Hikaru
by Starsinger
Okay, I decided to make Sulu gay. This is exploring his decisions regarding his sexuality (but not explicitly) during his academy years and how it affects those around him. Especially his daughter, Demora. Yes, this is cannon, Sulu did have a daughter who was old enough to be helmsman on Enterprise-B in Star Trek Generations. This surprised Kirk who blurted out, "That's Sulu's daughter?!" We're talking about the beginning of the movie, not eighty years later on Enterprise-D. It is cannon that Sulu was born in San Francisco. He states it in Star Trek IV. No one has contradicted it in cannon. Still don't own any of them. This is not intended to be a slash.
Sulu was of Japanese descent. His many times great grandparents had moved to San Francisco between the first two world wars.* They opened a shop and lost it when they were sent to an internment camp during World War II. The family dispersed after the Eugenics Wars and World War III, but, after first contact, managed to make their way back to San Francisco. Somehow, it had always been home.
Hikaru had a normal childhood growing up. His father was an avid fencer and taught him how to fence. His mother loved plants, so he learned botany. He naturally learned martial arts and some gymnastics growing up, they were handy skills to have. Hikaru, unfortunately, was short. He barely topped 5'6" tall, giving him a distinct disadvantage to many of his opponents with longer reaches. He learned gymnastics almost out of reflexive self-defense to keep himself limber and ready. Many opponents were still charging while he was doing a back-flip over their heads and cutting their legs out from under them from behind.
Hikaru graduated from high school in the top twenty-five percent of his class and soon married a girl, Lela, from the Buddhist Temple he and his family attended. The marriage lasted six months before she finally just said, "Look, you're a nice guy, but we've had sex twice!" she then pointed at her swollen abdomen, "This is the result of the first time. I won't deny you access to your daughter, Hikaru, I just don't think you're interested in women."
Demora was born three months later, she was beautiful. Hikaru and Lela took their daughter home, and soon their divorce was finalized three months later. No matter how he looked at it, he still had two people to help support. He boarded the bus to Starfleet Academy and took the short trip to the campus.
Why did he choose Starfleet over a traditional college? Well, like all military academies over the centuries, it offered a first class education without the students having to pay for it. The catch? They had to serve a minimum four years active duty in Starfleet in exchange.* What he wasn't expecting was a thirteen year old roommate named Pavel Chekov. Chekov was very young, incredibly bright, and terribly homesick. He reminded Hikaru of his little brother. Which was why when Hikaru took him home that weekend, Hikaru's mom adopted the boy.
They were both navigational/weapons track cadets, so studying wasn't an issue. Chekov often grasped concepts far more easily than Sulu did, and was able to explain them to Sulu so he was able to understand them. Hikaru took Chekov places where he could go legally. He was still too young to drink in the area of Earth where he now lived. It was then that Chekov noticed Sulu looking more at the men than the women. "Hikaru, do you not like vomen?" Pavel asked.
"Yes, Pavel, I like women. Just not in that way, according to my ex-wife," Sulu didn't resent Lela. She had kept her word and he visited Demora every chance he got. She was now seeing a dock worker on the San Francisco bay. "I'm just trying to figure out what it is I'm looking for."
"My mother alvays says, stop looking and you'll find it," Pavel commented quietly.
"Your mother is a very wise woman, Pasha," Sulu replied.
Sulu met Steve when Jim Kirk introduced them during Stellar Cartography. When asked, Kirk just said he'd tested out of his tactics class and needed something to fill the time, and Stellar Cartography at least sounded interesting. Kirk sat between them and ended up swapping seats with Steve so they could talk. The instructor never noticed.
Steve was solid and sweet. He never asked anything of Hikaru, and he was Hikaru's first experience with a man. Unfortunately, he was also on the USS Faragut when it warped away toward Vulcan one fateful summer day.
This could easily be expanded into the Steve and Hikaru show. I'm not sure I want to, who knows. I'm taking bets on whose next: Chekov, McCoy, Spock, or Pike. Pike? Sure, why not? Also, I intend to go back and revisit characters as the inspiration allows. Please review.
*George Takei and his family were in Japanese internment camps during WWII.
*Yes, this is normal. Just ask any US Military Academy graduate.