From The Ashes Chapter 16: 16: A Long, Long Way From Home, a sakura wars fanfic

Rating: PG-13

"FROM THE ASHES" – A Long, Long Way From Home

March 12, 1921

General Ikki Yoneda sat at his desk with four open file folders in front of him. The first folder was labeled "Kanzaki Sumire." A photo was paperclipped to the inside of the folder, obviously a posed shot or a bromide of a very glamorous and beautiful young woman. The typed pages contained standard statistical information: birthdate, birth place, physical description, physical health, known relatives, et cetera. Miss Kanzaki's information was voluminous.

Another shorter document, hand-written, contained the less 'natural' information about the girl. Sumire had been the groundbreaker in their research. The daughter of the developing company's president and owner, she'd been the first human being to survive an experiment with the prototype Koubu.

Kirishima Kanna's file looked more like an athlete's list of wins, medals and trophies. The photograph in her file pictured her standing beside her shorter father, the two of them holding a trophy between them, Kanna smiling hugely and giving a thumbs-up to one of what was likely to have been a great many photographers at a karate tournament in Okinawa.

The third file had no photograph at all. It was labeled "Iris Chateaubriand." The page of her physical and familial statistics was rather sparce, but the document recording her supernatural abilities bordered on being the size of a dissertation.

"I see…" Yoneda spoke into the boxy, cobbled-together field radio of a telephone, and then sighed in dismay, taking a bottle of sake out of his desk drawer. "Well, then, we don't have much time, do we?"

He set a glass down on the fourth file, labeled "Maria Tachibana." Maria's personal information page was nearly empty, most of the questions were filled in with the word "unknown."

The photograph clipped to her file was very old. The edges of the photographic paper were scalloped and bordered in white, and the entire picture was cracking and yellowing. It portrayed a tall and severe-looking Russian man whose dark eyes were brightened by a smile. On his arm was a beautiful and young Japanese woman dressed in an elabourate kimono, her hair in elegant waves piled ornately on top of her head. Her free hand rested on the shoulder of a very small child standing in front of them both.

The child's feet were clad in small black patent-leather shoes with buckles, her toes turned slightly inward. Her dress was white with eyelet lace at the sleeve cuffs and hem, which stopped at her knees. She wore wool stockings with tiny satin bows stitched to the ankles. Her fair hair was cut to just above her shoulders and held back with a black velvet band.

The photographer had painted in colour, adding a blush to the cheeks of the very sombre and wide-eyed girl. He had also touched blue into the man's formal coat, which was highly decorated with a sash of rank and with medals.

Hand-written in ink, in English, in the bottom border of the photo were the identities of the photograph's subjects: "Diplomat Bryusov Dimitrovich, with his mistress and daughter, Suma and Maria Tachibana – 1907."

There was no page for Maria's supernatural talents. Instead, there was a letter typed on official Kanzaki Heavy Industries stationery.

Dear General Yoneda,

It may interest you to know that we have competitors in our research who are based in New York. They are working with Douglas-Stewart, and I have been informed that they are likewise seeking 'talent.'

Their most recent pursuit is a young woman named Tachibana. She is the daughter of the late Bryusov Dimitrovich, but she is no longer living in Russia. I have been told she is working as a bouncer for one of the most powerful mob families in New York City. If no one seeks her out, we may lose her to Douglas-Stewart.

Rent is paid in her name to an Italian immigrant named Mrs. Benedetta Luna. I wish I had more information for you, but inquiring about her seems to be quite dangerous. I hope you find this information useful.

Yours Very Truly,

Kami Midoro

Secretary to the President

"Yes, I understand." Yoneda filled his cup and put the bottle back in his desk. "Please send Ayame in right away."

He set the phone down and sighed. Picking up the photograph, he studied the little three-year-old girl. Life, people, circumstances all could be so cruel. Perhaps they'd spent too much time piecing together information about the girl and not enough time searching for her. Now he only hoped it was not too late.

He had high hopes for this one, particularly with her military history. So far, she was the closest thing he'd found to an actual soldier. Since females were the only ones powerful enough even to move the weaponry, the entire trained army in most countries, consisting almost completely of males, was useless. Though most urgent in his mind at the moment was to get her away from such a dangerous crowd.

A slender, strong woman entered and saluted the General. She wore a green army dress coat and skirt and black heels. Her auburn hair was swept back into a loose bun at the back of her head, and her eyes had the steely set of a survivor. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Pack your bags, Ayame. This time, you're going all the way to New York. And fast."