DISCLAIMER: The Mai Otome story and its characters are Sunrise property. Their legacy, the 'Children of Tomorrow' are mine, thanks due in part to many long hours of research, and the desire to see their progeny the next generation.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: There will eventually be one chapter encompassing the character bios for each character I added into the Otome lineage. For those who have stayed with me this long, Thank you. As always read, review, and enjoy…or not, no matter what enjoy.

Our Legacy ch57

Otome Guardian Force, Garderobe grounds,

It had been five hours since both she and Kaede had awakened, but Shiori could no longer stay still down in the Core. Both women wanted to see their daughter, Viola, and take in clean air, instead of the recycled variety in the Founder Core. Director Irina Woods only agreed to release them after a battery of tests, mostly motor skills, and a few scans for comparison with her earlier file.

"Director please, enough already. Kaede and I both have already promised to return here if we feel…," Shiori started to say to Irina as she ran a hand held scanner, punching in numbers and not paying attention.

Kaede took Shiori's hand and led her towards the stairwell out of the core, cutting her off with, "Come back and play later if you must, fresh air first."

Kaede knew that if she didn't drag Shiori out of there they would never leave. The last thing Kaede wanted was to spend another two hours on tests for Irina. With a laugh and a quick kiss, Kaede scooped Shiori up into her arms, materialized, and in this manner left the Founder Core and the building itself.

"Damn you Armitage," Natsuki cursed half-heartedly as she and Yukino watched Kaede and Shiori head for the stairs out of the Core.

"We can always go bother Director Woods or maybe Headmistress Tokiha. Ah yes, I think the young Headmistress would be more fun," Yukino replied with such a devilish grin as she adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose.

Natsuki Kruger just smiled at the thought. Natsuki announced their departure to Director Woods and followed Yukino out of the Core, cursing the fact that nearly thirty years later there still wasn't an easy way out of the Core.

'Kaede had the right idea,' Natsuki thought to herself as her body groaned, 'Never should have retired, damn stairs.'

As Kaede stepped out onto school grounds, many of the younger girls started squealing and pointing. Kaede gave Shiori a smug smile, knowing in any other given moment this would be embarrassing.

"You just had to give them more romantic fantasy material, didn't you?" Shiori asked with a laugh as she slapped Kaede's shoulder, "Put me down and dematerialize, you big lout."

"At least we are out of the Core now," Kaede said as she returned to her Guardian Force white and gold robe. Kaede placed Shiori on the ground, but refused to let go without a kiss, students or not.

Shiori gave Kaede a quick peck on the lips, but pushed her off and away, running towards the garden to avoid making more of a naughty scene. Shiori laughed and stood as if protected under the tall bronze statue in the garden. The statue looked out over the school grounds, facing away from the Guardian Force headquarters which were built alongside the Mausoleum.

"Should've known you would run to her for protection…" Kaede pouted as she stood facing Shiori under the statue of the woman who changed and shaped theirs and many others lives.

"And does my Kaede not bring Viola here to read about the Founder and why we wear these robes?" Shiori asked tugging playfully on Kaede's robe pulling her closer.

Both women laughed and shared a kiss that seared both down deep into their soul. As they slowly separated Kaede rested her forehead against Shiori's and took a deep breath, so many words she wanted to say but knew she didn't need to. Shiori ducked her head closer to Kaede's chest listening to the strong beat of Kaede's heart and thinking of the images she had seen.

Shiori slowly traced her right hand up Kaede's stomach bringing it to rest over her heart. In all their years together they had never been this close to losing one another and to make matters worse little Viola would have lost both parents. Shiori could feel the tears welling in her eyes and hear the unsteady rhythm of Kaede's breath.

"They weren't us right?" Kaede asked trying to choke back her tears.

"They never had a chance to be," Shiori tearfully answered as she looked up and saw their mothers heading towards them with Viola smiling and running ahead of them.

Viola tripped just short of them and Kaede crouched down to help her up. With a laugh and bright sparkling eyes, Viola got up again and threw her little arms around Kaede's neck. Kaede stood up bringing Viola with her, the excited toddler jumping from one parent's arms to the others laughing as she did.

As Haruka and Shizuru entered the garden with them, Haruka slapped the back of Kaede's head. Kaede looked to her mother with a hurt expression and asked, "What did I manage to do now that I don't remember doing?"

"You are supposed to hand my grand-daughter to her mother, not throw her," Haruka huffed in response to Kaede's question.

Viola paid no heed to the conversation evolving around her and focused intently on the large bronze statue of Maria Graceburt. Though yet incapable of reading the child could not take her eyes off of the dedication plaque. It was not the plaque itself or the base it was mounted to that held her attention, Viola knew what was contained neatly behind it. It was no secret to her grand-parents either, behind the plaque they had placed a small blue box containing the GEMs and limitation bands of the Kaede and Shiori who had traveled to their past.

Their attempt to change and make right their own past had led that Kaede and Shiori to their sacrifice. Yes Viola had gone traipsing through time and possibly through dimensions, but she knew her work was done. Instead of scattering into eternity, Viola deposited that Kaede and Shiori on the verge of a new life.

"I believe it is time to track down your mother," Shizuru said with a smile, thinking of Natsuki and a nap.

Though they were retired, Natsuki was still very active with the Otome Guardian Force headquarters. Though both Natsuki and Yukino served in only advisory capacity, Natsuki was known to haunt the school halls before leaving for the day.

"She's probably still in the Core or she's gone to the Headmistress' office," Shiori replied thinking of how Natsuki loved to badger her replacement, Keiko Tokiha, Mai's youngest daughter.

Penthouse Suite, Florence, the present

Yukino checked in with the nanny and the children. Without even thinking Yukino grabbed Kaede and headed for the balcony. She needed to hold her daughter as a life-line to her sanity. It was all so impossible, an adult Kaede dying at the Theater and her infant daughter here in her arms asleep.

There was a nauseating feeling washing over her in waves, anxious with worry over Haruka and Kaede. The blood was hot and slick on her hand back in the theater box. It was Kaede's blood, still now drying on her hand, in the cool air as she looked down the street towards the area of the Grand Theater.

Yukino wanted to scream, her lover, their closest friends, and her child were all still in danger, risking themselves as usual for the safety of others. In the process, Yukino was losing the child she had come to know as a young woman, strong, determined, and everything Yukino hoped her twins would grow up to become. As she silently started to pray, tears streamed down Yukino's cheeks, everything happening was like a blur of insanity. Through the haze of emotion and her tears, Yukino sat down and rested her daughter against her chest, feeling the warmth of the child radiate through her.

In that moment it became clear how empty it felt without Ayame resting there as well. As if a switch had been thrown in her head, Yukino finally understood the true drive behind her daughter's actions. The tears flowed hot and heavy as she tried to reassure herself that the future was not set, that her Kaede would not die here in the past.

Yukariko watched from the doorway with Aoi unsure of what to say or do to help. Maria picked up Ayame to soothe her tears as Yukino took away her sister. The nanny just smiled and made a soft comment of the bond of twins. Maria's presence was not calming Ayame and the nanny reached for the child.

"Ayame Armitage you will conduct yourself as an Otome," Maria said in her normally stern tones, shocking the nanny as the crying and squirming bundle, temporarily stopped fussing.

The nanny laughed and continued on towards the door leading for the elevator. Yukariko and Aoi silently kept vigil with Yukino as Maria escorted the nanny down to her room. Just before the elevator door could close, Yukariko stepped into the elevator and took Ayame from Maria. The swell of Yukariko's stomach was becoming round and rather full, the walk becoming a waddle.

"I think she needs to be with her mother and sister. President Chrysant seems lost even still," Yukariko explained as she hefted the small child and retreated from the elevator allowing the doors to close.

The two women finished the ride down four flights in silence. Just as the doors opened and the nanny stepped out, Maria noticed the two women in the hallway and how they were dressed. Just as the nanny excused herself for bumping into the shorter of the two women, Maria realized who she was.

"Tomoe Marguerite…"

The name flew from her lips in such loud rage that the nanny panicked and ended up in the arms of Chisa. Before another word could be said or move could be made, Chisa broke the woman's neck and dropped her body, eyes focused intently on Maria Graceburt. As the situation revealed itself, Maria exited the elevator and pushed the two younger women away from the closing doors. That elevator was the only way to the penthouse and Maria knew she couldn't allow them to get on.

Because it was a matter of timing, Maria knew she had to step off to allow the doors to close without interruption. It also meant she was alone with them now. Two evil grins quickly sized up the elder Otome, the situation and then vaulted towards Maria in a combined attack. Had they not been trained as Otome, this situation would have been over immediately. Though Maria had the upper hand as an Otome, the sheer insanity nearly leveled the playing field.

As Maria threw off Tomoe, Chisa side stepped Tomoe and caught Maria in her unprotected back side. Chisa braced against the wall and kicked the elder woman in the lower back, sending her reeling towards the now sprawled on the floor Tomoe. Maria caught her footing and stopped before Tomoe's body; she turned to face Chisa and leveled her vision in a look as deadly as Chisa had ever seen.

"So you still have some teeth," Chisa said, mocking Maria in order to dull the intensity of the moment.

Tomoe tried to recover her footing, to stand behind the elder Otome, but instead received a boot to the head. Tomoe was too stunned to move from the force alone of that kick that her eyes blurred as she watched the dance take shape before her.

"Ooo, aren't you just so butch? That is such a turn on, even from a dried up bitch like you," Chisa snarled as she moved from the wall towards open hall in order to circle her opponent.

Maria had nothing to say, taunting the woman was a weak move at best. With her opponent being more than forty years her junior, Maria had an urge to laugh. This had been one of her students, the girl learned quickly no matter what move you taught her. She even seemed to learn to mirror actions seen in previous battles with near perfection. Chisa Yokohama's main flaw was that her skill was dulled by her psychosis.

"Never thought you'd see me again did you?" Chisa asked as she edged forward narrowing the distance, planning her next strike.

As Maria voiced no reply, Chisa edged forward again and received a fist to her face for her boldness. Maria watched as the pain of that hit registered in Chisa's eyes. As an Otome age was not a factor, Maria disliked the brash and crude brutality of violence in general. With tears in her eyes from the shock of the blow, Chisa stepped back and then lounged into Maria's mid-section, sending them back a few steps.

In blind rage, Chisa just reacted and was capable of dropping them to the floor. She had hooked one of Maria's legs with her own and fought to keep herself on top of the older woman. One, two, three fists slammed into Maria's face but they lacked the conviction and strength to do more than piss her off. Chisa continued to level blows against Maria but they lacked focus and were losing speed and strength as Maria freed herself from under the younger woman.

Chisa scrambled quickly to get on top of Maria again, but Maria leveled a kick in her face and shattered her nose, momentarily blinding the girl. With the slight advantage, Maria regained her feet and stepped back from the young woman. Through more tears and a blind rage, Chisa moved across the floor towards Maria with blinding speed.

The young woman had always been quick, but never could follow through afterwards. No matter how well she could mimic a move or even a sequence of them, in the heat of battle Chisa was nothing more than witless rage. Chisa was a blunt instrument, where someone like Tomoe was a razor. As this thought crossed her mind, Maria looked to where Tomoe had fallen and found no signs of the young woman. It was clear she was no longer in the hall, but not where she had gone. The clothing she had worn was all that remained on the floor where she once lay.

Maria cursed to herself as Chisa kept her moving further away from the elevator and towards the other end of the hall with her raging attacks. The only way to defeat such an animal was to put them down, this was not a war and Maria was hesitant to go to such means to stop this poor delusional girl.

Tomoe moved down the hall towards a room as fast as she could without drawing attention to herself. As soon as she was near a door she knocked twice and slowly regained her feet. Once the door to the room opened Tomoe knocked out the poor unsuspecting man who had opened the door.

Once in the room, Tomoe quickly picked through the man's clothing and dressed herself. On her way back out of the room, Tomoe looked down at the still unconscious man and laughed. It always amazed her how easy it was to find the things she needed to escape any given situation.

Tomoe realized she needed Chisa to keep Maria focused and away at the same time she heard the Nina-voice return.

"Cut your hair, dimwit."

"I like it long. Why should I cut my hair now?" Tomoe asked the voice.

"The old broad recognized you. Shizuru shared a bed with you and Hallard…"

"Fine." Tomoe hissed her answer, thinking back on what happened to her with her onee-sama Chie Hallard. She thought of the twisted relationship that formed between them during and since their time in Garderobe and as members of the Valkyrie squad.

Tomoe got on the elevator at the other end of the hallway and returned to the lobby floor. The concierge was busy with scared people from the theater seeking refuge at the hotel, so Tomoe instead cornered the closest bellhop. With the Nina-voice droning madly in her head, Tomoe convinced the young man to escort her into the service area of the hotel. The young man was more than happy thinking his early break would consist of this woman's body as his treat.

The young man never knew what happened as Tomoe grabbed a knife on their way through the kitchen. As he opened the kitchen store room to slip in with her, Tomoe gave him a knockout blow, and pushed his falling body into the room. Tomoe dragged the unconscious body towards the farthest corner of the room. In the course of her endeavor, the young man's head thumped heavily against the edge of one of the large shelves. Tomoe cursed herself and then the body as it noisily pulled items from the bottom rack. As her blood boiled with anger, Tomoe walked around the body, kicking it in the process.

The Nina-voice dogged Tomoe's every move until she had the knife in hand again and was cutting away all of her length. Once again changing her looks Tomoe departed the storeroom cautiously and headed further down the hallway from the kitchen to find an employee lounge. Tomoe found what she needed in here, in the form of the concierge. The poor unfortunate relief to the tired young man out front was unaware of Tomoe's presence and hit the floor with a thud as she slammed his head against his locker.

"I'll take this…" Tomoe said as she stripped the necessary keycard from the unconscious body.

As Tomoe slipped away from the locker room and returned through the kitchen, she pretended to adjust her clothes and smiled at the few who looked at her as she passed through the kitchen. In the offices, Tomoe caught sight of herself and realized how gender neutral her features had now become. With a wink and a smile to her reflection, Tomoe entered the lobby.

Garderobe grounds, Headmistress Tokiha's office,

"As I already told you, 'Miss Kruger', the update from the Lutesian field office remains unchanged. Just like Florence, Cardair, Zipang, and the outer rim satellite offices before it," Headmistress Keiko Tokiha replied as she returned the office phone to its base.

"Well then, how are this year's new students looking?" Natsuki asked the already annoyed young woman.

"The briefs that were requested for each year's arrivals are on the table. Both Mrs. Armitage and yourself should be well aware by now that this is not protocol," Keiko said with her political airs.

"Headmistress, please forgive Miss Kruger, that seat…" Yukino replied with a smile from behind said 'reports'.

"Yes, yes, I remember. No offense to either of you, but I would like to be able to catch up on my paperwork now that the crisis has been averted," Keiko said as she stood next to Natsuki in the large window.

"The grounds seem as though they have hardly changed from this perspective," Natsuki said looking out the large window with nostalgic love.

"In our hearts 'you' will always be Headmistress," Keiko stated as she mimicked Natsuki's stance and stare. Yukino's smile was twofold, thanks to Keiko's comment and the recognition of a new student's name. The student's mother had been a member of Delta Squad.