the hell is going on!? Was something
big gonna happen again?!

End