Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or it characters..but i own my characters as well as AKFG that are locked away in my closet! (OKAY! not really..) nor my

idol Robespierre/French Revolution..or their titles/

Author Note: Gomen for the late postment! I am finishing school..for the summer and next week I have exams..so I am very busy and also I am writing my other story and resting as much as possible but i hope you enjoy this latest chapie!

Chapter 8: Proof

The observational lounge had not changed since she had gone in it last which could of been like a few hours ago but with no sense of time..she felt like it to be a eternity. Of course she dreaded to see Tomoyuki among Picard and his senior officers but he couldn't of been seen. He hadn't been invited as she persuaded herself silently.

There was no other explanation...she didn't want to look into a face she couldn't stand for more than five seconds. He pissed her off to the point of her longing to punch him if she ever laid eyes on him but that was avoided with him not coming. Didn't he get? She guessed he did by not showing up.

Picard was standing up erect as she entered the lounge tagging behind both Data and Natsumi but their main focus was on her. Her perfect ness disgusted Tomiko to the proud ness level but she couldn't do anything about it. Nothing could be done. Was she suppose to be expected that way?

That was the way Natsumi had been built..maybe this was fate to be here? To be here in this new circumstance...? She kept debating this matter over and over..it greatly fueled a lot of questions which none could be answered. Didn't Picard say he was busy with elsewhere matters?

She took her seat and she felt the true weight of their stares. Deanna caught Tomiko's eyes sensing a deep bitterness but she pulled away afraid to be seen by the others. She had cried right in front of DATA! What kind of insult to her injury did she give, to cry in front of someone that wasn't even HUMAN? ARGH!

But she kept herself tidy on the outside showing no stress or rather any emotion other than seriousness and grimness. She had noticed that both Data and Natsumi had taken seats near her general area. She wouldn't care to know a matter like that.

"Sir?" She asked in a rather dignified tone somehow inside standing up like Picard unafraid of anything. "but sir weren't you on another assignment..and didn't you tell Data and me that we were on our own? We still haven't done that thing..to find those two men..we've been kept busy because things keep coming up..so unexpectedly... "

She coughed rather loudly attracting more attention then anticipated but it was worth it if could lead away from the brick wall. She was sort of tired of hitting these kind of things and until someone turned on the lights, she would always be stuck in the dark.

There wasn't any proof of her existence here..not here in this room..only on Earth did they all know. But all of them couldn't of known that fact even if they were told. It was too complex.

"I was...but it sort of..ties in..with.." Picard wasn't half as serious and bilious as she, in contrast he was quite cheery and unsure of his words. "Are you mentioning to her? Her name is Natsumi-"

"Miss Tomiko named her." Data said in his matter-of-fact tone. She slapped her forehead annoyed at his intelligence. Picard smiled at that and prompted himself to get more comfortable with her around. Did he think that it was sweet of her to do that?

NO!

"You did, really?" He raised an eyebrow and she reinforce by her look, her expression. He produced a little cough and sat nicely in his chair.

"Okay then..well Miss Tomiko, did you-"

"Yes sir in fact we did. Doctor Crusher informed us that Natsumi's test results would be confirmed later on." Data spoke for her when she didn't want to. He was starting to become that voice of reason that she needed to listen to while here.

In her mind, she could see that edge, she could reach up then brightness. This wasn't her only role..this wasn't.

She didn't understand..

"Miss Tomiko? Is everything alright?" Tears stung heavily in her eyes and she could only recognized the mechanic voice of Data calling from her thoughts, away from her memory that consisting poked at her, she was humiliated by it.

Her speech was marked by any attempts to scrunch up any tears and roll them back up her cheek to her eyes. Her tone was full of clogged up words that had a double meaning to them.

How long had they been talking? How long had she been like this?

"Ah..Oh..."

"Miss Tomiko?"

She smiled at her best try and placed a hand on his back hanging down her head sniffling. Her head jerked back up when Picard suggested that this meeting be postponed. She got frantical and her tears flicked up into the air landing into uncertainly.

"No..sir...Wait..sir..Please tell me..how this ties into her..." She helplessly begged and whined at the mercy at Picard holding down any stares from the shocked senior officers.

Data was at a lost while questioning her movements, her words. They didn't add up.

"You see..it seems..."

"No. I think that it is better that you get rest Miss Tomiko. You have not been granted a resting period. This must be very traumatic to you being here and all..oh and forgive my rudeness for not giving you a room..I understand that I probably offended you by not doing so. I know that your people are rather polite. I am sorry if I did so.."

She shook her head gaining a quick headache from all the shaking till she calmed. He was quick on his feet when it came to his mind and what he wanted.

She desired to know..

"Sir..It's okay..but I wish that I could do that scan..with-"

"Are you up to something like that? You seem pretty unstable.." Will commented and she felt the doses of pain shoot through her spinal. Why must he say something like that?

"I am not unstable..I am going through some...d-difficulties..that is all..sir.." She muttered meekly exasperated by her efforts to keep up the pace.

"That is not what I believe. I saw you..earlier in Ten-Forward arguing with someone. I walked in and all I heard was your voice..are you sure that you are able to handle this?" He was questioning her sanity. They did the same. Her sanity was still with her,so why believe that it was gone because one incident?

"I am sir. I am ready for whatever..." She lied.

He sensed her lies and kept pressing a bit leading himself farther in her.

"If you are having trouble you can always speak to the Counselor...Deanna Troi.."

That was the last straw. He had put too many pieces of straw on her back. She wasn't crazy then, and wasn't now! So why couldn't he just come out and call her crazy? Her sanity was driving to the edge..it was gone by the time she bolt up violently knocking down the chair. With a loud thup, all eyes were sharply on her smooth Asian featured face.

"I DON'T WANT TO!" She roared half scaring some of the senior officers but more were concerned. She hated the concern and stormed out disgusted.

The doors slid closed after her and everyone began to talk in the uneasiness.

"Mr. Data, can you watch over her?" Picard asked adjusting his shirt.

"Sir?"

"Could you, if it will not interfere with your work?"

"Aye, sir." Data got out of his seat and headed out the doors leaving.

Silence was vengeanceful

"Deanna, what did you sense from her?" Will rudely asked.

The Counselor popped her fingers before answering as she set them together laced with the other hand in front of her on the table. "I sensed a lot of anger..I sensed a lot..of pain. Of hurt...Will what did you hear in Ten-Forward?"

Meanwhile back outside in the corridor where Tomiko sat up against the wall watching and eyeing the passerby's evilly. Data swiftly walked towards her seeing her in the distance.

"Well...there you are Data. Did Picard tell you to watch me?"

"Yes. How did you know?"

She sighed. "Because I figured. It happened then and it happens before.." She mumbled and he gave her his classical look of bewilderment. She slowly climbed up wasting no time to bring back her cheeriness forgetting the most recent events, making her mind and memory clean and blank.

"I do not understand.."

She giggled. "You don't have to. Sometimes you don't..." She rested her eyelids halfway on her eyeballs but they lifted off when Natsumi appeared. Tomiko struggled to use the wall to itch her way up but Data suddenly grabbed her by her hand and planted her on her feet.

"Natsumi?" Why had the little girl come? Why!

The little girl didn't play anymore. She stood in front of Tomiko with her hands on her hips smirking. What was up with that?

"You can't avoid me..you can't. So please stop. I know what you did..."

Tomiko shut her eyes remembering her in the suitcase and what she had looked like. Sleeping..so silently. So alone..

Then in that situation, she protected the suitcase now, she wanted no part of this but it was her fate that intertwined her to this. She cursed under her breath. Who said she was averting Natsumi? Who said that? She herself, never admitted her own feelings but she was sure something had changed from then to now. Something in her clicked off.

Was it a mistake to be here? Now the people here believed her to be unstable, unable to do much..now she would be treated as crazy, cripple like person.

Maybe she was allowing her feelings about Tomoyuki interference with her old feelings of Natsumi? No..That wasn't it.

It happened long ago.

This wasn't her day. None of it. Was her life this way being reflected in this little girl?

"I know that you did..I'm sorry if I did things..that wasn't so..nice. I can't make any excuses about it. I think that it is."

"Think what?" Data inquired.

"Nothing." She replied quickly kneeling down a bit reaching and taking Natsumi's hand and shaking it. Did she reach it? Did she reach some kind of ephitny? Did she reach more by befriending this little girl that revealed more of herself that she had lost?

There was no telling what was unfolding. All was getting better..all was alright for the brief moment they held onto each other.

BAM!

She banged her head against the wall which knocked her almost to unconsciousness but with another banging of the starship she was already back on her feet standing up tall resisting the extreme shaking and holding/protecting Natsumi. Data made sure they were both all right before retreating to the main bridge. What was going? As she held the little girl in her arms, a feeling that hadn't appeared for some time came back to the surface when they had both met unintentionally. Any negative emotions she acquired was just gone for this second as she acted like her brother so long ago in her own memory of him.

"You okay?"

Natsumi rubbed her head waking up almost getting trampled in the now crowded hallway. People ran frantically to and fro, some were personnel, part of Picard's crew. They too traced the same path to the bridge as Data went. One woman with short blonde hair showed up walking almost passed sparked a jump start in Tomiko's memory.

"HEY! YOU!" She called out gaining the woman's attention. Now that was much better she thought when the woman's eyes met her face.

"Aren't you that girl we found on that ship ?"

"Umm...yeah..if that is what you call it.." Tomiko bit her lip letting Natsumi take the ground with her feet. The woman's eyes darted to the little girl.

"Wasn't she in that suitcase?"

"Yeah..but since that I sort of remember you. I want to ask you something. Do you know what is going on?"

The woman looked serious. Reminded of her Saint-Just when Tomiko had always asked a really stupid question to him. She did that on purpose really towards him but right now she herself was trying to rely that same expression.

"Yes."

"Then what is it?"

"Its the Romulans.."

"Romulans..who?"

"Romulans. Apparently we pissed them off somehow. I can't tell you how but we did."

"Ah..I see.." Tomiko pretended to know what the hell was being said. She didn't want to appear stupid by her lack of knowledge of the 24th century. "The damn Romulans. Is Captain Picard on the main bridge?"

"Yes. Why do you need to know something like that? Only personnel is allowed there."

Tomiko's eyes shimmered in the dimming light. "Because I believe he'll make an exception." The woman was shocked too say anything more.

Tomiko believed it to be true for some reason. Was there a reason for this sureness? Of this faith?