BLUE SUB No. 6: RESTLESS TIDES

Pt 1: "In the Water"

.o.o.o.

Kino brushed a few strands of orange-red hair out of her eyes. Her hair was really starting to get long… well, long for her, at any rate. Now that she was enjoying her 'retirement' from the Fleet, she could dispense with her ever so sporty (and as she felt, boyish) buzzed hair.

She was still shorter then she cared to be. It was pretty irritating to be barely five feet tall when all the men- both Asians (like Hayami or Kisaki) and foreigners (such as Maxtable or Warlock) towered over her by about a foot.

She knew she was not unattractive, and she also knew that she had a female side to her that had always been there. But she certainly didn't come close in terms of raw form like Dianna- who, now as a hybrid (and possible even when she was human) radiated femininity and sexuality.

She grimaces as she looked at Hayami. He was miles away from the man she had first met. But in the end, that was probably for the best. His entire persona was different; the glimmer in eyes and his posture had changed.

She was around often. She came by to say hello and tell him about things in the rest of the world. She'd smile at Mutio, who seemed to act more human every day, and the strangely cute baby she cradled in her arms.

Damn the kid… Mizuko was a cute little girl. Despite her own personal views, she often found herself relenting and smiling back at her, talking to her, but not yet comfortable to ask to hold her.

Mutio and Hayami carried her around a lot. And at times, Jinnah would pick her up and examine her, just to return to the child with a smile of reassurance to the parents.

.o.o.o.

"Most new fathers worry about things like changing diapers and things like that." Hayami began. He glanced down into the pool of water, taking in both his reflection and the small form floundering in the water.

"But my first concern is my infant girl learning how to swim." He added with a sigh of resignation. He was over at Doctors' complex in the natatorium. Mizuko was happily splashing about with her mother.

Kino glanced up as he spoke. She had been sitting at the other end with her feet dipping into the water. She was wearing just a simple t-shirt and an old pair of short. Somewhere around her was Emma. "It could be a lot worse." She spoke and glanced around. "Emma?" She began.

Hayami and Mutio stopped and looked over to where the small young woman sat, her gaze shifting from place to place.

"Come on, Emma." Kino pleaded. She shifted and leaned on one side to try and see deeper into the water. Suddenly, a pair of slender dark hands reached up and pulled her down into the water.

Hayami smiled as Mizuko laughed in Mutio's arms. "She sure seems a lot better now." He declared with a grin.

Kino came back up; soaking wet and her hair plastered top her forehead and shoulders. She spit out water and glared at him. "Yeah, she's really full of energy too." She moaned, glared half-heartedly at the smiling hybrid next to her.

Hayami walked over to her and helped her out of the water. "Have you heard from Dianna at all, these days?" He asked calmly.

She nodded, picking up a towel and beginning to dry herself off. "Yeah, I spoke to her a few days ago." She added.

She small girl dried her hair vigorously with the towel and then set it down, glaring at the smiling Emma with an expression that failed to really come across as menacing.

"She didn't go into a lot of details, but from the sound it, some pretty exciting things are happening to her right now." Kino remarked. "Her and Cray seem to be having some trouble."

"Cray?" Hayami asked, walking back over to the other end of the pool and looking down into the water. He held out his arms and took his child, cradling her gently.

Sudden realization struck Kino. "Oh yeah, you don't know about him?" She asked. "He's a fox hybrid that Dianna met… something about him being lost and trying to get him home." She added.

Hayami grinned. "Really, that's it?" He asked with a mischievous grin on his face.

Kino smiled back at him knowingly. "I don't buy it either." Kino began. "Personally, from the way she's talking about him- well, she knows him a lot more intimately then she's letting on."

Hayami chuckled and glanced down at Mizuko. "Wow, so she's got a lover now…" He spoke as he regarded the little girl.

Kino nodded in agreement. "Yes, and a young one too!" She added deviously. She then walked over to table where she had set down her belongings. She produced a small slips of glossy paper and help it for him to see.

Hayami walked over and glanced at it for a moment…

…The image showed Dianna, dressed in her usual clothing- long coat and hat- smiling broadly and hanging her arms over two people. One was a young-looking fox hybrid with messy blond hair and dressed in a simple pair of pants and a white shirt. The other was a brown-haired girl dressed in a pair industrial overalls and an army-green military jacket. Both of them were smiling as well, though Cray seemed to be blushing slightly.

"Who's the girl?"

Kino perked up. "The picture was faxed here with a note- her name is Janise, and she's traveling with them now… I'm not sure on the details."

Hayami nodded. "Wow, sounds like quite a story." He added, glancing down at Mizuko as she smiled up at him.

"Yeah, it does." Kino replied, replacing the photo into her satchel. "We'll have to ask her about it when she gets back…"

(- End of Pt 1 -)

.o.o.o.

Well, I'd just like to say now that this does seem a long time coming. Over the last 5 years (2002-2007!) I've written a total of 28 chapters about the Blue Sub No. 6 series and its characters. There's also the 13 I've written for Gaiden as well and the 4 I've co-written with the Toltec. (Wow, that's… 46 chapters, and all for your reading pleasure!)

I've found over time that not everyone likes the H/M pairing. But, now that I've spent so much time trying to make this concept believable, it seems alright to me. The arguments against this are reasonable too, but that's a matter of taste.

For me, I just couldn't see him settling down with someone like Kino… I liked her character enough to feel that she could be more then just some girl pining after Hayami.

Writing for her was challenging. I had to find the right point between resentment and acceptance for her. I think she always knew the path Hayami would choose- she just wouldn't like it.

Dianna virtually writes herself most of the time. She's been a huge help in the story, as she's allowed me to shift focus from Hayami at times. She also gave me a chance to write someone who could interact with the others on a totally different level (especially Kino).

This story will update again at some point, but also check out Gaiden- it's going to be really important in my later work.