Standard disclaimer
I don't own Nadesico, sorry if you think I did. I apologize for the lateness of this chapter but life has a way of taking time very quickly from people. I'm not a support manager at my new job so that takes time. Schoolwork is taking a lot of time, SQL, COBOL, JCL, and writing projects oh my! And when I do have a few hours off from work I'm dead tired, but I'm going to keep trying!
Hope you bear with me and still enjoy the story. Well I've talked enough about my problems.
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Anata no Ichiban ni Naritai Chapter 11- Giving Back
"Are you sure you have to do this?" Ruri asked with a hint of panic in her voice.
Shifting through a bag that Howmei generously provided her, Inez looked up at the woman before her, "I have to do something or I'll lose my mind."
Still unwanting to let it slide, "But couldn't you do something else?"
Smiling at her two finds, Inez pulled them out of the bag and showed them to Ruri, "Of course I could, but I don't want to. So do you like the frog suit or the overalls?"
Thinking of how much she hated those damn overalls and the whole "Get to know the Nadesico" experience, Ruri was tempted to press her argument. She couldn't comprehend how after two days of being back on the ship Inez could think of doing this show. "Well what do you want the cloths to portray?"
Her smile growing a bit larger, "Well I chose Yurika's to hid her body, why Kami-sama decided to 'bless' her like that is beyond me."
"As for my younger self?" Ruri questioned.
Flatly Inez said, "I want to embarrass you of course. That young you is so stiff and formal."
'Of course' Ruri thought as she remembered that was exactly how she felt at the time. "I say the frog suit go for an all animal show." She said hoping to spare her self at least some embarrassment from the whole endeavor.
"The coveralls it is. Now remember what I said about altering the time line 'Nakushita Hitori'," the blond scientist said as she tossed the clothing onto the pile set aside for the show. Their shared quarters looking like a backdrop for a Doctor Seuss special gone horribly wrong, she didn't mind adding to the clutter.
"INEZ!" Ruri shouted in surprise. She was still having trouble of understanding her old boss turned only confidant's mind.
Reverting into her lecturing voice, Inez instructed Ruri. "I figured that you'd try to help your younger self out. If you felt embarrassed in one suit over the other you'd obviously try to make me use the other. Oh, and you better keep your voice down, wouldn't do us much good for the crew to hear an unknown female voice from inside our quarters."
Grumbling slightly, Ruri complied to keep her voice down, but the lecture brought up several questions in the woman's mind. "Inez, can I ask you a few questions that I've been thinking about?"
Fluffing the bunny suit for maximum size, "Never stopped you before from asking, not like I can offer you much help though."
"For starters, was it a sick joke that you named me 'Nakushita Hitori?"
"I think it fits you quite well," Inez replied with a hint of mirth in her voice.
Reaching for her respirator mask, "Naming me 'Lost One' isn't funny. I don't really like being reminded of this every time somebody talks to me. Second question, what happened to the other Akito?"
Inez actually stopped her preparations, unlike the name that came to her at the spur of the moment; she had given some thought to this boson-jumping incident. Being the forefront leader in terran boson jumping science, she did have some previous knowledge on the matter. "I think he went where he was planning to."
Not being accustomed to being unable to follow, Ruri was slightly jilted, "I don't understand you."
Broken from her revelry, Inez began the job of gathering all the required items for her show, and when her arms were covered she handed the remaining items to Ruri, who was now fully in her disguise. "I don't think boson jumping is just teleportation in a location sense. You told me that Akito once teleported two weeks into the past." She waited for Ruri to snap on the last of the straps on her helmet before continuing. "So it is possible that the jump can take somebody not only to the place they want to be, but also WHEN they want to be."
"That still doesn't account for Akito's location," Ruri said, her voice distorted by the 'respirator's' voice modulation.
Stopping at the door of their room, Inez offered Ruri this last bit of information before she walked into public, "He probably went to the test location while you went back in time.so there is no alternate Akito."
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"Three.Two.One.KABOOM"
"HI KIDS!" Yurika chirped in her rabbit disguise, slightly disgusted but also enjoying the silly costume. "It's time to GET TO KNOW THE NADESICO."
While the last part was said in tandem with the young Ruri, her voice was nearly blotted out by the now fully in-character Captain. From behind the camera, Inez was hard pressed not to burst into a fit of laughter by Yurika's sudden zeal for the role. Had she had known Yurika was hoping for a certain male to see her in her cute costume and want to get a closer look, and to get back the 'item' she purloined from his quarters, she may not have been so quick to put the captain off.
She had to stop her actors however when Ruri had yet to actually say a line while facing the camera, "CUT! Ruri do you know who this is being made for?"
The young tech turned to the camerawoman, "Your own amusement?"
Yurika looked slack-jawed at the girl who said exactly what she was thinking but dared not, "Now Ruri, I'm sure Miss Fressange has a good reason for making this."
"Actually she is partially right," Inez admitted, "But eventually I'm sure we'll get back to earth and when we can show this to little children."
Yurika noticed that Nakushita slowly made his way out of the room and was replaced by Goat. She didn't know much about Nakushita, save that he was Inez's assistant and would often visit the mess hall. Yurika wondered at that as she never saw the man actually eat, she didn't either she was there to watch Akito cook or hopefully talk to him.
"Miss Fressange what are you doing? We're in dire straights! We can't escape Mars, our shields are low, and we're surrounded by the enemy is this some sort of joke!" The large military man asked in a tone nobody in the room really cared for.
Not one to like having her actions questioned, Inez's tone dripped with irritation and anger, "No, the joke would be your attempt at a rescue. Saving only two lives is hardly a successful mission."
Yurika saw the two's argument had the potential for an actual fight and sought about a quick solution, even if she knew she had to lower herself again to achieve it. Making full use of her talents and her current appearance, Yurika set out to look and sound as cute as she possibly could.
Watery eyed and gushing, Yurika addressed Goat, "Please Mr. Horrey let us film? We just want to bolster the crews feelings.so please let us film?" She felt sick to her stomach having to beg and act like a fool, but if it helped move things along with no damage or further degradation she'd do it.
Inez however wasn't to keen on letting the large man off the hook, "It's Nergal's fault for this. They gave you all misinformation about what to expect on this planet. But then again my opinion is bit skewed."
Ruri took this moment to enter the conversation, "I agree, you are an odd person."
Looking at her one-day apprentice, Inez smiled, "Well if you'd have had my upbringing you'd be strange too," Inez then told the assembled crew of her being found in the Martian desert. In her mind however, Inez thought of something, her childhood was much like Ruri's only she wasn't teleported in time nor had a savior like she did, that she knew.
Be it Yurika's overt cuteness and wiles, or Inez's fairly sad recounting of her past, Goat found himself wearing a pair of ears himself and running the camera as Inez joined the on-stage actors.
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Akito was not very happy. For some reason his day just continued to get stranger and stranger. First he accidentally ran into the Admiral and knocked him to the ground. After helping the ageing man up and dusting him off, it appeared that the man was actually looking for Akito.
After admitting the Admiral into his quarters, Akito was both shocked and gladdened by the gift the man offered him. Not one to drink heavily, Akito instantly noticed the spiked tea, but found it actually quite soothing. The hint of sake worked wonders on the stress he was feeling.
He needed that soothing as the Admiral seemed fond on not saying anything and just watching him drink. After an odd exchange of words, mostly from the Admiral, Akito was left with the tea service.
Just as he saw the elderly man standing to leave, the vid screen that was droning in the background caught his attention.
Shock gripped the pilot at what he saw, "MY GEKIGANGER LIMITED FIGURE!" Rushing out of the room, leaving a very confused and slightly agitated Admiral, Akito was rushing down the hallway of the Nadesico towards where he hoped he'd find the amateur filmmakers. As luck would have it however he again slammed his body into another.
Standing over the body of one of the two new crewmembers, Akito extended his hand, "Sorry Nakushita, I was in a hurry. You ok?"
From behind her mask, Ruri's breath was stolen from her. Before her eyes was the object of her dearest affections, but she couldn't do anything. With a slight prayer to Inez for installing the voice modulator again she responded in her now raspy clearly masculine voice, "No harm done."
Gripping the gloved hand with his own, Akito was shocked at how small it felt in his own. Hefting the figure to its feat proved to shatter the previous comment as Nakushita collapsed back to the ground. "Nakushita? You sure you're alright?"
Gripping her suddenly throbbing ankle, Ruri had no choice but to shake her head no. From the months under the Martian soil, Ruri had her run in with medical problems, her leg wasn't in any serious trouble, but it would hurt like hell if she walked on it. "Its just a slight sprain from the fall. Be fine in a few hours."
His concern for the relic of Guy's memory fading in place of concern for the unfortunate man he hurt, Akito wasn't going to let it slide. "Let me help you to your quarters at least ok?"
'Still kind to everybody you meet,' Ruri thought with the bitter feelings of her forced charade in her mind. Wanting nothing more than to reveal herself to him, Ruri wouldn't risk speaking. She feared her emotions would give her away. Instead she simply nodded and guiltily draped an arm around Akito's shoulder. 'He'll think I'm doing it for support.'
Remembering what Inez told him upon there meeting, "I guess you can't talk much so can you point me in the right direction?" Akito asked. He felt a bit awkward with another man holding him like Nakushita was doing but he wouldn't comment.
Hobbling along while leaning heavily against Akito, Ruri pointed the way towards her shared domicile. She was reveling in the slight smell her mask allowed her to partake in as they walked. She listened to Akito inform her of all the small things about the Nadesico that she already knew, but wasn't suppose to.
"Can you tell me how it happened?" Akito asked suddenly.
Rocked from her sudden comfort induced drowsiness, Ruri pointed to her throat and shook her head no.
Akito nodded in understanding. "It must be hard on you. Those Jovians took so much from us all. Its not fair."
Looking at the pain on Akito's face through her darkened visor, Ruri could feel the hurt radiating from him. It sickened her. Here she was alive and well, while the fact that Akito didn't know it was causing him such pain. What hurt worse was she felt the same way he did. Glad the mask shielded her eyes as a few tears streaked down her cheek, she pointed to a door that the pair had just passed.
"Your place?"
Pointing to the sign that indeed indicate that both Inez and Nakushita dwelled within. Ruri felt torn. She adamantly wanted to remain with Akito, but she knew the chances of her breaking down were so great that she shouldn't risk it.
Dislodging himself from the wounded 'man,' Akito stopped and looked directly into the visor, "Can you ever take that off?"
Before she had a chance to think, her body responded by nodded in the affirmative. Elated to see a smile grace Akito's face, Ruri hoped that she didn't just make matters worse.
"Glad to hear it," the man said, with a definite show of joy. "We'll have to do something some time. Maybe use the simulator or something. You know guy stuff," he finished with a grin. Looking at the poor man before him, Akito was slightly glad. He had another guy to hang out with. With all those women about, Akito was hoping that he'd stumble upon somebody who he could relate with.
He didn't really have much in common with the other males aboard the ship. Jun instinctively didn't like him for obvious reasons. The tech crew seemed to have a cliché that didn't involve him, save for Uribataki.
With another wave, Akito left by saying, "Take care Nakushita, hope to see you soon." The door to the room was then sealed leaving Akito to face the nameplate again. Then it struck him like a blow to the stomach. 'Inez Fressange.'
"I know I've heard that name before I meet her the other day," the mused as he continued towards his original goal. Forcing every nuance of memory to work for him, he recalled it and shouted in front of a pair of gossiping women, "Ruri's old boss!"
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Inez was left with the cleaning duty, a fact that irritated her. Folding up the rabbit suit that Yurika had discarded so harshly, Inez began thinking of the punishment that her dear roommate would suffer. She was feeling put off as well by the obvious lie that Mr. Prospector had used to force there filming to a halt.
The end result was still favorable though, using her frequent off camera time, Inez used a few of the security codes that Ruri had told her of to watch those watching the show. "Two sleeping pilots, one confused, a resin figure of Yurika in the suit," she could just feel the blackmail potential for that little fact. She thought of the numerous others she had seen watching her show. 'Build a fan base then hit them with the real information. Nergal won't have a ship of loyal sheep anymore,' Inez fashioned.
Her cleansing ritual was cut short by the sudden eruption coming from the door. One of the boxes she had just stacked had been tipped over by her unknown and noticeably clumsy guest.
"If you're going to do that, you can help clean it up," she doctor addressed the mass of clothing writhing on the floor.
Freeing himself from the tangle of assorted costumes, Akito addressed the only person he could see in the room, "I will if you give me my Gekiganger figure back."
'Gekiganger.so that's where the Captain got it. She stole it from him hoping to draw him here. Clever, very clever of her.' Fressange thought as Akito walked the remaining distance over to her. "So you must be Tenkawa- san. Glad to meet you off the battle field," she said as she extended her hand in friendship.
Accepting her hand, Akito gladly shook it. "That is true, that was some mess. You're Inez Fressange correct?"
Gathering the spilled contents of the boxes Akito knocked over, Inez ordered the male, "Help me pack, we can talk as we finish this."
"But my fig." Akito started to say before Inez cut him off mid statement.
"Our captain took the liberty of holding on to it until she could return it to you," her voice muffled by the slight strain of lifting the box into her arms. Kicking the other box with her left leg, hoping Akito would take the hint and grab it, which he did, she headed out of the 'studio.'
In her mind, Inez was doing flips, something about Akito felt odd. She suspected the feeling of having known him before came from Ruri's recounting of their shared past, but something didn't fit with that. "Akito?"
Easily holding the other box that Inez needed storing, "Yes?" He asked he didn't feel quite ready to ask her about Ruri.
"Do you have the feeling that.never mind," thinking quickly to not offset the balance of the conversation, "you have something on your mind aside from your figure?" She asked while thinking of the other Gekiganger figure she was instructed to give back to Akito eventually.
"Back on Mars, you had an assistant," he spoke slowly and carefully. The words were hard to form; he didn't feel comfortable saying them to this woman. "Her name was Ruri, do you remember what happened to her?"
Her eyes narrowing slightly, but not enough for Akito to notice, Inez was truly worried. Knowing the truth and hiding it were at times hard matters, especially when the feelings of one of her only true friends was at stake. Using a delaying tactic to buy time to make up a believable story, "Light blue hair, yellowish eyes?"
Looking for hidden messages on the top of the box he was carrying, Akito knew that if Ruri, his Ruri, wasn't already on board she was dead. He really didn't want to know the truth, like he didn't want to learn about Santa Claus, but it was something that he needed to know. "How did.she die?"
Soaking in the flow of Akito's rather powerful statement, Inez took a new liking to Akito. He based his observations on fact. 'For his information, if she was in the base she'd have been killed. If she wasn't she died before the attack.' Akito's logic was, despite the fact he was wrong, very sound. "For a man, you have a very fastidious mind."
Blushing ever so slightly at the compliment from the woman that he suddenly realized was very attractive. The slight trace of sweat only heightening her form of her face, and served to make her clothing cling to her body, a very well toned and shapely one. 'Must have had a lot of work on Mars,' he rationalized before he banished the idea from his mind. "Thank you Inez- san."
"Inez is fine. As for my ex-assistant," she didn't miss the flinch that passed after her comment, "She died of a fever after about three months."
Finality crashing down on him, he only hoped for one thing now, "Was she in pain?"
"No, she died peacefully in her sleep. She gave me something to give to you. I can give it to you now if you want. Well once we get to my room." Stopping in her tracks she took notice that it was actually Akito leading her, "You know were my room is?"
"I helped Nakushita back here before I ran into you," Akito admitted.
Wondering how Ruri was taking that little encounter, Inez remained silent until she arrived at her room. "Just put the box down here, Nakushita may be in the middle of cleaning his gear and would take offence if you came in. I'll be right back."
Doing as he was told, Akito slid the box against the metal frame of the hallway and waited for Inez to return. As he waited he pulled something worn with time out from his side holster. "Guess I can give this to Inez.since I can't give it to her now."
Hearing what seemed to be a shout, Akito crew slightly worried, maybe he had caused more trouble than he had thought. Reaching for the door beckon, he took a step back as the door suddenly opened and Inez quickly dashed back through it, his old Gekiganger toy in hand.
"Geki?"
Handing the toy to him, Inez smiled at the honest reaction it resulted in, "She insisted on keeping it clean and in working order." Noticing the letter in Akito's left hand, "What's that?"
With a new reminder of what he lost in his right hand, he slid the old to Inez in with his left, "Right before the attack on Mars, an old friend on Earth sent Ruri and me a box of oranges and a letter a piece. This one is Ruri's. I can never give it to her personally now, so could you take it? It would mean a lot to me. A sense of closure I guess."
'Oranges.oranges.' Inez grasped the letter in her hand and tried to admonish the thought of citrus fruit from her mind. "I'll gladly take it. I'm sorry for your loss."
Holding Geki closer to his chest, Akito nodded, "Thanks. Well I better be off. Tell Nakushita I said hi and I intend to my word and take him to the simulator."
"I'll tell him," she said with a wave, all the while cursing fate for being so cruel on the two.
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From her seat to the right of the captain's podium, Minato was enjoying the drama unfolding on the other side of the bridge. From her viewpoint, only slightly blocked by the shy young computer tech, she could see the green haired pilot and Megumi arguing slightly. Adding fuel to the fire, the possessive captain was also listening, and holding what appeared to be a toy robot.
'Never a dull moment on this ship,' she mused to herself while she saw the girl, Ruri, start playing a computer game.
"What do you mean 'don't try anything' I don't understand ya!" Ryoko shouted.
Shushing the boisterous woman so that hopefully Yurika wouldn't eavesdrop, she was too late however; "I overheard your transmission the other day, calling for Akito."
Not really wanting others to know she had started to develop a soft spot for the spastic but sometimes withdrawn pilot, "I don't understand what your saying."
"Do you two need something to do?" Yurika asked, more to announce that she was listening than to really get them to work.
Both woman swore silently and turned to see Yurika, the sight of Akito's prized possession in her hand did nothing to sooth them. "HOW DID YOU GET THAT?"
Gliding her fingers slowly over the metal figure, "Oh this? Akito-chan let me borrow him for our show." She didn't really think it a lie, she figured if she had asked he'd allow her to use it. Even if they weren't officially seeing each other, the bond between them had to be strong enough for that. 'I hope.'
Neither woman really believed her however. Both knew of the kiss shared between Yurika and Akito, and neither was pleased. Minato was smiling broadly now; things were starting to heat up on the romance front. By her observations, Minato was sure Megumi was betting on her slow and steady approach would gain him Akito's heart. Yurika already figured he was hers and he just needed reminding. Ryoko, now that was something Minato hadn't figured on.
The two non-Martian women continued to glare at the captain who now seemed fit to enter a daydream where she and Akito ran a small restaurant. "What do you think of all this Ruri-Ruri?"
Pausing her game, Ruri looked at Minato, "One, I'm a child and wouldn't understand such things."
"And second?" Minato asked, something about Ruri's attitude was slightly upsetting her about now.
Pointing to Minato's consol, "We're receiving a unidentified transmission feed."
Needless to say social conversation was soon put to a halt while the crew assembled for an unknown turn of events.
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"I don't understand Inez, why is he doing this?" Akito asked as he piloted his mecha back towards the now surrounded Nadesico."
She knew why he was doing it, to save the ship, but she couldn't tell him that. "Maybe he has a plan or something. Either way we better get back to the ship," Inez said to him from the lower part of his cockpit.
The two were still uncertain as to how the events transpired between the Admiral and the bridge crew. They only knew that one moment they were told to clear ice from a clear engine, the next they're ordered back to the Nadesico after the Admiral fired upon it.
Listening over the open com-channel, they pair heard the old man's order to proceed through the chulip. "What makes him think we'll fair any better than the Crocus?" Akito asked as the fear of an icy death began creepy into his mind.
Remembering what Ruri told her about what happened before, this scene wasn't matching. Akito was supposed to know that Admiral was the cause of the accident."She left something out."
Helping Inez out of the Aesti, "Inez who left something out?"
Waving the comment off with her hand, "Nothing, we'll be fine because the distortion field will protect us. Don't worry."
The smile that the blond gave him calmed him down more than her words did. 'If she can be so calm about this, we must be ok.' Letting that belief settle in, he realized it helped him to calm down a lot. "Should we go to the bridge anyway?"
Feeling the ship begin to move towards the chulip, "I don't think we'd make it in time to affect anything, and I could use some tea."
Hoping that Yurika was handling things ok, she always seemed more in control when he wasn't around anyway, he agreed. They listened to the Admiral's farewell speech over the speaker system as they reached the galley. Akito, Inez noted, looked pained when the transmission was so abruptly severed.
"Houmei-san, could I get that tea-service back?" he asked after settling down in a chair across from Inez.
"Glad you mentioned that, he left something in it for you actually," the head chief informed the two. She turned the pot over and a letter clearly addressed to Akito landed on the table with a soft swish.
Unspeaking, Akito wondered what the man could have possible had to tell him that he couldn't have just said. Opening the letter, Akito read the man's confession.
It took Houmei holding him down, and Inez with a syringe of tranquilizer to calm the boy man down. Inez thought the old fool had gotten off easy with how his life was extinguished.
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Author notes
Again I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. I'll try to make faster updates. Well the story is making some nice headway and I've got plans for the next few chapters already in mind
Now I'm an assistant manager so.more money, more work, but I've vowed to write a scene of a story a day from now on and that really helps with flow, ideas, and output.
Well hoped you liked it, hope you review it.hope you read my other work too
Ja Mata
Zentrodie
I don't own Nadesico, sorry if you think I did. I apologize for the lateness of this chapter but life has a way of taking time very quickly from people. I'm not a support manager at my new job so that takes time. Schoolwork is taking a lot of time, SQL, COBOL, JCL, and writing projects oh my! And when I do have a few hours off from work I'm dead tired, but I'm going to keep trying!
Hope you bear with me and still enjoy the story. Well I've talked enough about my problems.
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Anata no Ichiban ni Naritai Chapter 11- Giving Back
"Are you sure you have to do this?" Ruri asked with a hint of panic in her voice.
Shifting through a bag that Howmei generously provided her, Inez looked up at the woman before her, "I have to do something or I'll lose my mind."
Still unwanting to let it slide, "But couldn't you do something else?"
Smiling at her two finds, Inez pulled them out of the bag and showed them to Ruri, "Of course I could, but I don't want to. So do you like the frog suit or the overalls?"
Thinking of how much she hated those damn overalls and the whole "Get to know the Nadesico" experience, Ruri was tempted to press her argument. She couldn't comprehend how after two days of being back on the ship Inez could think of doing this show. "Well what do you want the cloths to portray?"
Her smile growing a bit larger, "Well I chose Yurika's to hid her body, why Kami-sama decided to 'bless' her like that is beyond me."
"As for my younger self?" Ruri questioned.
Flatly Inez said, "I want to embarrass you of course. That young you is so stiff and formal."
'Of course' Ruri thought as she remembered that was exactly how she felt at the time. "I say the frog suit go for an all animal show." She said hoping to spare her self at least some embarrassment from the whole endeavor.
"The coveralls it is. Now remember what I said about altering the time line 'Nakushita Hitori'," the blond scientist said as she tossed the clothing onto the pile set aside for the show. Their shared quarters looking like a backdrop for a Doctor Seuss special gone horribly wrong, she didn't mind adding to the clutter.
"INEZ!" Ruri shouted in surprise. She was still having trouble of understanding her old boss turned only confidant's mind.
Reverting into her lecturing voice, Inez instructed Ruri. "I figured that you'd try to help your younger self out. If you felt embarrassed in one suit over the other you'd obviously try to make me use the other. Oh, and you better keep your voice down, wouldn't do us much good for the crew to hear an unknown female voice from inside our quarters."
Grumbling slightly, Ruri complied to keep her voice down, but the lecture brought up several questions in the woman's mind. "Inez, can I ask you a few questions that I've been thinking about?"
Fluffing the bunny suit for maximum size, "Never stopped you before from asking, not like I can offer you much help though."
"For starters, was it a sick joke that you named me 'Nakushita Hitori?"
"I think it fits you quite well," Inez replied with a hint of mirth in her voice.
Reaching for her respirator mask, "Naming me 'Lost One' isn't funny. I don't really like being reminded of this every time somebody talks to me. Second question, what happened to the other Akito?"
Inez actually stopped her preparations, unlike the name that came to her at the spur of the moment; she had given some thought to this boson-jumping incident. Being the forefront leader in terran boson jumping science, she did have some previous knowledge on the matter. "I think he went where he was planning to."
Not being accustomed to being unable to follow, Ruri was slightly jilted, "I don't understand you."
Broken from her revelry, Inez began the job of gathering all the required items for her show, and when her arms were covered she handed the remaining items to Ruri, who was now fully in her disguise. "I don't think boson jumping is just teleportation in a location sense. You told me that Akito once teleported two weeks into the past." She waited for Ruri to snap on the last of the straps on her helmet before continuing. "So it is possible that the jump can take somebody not only to the place they want to be, but also WHEN they want to be."
"That still doesn't account for Akito's location," Ruri said, her voice distorted by the 'respirator's' voice modulation.
Stopping at the door of their room, Inez offered Ruri this last bit of information before she walked into public, "He probably went to the test location while you went back in time.so there is no alternate Akito."
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"Three.Two.One.KABOOM"
"HI KIDS!" Yurika chirped in her rabbit disguise, slightly disgusted but also enjoying the silly costume. "It's time to GET TO KNOW THE NADESICO."
While the last part was said in tandem with the young Ruri, her voice was nearly blotted out by the now fully in-character Captain. From behind the camera, Inez was hard pressed not to burst into a fit of laughter by Yurika's sudden zeal for the role. Had she had known Yurika was hoping for a certain male to see her in her cute costume and want to get a closer look, and to get back the 'item' she purloined from his quarters, she may not have been so quick to put the captain off.
She had to stop her actors however when Ruri had yet to actually say a line while facing the camera, "CUT! Ruri do you know who this is being made for?"
The young tech turned to the camerawoman, "Your own amusement?"
Yurika looked slack-jawed at the girl who said exactly what she was thinking but dared not, "Now Ruri, I'm sure Miss Fressange has a good reason for making this."
"Actually she is partially right," Inez admitted, "But eventually I'm sure we'll get back to earth and when we can show this to little children."
Yurika noticed that Nakushita slowly made his way out of the room and was replaced by Goat. She didn't know much about Nakushita, save that he was Inez's assistant and would often visit the mess hall. Yurika wondered at that as she never saw the man actually eat, she didn't either she was there to watch Akito cook or hopefully talk to him.
"Miss Fressange what are you doing? We're in dire straights! We can't escape Mars, our shields are low, and we're surrounded by the enemy is this some sort of joke!" The large military man asked in a tone nobody in the room really cared for.
Not one to like having her actions questioned, Inez's tone dripped with irritation and anger, "No, the joke would be your attempt at a rescue. Saving only two lives is hardly a successful mission."
Yurika saw the two's argument had the potential for an actual fight and sought about a quick solution, even if she knew she had to lower herself again to achieve it. Making full use of her talents and her current appearance, Yurika set out to look and sound as cute as she possibly could.
Watery eyed and gushing, Yurika addressed Goat, "Please Mr. Horrey let us film? We just want to bolster the crews feelings.so please let us film?" She felt sick to her stomach having to beg and act like a fool, but if it helped move things along with no damage or further degradation she'd do it.
Inez however wasn't to keen on letting the large man off the hook, "It's Nergal's fault for this. They gave you all misinformation about what to expect on this planet. But then again my opinion is bit skewed."
Ruri took this moment to enter the conversation, "I agree, you are an odd person."
Looking at her one-day apprentice, Inez smiled, "Well if you'd have had my upbringing you'd be strange too," Inez then told the assembled crew of her being found in the Martian desert. In her mind however, Inez thought of something, her childhood was much like Ruri's only she wasn't teleported in time nor had a savior like she did, that she knew.
Be it Yurika's overt cuteness and wiles, or Inez's fairly sad recounting of her past, Goat found himself wearing a pair of ears himself and running the camera as Inez joined the on-stage actors.
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Akito was not very happy. For some reason his day just continued to get stranger and stranger. First he accidentally ran into the Admiral and knocked him to the ground. After helping the ageing man up and dusting him off, it appeared that the man was actually looking for Akito.
After admitting the Admiral into his quarters, Akito was both shocked and gladdened by the gift the man offered him. Not one to drink heavily, Akito instantly noticed the spiked tea, but found it actually quite soothing. The hint of sake worked wonders on the stress he was feeling.
He needed that soothing as the Admiral seemed fond on not saying anything and just watching him drink. After an odd exchange of words, mostly from the Admiral, Akito was left with the tea service.
Just as he saw the elderly man standing to leave, the vid screen that was droning in the background caught his attention.
Shock gripped the pilot at what he saw, "MY GEKIGANGER LIMITED FIGURE!" Rushing out of the room, leaving a very confused and slightly agitated Admiral, Akito was rushing down the hallway of the Nadesico towards where he hoped he'd find the amateur filmmakers. As luck would have it however he again slammed his body into another.
Standing over the body of one of the two new crewmembers, Akito extended his hand, "Sorry Nakushita, I was in a hurry. You ok?"
From behind her mask, Ruri's breath was stolen from her. Before her eyes was the object of her dearest affections, but she couldn't do anything. With a slight prayer to Inez for installing the voice modulator again she responded in her now raspy clearly masculine voice, "No harm done."
Gripping the gloved hand with his own, Akito was shocked at how small it felt in his own. Hefting the figure to its feat proved to shatter the previous comment as Nakushita collapsed back to the ground. "Nakushita? You sure you're alright?"
Gripping her suddenly throbbing ankle, Ruri had no choice but to shake her head no. From the months under the Martian soil, Ruri had her run in with medical problems, her leg wasn't in any serious trouble, but it would hurt like hell if she walked on it. "Its just a slight sprain from the fall. Be fine in a few hours."
His concern for the relic of Guy's memory fading in place of concern for the unfortunate man he hurt, Akito wasn't going to let it slide. "Let me help you to your quarters at least ok?"
'Still kind to everybody you meet,' Ruri thought with the bitter feelings of her forced charade in her mind. Wanting nothing more than to reveal herself to him, Ruri wouldn't risk speaking. She feared her emotions would give her away. Instead she simply nodded and guiltily draped an arm around Akito's shoulder. 'He'll think I'm doing it for support.'
Remembering what Inez told him upon there meeting, "I guess you can't talk much so can you point me in the right direction?" Akito asked. He felt a bit awkward with another man holding him like Nakushita was doing but he wouldn't comment.
Hobbling along while leaning heavily against Akito, Ruri pointed the way towards her shared domicile. She was reveling in the slight smell her mask allowed her to partake in as they walked. She listened to Akito inform her of all the small things about the Nadesico that she already knew, but wasn't suppose to.
"Can you tell me how it happened?" Akito asked suddenly.
Rocked from her sudden comfort induced drowsiness, Ruri pointed to her throat and shook her head no.
Akito nodded in understanding. "It must be hard on you. Those Jovians took so much from us all. Its not fair."
Looking at the pain on Akito's face through her darkened visor, Ruri could feel the hurt radiating from him. It sickened her. Here she was alive and well, while the fact that Akito didn't know it was causing him such pain. What hurt worse was she felt the same way he did. Glad the mask shielded her eyes as a few tears streaked down her cheek, she pointed to a door that the pair had just passed.
"Your place?"
Pointing to the sign that indeed indicate that both Inez and Nakushita dwelled within. Ruri felt torn. She adamantly wanted to remain with Akito, but she knew the chances of her breaking down were so great that she shouldn't risk it.
Dislodging himself from the wounded 'man,' Akito stopped and looked directly into the visor, "Can you ever take that off?"
Before she had a chance to think, her body responded by nodded in the affirmative. Elated to see a smile grace Akito's face, Ruri hoped that she didn't just make matters worse.
"Glad to hear it," the man said, with a definite show of joy. "We'll have to do something some time. Maybe use the simulator or something. You know guy stuff," he finished with a grin. Looking at the poor man before him, Akito was slightly glad. He had another guy to hang out with. With all those women about, Akito was hoping that he'd stumble upon somebody who he could relate with.
He didn't really have much in common with the other males aboard the ship. Jun instinctively didn't like him for obvious reasons. The tech crew seemed to have a cliché that didn't involve him, save for Uribataki.
With another wave, Akito left by saying, "Take care Nakushita, hope to see you soon." The door to the room was then sealed leaving Akito to face the nameplate again. Then it struck him like a blow to the stomach. 'Inez Fressange.'
"I know I've heard that name before I meet her the other day," the mused as he continued towards his original goal. Forcing every nuance of memory to work for him, he recalled it and shouted in front of a pair of gossiping women, "Ruri's old boss!"
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Inez was left with the cleaning duty, a fact that irritated her. Folding up the rabbit suit that Yurika had discarded so harshly, Inez began thinking of the punishment that her dear roommate would suffer. She was feeling put off as well by the obvious lie that Mr. Prospector had used to force there filming to a halt.
The end result was still favorable though, using her frequent off camera time, Inez used a few of the security codes that Ruri had told her of to watch those watching the show. "Two sleeping pilots, one confused, a resin figure of Yurika in the suit," she could just feel the blackmail potential for that little fact. She thought of the numerous others she had seen watching her show. 'Build a fan base then hit them with the real information. Nergal won't have a ship of loyal sheep anymore,' Inez fashioned.
Her cleansing ritual was cut short by the sudden eruption coming from the door. One of the boxes she had just stacked had been tipped over by her unknown and noticeably clumsy guest.
"If you're going to do that, you can help clean it up," she doctor addressed the mass of clothing writhing on the floor.
Freeing himself from the tangle of assorted costumes, Akito addressed the only person he could see in the room, "I will if you give me my Gekiganger figure back."
'Gekiganger.so that's where the Captain got it. She stole it from him hoping to draw him here. Clever, very clever of her.' Fressange thought as Akito walked the remaining distance over to her. "So you must be Tenkawa- san. Glad to meet you off the battle field," she said as she extended her hand in friendship.
Accepting her hand, Akito gladly shook it. "That is true, that was some mess. You're Inez Fressange correct?"
Gathering the spilled contents of the boxes Akito knocked over, Inez ordered the male, "Help me pack, we can talk as we finish this."
"But my fig." Akito started to say before Inez cut him off mid statement.
"Our captain took the liberty of holding on to it until she could return it to you," her voice muffled by the slight strain of lifting the box into her arms. Kicking the other box with her left leg, hoping Akito would take the hint and grab it, which he did, she headed out of the 'studio.'
In her mind, Inez was doing flips, something about Akito felt odd. She suspected the feeling of having known him before came from Ruri's recounting of their shared past, but something didn't fit with that. "Akito?"
Easily holding the other box that Inez needed storing, "Yes?" He asked he didn't feel quite ready to ask her about Ruri.
"Do you have the feeling that.never mind," thinking quickly to not offset the balance of the conversation, "you have something on your mind aside from your figure?" She asked while thinking of the other Gekiganger figure she was instructed to give back to Akito eventually.
"Back on Mars, you had an assistant," he spoke slowly and carefully. The words were hard to form; he didn't feel comfortable saying them to this woman. "Her name was Ruri, do you remember what happened to her?"
Her eyes narrowing slightly, but not enough for Akito to notice, Inez was truly worried. Knowing the truth and hiding it were at times hard matters, especially when the feelings of one of her only true friends was at stake. Using a delaying tactic to buy time to make up a believable story, "Light blue hair, yellowish eyes?"
Looking for hidden messages on the top of the box he was carrying, Akito knew that if Ruri, his Ruri, wasn't already on board she was dead. He really didn't want to know the truth, like he didn't want to learn about Santa Claus, but it was something that he needed to know. "How did.she die?"
Soaking in the flow of Akito's rather powerful statement, Inez took a new liking to Akito. He based his observations on fact. 'For his information, if she was in the base she'd have been killed. If she wasn't she died before the attack.' Akito's logic was, despite the fact he was wrong, very sound. "For a man, you have a very fastidious mind."
Blushing ever so slightly at the compliment from the woman that he suddenly realized was very attractive. The slight trace of sweat only heightening her form of her face, and served to make her clothing cling to her body, a very well toned and shapely one. 'Must have had a lot of work on Mars,' he rationalized before he banished the idea from his mind. "Thank you Inez- san."
"Inez is fine. As for my ex-assistant," she didn't miss the flinch that passed after her comment, "She died of a fever after about three months."
Finality crashing down on him, he only hoped for one thing now, "Was she in pain?"
"No, she died peacefully in her sleep. She gave me something to give to you. I can give it to you now if you want. Well once we get to my room." Stopping in her tracks she took notice that it was actually Akito leading her, "You know were my room is?"
"I helped Nakushita back here before I ran into you," Akito admitted.
Wondering how Ruri was taking that little encounter, Inez remained silent until she arrived at her room. "Just put the box down here, Nakushita may be in the middle of cleaning his gear and would take offence if you came in. I'll be right back."
Doing as he was told, Akito slid the box against the metal frame of the hallway and waited for Inez to return. As he waited he pulled something worn with time out from his side holster. "Guess I can give this to Inez.since I can't give it to her now."
Hearing what seemed to be a shout, Akito crew slightly worried, maybe he had caused more trouble than he had thought. Reaching for the door beckon, he took a step back as the door suddenly opened and Inez quickly dashed back through it, his old Gekiganger toy in hand.
"Geki?"
Handing the toy to him, Inez smiled at the honest reaction it resulted in, "She insisted on keeping it clean and in working order." Noticing the letter in Akito's left hand, "What's that?"
With a new reminder of what he lost in his right hand, he slid the old to Inez in with his left, "Right before the attack on Mars, an old friend on Earth sent Ruri and me a box of oranges and a letter a piece. This one is Ruri's. I can never give it to her personally now, so could you take it? It would mean a lot to me. A sense of closure I guess."
'Oranges.oranges.' Inez grasped the letter in her hand and tried to admonish the thought of citrus fruit from her mind. "I'll gladly take it. I'm sorry for your loss."
Holding Geki closer to his chest, Akito nodded, "Thanks. Well I better be off. Tell Nakushita I said hi and I intend to my word and take him to the simulator."
"I'll tell him," she said with a wave, all the while cursing fate for being so cruel on the two.
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From her seat to the right of the captain's podium, Minato was enjoying the drama unfolding on the other side of the bridge. From her viewpoint, only slightly blocked by the shy young computer tech, she could see the green haired pilot and Megumi arguing slightly. Adding fuel to the fire, the possessive captain was also listening, and holding what appeared to be a toy robot.
'Never a dull moment on this ship,' she mused to herself while she saw the girl, Ruri, start playing a computer game.
"What do you mean 'don't try anything' I don't understand ya!" Ryoko shouted.
Shushing the boisterous woman so that hopefully Yurika wouldn't eavesdrop, she was too late however; "I overheard your transmission the other day, calling for Akito."
Not really wanting others to know she had started to develop a soft spot for the spastic but sometimes withdrawn pilot, "I don't understand what your saying."
"Do you two need something to do?" Yurika asked, more to announce that she was listening than to really get them to work.
Both woman swore silently and turned to see Yurika, the sight of Akito's prized possession in her hand did nothing to sooth them. "HOW DID YOU GET THAT?"
Gliding her fingers slowly over the metal figure, "Oh this? Akito-chan let me borrow him for our show." She didn't really think it a lie, she figured if she had asked he'd allow her to use it. Even if they weren't officially seeing each other, the bond between them had to be strong enough for that. 'I hope.'
Neither woman really believed her however. Both knew of the kiss shared between Yurika and Akito, and neither was pleased. Minato was smiling broadly now; things were starting to heat up on the romance front. By her observations, Minato was sure Megumi was betting on her slow and steady approach would gain him Akito's heart. Yurika already figured he was hers and he just needed reminding. Ryoko, now that was something Minato hadn't figured on.
The two non-Martian women continued to glare at the captain who now seemed fit to enter a daydream where she and Akito ran a small restaurant. "What do you think of all this Ruri-Ruri?"
Pausing her game, Ruri looked at Minato, "One, I'm a child and wouldn't understand such things."
"And second?" Minato asked, something about Ruri's attitude was slightly upsetting her about now.
Pointing to Minato's consol, "We're receiving a unidentified transmission feed."
Needless to say social conversation was soon put to a halt while the crew assembled for an unknown turn of events.
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"I don't understand Inez, why is he doing this?" Akito asked as he piloted his mecha back towards the now surrounded Nadesico."
She knew why he was doing it, to save the ship, but she couldn't tell him that. "Maybe he has a plan or something. Either way we better get back to the ship," Inez said to him from the lower part of his cockpit.
The two were still uncertain as to how the events transpired between the Admiral and the bridge crew. They only knew that one moment they were told to clear ice from a clear engine, the next they're ordered back to the Nadesico after the Admiral fired upon it.
Listening over the open com-channel, they pair heard the old man's order to proceed through the chulip. "What makes him think we'll fair any better than the Crocus?" Akito asked as the fear of an icy death began creepy into his mind.
Remembering what Ruri told her about what happened before, this scene wasn't matching. Akito was supposed to know that Admiral was the cause of the accident."She left something out."
Helping Inez out of the Aesti, "Inez who left something out?"
Waving the comment off with her hand, "Nothing, we'll be fine because the distortion field will protect us. Don't worry."
The smile that the blond gave him calmed him down more than her words did. 'If she can be so calm about this, we must be ok.' Letting that belief settle in, he realized it helped him to calm down a lot. "Should we go to the bridge anyway?"
Feeling the ship begin to move towards the chulip, "I don't think we'd make it in time to affect anything, and I could use some tea."
Hoping that Yurika was handling things ok, she always seemed more in control when he wasn't around anyway, he agreed. They listened to the Admiral's farewell speech over the speaker system as they reached the galley. Akito, Inez noted, looked pained when the transmission was so abruptly severed.
"Houmei-san, could I get that tea-service back?" he asked after settling down in a chair across from Inez.
"Glad you mentioned that, he left something in it for you actually," the head chief informed the two. She turned the pot over and a letter clearly addressed to Akito landed on the table with a soft swish.
Unspeaking, Akito wondered what the man could have possible had to tell him that he couldn't have just said. Opening the letter, Akito read the man's confession.
It took Houmei holding him down, and Inez with a syringe of tranquilizer to calm the boy man down. Inez thought the old fool had gotten off easy with how his life was extinguished.
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Author notes
Again I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. I'll try to make faster updates. Well the story is making some nice headway and I've got plans for the next few chapters already in mind
Now I'm an assistant manager so.more money, more work, but I've vowed to write a scene of a story a day from now on and that really helps with flow, ideas, and output.
Well hoped you liked it, hope you review it.hope you read my other work too
Ja Mata
Zentrodie