DISCLAIMER: Mai Otome and its characters are Sunrise property and they have my thanks.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: 11/10/09- As I re-edit these chapters adding them to the template, as well as spelling and some grammar, there will be slight upgrades in the story. I am not reposting as it is unnecessary, but those reading this for the first time will see the finished version.
Our Legacy ch31
"What part of 'get your asses back before the storm' did you not understand? Go clean up, eat something and grab some sleep before I beat your ass Kimiko," Nao said really wanting to kick the girl's ass first.
The look Kimiko gave Nao in passing only strengthened that feeling. Kimiko may have had Midori and Youko's gene's coursing through her but her features were definitely her own. Kimiko's rebelliousness though…
"Don't blame this one on me. Kaede and Mitsuko were at it again. They fight and you come down on me for it. How is that fair?" Kimiko answered looking momentarily like Midori in that moment because of her temper and her actions...
"Don't tell me you girls let them get another argument started. You should know better dear, knock her out and carry her ass there," Nao said watching as Kimiko shook her head and sighed in defeat.
"Kimiko did knock out Kaede. She had to build up her strength for it though," Cara said as she followed Kimiko out of the room. Cara was usually Kimiko's voice of reason.
"Now I understand how Miss Maria must have felt. Either I'm getting too old…Nah," Nao said as she walked towards the make shift kitchen to check on the rest of her charges, "Hey Megumi get you face out of…"
The snow was whipping around outside making visibility zero and any movement futile. The accompanying wind seemed to get stronger with each passing storm. The bunker they were living in had been built when the world started to fall apart. War and disease had claimed so many lives that Natsuki Kruger proposed this place to her replacement as a fall back for the Founder operating system.
Irina was standing over Keiko Tokiha trying to treat the young second Column's broken arm as she shifted uncomfortably. Grace Steinberg was watching from the doorway looking definitely worse for wear. They had barely made it back because of the whiteout and the wind. Keiko held the door, trying to lock herself in place as a wedge, but the storm was too strong.
"Don't worry about it Nao may be pissed but the ten of you are safe at least," Irina said as she reset the break. Keiko screamed before passing out. Grace had to stifle her cry, but Irina smiled because her job just got easier.
"Where's Megumi right now Grace?" Irina asked as she braced Keiko's arm.
"Last time I saw Megumi she was burying her face in Wang's bust," Grace answered with a smile and a wink.
"Are any of the others' hurt?" Irina asked because she knew they could be stubborn about treating wounds. Quite a few of the girls felt the nanomachines alone should be enough treatment; Kaede Armitage was the most stubborn of them all.
"No they aren't, but Megumi won't come down unless Wang makes her or she brings her food," Grace said as she watched Irina cover Keiko. Irina just shook her head and left the room to go back to the Founder core. Suddenly the bunker's PA system gave a metallic whine.
"Megumi Tokiha, haul your butt to the core for treatment and get your face away from those breasts. You may be Otome, but you aren't immortal," Irina roared over the PA feeling slightly exhausted thanks to the ten hour storm watch she had just finished.
Grace didn't want to be with the others so she climbed on one of the other beds and rested. Her faith was the only thing she had at the moment and even that was on shaky ground. There had been no contact with anyone, outside of the bunker, in close to three months and it saddened them all. So far Aries, Cardair, both Lutesian countries, Zipang and possibly Windbloom were all destroyed or lifeless. Grace fell asleep praying for Kaede and Shiori and the road ahead of them.
Windbloom Castle,
Chie was walking around the palace garden with Mitsuko enjoying everything she had once taken for granted. Arika had been with them earlier but Nina had come by to ask for accompaniment to Garderobe.
"So Mitsuko, what do you think? I think Meister Wang has babies on the brain, but do you think Arika might as well?" Chie asked as they sat by a tree. Thinking of Mashiro's recent run-ins with an unhappy baby dispelled that notion rather quickly.
Chie received word from the Aries embassy that the Presidential family would be coming to Wind soon. At this she had to laugh because the young aide had whispered family as if it were some little secret. Chie would be more than happy to return to work, but she wanted to be present for Aoi's official welcoming ceremony. This would start with Aoi's official presentation by Mashiro and the royal court of ministers. After that ceremony would be the trip to Garderobe for the Meister Inauguration Ceremony. Just thinking about it gave Chie the giggles to which Mitsuko touched her face and added her own.
"The Presidential family…"
"So you are really serious about this Nina?" Arika asked still trying to imagine Nina being pregnant. The picture never quite worked in her mind.
"Erstin and I are both serious about this but it's not like the process happens overnight. We'll have time to make plans after I tell her about this," Nina replied causing Arika to blink and double-take.
"You haven't told Erstin yet?" Arika asked running all the possible reactions in her head nearly burning some gray matter away permanently in the process.
"I …I'm being selfish because I want a part of her with me no matter what comes next. It's not like we haven't talked about it in general. She'll be graduating and then there will be her inauguration ceremony…" Nina trailed off heart heavy in her chest with everything that she couldn't say.
"That is more than selfish because you are not considering Erstin's feelings. I doubt she would be happy knowing you were raising your daughter here without her," Arika said playing devil's advocate.
"Dr. James already had consent from Erstin. I already said it was me being selfish Arika. If Mashiro does not choose Erstin for Aoi; I lose her to a master anyway," Nina said feeling chastised but still very selfish.
"This is not like the person you've become. This is how you were about Sergay," Arika said as she stood against the cool metal of the gazebo.
"That is true enough, but Erstin and I…its deep Arika and I have trouble even trying to explain it to you. You are the only other person that I thought would understand, Mashiro did," Nina said throwing Arika into another brain burning session.
"Mashiro…I forgot," Arika had to kick herself hard for not even thinking of it. Arika had the memories of Granny raising her, Nina had Sergay even though not so much as Father until now, but Mashiro truly had no one except maybe Aoi and Sakomizu. Aoi was more of a big sister type thing even though she was Mashiro's maid. Sakomizu had been too lenient until Aoi came into the picture.
"I guess even with everything that you've seen and done, you still are rather dense," Nina said getting up to leave with Arika falling into step beside her. All Arika could think of doing now was apologizing to and holding Mashiro.
Garderobe, Headmistress' Office,
Youko, Natsuki, Shizuru and now Miss Maria were discussing the new GEM's. After the call from Gal in the early morning it seemed prudent to have the older woman's input. Gal had been running system diagnostics when there was a blinding flash from Youko's new personal lab/ study/ hide-out. Gal broke in just before the flash died and then saw the new GEM's sitting there.
Gal went back to the board and noticed two GEM"s, that she had no recall of, momentarily on the screen before they dropped. The diagnostic had been aborted for some reason and so Gal called Youko immediately. This was not Gal's call to make or she would have let well enough alone. The five new GEM's had been a secret so Gal figured there had to have been a reason.
"Look I'm truly sorry about having called on all of you so early but the importance warranted it," Youko said watching Kimiko on the floor with Shiori. They were sitting with Natsuki who still didn't want to finish this conversation.
"We are discussing GEM's that don't even exist, with five that the Founder has seen fit to provide no explanation for," Miss Maria said once again stressing the abnormality of both present issues.
"They have to exist for the Founder to recognize them by name," Youko said.
"The Earthbound Pearl and The Heaven's Guide Pearl…" Shizuru said trying to avoid a glare from Natsuki.
"They don't exist in our records, nowhere in the system at all," Youko replied seeing a glare starting on Miss Maria's countenance as well.
"If you aren't able to track them or find record of them then we are talking in hypothetical circles," Natsuki said just as Nao stepped into the office. Nao looked as if she'd only just gotten in because she was dressed in her Stripes attire.
"What the Hell were you doing with the system this morning Helene? My GEM nearly blinded me and a room full of people while we were drinking," Nao said not caring if Kruger got pissed about the alcohol.
"What are you talking about Zhang?" Natsuki asked as she tried to refrain from scaring the little ones.
"Two…no, about three hours ago now my GEM activated all on its own and then dropped just as suddenly. I'm the only one I'm guessing it happened to," Nao asked eyes livid focusing on Youko.
Shizuru got up and walked to the window talking to Gal quietly through the GEM interface. Miss Maria spoke sternly to Nao about something that Shizuru missed. Natsuki was laughing and soon Nao was, but that would be amongst them. Youko was smiling, but her eyes were still fire whenever she caught Nao in her line of sight.
Nao was sitting on the floor with Natsuki and the girls, but at a respect full distance. Shizuru noticed and smiled as she walked back to them with news.
"Maya was sleeping at the time just like we were. Sarah on the other hand had been doing something or other when it activated like yours. Sarah said she didn't report it thinking someone was running a test or something. Sarah sounds unpleasantly distracted Natsuki, I think you should talk with her after all of this," Shizuru said as she sat on the couch. Shizuru was now in between Natsuki and Nao as both were leaning their backs against this couch while sitting on the floor.
"So I guess this means we include Nao in on the GEM's as well?" Youko asked trying to focus solely on Natsuki and the girls.
"Why not since it seems that this includes the Column GEM's in the equation now?" Natsuki replied picking up Kimiko and making rather rude noises that earned a nasty little smile.
"Why is it just when this job seems boring, the really weird shit starts to happen?" Nao asked as she scooped up Shiori for the very first time. No one remarked trying to hold the fragile peace in the room at the moment.
Shiori took off Nao's shades dropping them then touching her bare face. Nao and Shiori smiled at each other making her previous statement an even truer fact then Nao or any of them could have guessed.
Looking like just your average citizens Kaede and Shiori made their way through Aries. It always amazed them just how beautiful Aries was and the best part was ending up at the beach. Kaede's memories of this place burned her because she missed those times with her parents the most. Once Kaede had gone off to Garderobe and Yukino had retired from the Presidency things had slowly started to fall apart.
Not her relationship with them, but on Earl in general. It had started slowly, but hit it death spiral three years after Kaede had ascended to Meister status. For Kaede and Shiori that had been five very long years ago. Walking the vibrant streets, Kaede kept her eyes open for a paper vendor hoping to catch a glimpse of when they had actually arrived.
Twice they had arrived in the past, but Kaede hated remembering these two because she was alone in them. In the first one Ayame had died of a crib death and it seemed Aries had gone into mourning along with the President and her Meister. Kaede and Shiori had no true control of their robes outside of the ring in that place. The return had been a nasty one that saw Kaede locking her emotions down until the next localized trip.
This one had also been a bad place for it seemed that Kaede had been the only survivor of an attack on her family. They had been assassinated by a young woman named Miya Clochette. Kaede was close to her twelfth birthday, being raised by General Chie Hallard and Ambassador Aoi Senoh. In that place only Shiori could use her robe outside of the ring and six of the twelve were not even born.
Their third localized trip was into a present line where Kaede herself had died as a child. Shiori had taken a rather perverse liking to this trip because they had meet Ayame. Earl had suffered none of the disastrous events of their time and prosperity had reached almost every country on Earl. This Ayame was a Meister and had become the newest leader of the Delta Squad. Kaede couldn't leave fast enough because her sister seemed to share roaming hands in common with Shiori. They had teased her mercilessly for last three days of their stay.
In this localized placement, both had use of their robes and their younger selves were still only about five months old. Kaede wanted so badly to materialize and go straight to her parents. Kaede was tired of the pain associated with these trips on both ends. There had been too many incidents of being pulled into the light and then thrust back out. Shiori blessed the Founder every time they had a localized placement because it allowed them hope. Kaede and Shiori had been together so long now that even the slightest look held so many words. Those they saved for quiet moments which were too few.
"We aren't staying here that's for sure. If this is truly our time, then we need to go to Wind. They should be getting together for some reason or other very soon," Kaede said trying to think of how they would travel without the robes and not drawing too much attention.
"I believe it was a vacation, there were pictures in my parent's room. They will take one of the seven of us together in the garden," Shiori said thinking also of their travel plans. It wouldn't be the first time they snuck onto a transport.