Standard Disclaimer

Its been awhile since I updated this story, sorry about that. Its been a little while since I updated anything. Reason being my new job has taken a little time to adjust too, that and the move. But as time moves on I should get adjusted to my change and be able to get more out there.

Hope your still enjoying the story and hope you continue to support it. And to you Sleepy Kitty…waiting over.

X-

Anata no Ichiban ni Naritai

Chapter 15 – A simple request

'He's an idiot!' Ryoko's mind said for the untold time. Her hands doing routine maintenance on her Aesti, Ryoko allowed her mind to replay the mission from only a few days ago. The five Aestivalis units had to walk the distance from the Nadesico to the 'Walking Stick' and destroy the target using less than traditional methods. "How did the military of the past even think of using tanks?" Ryoko asked herself as she adjusted the ankle joint in the right leg of her unit.

Shaking antiquated military strategy out of her mind, Ryoko went back to thinking about the pilot of the pink Aestivalis. 'He was all weirded out about teamwork that he didn't mind being the pack mule. He cooked for us, hell he even took the thing out in the end, but why is he such an idiot!' It was infuriating her how Tenkawa wormed his way into her mind without even trying to. Akatsuki had tried to work his way into her pants, much to every female crewmembers fear and understanding. But no, Tenkawa had succeeded with so little effort and she couldn't get him out of her mind! 'Izumi and Hikaru aren't helping either.'

To punctuate her internal comment an energetic voice called out from over her shoulder. "Thinking about 'your' Tenkawa again?" Hikaru joked as she slapped Ryoko's back. For Izumi and Hikaru it was amazing to see Ryoko even mention a guy's name. So they couldn't just let Ryoko slide by without comment on it. Sure they were a little excessive on occasion, but if it helped Ryoko to actually try so much the better. "Or were you thinking of what you were going to cook for him next time?"

"Stir-fried Tenkawa ala Ryoko," Izumi said deadpan from her own repair work, then she fell over laughing at the joke only she understood. Having lost multiple fiancés, Izumi wasn't totally onboard for Ryoko getting together with another pilot, but she couldn't lie about how smitten Ryoko was for Akito. 'Whether she knows it or not, she likes him. She's young yet so if it does go bad, she'll bounce back.'

Ryoko's eyes narrowed in anger and her eyebrows hunched slightly above her brow in agitation. So she had taken Akito a plate of food when the other girls had as well after the beach incident. And so what if she had brought him food during the mission, food that he had made. 'That doesn't mean I like that idiot!' But part of Ryoko couldn't resist having resentment for Akatsuki for ruining the moment. She could feel something resonating between Akito and her. But Nagare just had to make his 'heart broken' comment and how she had to be careful or Akito would try to smother her with his problems. "It's not like that!"

Tilting her head ever so slightly, Hikaru leaned over Ryoko and intimidated the young teal haired woman to hunch against her Aesti. "So you weren't hitting on him when you thought we were asleep?" Ryoko's growing blush answered Hikaru's harassment, but that didn't stop the doujinshi artist. "I just wonder what would have happened if Akatsuki hadn't been there to put a stop to your budding hormones.

The anger on Ryoko's face was replaced with shock and fear. 'They had been awake! They were supposed to be asleep!' Ryoko had made sure to check her fellow lance-mates and had been assured they were asleep before she made her move. Adrenaline started pouring in Ryoko's veins as the look on Hikaru's face turned almost evil as the sneer widened. "What do you want me to do to not have you blabbing about this?"

Never one to not let teasing Ryoko get her out of work, Izumi replied quickly, "Finish the repairs on my unit's shoulder joint." She handed Ryoko the needed tools and headed for the showers with a smile. Hikaru's request was simply and more childish. She wanted a weeks worth of dessert coupons, then she too left to allow the tomboy more time to think about how she wasn't falling for 'that idiot.'

From his workstation on the far end of the room, Seiya was in shock after hearing the pilots talking. "Why does Tenkawa always get the babes?" A few of his subordinates rallied in their cry of injustice! While there were plenty of other women aboard the Nadesico for the men, and Seiya was married, it was just so odd to have Akito be so popular. And it was a nice for anger release to vent on Akito.

Section Divider-

"So what's got you so agitated now? Akito asking if it's ok for him to date again?" Inez asked as she once again found Ruri staring blankly into space from her bed. At times Ruri seemed totally fine to Inez, then at others she looked beyond lost. Having spent a large part of the day examining the data from the Walking Stick, something Ruri had helped in, Inez was to tired to just watch her friend.

Ruri's mind was not on Akito for the moment, but on herself. Soon something would happen or not happen that could drastically alter her former self. "Omaikane is about to start attacking U.F. ships. A task force from Nergal is going to appear to rework his sentience program." That couldn't be helped, but what had Ruri worried was if her younger self would ask Akito for help like she had done.

Taking her lab coat off and tossing it into a pile of dirty lab coats needing cleaning, Inez relaxed into a chair. She had wondered how the computer would react to battling both U.F. ships and the Jovians. Now she knew, but she didn't know why Ruri was upset about it. "And you hope to will Omaikane into not doing this, or are you leaving something out?"

"I ask Akito to help me save Omaikane, we use the simulator gear to jack into his memory and remove enough data to save him and get the U.F. forces to leave." Getting out of her laying position and letting her bare feet touch the cold metal floor, Ruri shivered at the touch. Her mind constantly reviewing what had happened in her life that lead her to asking Akito, and what would happen if her younger self didn't. "When I was younger I asked Akito because I saw him as like me. Afterward I started to think of him more often."

Nodding as the words flowed from Ruri's mouth and into her brain. Inez was starting to understand what her young ward was worried about. If her younger self didn't ask Akito to fulfill his role in saving Omaikane it would signify changes in her feelings. And if the younger Ruri didn't have the required feelings come time of the jump test the older Ruri wouldn't exist. "Is their anything you can do to force this to happen?"

Knowing full well that she had no options to take that didn't jeopardize things more, Ruri shock her head regrettably. "Only a few people knew that we actually performed that mission. If we tell other people we risk more." Ruri could count on one hand the total number of people that knew of the mission to save Omaikane.

Reaching across her desk to grab Ruri's helmet, Inez tossed the bulky adornment across the room. "Then stop moping about it. Go talk to Akito and enjoy the time. If things go bad I say you reveal yourself, tell him the truth, and have as much joy as you can before you vanish." It was both hurt and joy that Ruri's face registered upon catching not only the helmet but also the logic along with it. If she were to die, why not go out happy.

Sensing the want to be with Akito swell within her, Ruri donned the cursed disguise and secured it tightly. She both hated and loved it. It allowed her mobility but stole her identity. "You can be a real bitch at times you know that Inez?" Ruri said knowing the voice modifier stole the hint of humor from her words, but knew from Inez's smile the woman didn't hold it against her.

Section Divider-

"Any progress on identifying the fourth jumper?" Nagare asked from his reclined position in his room. He had heard his door open and close, but didn't spare the moment to glance at his visitor. Only two people beside himself could gain access to his room. Yurika, and if it was her, Nagare's question still fit, but he wouldn't have cared as much. The other person was his personal secretary Erina. He didn't really expect Yurika to visit him personally, yet.

Hating the man as much as she respected him, Erina took a seat in the only chair in Nagare's quarters. She had spent a lot of time trying to identify the fourth jumper, but no leads bore any fruit. "We may have to face the possibility that they got off the ship somehow. I suggest we move on to Tenkawa as our primary test case." As he was the first of the remaining three to jump, and the least known he was the best candidate. Losing a captain, as much as Erina hated Yurika, or a prominent scientist would be to widely known.

Chuckling softly Akatsuki reached over and took Erina's hand. "You're not saying that because you're sweat on him are you?" Nagare knew it wasn't the case, Erina was to career minded, but it didn't hurt to inspect every angle, just in case. As the woman quickly withdrew her hand from his, he felt a tiny bit of rejection, then let it pass. Listening to Erina's well thought out plans and reasons, Nagare nodded in the appropriate places and agreed. "We just have to wait for the right time to force him into our open arms. Don't hold him to tightly now."

Her feeling of revulsion from having her hand held by his was fading, but his open flaunting of her feelings hurt worse. The man seemed to love agitating and humiliating her. But for her career, for her personal honor she'd bear with it. "I don't intend to hold him at all, that'll be R&D's job once he agrees." Part of her mind however, unknown to the higher synapses was starting to wonder if being held 'by' Akito was such a bad thing. Her place as a woman in a man's game was hard on her pride. Things were expected of women, secretaries even more so. And as Akatsuki finally started to move on his bed and face her, she could feel the revulsion in her stomach rising.

"I expect that you'll convince him Erina, using any means necessary. We can't allow the Jovians to have the boson jumping edge on us." Gazing into Erina's beautiful eyes, Nagare for a moment thought of the person before him as a woman, and not a tool. Then Erina shifted and looked away from him and the moment was lost. "For now I suggest you try to find out as much about him as possible, and while you're at it investigate Inez and her protégé. Something seems out of place there."

Saluting the man and heading for the door, Erina hoped she could get the goose bumps on her arms to vanish. Being around superiors made her uncomfortable, unclean almost. She had done a lot to get to her place in Nergal, and some things she wasn't proud of, so whenever in the presence of somebody that could end her dreams, Erina hoped for the best yet expected the worst. As the doorway to Akatsuki's room closed behind her she let out a long held sigh, and headed off to perform her duties.

Section Divider-

From hearing Yurika's request, Akito didn't know what to say to Nakushita when the two met up for their daily spar. His student was going to be soon put into actual combat, and since they had yet to get new Units, he wouldn't be there to support him. 'What if I didn't train him well enough, what if he dies because of I didn't teach him something important.' Akito knew how he'd react to the news that Nakushita died in battle due to his lack of adequate training. He'd never forgive himself.

When Ruri walked up beside Akito and found him deep in thought, she couldn't resist the temptation of poking his side. Smiling behind her mask as Akito jumped into the air and turned to find his assailant, a mix of fear and anticipation clearly on his face. Her mind questioned, who did Akito think it was, was he happy to see 'him', or was he hoping it was one of his would-be girlfriends. Seeing Akito put his hand across his heart and the spreading look of relief on the man's face, Ruri relaxed. "What's going on in your mind that has you so lost?"

'What to tell you,' Akito thought with morbid humor as he walked into the simulator room. Following closely, Ruri was perplexed to not have an answer already, Akito seemed to be stalling for some reason. When he did open his mouth, both of them were already into their third match. "Do you feel comfortable behind the controls of the Aestivalis yet?"

Waiting to respond until after she trounced him into the ground ending the match. "I feel fairly comfortable. But this isn't a real Aestivalis. Simulation is never as good as the real thing." Where was Akito going with this conversation? A cold nub of suspicion began to fester and grow inside Ruri's chest. 'Maybe somebody's seen us and thinks its time I…'

Ruri's internal debate was answered as Akito spoke. "Yurika wants you to start flying in patrols soon. She said she watched a few of our sessions and thinks you're ready." Knowing that he too believed the man was very capable and likely to be a great pilot, but his own self-doubt and the selfish desire to not put a friend at risk kept him from being totally in agreement.

The cold nub of suspicion turned into paralyzing fear, as Ruri understood what the conversation was about. They were talking about putting her into active combat. The idea of fighting wasn't what scared Ruri, it was the drastic change in the timeline. "I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. Surely I would need more training than this before I sortie." In a normal military setting Ruri would have been totally correct, but the Nadesico was different. Akito was placed in direct combat on his first day aboard the ship with no prior piloting experience save the games he played on Mars.

"Normally I'd agree with you, but Yurika really wants to put us pilots on a rotation so we don't 'burn out' as she put it." Never did it occur to Akito that what Yurika wanted was not a rotation but his release from the Aestivalis all together. "She's telling the others about it now, so I think fairly soon you'll be out there with us."

'This wasn't supposed to happen, I was never supposed to get good enough!' Ruri's mind cried as she sunk against her controls. Surely if she went to Inez they could come up with some plan as to keep her out of the real pilot seat. But how long could they keep her out? Yurika wanted Akito as far from the Aesti's as possible so it was only a matter of time. "Do you think I'm ready for this?" Ruri's voice was pleading, not that Akito could tell.

All Akito could do was shake his head. Running his hands over each other in an act to calm his nerves, Akito thought of all the possibilities. He trusted his fellow lance-mates and knew that Nakushita wouldn't be a drag on them. And if it was a rotation that would give him a chance to pilot with Nakushita for real, something he actually like the thought of. "In the end its not up to me. I think you'd be a great pilot and would help us out a great deal, but I can't tell for sure."

Before Ruri could respond the door way opened and a loud yell reverberated in the small room. "TENKAWA! What is this I hear that Nakushita's been beating you in the simulators! That nut bar captain wants him put on the roster!" Ryoko yelled hotly into Akito's face. Her breath streaming down Akito's nose as the woman bore down on him. For a moment Ruri felt sorry for Akito, then her own sense of humor kicked in and found the concept of the bravest male pilot on the Nadesico cowering before his female counterpoint.

The back of the seat pressing hard against his back, Akito's vision was filled with Ryoko's face, and as the spittle brushed against his face, he panicked. "I've been trying to beat him, but he's better than me!" Why Ryoko was so upset, Akito didn't know. Maybe she was mad because she had trained him to a degree, or maybe she was happy. 'Maybe she's glad to be rid of me and is upset I didn't tell her sooner that he was ready.' The time they spent together on the last mission was a real eye opener for Akito. Ryoko was more like him than he thought she was a better person than he thought. And he didn't want to have disappointed her.

Shoving Akito unceremoniously out of his simulator, Ryoko took her place and looked fiercely at the masked man. "Your going to face me now rookie, I don't trust the captain's assessment !" Ryoko just didn't want to admit her real reason for being upset. That being the crumpled mass of arms and legs moaning on the outside of her cockpit. She knew, like the other hopeful suitors, that Yurika's aims were not a well-stocked pilot staff but a private chef.

Akito watched in silent awe as Ryoko and Nakushita did battle on the simulator. He had seen Ryoko pilot many times before, but today she was a totally different creature. The two would have battled almost indefinitely, as Ryoko's upset mind prevented her from using her full skills, had the emergency klaxons sounded. They were under attack.

Section Divider-

Ruri, that is the younger one, was not just worried, but terrified as to what might happen to her seemingly only friend aboard 'the ship of fools' that being Omaikane. He had targeted friendly units during the last skirmish, and now Nergal was planning on clearing out all is data to prevent further events. 'I don't want him to lose his memories, but what do I do?'

She knew of a way to stop the need for the full rewrite of Omaikane's memory but she would need hardware and somebody willing to fight for her. But with the few people she truly knew aboard the Nadesico it seemed unlikely anybody would do such for her. 'There is Tenkawa-san though. He would probably help you.'

"What's wrong kiddo?" Seiya asked as he stepped out into the simulated greenery that the arboretum offered. Seeing the large number of suit clad men carrying laptop computers, he had grown worried that they were there to spy on him or even arrest him for something he forgot he did.

Dismissing the 'kiddo' remark Ruri saw the head of maintenance and an uncertified lunatic. "I was debating on how to save Omaikane's sentience from the Nergal attempts to purge him." She had wanted to add that the man was an idiot for thinking less of her due to her age, but kept that comment to herself. The man did have access to hardware that after some alterations could easily help her cause.

Whether is was the lighting, simulated dusk, having a child Ruri's age, or even really in her voice, Uribataki felt moved to help the young girl. "Well what have you thought of so far?" He didn't know what to expect from such a young girl. When Ruri started into her detailed plan, Seiya was more than impressed he was astounded. Ruri had thought of everything she needed to pull one over on the 'proctologists.' As he had no love for the men in Nergal and downright hated the Admiral they placed aboard his ship, Seiya was all for helping Ruri. "So what do we need now?" he asked signifying his wiliness to help.

"If you'll provide the hardware all we need is one of the pilots to dive into the computer system with me." This was the tricky part in the plan. It was all for her benefit and nobody else. The rest of the ship could care less what happened to the computers memory they didn't consider it a friend. When Seiya asked if she had anybody in mind, Ruri couldn't keep her mouth shut, spilling out Akito's name to quick for her to cover up, Seiya's face grimaced for a second, then lead the young woman down to his room. Where he already had set up a hacking point of his own conveniently used to insure he and his family lived happily.

Standing in the man's room, which smelled a little off to her young senses, Ruri waited for Seiya to return with the pilot in tow. Puzzling over how to address the childish man about her whim, she had hardly come to a conclusion when the door opened and Akito was lead into the room. "Uribataki said you had something to ask me Ruri-chan?"

A faint blush spread across her face, partially in embarrassment from being called chan, and also her fear of asking him. In the end she did what she always did, said what she wanted to flat out and hoped for understanding. Bowing at the end she nearly pleaded. "Please Tenkawa-san, if you don't help me Omaikane will lose all his precious memories."

Leaning against the door, Seiya knew Akito would do it. Nobody with a caring heart would have turned down such a sincere request. But just to insure the younger man acted, "How can you turn down that face?" If Akito had intended to turn down the young girls request Seiya didn't know, but better safe than sorry.

Conflicting memories and ideas battled in Akito's mind as Ruri looked at him for his answer. He could see his Ruri in the younger girls face, the same determination, the same straightforwardness, and even the same subtle weaknesses. Smiling at the girl Akito walked further into the room. "What do I have to do?"

Section Divider-

Sitting in her room, Ruri was breaking a taboo that she hoped would go unnoticed. She was logged on to Omaikane and watching her younger self and Akito maneuver through the virtual space that represented the computer systems body and mind. She had taken safety precautions and unless somebody was actively looking for her nobody would see her, she hoped.

'With my younger self illegally logged in it won't show up on the log, so if anybody looks it'll just be Ruri Hoshino logging in as usual.' Ruri knew that if Inez were in the room the scientist would have killed her. Omaikane would know she was different, her brainwaves were different than the ones the younger Ruri had, so cross-referenced with the DNA scan required to log into the system at the level she was on, the computer would know. Ruri just hoped her old friend would talk before attacking.

Part of Ruri had relaxed dramatically after she tentatively logged into the system, and knowing where to look for her love and younger self, spotted the masking signature of Akito's mock Aestivalis. Finding them had proven that so far the time line was intact enough to keep her in it and unchanged. That was how she felt until Akito battled Omaikane's virtual defender. In her memory Akito chose to change into Dragon Ganger to finish off Omaikane, but as she watched him battle the champion of justice she was brought to near tears.

Gone was the updated and stylish Dragon Ganger, replaced with a comical super deformed likeness that struck Ruri at the core of her feelings. Akito was piloting the plush Gekiganger from their childhood, complete with giant Q-tip missiles. Ruri even saw the look of astonishment then humor on her younger forms face. 'He truly hasn't forgotten me yet, I'm still in his heart,' Ruri thought then did begin to cry. It was just too much for her to take in and accept given her inability to act.

So as the young Ruri and Akito logged out from the successful mission, leaving the new Omaikane deeply in Akito's debt, one that in the older Ruri's time was repaid by finding and telling her about his orphanage, the elder Ruri logged off as well. Pulling her hands reluctantly away from the interface, another problem was presented to the young woman. The semi-addiction she had for computers, Omaikane being even harder for her. All Ruri's life until the destruction of Mars, she had been deeply rooted with computers. Yurika had been right to force her away from the virtual setting as Ruri delved deeper into not work but need for connection.

Walking back into the shared room, Inez was baffled at the odd remarks Yurika and Megumi had said to her not twenty minutes earlier. Both women had come separate of the other and asked if she had seen Akito. Letting her sense of humor take over, Inez said she hadn't seen the man since she had given him a check up. Megumi blushed at how Inez said it while Yurika's face darkened, they had both bit into the bait but with separate results. Yurika was slowly loosing patience with the other women and was soon to play her trump card and gain Akito over them.

Letting the oddness of her fellow shipmates drift into the back of her mind, Inez saw the mixed emotions on Ruri's face. Inez saw happiness, sadness, and something attune to a fidget, something she had seen smokers do after going to long without a cigarette. "I take it the mission was a success?" Inez asked with more hope in her voice than confidence. 'She could be happy to know she'll have some time with Akito before she fades away.'

Sparing the computer interface a longing glance, Ruri knew not to tell Inez about her time on the computer. Inez had set up a viewing channel for Ruri to use, one that Ruri didn't view as she wanted to closer seat to the action. Cracking her knuckles as the feeling, no the need to log back in fell over her senses Ruri forced her attention back to Inez. "From what I can tell they were totally successful."

"So young Ruri gets a hero and a budding crush," Inez said with a smile that was bitter and joyous at the same time. Both women knew a lot of good had come of the feelings Ruri had for Akito, yet given her precarious situation a lot of bad could happen. "On a side note, I think the captain is buying into the rumors that Akito and I are hiding something from the rest of the crew."

"Oh?" was all Ruri could manage to say in regards to Inez. With the imminent fear gone, Ruri was allowed the small comfort of time again. But the feeling of being cut off started to grow again. Cut off from Akito, Omaikane, and from the rest of the crew that had became a pseudo-family to her.

As Inez broke into a full explanation of what she meant to Ruri, whether the blue haired woman wanted to hear it or not, another woman had gasped in utter shock as something totally impossible had happened. Erina was going over the computer access logs for Inez's room when she saw the young Ruri Hoshino leaving Seiya Uribataki's room followed by Akito. 'The log says Ruri was logged into the computer in Inez's room, but that isn't possible if she was over in that techs' place.'

Erina had bugged the computer access in Inez's room as per Akatsuki's orders, but she didn't think the results would pan out so quickly. Something was going on with Inez and her companion, and now seeing how Ruri and Akito had left that room together, maybe Erina had something she could use as leverage to get Akito to work for her. Not Nergal, not Akatsuki, but her. 'I have a lot to work on now…but this could be really interesting.'

End Chapter-

Author notes

Yes things are getting more complicated as things get simpler. Can't have a good story without multiple layers to it now can you? Hope you liked this chapter and I hope you continue to read it and forgive me for my sporatic times in updating it. I'll try to work faster on it while improving the quality of work.

Ja Mata

Zentrodie (zentrodie-at-secondimpact-dot-com)