Chapter Three...
Holy crap! I didn't think I'd get so many reviews in the time of twenty one hours!!!!!! 0.0;; Oh, well, thank you all soo much! If you really keep up the reviews, I may just stop it with all the deathiness, eh? Okay? Good? ^___^
Tokyo was just the same as ever. Francoise carried Ivan in her arms, leading Dr. Gilmore and Joe through the main square. The other cyborgs had split up to go shopping (Chang and G.B.) or got drawn to the weaponry stores (everyone else). Although Joe was lagging behind, Francoise spoke cheerfully to both him and Dr. Gilmore, as Baby Ivan was still asleep. Joe had lost track of the conversation, and was staring at the ground, hands in his pockets, extremely troubled about his recent dreams. Without realizing it, he walked right into someone, and jumped back with wide eyes as they said excitedly, "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!"
"No, I'm sorry, it was my fault...wasn't paying attention," Joe mumbled, glancing after his comrades, who had stopped and looked back at him and the woman he'd run into. Looking about twenty-five, she was wearing a calf-length beige skirt and top, with a light coat over it, obviously a business woman. Carrying a bag of what looked like groceries, she stared at him from behind rimless glasses, her red hair tied back at the base of her neck, and her auburn eyes bright and apologetic. Francoise and Dr. Gilmore came back to join Joe, and the woman glanced over them with a saluatious smile.
"Why, hello!" she said, shaking Francoise's hand, then Dr. Gilmore's. She paused for a moment, looking at him closely, "...Do...I know you from somewhere?"
"That's not unlikely," Dr. Gilmore said with a smile, "I seem to recognise you as well."
"Oh, well...what a lovely child!" she said, looking at Baby Ivan. "Is he yours?" she asked Francoise, who blushed heavily.
"No, he's my...younger brother," she returned. "I'm Francoise, by the way."
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry! Making rude assumptions and I haven't even properly introduced myself! I'm Mitzuko Biako, I work with Cherub & Co. Technologies."
"This is Joe Shimamura, and this is Dr. Gilmore," Francoise said, "Oh, and this little guy is Ivan."
"It's nice meeting you all..." Mitzuko glanced at her watch, and her eyes widened, as she continued, "But I have to be going! Oh, dear...she'll be waking up soon..." She waved goodbye as she ran off, her high heels leaving a slight clicking in 003's ears.
"Well that was strange," she commented, then looked at 009, "Joe? Are you all right?" Joe nodded.
"I'm gonna go take a walk, I'll meet you guys at the Dolphin," he mumbled, then turned and went down a side road, heading toward the cathedral.
003 looked after him, a sad expression on her face, when Dr. Gilmore laid a hand on her arm, "He'll be all right, don't worry."
"Yes, I know..." she said, looking at him with a small smile. "I just wish he wouldn't be so secretive about his troubles..."
"It's a problem with us men," Dr. Gilmore said wisely, "We're too strong-willed and dominant too let our emotions show." Francoise blinked twice, and covered her mouth to hide her giggling. Dr. Gilmore looked at her with a raised eye brow, "What? I'm serious!"
"I'm sure you are, Doctor," she laughed, walking away from him. He looked after her confusedly, shrugged, and followed.
Joe was at the church before even he realized it. Being here brought a sort of comfort to his troubled soul, even through his recent nightmares. For a short while, he just leaned against the fence, staring at the rubble and trying to sort out the past few days in his mind. As preoccupying as the nightmares themselves were, something else was bothering him...but in a good way. Francoise and her kiss, even though an innocent one, were jumbling his thoughts as much as Kohana's presence in his dreams. But then again, he wasn't about to argue with it, or the feelings it gave him. Feelings...how could a weapon feel? It was just confusing, and it hurt his head to think about it, so he tried to clear his mind, shaking his head and going to kneel by the old swingset.
It should have been obvious, but he wasn't alone. When he bitterly realized this, he looked up at the other presence, and groaned, "This must mean I'm dreaming again..." Kohana was curled up at the base of the tree nearby, eyes wide and staring ahead, arms wrapped around herself, knees pulled to her chin. She was lying on her side, looking like she usually did, but with two differences. Her eyes, though as innocent as he remembered, were surprisingly cold and dark, and she wasn't smiling her confused little smile. He walked over to her, and, to his relief, saw her chest rising and falling with her breath "So you're not dead yet, huh?" he asked a bit annoyedly. "That's a relief. How many times must I have this dream?" She continued to stare, and his eyes narrowed as he dropped down to his knee, and lifted her so he could see her eye to eye. "Are you listening? Kohana?"
At the sound of her name, her eyes moved to meet his, then widened in fear. She jumped back out of his arms, flattening herself against the trunk of the tree, muttering under her breath, "Pl-please don't h-hurt me..."
"Wha-? Look, I'm not going to hurt you. Don't you remember me? I'm Joe!" he sighed with frustration, "Why am I bothering? It's just a stupid dream..." Kohana's visible eye looked up at him, its icey blue piercing his soul as he gulped. "I...think it's a stupid dream..."
"Kohana!" a cry echoed into the yard from the streets as someone ran toward the church. "Kohana! Are you here?" Joe looked toward the gate, and saw the red-haired woman, Mitzuko, appear in the gateway, looking frantically around until she spotted him with the child. "Oh, Kohana!" she cried, running forth and scooping the child up in her arms, rocking her back and forth. "It's all right, I've found you..." Looking up at Joe, her eyes widened, "Well, what a surprise..."
"Who exactly are you, anyway? Why's she like that?" Joe asked, gesturing at the girl.
Mitzuko looked down at the child in her arms, and shook her head sadly, "It's a long story..." Kohana peered up at Joe, then, slowly, her tiny hand reached up for him. "Oh...whoa, she's usually frightened of strangers...do you mind?" Mitzuko asked, handing Kohana to Joe. "She seems to know you...somehow..."
"I've had nightmares of her." He didn't know why he said it, but it had slipped out before he realized it. "It always seemed so real, I never thought I'd actually meet her...I think I'm meeting her...I might be asleep now..."
"No, you're very much awake." Mitzuko sighed, seemingly undaunted by Joe's story. "Look, I don't know how to tell you this. Your dreams...the reason they seemed so real was because...well, they were sort of real...like memories..."
"Huh?"
"Oh, how can I explain it to you?" she asked, pondering for a moment. Her eyes lidded, and she shook her head at herself, "There's no other way..." She looked up at him, then, to his surprise, said, "009, I worked for Black Ghost at the time you were enhanced...and I was creating Kohana."
Holy crap! I didn't think I'd get so many reviews in the time of twenty one hours!!!!!! 0.0;; Oh, well, thank you all soo much! If you really keep up the reviews, I may just stop it with all the deathiness, eh? Okay? Good? ^___^
Tokyo was just the same as ever. Francoise carried Ivan in her arms, leading Dr. Gilmore and Joe through the main square. The other cyborgs had split up to go shopping (Chang and G.B.) or got drawn to the weaponry stores (everyone else). Although Joe was lagging behind, Francoise spoke cheerfully to both him and Dr. Gilmore, as Baby Ivan was still asleep. Joe had lost track of the conversation, and was staring at the ground, hands in his pockets, extremely troubled about his recent dreams. Without realizing it, he walked right into someone, and jumped back with wide eyes as they said excitedly, "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!"
"No, I'm sorry, it was my fault...wasn't paying attention," Joe mumbled, glancing after his comrades, who had stopped and looked back at him and the woman he'd run into. Looking about twenty-five, she was wearing a calf-length beige skirt and top, with a light coat over it, obviously a business woman. Carrying a bag of what looked like groceries, she stared at him from behind rimless glasses, her red hair tied back at the base of her neck, and her auburn eyes bright and apologetic. Francoise and Dr. Gilmore came back to join Joe, and the woman glanced over them with a saluatious smile.
"Why, hello!" she said, shaking Francoise's hand, then Dr. Gilmore's. She paused for a moment, looking at him closely, "...Do...I know you from somewhere?"
"That's not unlikely," Dr. Gilmore said with a smile, "I seem to recognise you as well."
"Oh, well...what a lovely child!" she said, looking at Baby Ivan. "Is he yours?" she asked Francoise, who blushed heavily.
"No, he's my...younger brother," she returned. "I'm Francoise, by the way."
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry! Making rude assumptions and I haven't even properly introduced myself! I'm Mitzuko Biako, I work with Cherub & Co. Technologies."
"This is Joe Shimamura, and this is Dr. Gilmore," Francoise said, "Oh, and this little guy is Ivan."
"It's nice meeting you all..." Mitzuko glanced at her watch, and her eyes widened, as she continued, "But I have to be going! Oh, dear...she'll be waking up soon..." She waved goodbye as she ran off, her high heels leaving a slight clicking in 003's ears.
"Well that was strange," she commented, then looked at 009, "Joe? Are you all right?" Joe nodded.
"I'm gonna go take a walk, I'll meet you guys at the Dolphin," he mumbled, then turned and went down a side road, heading toward the cathedral.
003 looked after him, a sad expression on her face, when Dr. Gilmore laid a hand on her arm, "He'll be all right, don't worry."
"Yes, I know..." she said, looking at him with a small smile. "I just wish he wouldn't be so secretive about his troubles..."
"It's a problem with us men," Dr. Gilmore said wisely, "We're too strong-willed and dominant too let our emotions show." Francoise blinked twice, and covered her mouth to hide her giggling. Dr. Gilmore looked at her with a raised eye brow, "What? I'm serious!"
"I'm sure you are, Doctor," she laughed, walking away from him. He looked after her confusedly, shrugged, and followed.
Joe was at the church before even he realized it. Being here brought a sort of comfort to his troubled soul, even through his recent nightmares. For a short while, he just leaned against the fence, staring at the rubble and trying to sort out the past few days in his mind. As preoccupying as the nightmares themselves were, something else was bothering him...but in a good way. Francoise and her kiss, even though an innocent one, were jumbling his thoughts as much as Kohana's presence in his dreams. But then again, he wasn't about to argue with it, or the feelings it gave him. Feelings...how could a weapon feel? It was just confusing, and it hurt his head to think about it, so he tried to clear his mind, shaking his head and going to kneel by the old swingset.
It should have been obvious, but he wasn't alone. When he bitterly realized this, he looked up at the other presence, and groaned, "This must mean I'm dreaming again..." Kohana was curled up at the base of the tree nearby, eyes wide and staring ahead, arms wrapped around herself, knees pulled to her chin. She was lying on her side, looking like she usually did, but with two differences. Her eyes, though as innocent as he remembered, were surprisingly cold and dark, and she wasn't smiling her confused little smile. He walked over to her, and, to his relief, saw her chest rising and falling with her breath "So you're not dead yet, huh?" he asked a bit annoyedly. "That's a relief. How many times must I have this dream?" She continued to stare, and his eyes narrowed as he dropped down to his knee, and lifted her so he could see her eye to eye. "Are you listening? Kohana?"
At the sound of her name, her eyes moved to meet his, then widened in fear. She jumped back out of his arms, flattening herself against the trunk of the tree, muttering under her breath, "Pl-please don't h-hurt me..."
"Wha-? Look, I'm not going to hurt you. Don't you remember me? I'm Joe!" he sighed with frustration, "Why am I bothering? It's just a stupid dream..." Kohana's visible eye looked up at him, its icey blue piercing his soul as he gulped. "I...think it's a stupid dream..."
"Kohana!" a cry echoed into the yard from the streets as someone ran toward the church. "Kohana! Are you here?" Joe looked toward the gate, and saw the red-haired woman, Mitzuko, appear in the gateway, looking frantically around until she spotted him with the child. "Oh, Kohana!" she cried, running forth and scooping the child up in her arms, rocking her back and forth. "It's all right, I've found you..." Looking up at Joe, her eyes widened, "Well, what a surprise..."
"Who exactly are you, anyway? Why's she like that?" Joe asked, gesturing at the girl.
Mitzuko looked down at the child in her arms, and shook her head sadly, "It's a long story..." Kohana peered up at Joe, then, slowly, her tiny hand reached up for him. "Oh...whoa, she's usually frightened of strangers...do you mind?" Mitzuko asked, handing Kohana to Joe. "She seems to know you...somehow..."
"I've had nightmares of her." He didn't know why he said it, but it had slipped out before he realized it. "It always seemed so real, I never thought I'd actually meet her...I think I'm meeting her...I might be asleep now..."
"No, you're very much awake." Mitzuko sighed, seemingly undaunted by Joe's story. "Look, I don't know how to tell you this. Your dreams...the reason they seemed so real was because...well, they were sort of real...like memories..."
"Huh?"
"Oh, how can I explain it to you?" she asked, pondering for a moment. Her eyes lidded, and she shook her head at herself, "There's no other way..." She looked up at him, then, to his surprise, said, "009, I worked for Black Ghost at the time you were enhanced...and I was creating Kohana."