Chapter Four: Burst
A few days passed without event as Aimina and Ariia continued to work on Night's new body. The Lead Investigator had been hovering around as it was his job but Bashouna was doing an excellent job of keeping him busy. Mini Night was having a great deal of fun running about the lab offering what help he could. He was handy at getting into hard to see and reach nooks of his new body and inspecting them. Ariia was foinding herself more and more entranced by the amount of detail and work that her idol had to have put into designing this line of figures. Despite her enduring smile, it was growing clear to both Ariia and Night that the Director was becoming wore out quickly. She wouldn't admit it but she need some time off before they started the most intricate portion of assembly.
"You know what would be awesome! We should take a few days and go to a spa so we're fresh and focused for putting the internal systems in! You we only get one shot at that don't we?" Ariia chimed as she stretched her arms and back.
"You're right... If we make a mistake it will be six months before we can have a replacement... Maybe an actual vacation would be nice... It all depends on Riiko-kun's status really. I haven't heard from Soushi-kun in several days. Maybe I should call him..." She seemed worried, maybe that was part of what was wearing her out.
"Well I have an Aunt and Uncle in a northern prefecture that own a small hot spring spa! It could be a nice change of pace to visit them!" Ariia seemed enamored with the idea of a spa vacation. Who could blame her though, the scenery in the lab was very much lacking. "You should call Soushi-kun though if for no other reason than to get an update... Even if we don't go." Her happy fantasy voice quickly faded as she spoke seriously of Riiko.
Aimina crossed the lab and took her cell up to dial the number. After a long pause of silence she spoke as cheerfully as she could given her fatigue. "Hello Soushi-kun! I was just calling to check in on the two of you! Really? A perfect match? No sighs of rejection at all! The marvelous simply marvelous! Yes yes I'll come visit soon... I have been feeling a bit under the weather though so I'll wait until I'm feeling better. No I'd rather not risk infection... Yes please keep me up to date. Talk to you soon." Her face had lit up and she was smiling broadly when she hung up. Ariia and Night knew that everything was fine. "I think you should call your relatives Ariia-kun! We're going on vacation!"
The trip by train through the countryside would have been relaxing enough to recharge Otaoko's batteries. Couple this with Night innate curiosity with it all and the trip was very enjoyable.
"You've never been outside of the city have you?" Aimina mused as she spotted Mini Night peering contently out the window. "I haven't been to the country in years myself..."
"When was the last time you were out of the city?" Ariia wondered peering over at her idol.
"Ah... I was still in college... I ditched a seminar and went skiing on Mount Fuji..." The memory seemed to be bittersweet. Night was curious as to why but didn't press the issue... Right away.
"Did you enjoy the trip?" He wondered peering out the window. "You must be a great skier with the balance you have from dancing!" He mused with a smile.
"Actually I was terrible.. I'd never been skiing before. It was still a lot of fun trying..." She trailed off and sighed. "Too bad the trip didn't go quite as well as I had hoped..."
"That's when you found out about the guy you liked isn't it?" Night wondered sadly looking at her again.
"Yeah he found a ski bunny that he liked much better it seems. He stood me up when we were supposed to go sledding in the evening. It got dark and I got stranded... It took me several hours to get back to the lodge alone. He didn't even send someone to look for me..." He smiled and laughed but it obviously hurt her.
"WHAT A TOTAL JERK!" Ariia screeched angrily. "I hope you beat his ass..." She fumed trying to calm herself.
"No.. I wish I could have but I was to hurt and sick to. I just left the next morning and went back to campus. We never spoke again and in fact he did quite well to avoid me. I graduated the year though so it wasn't long before he was but a shadowed memory in my mind." Aimina said in as soothing a voice as she could trying to get her assistant to calm down.
"That's so sad to wait until your twenties to find your first love only to be treated so cruelly..." Night was sad, very sad and it was evident on his face.
"Twenties? I graduated college when I was sixteen..." Otaoko seemed shocked by his comment. Ariia and Night both looked at her in shock and awe. "I thought I told you that when we talked about my past Night... I guess the age at which I did things never came up though..."
"Wait if you graduated when you were sixteen and spent two years doing independent work... and six working at Kronos Heaven... you're only twenty four?!" Ariia screeched as her sudden realization finally registered in her brain. "No way you're only 3 years older than me!"
"Well actually I'm twenty five... My birthday was last week..." Otaoko corrected matter of factly.
"You never said it was your birthday!" Night cried sadly. "We could have thrown you a party and sang to you!" He was pouting at this point and seemed as though he would cry.
"It didn't seem important at the time..." Was all Aimina said and shrugged. This didn't really seem to satisfy either of her companions but they didn't have a response. They spent the rest of the trip making small talk and remarking on the beauty of the scenery. When they arrived at the small mountain town they were greeted by two middle aged people. Ariia quickly introduced Aimina has her fabulous soon-to-be boss. This comment seemed to worry her relatives but Aimina quickly assured them that Ariia was already guaranteed and apprenticeship when she graduated. Neither of the felt the need to mention she was basically in an apprenticeship by helping to build Night a new body. Night kept very quiet in a warm coat pocket.
The spa was smaller than some but still sizable and luxurious. It was an off month for them so there was a minimal number of people around. This suited the girls just fine since neither of them really enjoyed crowds much. Aimina insisted that sharing a room to minimize the burden and expensive was fine, despite Ariia's relatives trying to put her up in a suite. So the two girls and the mini figure settled into their moderately sized room and got comfortable for their three day stay.
"I think I'm going to get nice and loosened up in the hot spring then have a nice massage..." Ariia sighed as she oozed into on of the over-sized white chairs the room was furnished with. "How about you Aimina-sama?" She wondered eying her idol as she unpacked her clothes.
"You can go along without me. I'm going to call Bashouna and make sure my lab is still secure." Aimina replied smiling to her assistant.
"All right! I'll catch up with you later then!" She chirped slowly pulling herself up.
"Do you want to come with me Night?" She wondered spotting the Mini sitting contently on Aimina's bed.
"No I think it would be better if I went out later... That way I don't draw as much attention to myself." He replied rocking back and forth on the edge of the bed and watching his feet sway.
"Suit yourself." She replied with a shrug. With that she wondered out of the room.
"You know... It's not like when you were first active... Figures are not exactly accepted... But they are a much more common part of people's lives then you are accustomed to. A miniature like you would only draw attention from kids as a novelty. Besides... Most figures are service machines anyways and people aren't afraid of things they view largely as appliances." She mused as she closed the last of her clothes in a drawer. "I think it would be fine if you went out."
"I'm not really afraid of going out and people knowing about me. I just wanted to spend more time with you is all. I made a mistake with Riiko... I never really pushed trying to get to know her so I couldn't fully enjoy her personality or quirks. I don't want to make that mistake with my other friends and people I care about. The fact that I didn't even know when your birthday was just proves that there's still a lot I have to learn about you!" Night was very passionate about this and it surprised Otaoko quite a bit.
"I'm glad that you consider me such a good friend... But I don't understand why you would want to be bored by something like the details of my life. I'm rather uninteresting." She teased with a smile as she dug her cell phone out of her purse.
"I think... I think you're the most interesting person I know..." He replied quietly as he turned away and blushed. He didn't see the crimson hue that Aimina's cheeks took when he said it but the slight gasp that escaped her lips gave him minor gratification.
"Ah hello Bashouna! How are things on your end? Excellent! Yes please call me if anything happens!" It had taken Aimina a few minutes to gain her composure enough to call Bashouna. Even after the few minutes before she called she was still a little unnerved by Night's complement and his reaction after he said it. "Well I think I'm going to the hot spring now! Would you like to come Night?" He looked back at her with a smile and nodded.
Aimina wasn't completely comfortable with floating around the springs in just a towel so she put on her swim suit before they left the room. "I'm surprised this thing still fits! I haven't worn it in years!" she gasped bounding happily out of the bathroom and prancing around the room a bit.
"Ah! Aimina-san is so cute!" Night cheered watching the bikini clad woman dance about happily. Aimina blushed and quickly stopped when she remembered someone else was in the room. She laughed nervously as she wrapped a towel around herself.
"Shall we?" She wondered after regaining her composure and losing her blush. Night nodded and she reached out and took him up in her hand. They followed the signs to the mostly abandoned lady's hot spring. Despite how Ariia had described it, the spring seemed rather large and fairly deep at one end. There was only one person on the far side of the spring but she noticed Aimina immediately. She seemed overly curious about what was in her hand... Night hopped down on the edge of the spring and merrily watch Aimina ooze into it.
"Aaaahhhh... this is so nice!!!" She squealed in delight as she found a bench to sit on under the water. She relaxed and rested her head on the rocks near Night. "I really needed this..." She added with a smile.
"I KNEW IT!!! He's an original Kronos Heaven miniature from their first production line isn't he?!" The other woman, who upon closer evaluation was in fact more like a a pre-teen at best squawk jolting Aimina completely out of the water. The Director panting from the startling outburst slowly sat back down only to notice the girl was about to snatch up Night. With a stern shove Aimina sat her down on a bench clear across the spring.
"Didn't your parents teach you any manners?" She wondered irritably as she eyed Night out of the corner of his eye. "And no he isn't from the first production line. You are mistaken." She didn't feel the need to tell the girl Night was in fact older than the first production line. Given her reaction when she thought he was, it obviously wouldn't be wise to suggest the truth.
"HE HAS TO BE!" The girl squawked again in protest. "I have a miniature from EVERY production line but the first! I've never seen him before so he HAS to be from the first!" She was slowly oozing closer as she spoke and Aimina was becoming more unnerved.
"I work for Kronos Heaven... I design those figures you love so dearly and I can tell you without doubt he is NOT from the first production line. And no... you can't touch him." She added her last comment as she snatched Night out of her grasping tendriled fingers and out him on her shoulder. He held on to her hair and watched the ensuing cat fight very confused.
"There's no way you work for Kronos Heaven! My Daddy owns it and he would NEVER hire someone like you!" She pouted before sticking her tongue out very indignantly. "Now if you don't give him to me I'm going to cause a scene! I'll get you thrown out!"
"You're a brat. The owner of Kronos Heaven is a scroogey old man that has been a bachelor all his life. If you are his kid he wouldn't claim you in public much less do anything to the person making his money. You're bartering with the wrong chips dear and this hand you'll lose..." Aimina scolded as she stood up slowly so that Night wouldn't fall off.
"GRRR!!!! You're just a selfish old bitch!" The girl lunged at Aimina which was quite possibly the worst mistake of her life. Aimina braced herself and positioned in such a way that the girl impacted on her elbow. Breathless, the girl stumbled backwards into the water and fell on a bench.
"You really shouldn't stay in the spring too long... It's not good for your health... Causes shortness of breath and chest pains... could lead to cardiac arrest..." Was all Aimina said as she climbed out of the water. Night felt bad for the girl but quickly turned his attention to Aimina when he noticed her vital signs were doing something wonky. She was walking slowly and a little wobbly.
"Ai...mina-san? Are you all right?" He wondered rubbing her neck gently.
"Yeah... Just really worked up is all. Girls like her... They just really piss me off. They think they deserve the world but never want to work for it..." She replied in a quiet, almost growling tone. "No way in Hell I was going to let her touch you... She'd claim you can never give you back. Girls like her would rather break what they can't have then leave well enough alone. I haven't worked this hard only for it to all fall apart because of a spoiled brat."
"Aimina-san... I've been wondering... For a while now actually. Why do you REALLY want me to have a new body. It's seems like there might be another reason behind it. Don't get me wrong... I'm not questioning your motives I just really want to know." Night sounded sad, very sad. His questioning made Aimina come to an abrupt stop just short of their door. One hand at a time she brought them to her chest and clasped on tightly as if his words had ran her through the heart.
"I can't tell you just yet... But I promise I will when I think I can without breaking..." Her voice was but a hushed whisper but his mechanical ears heard it clearly along with the pain dripping from every word. She flung open the door and locked it behind her. "I need to take a bath please excuse me." She mused trying to smile as she sat him on the bed. "Why don't you look through the menu and find us something nice to eat?" She added walking quickly to the bathroom. As the door closed, Night was sure he heard crying...
After what would have seemed like an eternity Aimina finally came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. Night had fallen asleep on the menu he had sprawled on the bed waiting for her. She smiled slightly and rubbed her tired bloodshot eyes. She didn't know if she would be able to look at him right now but his sleeping little body was easy to look at. "I'm sorry to make you wait so long..." She whispered to herself as she turned away from him. She didn't realize her voice had woken him up so she went about changing. Night without fully realizing what she was about to do stretched and yawned but she didn't hear him. The towel fell to the floor and she knelt down at her dresser. The completely candid moment threw Night a little. He had never thought of seeing the Director like this... The weirdness quickly faded to embarrassment and he swiftly averted his eyes and shut them. As he did though, he noticed a long scar from her collarbone all the way down her sternum. It seemed as though she had major surgery at some point. Given the nature of how he discovered the scar he wasn't sure how to ask her about it. He wanted to ask her about it though. He wanted desperately to ask her about it... Something ate at him and told him that it had something to do with why she wanted him to have a new body...
"Oh Aimina-sama! Have you been here the whole night! You can't tell me that! Come on! Put this on!" It was Ariia and her playful voice made Night roll over and look at what was happening. He got an eye full of Ariia yoinking Aimina's teddy bear covered pajama pants off. He immediately turned a complete shade of red all over his body.
"I don't want to know!!!" He screeched crawling blindly at mock ten up the bed and under the blankets.
"I do want to know! Why are you trying to take my pants off?!" Aimina screeched equally embarrassed and confused.
"We're going out! I got a totally hot tip on a nightclub not far from her that a childhood friend of mine owns! It just so happens all of his employees are figures YOU designed! He REALLY wants to meet you so everything is on him! He's sending a limo to pick us up! Come on Aimina-saaamaaa!!!" The girl looked so sad and desperate to pull the Director out of her comfort bubble it was hard not to take pity on her. Aimina caved to the puppy dog eyes and let go of her pants. She let out a long sigh and clamped her hands to her face.
"I can't believe I'm doing this!" She half-heartedly screamed into her palms. "What was it you were wanting me to wear?" She rubbed her face briskly and took a deep breath.
"This will fit you perfectly!" Ariia had now donned the evil mad scientist voice and face now as she held up a cute little black dress that rode high in the front but super low in the back. "Oh yes... This will be fun..." With the dress and a black make-up box in hand she dragged her idol to the bathroom. Night, ever curious crawled down the side of the bed and warily made his way to the bathroom. "No boys allowed!" Ariia teased closing the door almost completely shut. She stuck her head out and very nicely asked Night to wait in the main room. He pouted but when he realized this was meant to be a surprised he wandered that way.
After fifteen or so minutes the bathroom door flung open and a triumphant sounding Ariia pranced into the main room. She was looking rather cute herself in a blue halter top and flowly black mini-skirt. She had donned black heels studded with sparkly rhinestones and a matching clip held her hair back. "And now for my latest masterpiece! Otaoko Aimina-sama!" She cheered gesturing to the hallway.
"Do we really have to make a song and dance at of this?" Aimina was clearly less than enthusiastic. "It's not like I look THAT good anyways..." At the first sight of Aimina with her hair done and make up on Night's jaw dropped and he almost fell over. She looked like a supermodel straight off a runway in Venice.
"You see speechless!"The younger of the girls beamed pointing emphatically at Night. "It's so easy to make a masterpiece with such exquisite framework to deal with." She gloated polishing her nails on her skirt. "Now let's go have some fun!" She cheered grabbing Aimina's hand and pulling her along. Swiftly, Aimina grabbed Night and hid him in her handbag. True to her word a limo was waiting outside and the driver opened the door to the giddy Ariia. There was a man in the backseat who smiled broadly as the two girls entered.
"You didn't tell me that your employer was so... stunning. The gentleman replied clearly taken off guard. Aimina blushed slightly but tried to blow it off. Complements about her looks were always foreign sounding to her. "I'm very pleased you agreed to come Otaoko-sama. I'm Ariia-kun's long time friend Iekizuno Tashikara." He added after clearing his throat and offering his hand to Aimina.
"It's very nice to meet you as well. Although if you don't mind my asking... Why were you so surprised when I got in the car?" She wondered completely uncaring that it was probably not something she should ask. Ariia signaled the social faux pas by almost spitting out her water. Tashikara seemed stricken by his new acquaintance's straightforward nature for a moment before laughing.
"I had read that you were quite frank. Well to be quite frank with you in return you looking like that doesn't fit the image I had developed of you. You see you're very hard to track down as far as good quality published pictures so I was expecting more of a..." He seemed at a loss for words now but Aimina was full of them...
"A geek?" She wondered finishing his thought. He winced slightly so he didn't have to answer for her to know that was it. She simply smiled and nodded. "I have deliberately made myself inaccessible to the public for several reasons. So I can understand why you would form a prefabricated notion as to my appearance. Truthfully though... What you see right now is entirely thanks to Ariia-kun enjoying herself as I played personal Barbie doll. Honestly I'm quite plain and unobtrusive most of the time." She didn't seem at all mad by his assumption and genuinely she wasn't. She had no issue with the label of being a geek because she could own up to it easily in her daily life.
"Why have you made yourself so inaccessible?" the club owner wondered out of pure curiosity. Night to was curious about the answer now himself although he was rather displeased by this man talking to her so informally after just meeting her.
"Because I was accused of playing God. Of trying to create life when I had no right to... For several years after the launch of the first figure series by Kronos Heaven I received hate mail on a daily basis from religious zealots. They said I was a demon and an aberration for making sex dolls and walking talking people. That I was making a mockery of God..." Aimina seemed quite sad about the whole situation. "Truthfully... I just wanted to make people happy... The company took that desire and used it to fuel the desire of others. After a credible threat was made on my life... I decided that I should probably fade out and do what I enjoyed quietly and let the company take the hate mail." She finished talking with a smile but it was clear she was still uneasy about the situation. Her response did make Night wonder though about her intentions for building his new body. From what he had read about the world's religions, it was always bad to try to mock or play God. If this was the case, he was very worried now... Was that how she got the scar? And was that why she could tell him why she really wanted a new body for him?
"Aimina-sama! I had no idea!" Ariia said visibly upset by the news.
"It's all right... It's not something readily discussed around the company water coolers." The director soothed jokingly.
"Well thankfully for the world you survived safe and sound! I couldn't imagine my life without your figures in it! Every time I come into the club I have to marvel at the sheer perfection of your designs and programming. If it weren't for the maintenance they require I know I would completely lose sight of their being figures. They are a work of art as much as they are a work of technology." Tashikara gushed with girlish abandon. He suddenly took her hand in his gently and leaned in close to her. "If you couldn't tell... I've been a fan of yours since I first laid eyes on one of your figures... I've been wanting to meet the person who inspired me to build my club and led me to such success. When Ariia-kun said she would arrange a meeting for us I thought my heart would burst." Aimina was becoming irritated by the man's melodrama so she pulled her hand away and feigned embarrassment. "I'm so happy I'll be able to show you my club!" He added unfazed by her withdrawal as he leaned back in his seat. "We should be there soon!" Night was displeased with this man now. Very displeased... Aimina didn't seem to like him either so Night formulated a plan to try to keep them apart...