Miyuki and her mother both woke at the same time. After the intensity of the night before, the fact that both didn't dream additional hard memories and actually got some decent sleep was a bit of a miracle in itself.
She was not surprised, but disappointed, to find that not only had Tatsuya woke before them, but had prepared breakfast as well. Her mother pointing out that they had an early flight brought her little relief. She was determined that food prep was not something her precious Onii-sama should be bothered with.
What did surprise her was that Onii-sama was not home when she woke. When she asked her mother about this, she was told Tatsuya was running errands. When she inquired further, Miya revealed that she had told Tatsuya the evening before to take Honami's clothes and other personal items to a local charity for reuse.
Under the excuse of making sure she packed everything one more time, Miyuki discretely checked her luggage. She breathed a smile sigh of relief when she felt the braid of hair wrapped inside one of her Onii-sama's handkerchiefs. She knew it was illogical to think the Honami's hair braid would suddenly disappear, but the reassurance of its presence brought an illogical relief to her none the less.
Honami packed very lightly for herself, especially for a woman. She also never brought anything that was significant to her that could be lost or abandoned on a trip. Tatsuya was the same way about his personal items, Miyuki suspected they learned this as part of their Guardian training.
She knew the items Tatsuya had taken to charity had meant nothing to Honami, but she would have still liked to have approved of each item herself first. It felt like pieces of Honami herself were escaping through her fingers.
She knew that on a slightly larger scale this activity would repeat itself when they got back home. She vowed to personally supervise which of Honami's items back home made it to a charity. Honami might not have been sentimental about her property, but Miyuki knew that now she herself would be. Honami's hairbrush came to the forefront of Miyuki's mind as the foremost of Honami's things she planned to secure when they got back.
She and her mother sat at the tea table by the patio to eat Onii-sama's prepared meal for them. Miyuki vaguely thought to herself that even Onii-sama's food tasted better than her own, at least to her. She again vowed to herself to become a worthy successor to Honami in the kitchen. They opened the patio door and let the warm morning sea breeze refresh them as they ate. The sound of the distant waves soothed her mind even further. Thoughts of the "dream" last night were willfully suppressed by her when they threatened to emerge.
With his normal perfect timing, Onii-sama returned as they finished their meal. After they mutually confirmed that each other was alright, he proceeded to arrange their luggage by the door. This was one "menial" task she would allow beloved Onii-sama to continue to perform. This had more to do with that fact that men traditionally carried a women's luggage for them, so in Miyuki's mind he wasn't being her servant now, but her male counterpart.
"My male…..companion."
Thinking this as she watched him, she raised her hands to her face and shifted happily side-to-side with a smile on her face. She didn't notice her mother smirking at her obvious delight.
Miyuki was only mildly surprised when Tatsuya immediately began taking the assembled luggage outside, but seeing that a vehicle had indeed already arrived for them, she suddenly remembered how amazing Elemental Sight was.
When Tatsuya indicated to their mother that all the luggage was packed, they all walked out to the car. They both seemed relieved to see Miya do so well under her own power this morning. The vehicle waiting for them was not the military vehicle Miyuki was expecting. It also couldn't be called a luxury car either. Seeing both Miyuki and their mother's questioning looks, Tatsuya informed them he had convinced the Major that a more mundane vehicle would be appropriate to hide their identities with. It was a slightly older model, and was the same general dimensions as normal AI taxis.
Their mother was obviously less than impressed, but said nothing further. Miyuki of course followed her example. In her mind, Onii-sama always knew best, so a little lack of luxury was for a greater purpose in her mind.
With the advent of cheaper bio-meteric recognition devices, "keys" of the physical or electronic types were rarely needed anymore. As a result there was no need to "drop off keys", so they could proceed on their way. Their checkout time was scheduled for eleven in the morning, and after that the scanning devices would require permission for non-permanent residents to reenter the villa.
Miyuki was only slightly surprised to realize that the vehicle was taking them in the opposite direction from the airport. When she inquired, Tatsuya explained that a more distant transit station would be less likely to be under potential enemy surveillance. He then informed their mother that no one was following them either, another gift from his Elemental Sight.
The "transit station" they eventually arrived at was indeed abandoned. It wasn't much more than a covered park bench beside a sidewalk with an embedded service terminal to call an AI car from, if you didn't have your data terminal on you. Tatsuya quickly placed their luggage on one end of the bench and verbally instructed their vehicle to "return". The AI on-board drove the car away.
This transit station was "abandoned" at the moment because it was in a tourist area of the island that was rapidly depopulated after the attack. Apparently empty villas blocked most of the views of the sea on the other side of them from easy sight. Miyuki vaguely wondered if the tourism industry on the island would ever recover from the results of the attack. She hoped so, it was a beautiful place and she knew lots of local jobs relied primarily on tourists. Recovery would be more difficult if those tourists decide to go to "safer vacation spots" instead in the future.
When she pointed this out to Tatsuya he said that the government would probably provide relief programs to encourage visitors to return and at cheaper rates; and also beef up the military presence to reassure the visitors that do come.
Miyuki thought seeing lots of military around would put off normal visitors, but she could see where that might be helpful for a few seasons anyway.
Only a few moments later the AI taxi pulled up and Tatsuya secured the luggage again. They all boarded and this time the vehicle headed off in the correct direction for Naha Airport. After examining his data terminal Tatsuya reported that the official information sources said their flight was on time and that the surge caused by people fleeing the island had substantially subsided in the last few days. Then he contradicted this statement by saying "unofficial" online sources still seemed to indicate long wait times.
Sadly the "unofficial" online sources were the correct ones. Naha Airport was packed to the rafters with unhappy people wanting to get off the island in a hurry.
"Don't they realize the SDF now has enough people here to keep the enemy away? Okinawa is now one of the safest places on Earth."
Miyuki made this statement very boldly for a twelve year old. Still, neither of her more knowledgeable companions refuted her words. Instead of paying her attention, they were looking up at a monitor broadcasting news.
Miyuki inhaled sharply when she finally noticed what they were seeing.
There before their eyes was video playing over and over and from different angles of the bright flash of a huge explosion. Miyuki recognized it instantly.
Material Burst.
The words of the news readers and pundits were muted, but the scrolling bars on the edges of the screen gave the general information being discussed.
GAA DENIES ALL KNOWLEDGE OF OKINAWA ATTACK, CLAIMS IT WAS JAPANESE "FALSE FLAG" OPERATION TO INITIATE A WAR OF AGGRESSION/DEBUT A NEW STRATEGIC CLASS MAGICIAN FOR INTIMIDATION PURPOSES, GAA GOVERNMENT WARNS THAT ANY AGGRESSION AGAINST GAA WILL BE MET WITH FULL POWER OF GAA MILITARY.
SDF REFUSES TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT SUPER EXPLOSION OFF OKINAWA THAT DESTROYED ATTACKING VESSELS/POSSIBLE NEW STRATEGIC CLASS MAGICIAN.
PRIME MISTER'S OFFICE DENIES EXISTENCE OF NEW STRATEGIC CLASS MAGICIAN, USNA SECRETARY OF STATE TO HAVE EMERGENCY MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER TODAY.
KODOU RETSU AND JUUMONJI KAZUKI IN ROUTE TO EMERGENCY MEETING OF INTERNATIONAL MAGIC ASSOCIATION TO DISCUSS APPARENT NEW STRATEGIC CLASS MAGIC/MAGICIAN IN JAPAN.
NEW SOVIET UNION DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN SIMULTANEOUS ATTACK ON SADO ISLAND, TEN MAGIC CLANS REPRESENTATIVE ON SADO, ICHIJOU GOUKI, SAYS ENEMY FORCES ON SADO "UTTERLY ANNIHILATED".
USNA PRESIDENT CALLS FOR EMERGENCY MEETING OF NEW UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL TO DISCUS ATTACKS/POTENTIAL NEW STRATEGIC CLASS MAGIC USER.
REPORTS OF MYSTERIOUS MAGICIAN AT HEAD OF JAPANESE COUNTER-OFFENSIVE ON OKINAWA DEPLOYING UNKNOWN NON-STRATEGIC LEVEL "SUPER" MAGICS STILL UNSUBSTANTIATED. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SUPPOSED "SUPER" MAGICS USER AND STRATEGIC CLASS EXPLOSION UNKNOWN.
"So they know about that too."
Their mother's slightly sarcastic words broke Miyuki from her stunned trance.
"So much for information control."
Her mother's second statement accompanied a very grainy long distance video showing a shorter than normal combat magician with two specialized handgun CAD's held out in each hand surrounded by enemy forces in front of him and friendly forces behind.
You couldn't make out details due to the poor quality of the long distance video, but the equipment and enemy in front of him were clearly "disappearing" in a bright flash and sudden smoke as he slowly advanced to their obvious terror. So many bullets and rockets were fired at that magician that you could barely see him behind what looked like a magic shield around him turning those projectiles into powder and dust in mid-air.
Perhaps even more disturbing, friendly forces behind him clearly hit by enemy weapons fire only seconds later rose up as if unharmed and started fighting again.
Muyuki covered her gaping mouth, which had involuntarily dropped open in astonishment. She had been in an information "cocoon" for the last few days, partly because of her mother's insistence, partly of her own volition. Now she saw the full impact that her Onii-sama had truly had on the world displayed before her stunned eyes.
Miya gently caressed her horrified daughter's hair with a reassuring smile.
"We still have hope though, right Miyuki?"
After settling her pounding heart she nodded reluctantly.
Both then turned concerned eyes towards Tatsuya, who nonchalantly turned back to them before speaking.
"Apparently our flight has only been delayed for forty minutes. That would be more than enough time for you to visit the preferred customer lounge."
Miyuki couldn't believe that her Onii-sama seemed completely oblivious to the fact that the whole world was now talking about HIM.
Miya expertly covered for her mystified daughter.
"I don't think that will be necessary. Anyway, there's probably enough "preferred customers" packing that lounge wanting off this island to make it an equally unpleasant experience. We'll wait out here."
A pair of customers had just vacated seats near them to catch their flight. Tatsuya moved to secure the seats for Miyuki and Miya, but a pair of older teens got in front of him.
They plopped themselves down and stared back with arrogant self-satisfied smirks at him. Miyuki couldn't see her Onii-sama's face, but she could see the two older teens clearly. The rapid change in their expressions could only indicate that however her Onii-sama was looking at them was making them very uncomfortable. Their pride was preventing them from moving before a younger person, but the powerful aura of her Onii-sama was overpowering them. Miyuki could feel his aura now too, as could several adults in the vicinity, many of whom started to subtly move away from the thirteen year old boy's incredibly intimidating presence.
One very large man looked on first in surprise and then in irritation. He called out to the two teens.
"You two rude bastards, get up and let those ladies have those seats!"
Having someone Miyuki thought was their father order them to be polite gave these two the chance to save some face instead of simply bowing before a much younger boy.
They moved away with what little pride they had left with apologetic bows toward Miya and Miyuki. When they got close enough to the man he smacked both lightly in the back of the head.
The ladies took their seats and Tatsuya stood beside them. Any ominous aura he had been projecting now seemed like a distant memory. Such self-control was phenomenal for even adults, but it was just who her Onii-sama is. Miyuki reached up and squeezed her Onii-sama's hand, which he returned and smiled back at her. She didn't acknowledge the still perplexed and slightly concerned occasional gazes directed in her Onii-sama's direction.
A few minutes later and whatever flight all these people in this particular sitting lounge had been waiting on began boarding. Suddenly where there had been no seats before, now there was plenty of space around them. The few people waiting on another flight, probably the same flight to Narita Airport as them, began to fill the newly available seats, but the immediate area around them remained empty, apparently for people who had not witnessed the intimidating boy minutes before.
Miyuki suddenly realized something.
"Pardon me mother, but I need to use the facilities."
By chance the entrance to the ladies room was almost directly across the walkway from their position. Miya cocked a disbelieving eye at the entrance towards that doorway and spoke.
"Well, good luck."
Their mother was no fan of public toilets, but Miyuki was in no position to be as picky at the moment. She stood and nodded lightly to their mother, then proceeded towards the walkway and the ladies room entrance beyond.
Suddenly she noticed something familiar behind her. Turning, she saw Tatsuya following her.
They stood there a few meters apart, blinking confused expressions at each other. Then sudden realization struck Miyuki's mind. Before today Tatsuya had always followed her to public restrooms and waited just outside the door.
"Oh God, I never…."
Miyuki felt her facial flesh heat instantly. She had never thought about how odd having her brother "guard" her as she peed…..or worse…..was, before this week. Before he had been "Ani", her "servant"; but now, he was "ONII-SAMA".
The words both meant "brother", to a lesser and greater degree of respect; but in Miyuki's heart "Onii-sama" meant something much more than "Ani" had. Even she couldn't currently pick out what the "difference" now was, but suddenly he wasn't her servant anymore but…..
"…a boy."
Her obvious sudden terrified embarrassment clearly was befuddling her Onii-sama. He started looking around her to see if somehow he had missed something significant.
Beyond his line of sight, Miyuki saw their mother cover her mouth and try to stifle her amusement; which now added frustration and anger into the mix of swirling emotions berating her daughter's startled mind.
"O-NII-SA-MA!"
Came out as half a scream and half a whisper, and dripping with frustration.
"…..Yes?"
A confused reply came back.
Miyuki hadn't really formulated a non-embarrassing response and desperately stuttered out something.
"Don't…..don't…don't leave mother by herself!"
Now he squinted at her way too loud whisper and cocked his head slightly at her.
"I can watch mother just as easily from anywhere. I always accompany you to….."
She frantically pushed out words to stop him from saying the embarrassing words he was about to say.
"Then…then…..then…then you can watch me from anywhere too!"
She spun around as fast as she could and trotted off to the ladies' room in a hurry. She had to fight the urge not to scream. She realized even as the words came out of her mouth that they were supremely wrong.
She had basically just given her brother permission to "watch" her with his "special eyes" as she did her "business".
She didn't have to turn around to know that Tatsuya was giving her a slightly awkward look, and that their mother was having to bite her lip not to laugh.
Watching his sister beat a hasty and frantic pace into the ladies' restroom, Tatsuya tried to understand what had embarrassed her so suddenly.
He always stood guard by the nearest "reasonable" doorway whenever he could have her in his "normal" eyesight.
He knew enough to know that once Miyuki hit puberty she'd finally start to realize how awkward having a boy wait for her outside of "certain places" would be for her. Still, he judged that she was too young to have noticed that kind of awkwardness yet.
"Is it because her feelings towards me have changed?"
He was less than confident about this hypothesis. Her recent change of attitude towards him made Tatsuya think she would prefer more attentiveness from him, not less.
"But this has created the opening I needed."
Tatsuya turned and walked up to their mother. He didn't know how long Miyuki would be, but he hoped it would be long enough.
She only looked up at him when he was almost beside her. Tatsuya judged that a public place would be best to have this conversation in, where they were in the public eye, but not in easy earshot of anyone else.
He waited to be spoken to.
"What is it?"
Only mild irritation was inflected in her words.
"I must speak with you madam."
"…..madam?"
Tatsuya had judged that when Miyuki wasn't around, their mother would probably be more comfortable with him referring to her in the previous manner. Something in her voice indicated that his assumption on this was off though. This alone provided an interesting insight.
"I thought, that when Miyuki-sama wasn't around, that you would prefer me to address you in the previous manner."
She squinted at him, but the normal "hostility" he expected was not apparent to him.
"What I'd prefer is for you to not violate your Primary's standing orders again. Whether she is present or not."
The words were rebuking as she looked away vacantly, but the way she said them lacked the normal force of her typical rebukes.
"Of course, it will not happen again…..mother."
He could tell she was working hard not to show any reaction to the word "mother".
"…interesting."
"What did you want to talk about?"
Tatsuya, hands clasped behind his back in a formal manner, replied.
"First, I must have explicit permission from you to speak freely."
Now she looked up at him again with suspicion.
"You can't voice your comments in the confines of your normal service?"
"Not on this occasion, not on this topic."
She stared up at him with full suspicion showing. He looked back down at her without one flinch of doubt.
She turned away with a soft but somewhat sad expression, and then spoke.
"You have my permission to speak freely. Sit down."
Tatsuya was only surprised to be offered a seat, but he quickly took the seat Miyuki had recently vacated.
"Since I suspect you want to get this out before Miyuki returns you had best get to it."
Tatsuya didn't hesitate once. Miya looked off in the distance as he looked directly at her profile.
"Miyuki is my Primary but you are now my Secondary, either way I am Guardian for you both now, and I have certain explicit duties directly related to you both and the Family."
Miya nodded to this known fact, Tatsuya took this to indicate he should proceed.
"As YOUR Guardian now, it is my charge from the Family to protect your health and safety."
Miya tried to affect disinterest, but small tensing facial motions indicated she was somewhat uncomfortable.
"Should you place yourself in direct danger it is my duty, as your Guardian, to ignore your direct orders and stop you."
He knew he was correct, it was the one time a Guardian not only could ignore their Master's commands, they HAD to ignore their Master's commands.
Miya was having a hard time covering her discomfort now. Even untrained eyes would see she was perturbed now.
"You know this is the standing orders of a Guardian. Why are we discussing this?"
She was trying to effect irritation with him, but Tatsuya could sense there was something deeper she was trying to hide under her perturbed attitude.
"I do not feel I can speak with you frankly, as your Guardian, if I do not hear you explicitly acknowledge a Guardian's standing orders from the Family in relation to the preservation of the health and safety of their Primary, or in this case, their Secondary."
She wouldn't look directly at him and bore her normally "empty" eyes into him. That alone told him he was in the dominant position now. Still, she vocalized her attempts at invoking anger.
"Then perhaps we should not have this conversation at all?"
"No mother…."
His way too calm retort broke any attempt to fain further anger with him. She even momentarily looked genuinely surprised by him.
"…..we will have this conversation."
The powerful aura he had radiated against the two teens before was now focused solely on their mother. She had obviously never felt this before. He had, at least to his knowledge, always meekly obeyed her will before now.
"We will either have it now, alone, between us only."
He knew that in a few moments everyone else around them would feel his menacing aura again too. Unwanted eyes would bear down on them. Now there was a "time limit" adding pressure to his mother as well.
"Or we can wait for my Primary to return and discuss in front of Miyuki."
Miya inhaled slowly three times in a row as her thirteen year old son's eyes bore into her profile. When she finally reopened her eyes, she spoke again.
"I acknowledge that there are situations where your duty to me as my Guardian would require you to disobey me."
She still wouldn't look at him, but for Tatsuya that was immaterial to this discussion.
"You have used a magic, recently, that has compromised your health to the point that you will die nearly three years earlier than before you used this magic."
Miya remained silent, her eyes never turning towards him. He knew he "had" her now.
"Since I have no memory of you using any magic, and I am obviously particularly well equipped to know when magic is used even after the fact, I can only assume you used this magic on me for some purpose that also prevents me from detecting it."
He could detect the light facial movements of her muscles around the mouth and eyes. She was good, a normal person wouldn't be unable to detect that she was even interested in the conversation.
"Until this week I had only circumstantial evidence to back up my assumption. Your dwindling life energy wasn't dissipating at a rate where I could point to a specific example as the cause."
Brief silence hung in the air before Tatsuya broke it.
"Before I went into the guardhouse with you, you had three more years to live; and afterwards you had three less."
She breathed harder but still would not acknowledge his words were bothering her in the least.
"Why are you killing yourself by using a magic on me to make me forget things?"
A small smile crept across her face then. It was so small it could be mistaken for nothing at all, but Tatsuya could see it. She then turned towards him and their eyes locked. Something in those cold and empty eyes he had expected to see blazed warm and true. He assumed this was simply his imagination over working, but still, her look to him was almost kind…..almost….loving?
"Why ask a question you know I will never answer?"
She then turned back away from him to stare out at the aircraft beyond the observation windows of the lounge again.
"You have all the piece to your puzzle now. No one was ever better equipped to solve such riddles. Surely you have some hypothesis already developed?"
She turned back towards him with that same unnerving "warmth" he felt before. She was obviously waiting for his answer. It was true that he had already developed a few theories about what could be so important that she would sacrifice her own life for; but the more plausible reasons all went against his entire life experience with this woman.
"I have some theories, but that is not important now."
He had an important mission to accomplish here. He also thought that if he got "too close" to the truth it would result in his mother attempting to use the mystery magic on him again.
He was only temporarily perplexed to see her turn back away with what seemed to be slight disappointment.
"Using this magic has cost you a great advantage. You are no longer able to use Gate on me."
Now her slight facial movements went back to showing concern. Slowly she cut her eyes sideways at her son.
"You, alone, can no longer stop me should I 'lose control'."
He was simply stating facts. There was no hidden agenda to his words. He only wanted to reset the "chess board" with the pieces each player now possessed in hand.
"Of course you had to know this would be the result of your over-use of this magic."
"Is there a question in here for me Tatsuya, or do you simply want to impress upon me the new order of things?"
He honestly shook his head sideways at this.
"There's no question. There however is a statement."
She turned again to look at her young son.
"As your Guardian, I cannot allow you to use this magic or any other ever again. Your health is too compromised. I merely wanted to make you aware that I can now prevent you from damaging your health further with its usage."
Then he tilted his head slightly and continued.
"Having seen the cost to you on the day of the attack, when you used the magic again to alter my memories of my trip back to the hill top, I was prepared."
She blinked with mild confusion at these words. But he explained.
"I have designed a software package that I included in the new OS I wrote for the CAD the Major gave me."
Her brows furrowed at him now without attempting to hide her true emotions.
"While no where near as efficient as my own activation sequence reading abilities, it did record enough of your activation sequence to give me a good picture of the magic you have been using on me."
He had expected her to become angry, but to open her mouth in shock without attempting to cover it was truly unexpected. She then reached to him and took both his shoulders in her arms.
"Please, I beg you, destroy this activation sequence. You must know how dangerous it is if…."
She had never spoken to him this way before, at least that he could remember.
"Please calm down mother. This is not like you."
She calmed herself slightly then, but her concern was still obvious.
"As I stated, it is not as efficient as my own sequence reading abilities. It only recorded enough to allow me to disable the sequence next time you attempt to use it."
Now she was obviously angry.
"So you told me this to threaten me?"
"Of course not. I simply wanted you to understand that now that you can't use Gate on me, I also have a counter measure for your mind altering magic as well."
"And your intent with all of this?"
He forcefully softened his own expressions to try to placate her near frantic state.
"To show you that even attempting to use your magic now would be pointless. As your Guardian, I will protect you from now on. As your Guardian, I will not allow you to use magic again, because it will kill you."
She calmed slightly at these words.
"And as Miyuki's Onii-sama, I will not allow her mother to die any sooner than she already is."
Silence hung in the air again briefly, then Tatsuya saw Miya murmur.
"….as Miyuki's mother?"
He couldn't escape the feeling that somehow he had saddened Miya with his words, which was not his intention at all.
Shiba Miya was already considered by her severely estranged son to be the single most complicated human he had ever met. Her motivations and her actions were more often than not in conflict with her statements and attitude. She often perplexed him beyond his current comprehension skills.
"To waste her life energy on me, when spending more time with Miyuki would clearly be more beneficial to the child she cares about?"
This week had only redoubled the mystery behind the woman he now was to call "mother".
She turned to him again.
"On one condition, I will cooperate and stop using my magic entirely."
Tatsuya nodded and she continued.
"You must destroy every piece of that activation sequence you have recorded. Even parts of it are dangerous. If it fell into the wrong hands…"
"I am aware of its dangers, now. I will destroy it."
Miya was visibly relieved. His next words tensed her again.
"Once you are dead."
She looked off into space as if she could see her own death standing before her. Again, she perplexed her son with her sudden emotionalism.
She nodded her consent, and just in time. Tatsuya could detect Miyuki was about to leave the ladies room.
Then in a soft voice, after a long pause, his mother surprised him with a truly unexpected question.
"Did you ever consider….."
He turned to see her still looking off to the horizon at only something she seemed able to see.
"…that I used this magic on you, for your benefit?"
A strange feeling began to grow inside Tatsuya's mind with these words, but his concentration was broken by concerned words from behind him.
"Mother, Onii-sama, is everything alright?"
They both turned to see Miyuki standing over them with concern on her face. They had not finished their "awkward" conversation quickly enough.
"Everything is fine Miyuki."
The cold woman Tatsuya was so used to, had returned to the weakening body of his mother in an instant.
Miyuki now directed a concerned look towards her Onii-sama. Determined not to worry her needlessly, he smiled back, stood up, and allowed her to retake her seat.
"Our flight should be boarding soon."
A statement of fact to try to relieve Miyuki's concerns. He judged the effort was only seventy percent successful by her facial expressions.
Standing beside them now, Tatsuya's attention was suddenly drawn to a bit of drama occurring at the flight counter.
"I don't want to leave daddy behind!"
A little girl, about six or seven years old, was crying in her mother's arms and reaching desperately for her nearby father.
Both parents were also clearly near tears, as were the two ticket agents at the counter.
"Again sir, we are terribly sorry but this flight is full. We can upgrade two of you to this flight, but otherwise you'll have to wait again for the next flight."
The father hung his head as his wife tried to mollify their frantic child.
Tatsuya of course was unsure why this family was trying to get off the island earlier than their scheduled flight, but that was immaterial. With his next words the father indicated that he clearly valued getting his wife and daughter off this island more than having them all make it off at the same time.
He leaned over to his wife and smiled reassuringly, then lightly stroked his terrified daughter's head.
"I need you to be brave for daddy. Mommy is going to need you to keep her spirits up for the flight home."
"NO DADDY! NO!"
She clutched desperately to her father's shirt as he enveloped her and her mother in his arms.
Tatsuya knew that children weren't logical creatures by their natures. It didn't matter to this girl that Okinawa was probably one of the safest places on the planet right now. All that mattered to her, was bad men had attacked this place and now they were going to leave her daddy behind in what to her was still a dangerous place.
Tatsuya scanned the crowd as the parents tried to convince their daughter with soothing platitudes to be brave and calm down.
This display was having an obvious effect on everyone. Several women were already crying in sympathetic response. A few men looked close to losing their composure as well. Tatsuya judged that most of these were probably fathers themselves.
"I wonder what it's like, to experience love from a parent? Or love for a parent?"
Then he heard sobbing beside him. The scene had clearly touched Miyuki as well. Even their mother seemed unusually interested in what was going on.
"I suppose it shouldn't surprise me that she can display some concern, even for strangers."
Tatsuya reached into his pocket for his handkerchief, but stopped midway through the motion. The little girl's next sad words had an unexpected effect on him.
"DON'T LET ME GO DADDY! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!"
It almost felt like someone punched him in the gut. He even inhaled hard involuntarily.
"Sweetie please, I don't want to let you and your mommy go, but I'll only be right behind you, I promise."
Nothing the man or his wife said to their daughter would sate her fears.
"NO! THE BAD MEN WILL GET YOU! NO!"
Tatsuya couldn't process why he was having…..difficulty…over this scene now, but something inside of him told him he had to do something.
Then clarity struck his mind like a thunderbolt.
"…Honami."
Miyuki and Miya turned at him suddenly calling out Hinami's name. Instead of his handkerchief, he pulled his data terminal out of his pocket. He looked down at it. Listed were the electronic boarding passes for two first class tickets, and two coach tickets.
"Mother…."
He turned with these words to find the concerned expression Miya was direct at the little girl before already looking back at him.
"Has she been watching me this whole time?"
Now Miyuki looked with saddened and slightly tear stained eyes at him before redirecting them to their mother.
"I know what you want to do. You have my permission."
He was momentarily surprised, but nodded.
He then took out his handkerchief and handed it to his perplexed sister. Then as she wiped her tears, he showed her his data terminal.
"Let's give them Honami's ticket."
Instant joy flashed on Miyuki's face.
"OH YES ONII-SAMA!"
She turned happy eyes to their lightly smiling mother, who nodded.
Miyuki went to stand, but Miya lightly held her down.
"You give it to them, alone...son."
Both Miyuki and Tatsuya looked at their mother strangely. She was looking at Tatsuya in a way that he couldn't process. Suddenly Miyuki turned an even brighter smile to him and nodded.
"We'll watch from here Onii-sama."
Tatsuya nodded and moved in the direction of the family.
"Somehow Miyuki understood mother in that moment, but I could not."
This wasn't the first time this had happened, and probably wouldn't be the last. Daughter and mother shared….something…an emotion? It was something he could not understand himself. His limitations bothered him again.
Then he noticed a very intent pair of small tear stained eyes boring into him. Those eyes followed him diligently as he approached. Suddenly the parents of the owners of those eyes realized their terrified daughter had stopped….everything. They soon followed those eyes and saw a thirteen year old boy stop beside them and bow courteously.
"Pardon me sir, madam, but we have an extra ticket we can't use, we'd like you to have it."
They looked past him to see a graceful woman and her beautifully pristine daughter smile and nod to them.
The mother and father were momentarily struck speechless, but their daughter couldn't take her eyes off Tatsuya. In that brief silence, Tatsuya let his "special eyes" wonder.
"….interesting."
He smiled lightly at the little girl, who only became slightly bashful while smiling back. Still, she couldn't take her eyes off him.
"I…we…oh yes, thank you! Thank you very much!"
"Oh my God! Thank you so much!"
Both parents nodded eagerly and gratefully to Tatsuya and back towards Miya and Miyuki.
"How much do you want for it?"
Tatsuya shook his head at the father's question.
"There is no cost sir. We were in a position to help, and glad to do so."
The man and his wife were flabbergasted at the generosity. They again bowed towards the two ladies on the bench. The ticket was transferred and everyone who witnessed the scene seemed much happier and relieved afterwards.
The family came over and verbally thanked Miya, but she refused their gratitude.
"I had completely forgotten that we had the extra ticket. It was…..my son, who suggested it."
Miyuki kept smiling as the little girl continued to stare in wonder at Tatsuya and occasionally at her too.
The parents' praise to Miya about how courteous, thoughtful, and polite her son was filled Miyuki's heart with joy; but none of that could match hearing her mother's agreement to those words.
"He certainly has not disappointed us."
Miyuki almost cried when she heard these words of praise spoken so freely for her Onii-sama in public from their mother. She turned stunned and excited eyes to her beloved brother. It was rare to see him stunned, but it was clear he was truly befuddled to hear Miya praise him.
When the family finally moved away to celebrate their good fortunes with happy hugs, Miyuki saw the little girl still couldn't take her eyes off her Onii-sama.
"I think Onii-sama has a new admirer."
Miyuki smiled teasingly up at her brother.
Tatsuya smirked only slightly embarrassed back at her.
Then Miyuki saw her mother's lips move soundlessly.
"That makes two now."
Expecting her daughter to blush, Miyuki mildly surprised her with a head nod instead.
After a few more moments Miya spoke to Tatsuya.
"Did you notice?"
"Yes."
"Notice what?"
Miyuki was perplexed by their sudden conversation.
"The little girl."
Miya and Tatsuya's eyes went back to the little girl who still couldn't take her eyes off Tatsuya.
"What about her?"
"She's a magician."
Miya and Tatsuya looked surprised to have spoken the same words at the same time. Miyuki had to suppress a giggle, which drew a disapproving eye raise from their mother.
Then Miyuki formed soundless words with her lips.
"So much alike."
Miya turned away from her with mild irritation, then she spoke again.
"The parents are normal though. Perhaps some distant ancestor, or just an unexpected mutation."
Their mother's words were a statement, but Tatsuya answered as if it were a question.
"It is an ancestor."
Tatsuya said so without hesitation as he stood beside them.
"How did you draw that conclusion?"
Miya's question held genuine curiosity. Tatsuya turned to answer her.
"Her unborn brother, is also a magician."
Miyuki was again stunned at the utility of Elemental Sight.
"I see…."
Miya seemed not the least surprised.
A few moments later, lost in her happy thoughts, Tatsuya spoke to Miyuki
"It's time."
She smiled up happily at him as she took his offered hand
"Of course Onii-sama."
He gently helped her to her feet.
The lady's voice from the boarding desk called out.
"Flight 1987 to Tokyo Narita is now boarding first class passengers at gate 23."
Onii-sama had once again known ahead of time, as expected. He now offered the same hand to their mother. Then Miyuki walked with their mother to the boarding line. Tatsuya would board with the coach class passengers near the end. Miyuki hadn't been naive enough to think she could fly home next to Onii-sama, especially since their mother still wasn't in perfect health, far from it. Still, parting with him, even for a few hours, was now a very unpleasant feeling.
"Mother….."
Both women were surprised when Tatsuya called out to them.
"You had asked me a question earlier which I had not answered."
Miyuki didn't remember any unanswered questions, but clearly her mother did. She nodded towards him, and Miyuki suspected she was very interested in the answer.
Tatsuya looked slightly thoughtful as he replied.
"Despite all my previous experiences to the contrary being much more likely. That it was indeed for my own benefit..."
He looked like he didn't believe what he was about to say. That he couldn't believe it.
"…is the only…logical possibility."
A small smile broke across their mother's face. She nodded lightly towards her somewhat confused looking son, and then turned around to board the plane.
Miyuki, who could only spare a brief questioning glance with her Onii-sama, had to hurry to follow their mother.
Once alone on the boarding ramp Miyuki spoke.
"What was that about mother?"
Miya didn't turn around as she replied.
"I'll tell you about it on the flight home."
Miyuki, now that she had Miya alone, couldn't contain herself.
"I was very happy when you let Onii-sama give that little girl's parents Honami's ticket."
Miya smiled slightly then.
"I knew you would be, it was also the right thing to do."
Miyuki smiled more.
"I like the way you looked at him to, when he was doing it."
Miya smirked at that.
"You read too much into things sometimes."
The light rebuke didn't stop Miyuki at all.
"Perhaps, but not that."
"So you think you can read my mind now?"
Despite the attempt otherwise, there was no real sound of chastisement in her mother's response.
"It's only fair. You have been reading my mind since I was born."
Miya chuckled lightly, which made Miyuki smile even brighter.
They boarded the plane and took their seats in first class. All medium to large commercial airline planes in this era would be considered "wide-bodies". First class had its own boarding door off of the same boarding ramp as the coach section. First class on even medium sized aircraft had two aisles with two seats on the port side of the plane, two seats between the aisles and one seat beside the starboard windows. The starboard side single seats were what were now called "business class."
Miyuki took the port side window seat and her mother sat in the aisle seat. From her window, she would see her Onii-sama boarding through the windows of the boarding ramp in a few minutes.
"Even if you can't say it, or show him, at least not directly, I am glad to know how much you love Onii-sama, and how proud of him you really are."
Miyuki was mildly surprised when Miya lightly grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
"I can tell you now though. Now that you know my big secret, and have promised to keep it with me."
Miyuki nodded. She and her mother had forged a new bond, with a new and great secret shared between them. A secret that she hoped one day their mother would tell her Onii-sama herself.
A few seconds later Miyuki spoke again.
"That's why you let him give that family Honami's ticket. So Onii-sama could be the center of attention."
Miya exhaled lightly before replying.
"Perhaps we can read each other's minds after all?"
They exchanged knowing smirks now.
"All these people may never have the honor of knowing that it was your brother that saved all their lives."
Miyuki laid her head on her mother's shoulder, and switched hands so she could get closer.
"But for one very frightened little girl, Shiba Tatsuya will always be the true Hero of Okinawa."
They sat there in silence for several moments, then Miyuki voiced her heart's feelings.
"I love you very much momma."
Miya sighed lightly before replying.
"And I love, and am very proud, of both my wonderful children."
"Why did she let me keep the memory of placing my arms into Honami's funeral pyre?"
Tatsuya had been the last to board, except for perhaps a last minute arrival or two. He could use his Elemental Sight from anywhere, but he preferred to examine each passenger as they boarded. It would be easier to stop potential threats from inside the airport instead of inside the aircraft.
"All the other memories had to be related to emotions I should no longer experience, but why let me keep that one, if all the other's required her to reduce her lifespan to remove them?"
Now with his single duffel bag slung over his shoulder he walked down the boarding ramp alone. He turned to his left to see a happy face in a window waving at him. He smiled happily to his sister and waved back.
"She can't read my own false masks yet."
His smile hid his concerns. After this week the enigma hidden behind the name Shiba Miya had only become more complex to him. He had just confronted her about the magic she had been using on him, apparently for years, that was also killing her.
"If she is so ashamed of me, why die for my sake?"
Tatsuya felt he was uniquely not equipped to understand his mother's conflicting and life altering decision making process. Now that their relationship had improved significantly, he wondered if he could get Miyuki to get the answers he needed subtly from Miya.
"I'll have to move fast, time is running out."
Elemental Sight wasn't perfect, but even if Miya never used magic again, as she had promised him, it was doubtful she'd live another two years. Then Miyuki's sorrow would be many times greater than it had been this week. His mind was now focused solely on concern for Miyuki. It never even occurred to him that he should also look towards that future date with dread and sadness.
She had designed him not to love her, after all. Only….Miyuki.
Once he boarded the aircraft and approached his assigned seat, he noticed there were two familiar adults and a flight attendant looking down tepidly where his seat were.
"Sweetie, wouldn't it be better to sit back here with mommy? You don't want mommy to be all alone, do you?"
He had yet to hear the shy and crying little girl's voice before. He was surprised to hear such resolve from such a tiny person as she replied to her mother.
"NO, daddy will keep mommy company!"
Both parents sighed then with a look of "it can't be helped" on their faces.
"I'm sorry folks but it's almost time for everyone to take their seats."
To the flight attendant, the parents could only sympathetically share her concerns.
Next the father tried to convince her.
"But what if you get scared up here by yourself sweetie?"
"Don't be silly daddy, I fly all the time and mommy and you are just three seats back. I'm sitting with the boy!"
It was only then that they all noticed Tatsuya standing there.
"Oh, hello again, sorry about this."
Tatsuya only smiled back at them and nodded.
The father scratched at the back of his head as he spoke next.
"For some reason Mikeko has suddenly become very obstinate. She wants to sit with you apparently."
Tatsuya smiled back at the wide-eyed girl, then to her parents.
"I don't mind sir, I'm sure we'll be fine together."
He nodded to the girl, Mikeko, who nodded enthusiastically back.
The parents still looked unconvinced. The mother spoke next.
"Are you sure, she can be a real handful when she gets going?"
The daughter turned a look back to her mother with an expression of pure betrayal.
"I'm good all the time mommy!"
Both parents smiled with less than full belief on their faces back down at their protesting little girl, who pouted angrily with her arms crossed back at them.
Tatsuya could tell by the look of frustration on the flight attendant's face that this had gone on long enough.
"I'm sure we'll be fine sir, your seats are right there?"
Indicating with his eyes the only two empty seats left on the plane just three rows back, the parents both nodded.
"Can I have the window?"
"Mikeko, don't be so rude!"
Tatsuya cracked a genuine smile then.
"That will be fine with me."
Tatsuya always preferred the aisle seat since it gave him better access to deal with any potential threats that might develop during flight.
Still not entirely convinced, the parents acquiesced to their daughter's demands.
"You had better be on your best behavior young lady."
"Of course mommy!"
Mikeko looked downright offended by her mother's admonishment. Both parents smiled down helplessly at their brooding daughter and shook their heads.
"We're back here if you need anything. Don't hesitate if she causes you any issue."
Now Mikeko looked truly betrayed by her father's words. Tatsuya couldn't help but smile at her reactions.
"Of course sir, but I'm sure we'll be fine."
The mother confirmed Mikeko's belt was fastened and then both parents thanked Tatsuya again before taking their seats. Once Tatsuya had stowed his duffel bag in the overhead bin he took the aisle seat and fastened his belt.
He and the girl exchanged smiles, she was staring at him much more intently than even Miyuki now does. Had he had normal emotions he might have felt awkward in the light of that admiring gaze.
He looked ahead to where the small display screen in the headrest in front of him was showing general boarding info. He then spread out his special vision. All of the aircraft's mechanical parts seemed to be in working order. All the passengers seemed to be of the same general physical level expected for a pe-flight situation. Nothing stood out in the Eidos as a potential threat to this flight.
Beside him a quiet "ahhhhhh" could be heard. Tatsuya turned curious eyes back to the little girl beside him. Her eyes were even wider than before.
"Do it again, please."
He blinked at her sudden request.
"Do what again?"
She smirked at him then.
"That pretty magic, it's the same one you used in the airport. It's so pretty, show me again please."
It was Tatsuya's turned to be amazed. There seemed no point in subterfuge at this moment, she had correctly identified he had used Elemental Sight twice.
One of Elemental Sight's greatest advantages was that it was extremely difficult for even other magicians to detect. This was because it wasn't really a "magic" itself, just the ability to read the Eidos information dimension that on some level was available to all human's subconscious minds, but in greater detail.
"For her to have detected it….she must be very magic sensitive."
He smirked at her then.
"You must be magic sensitive."
She blushed a bit, then nodded back.
"The men at the clinic said I was rare."
Organized teaching of magicians in this country had only reached down to the high school level. The main reason was that most magic children were descendants of the Ten Master Clans, the Hundred Families, or longstanding Ancient Magic user clans. All of these had developed their own in house training regimes for their younger children.
Before the advent of Modern Magic, normal parents who discovered their child suddenly had a miraculous talent would generally turn to the temples and priests for answers; and those children most likely would then find themselves as disciples or acolytes in their local temples, where they would learn to master their special powers in secret.
When magic became public knowledge almost one hundred years ago, suddenly governments got involved and this lead to "scientifically" developed magic and magicians. Now those modern magic families also run their own training regimes for their children, but few take in non-family members for training. One well known exception were the so-called Sword Magicians of the Hundred Families' Chiba Clan, who not only trained military and police magicians, but also took in exceptional children for more intense training along the same general model of the Ancient Magic houses.
The result is that basic magic education currently had no large calling for government organization in Japan, and thus magic education started at the top level, like the National Magic University; and has only now reached into the secondary level of education with the Magic University supported Magic High Schools. There was no great calling yet for Magic Middle Schools or Elementary Schools; but eventually Tatsuya suspected that as the number of magicians being born expanded, eventually the "private" magic education system would become overwhelmed, and eventually turn to the government for assistance or at least relief of their education burdens.
The Japan Branch of the International Magic Association actively worked to bridge the "magic education gap" in this country by running magic clinics to identify young "random" magicians as early as possible, and to funnel them into after school magic programs like the Magic Scouts program. The clinic Mikeko referred to was certainly one such IMAJ operated clinic.
"He's right, you have a very special talent."
Mikeko blushed at Tatsuya's words. She reminded him very much of Miyuki at that moment. It was exactly how she now reacted when he praised her.
"Oh, pardon my rudeness, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Shiba Tatsuya."
He extended his hand to her and she grabbed it with both of hers.
"I'm Sachiko Mikeko, I'm six years old but I will be seven next month."
Tatsuya nodded with a smile to her.
"How old are you?"
"I'm thirteen."
Her face displayed an "oh" expression perfectly.
"Ladies and gentleman, this is your pilot speaking, weather between here and Tokyo….."
The aircraft had long since left the terminal and had now taxied all the way to the runway. The pilot announced they were about to take off. Mikeko didn't seem the least put off by this as some children would be. She stared out the window toward the wing with building excitement.
"You live in Tokyo?"
She nodded enthusiastically to him.
"You?"
"I also live in the capital."
She seemed to perk up additionally at this news. Perhaps she thought that they would become friends now that they lived "close" to each other. Tokyo was big enough that outside of a few blocks from your house, nothing truly seemed "close" in the city.
"Isn't she an interesting one?"
Tatsuya couldn't help but think so as young Mikeko giggled with delight as the aircraft accelerated to takeoff speed. She never took her eager eyes off the wing. The second the feeling of the aircraft's rear wheels leaving the ground could be detected, she let out a sound.
"SWOOOOOOOSH! We're a bird now!"
She held her arms out to her sides like she was a bird herself.
For some reason seemingly beyond his control Tatsuya actually laughed mildly at her reaction. This had clearly been something her parents taught her to overcome the normal anxiety that most children experience before flight. It was apparently, for Mikeko, very effective. She seemed to love flying.
She turned questioning eyes to him.
"Can magic make you fly? I want to fly like a bird one day, soaring through the skies."
He smiled back at her, here arms still spread like wings.
"While there is currently no progress in developing flying magic, it's theoretically possible to achieve. I am certain that we will see it in our lifetimes."
Her eyes were big as sauces.
"You're real smart, aren't you?"
Tatsuya realized he might have just used a term that might be beyond first grade level knowledge. He somewhat contritely answered her question.
"I do well in school."
"I know."
And with that confident declaration she turned her eyes out to see the world shrinking beneath her.
"Maybe you'll make flying magic one day! You're real smart, I'm sure you could do it."
She was genuinely entertaining him. He smiled back to her.
"Perhaps, or maybe you will."
She smirked at him, she obviously thought he was teasing her. Then she grew serious.
"Can I ask you a question?"
Tatsuya nodded. She had already asked him a few, one more couldn't hurt.
"Why do you hide your magic?"
Genuine curiosity stared back at him.
"Maybe she's too magic sensitive?"
Tatsuya felt a bit awkward having a little girl being able to read his psion intensity so easily. Still, she already apparently knew, and she couldn't use this particular information against him in his estimation.
"What makes you think I'm hiding it?"
He asked her with a smile.
She looked at him with sympathy, and then patted his forearm.
"I can feel it. Your Imouto is like a shining star. Her psions are like a blinding light."
Then she looked away sadly.
"But you force your light into a box around you. You only let it out when you have to."
Then she turned bright eyes to him again.
"But I can feel it! If your sister is the brightest star, you're the sun!"
Tatsuya was truly shocked by Mikeko's words. Seeing this she pulled back.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean….."
"It's alright Mikeko."
He managed a smile for her.
"You asked me why I hide it?"
She nodded back tepidly.
"Magic is a great responsibility. Those of us with particularly special gifts have an obligation to use them properly and for the benefit of others in need."
Practically word for word the motto of the International Magic Association.
"You have a special gift, that you must learn to properly master. Once you have, you can use it to help other people in need."
She nodded her understanding, even at this age she should have already been well familiar with this concept.
"Like you, I have a special gift. To properly master my special gift, I must only use it at the right time. If I can't control it, it will control me. Part of learning to control it is to learn how to control my psions to the utmost. Each magician is different, but for my special gift, this is how I learn to master it."
She smiled and nodded to him. She readily accepted his answer. It was all the truth, but it did not contain nearly all of the truth that was Shiba Tatsuya's burden to carry in this life.
"Your mommy is a magician too?"
Tatsuya was glad for her redirect of the topic.
"Yes, she is."
Suddenly Mikeko grew sad.
"She was once powerful like your Imouto, but not anymore."
"Yes, young Mikeko is a bit too good at reading other's psions."
Perhaps sitting beside this little girl was a mistake.
"Yes, she was once very strong in magic."
Then to his surprise Mikeko placed her hand on top of his.
"My grandpa had to go away too, but he told me before he left that he would always be with me, and one day I would see him again. Your mommy will always be with you too."
"Damn, she can tell mother is dying too?"
Tatsuya was amazed at this little magician. It was no wonder why she had zeroed in on him when she first saw him. It never occurred to Tatsuya that in the privacy of his own mind he had just referred to Miya as "mother".
"SO don't be sad Tatsuya-kun, your mommy loves you a lot."
He knew he should just accept her platitude with a smile. The reassuring words children are taught and parrot as universal truths, but Mikeko was so different from other little girls he had met, he had to let his curiosity wonder.
"Does she, why do you say that?"
He expected something like "she's your mommy" or "all mommies love their children".
Again, she surprised him.
"She looks at you with pride, and she smiles at you when you aren't looking, and….."
She seemed reluctant to continue.
"Go on, it's okay."
She looked back at him with his encouraging words.
"Her psions are the same as yours. Her love flows in her psions to you."
Tatsuya knew psions didn't work this way, but he also now knew Mikeko's ability to read psions was beyond his current understanding. He couldn't just dismiss her assertions without investigation. She was certainly very confident in her statements about it.
"She's giving you her last remaining psions. That's a lot of love."
A tear ran down her cheek. Tatsuya instinctively removed his handkerchief for her.
"Yes…..that certainly is….a lot."
He knew his words were weak sounding. He couldn't say the word "love" in relation to his mother, it was beyond him to think of that woman in that way. Mikeko took his handkerchief and smiled as she wiped her eyes.
"I can tell, she worries about you a lot."
He couldn't believe what he was hearing and who he was hearing it from.
"Your Imouto loves you a lot too!"
She said this sudden statement with emphasis.
"A REAL lot!"
Tatsuya smiled at her.
"Her psions touch you all the time!"
She seemed astounded, and perturbed by this.
"Touch?"
She nodded at his one word question.
"The farther away from her you are, the more her psions try to touch you. It's weird."
When she said it was "weird" she pouted in frustration.
"You're her brother…right?"
Tatsuya smirked curiously at these words.
"Yes, we have both of the same parents."
Mikeko didn't seem convinced.
"You and your mommy don't look like her. If you both didn't have those big psion amounts I'd think she was adopted."
Tatsuya couldn't help but laugh a little. This wasn't the first time someone thought Miyuki was too pretty to be his sister.
"You look just like your mommy. Does your imouto look like your daddy?"
That was the first time he had been asked that.
He smiled at her again.
"No, Miyuki is special. She got all of the good looks in the family."
"No she didn't!"
Right after saying this, Mikeko turned around in obvious embarrassment. It was a little awkward to be flirted with by a six, soon to be seven, year old; but unlike most boys his age Tatsuya was beyond being embarrassed by such things.
"Thank you for saying so."
After a long silence, the embarrassed Mikeko asked another question.
"Miyuki?"
"Yes, that's my Imouto's name."
Mikeko nodded, but scrunched her face up.
"Still, she touches you a lot for a sister. It's weird."
Mikeko was still pouting over it. Tatsuya certainly had never heard of psion touching before today, but it was clearly a "real" concept to young Mikeko. Perhaps Miyuki's "psion touching" of him made Mikeko jealous? He assumed as much and also that Miyuki's sudden change of heart about him might produce the "weird" amount of "touching" Mikeko was feeling. It did seem like in Mikeko's mind psion touching was the same thing as real touching. Certainly if Miyuki was all over him even he would have thought it was odd himself.
She turned disbelieving eyes back to him again.
"You sure? Real sure?"
Tatsuya nodded with a smile back to her again. She seemed to reluctantly accept they were "real" brother and sister after all.
"Look!"
Tatsuya obeyed and looked over her head and out the window.
The aircraft had looped around the southern end of the island and was now flying parallel to Okinawa's west coastline, the site of the attacks. After a quick glance Tatsuya noticed the shoreline that only earlier that week had been the site of the battle. The scars across the land showing where battle had taken place were still visible if you looked hard enough. Tatsuya was particularly surprised that he could recognize the hill they had retreated to, to avoid the Tsunami wave.
He could feel the little girl beside him tense up, then she slowly turned stunned eyes back to him.
"What is it?"
She pointed down towards the beach, towards the general area of the place where Tatsuya had used Material Burst.
"...You were there."
She had surprised him a lot today, but nothing like this.
"There's no way she should know that."
Psion sensitive or not, they were kilometers up in the air and kilometers away. No magician, especially this young, should be able to detect magic from this far away, and many days later.
But when that magic is something as power as Material Burst…could someone like her see it even under these circumstances?
"How can she tell it was me?"
Many dark and terrible thoughts filled his mind suddenly. If this little girl's knowledge of him, of what he had done were known by some other people, this girl and her family might….
He couldn't let that happen. That was something even an emotionless automaton like him couldn't live with.
"Mikeko-chan…"
Applying the "chan" honorific was something Tatsuya rarely did. He was going to try to convince her she was wrong. Surprisingly she didn't let him even try.
"Don't worry."
She touched his forearm again.
"I didn't see anything Tatsuya-kun."
The look on her face was pure adoration. She even looked like she was going to cry. She knew, but she was promising to forget without being asked to. She couldn't possibly know the danger she and her family was in because of this. She was agreeing to forget what she knew with no fear of reprisal.
She was doing so for his sake alone.
"For your sake alone."
Those words called out to him from nowhere. A pinch of pain reached into his chest. He could have sworn the voice in his head for those words was Honami's.
Mikeko then reached into her bag under the chair in front of her and pulled out a data terminal.
After a few moments she handed it to Tatsuya. A very grainy video was playing. It was the same video he had watched on news feeds in the airport less than an hour before.
"The Boy in Black!"
Mikeko said those words with a reverence reserved for speaking the name of a God. Her eyes never looked away from Tatsuya. The faith of a "true-believer" shown in those young, adoring eyes. Tatsuya wanted to turn away from that look desperately.
"Yes, I saw this footage in the airport. It's probably not a boy though, maybe a small soldier or even a female soldier."
He said this with a reassuring smile to her.
She shook her head at that with confidence.
"No, it's a boy. All the news people says so."
"Damn."
"Look."
She pointed at the video. Behind the "boy" his colleagues rose, in front of him his enemies disappeared before him. Even he had to admit it was an incredible thing to witness.
"Is that really...me?"
Doubt filled his heart. No doubt at all was shown in the happy eyes looking back towards him.
"He lifts up his friends in his left hand! And smites the bad men with his right! He's the greatest magician in all the world!"
"….a true-believer."
Miyuki had made the same claim about him. Mikeko looked at him with the same eyes Miyuki had.
"They say he made the Big BOOM too! Do you think he did?"
This was a very bad situation. He could cover this up by forgetting this episode in his own mind, then as long as Mikeko continued to fain ignorance too she would be safe.
But if Miya somehow used her magic on him without him having time to destroy the Activation Sequence….
No, he wouldn't let that happen.
"It may well be a boy, he may well have made the Big Boom; but if he did, it is obviously vital for Japan to hide his identity from the enem…..from the bad men. It would be very bad if anyone, even someone's friends or parents, ever learned anything about him. Anyone who even thought they knew who he was would have to never tell another soul. It would be so very bad for everyone if they did."
Sensing how pertinent his words to her were, Mikeko sat back in her seat with a tepid look.
"Don't worry, if someone knew who he was, she'd never tell anyone, ever."
She smiled weakly then, near tears.
"She'd never betray him. He saved everyone's lives. He saved HER life! She'd protect him, she promises."
He smiled down at her and touched the top of her hand.
"I'm sure if he knew he had such a loyal and trustworthy friend as her, he would be truly grateful to her forever."
She smiled brightly back at him. They now shared a great secret between them. He hoped for her sake she would keep her promise. He secretly promised to do all he could to help her keep it.
After a long silence, she spoke again.
"What happened to your Onee-chan?"
A sudden emptiness seemed to expand around him. He could literally feel the recent absence of her presence from his life at that moment. It was as if everyone in this aircraft had disappeared except for him and little Mikeko.
He knew he should lie. He knew it would be the best option. Children are often relieved by simple little lies that help to preserve their innocence against this complex and often cruel existence.
Yet he knew that this amazingly gifted and perceptive little girl would see right through it.
And what's more, for some inexplicable reason that even he couldn't explain, he wanted to tell her.
"She's staying on Okinawa."
It was as innocuous of a statement he could make under these circumstances.
Sad and piercing eyes looked back at him. Tears again threatened to flow.
"Like how my grandpa had to go away?"
Tatsuya smiled back to her, and nodded.
"So I'm not the only one with heavy burdens to bear."
Mikeko sat back down in her seat, and fought not to cry. Tatsuya thought on some level it was particularly cruel to burden such a young and happy girl with the ability to read other's "pain" through her "gift". If their indeed were Gods that manipulated human life from afar, he thought them unworthy of having this little girl in their power.
A few tears left his eyes. Tears he knew were for his sake. She dabbed at her tears with his handkerchief.
"I wonder how that feels? To cry? I wonder what a…relief...it must be?"
A few moments later, sad eyes turned concern back on her travel companion.
"Did the bad men get her?"
Something inside Tatsuya began to swell. A lump felt like it was forming in his throat. Something warm was building inside his chest.
Was it….
"No, the bad men most certainly didn't get her…"
…..could it possibly be….
"She…..she got, the bad men."
….pride?
It literally felt good inside himself to say those words. He felt instant relief.
"Did I WANT to tell this girl about Honami?"
It wasn't like him to be so forward, especially with classified information. Yet something inside him wanted to get out, past his logic to hold it in. Past his training.
"…Honami's story?"
"Was she…..with the Boy in Black?"
Tatsuya was broken out of his thoughts by intense interest and questioning words.
He nodded in response.
Sadness and confusion filled young Mikeko's face.
"Could he not help her…..like he did the others?"
A smile crossed Tatsuya's face then.
"I'm sure he tried. I know he must have really wanted to."
Then he locked kind eyes with his young friend.
"But I'm sure he's just like all of us. He's just a human with a few rare talents. He's no all-powerful god."
She put her small hand on his shoulder then.
"Do you forgive him?"
Tatsuya blinked in confusion back at her way too profound question.
"Do I….forgive….him?"
Tatsuya sighed heavily before answering.
"I was…disappointed in him, for not being good enough to save her when he could save all those other people."
Then he smiled lightly at her.
"But I know he regrets not being able to help her when she had helped him so much. I know he will do everything he can to better himself so that it will not happen again to someone else."
Then he smiled his brightest smile yet again for her.
"And I know my Onee-chan would want me to forgive him, so yes, I do forgive him, if for no other reason then for her sake."
She smiled back happily at him.
"Good!"
They sat there for a few quiet moments more. Then those curious eyes turned back to him.
"Do you ever think, we'll ever know who the Boy in Black really is?"
She already knew the identity of the Boy in Black. Tatsuya was sure of it. She knew without saying so that the Boy in Black was right beside her. But she was smart enough to know neither could say so.
And then a sudden thought struck his mind, and he smiled.
"Perhaps, but if the day comes when they do find out who he is, will you do me a great favor on that day?"
Her eyes widened intensely then, her hero had a request for her!
"I promise with all my heart!"
She would not deny him.
"They may say many things about him. They may even call him a villain."
She furrowed her eyes as if such a thing was a violation of all things good and decent in the world.
"They may even call him, the Hero of Okinawa."
Her expression restored to instant happiness at his follow up comment. He could see in her eyes that Shiba Tatsuya was already her "Hero of Okinawa".
"But will you remember for me, the name of the person the Boy in Black knows to be the true…Hero of Okinawa?"
"I promise, I will. Please tell me your Onee-chan's name."
He smiled back to her.
"She was called...Sakurai Honami."
Little Mikeko looked like she had just heard the name of an angel whispered in her ear.
"Sakurai…..Honami-chan."
"Maybe she did just hear the name of an angle?"
"I promise I will never forget the name of Sakurai Honami-chan…the true Hero of Okinawa."
They shared a great smile between them and an unexpected bond was formed as well. A secret to be kept, a promise to be fulfilled.
A few minutes later, still clutching his handkerchief in her tiny hands, little Mikeko's intense morning ended with her head on Tatsuya's right thigh.
As the little girl with an amazing gift slumbered away on his lap with dreams of the Boy in Black swirling in her mind; a slightly older boy with an amazing gift of his own looked down at her and wondered if he could fulfill the promise he had made to his…Onee-chan…..over the fires that had consumed her mortal remains.
Looking down at this girl he realized that it wasn't enough to just free the Yotsuba's Guardians from their burden as "living weapons".
Even this little girl, with obviously loving parents, was still considered by those in power to be a "tool" for their usage and disposal. They refused to see the living person below the magic.
"Living weapons."
No magician alive better fit that description than himself. The "ultimate" living weapon.
"She wants me to live…free?"
Had Mikeko said that about his mother….no, she only said that she was proud and loved him.
"But why do I keep hearing in my thoughts that mother wants me to live….free?"
Did she? It went against everything Shiba Miya, of the Yotsuba, represented to him in his mind.
"But why kill herself for me?"
The mystery behind the word "mother" only deepened for him.
Then the image of another beautiful little girl drifted into his mind.
"….Miyuki."
He whispered the name so lightly that Mikeko didn't even stir.
He would never allow anyone to ever use his Miyuki as a weapon.
He looked back down at the sleeping angel on his lap then.
"No, I must find a way to protect all the little magicians of this world from those that would exploit them."
He knew, instinctively, that that was the only way he could truly honor the sacrifice that Honami had made for his sake on the beaches of Okinawa.
In his heart, he pledged to change the world. To make it a world safe for his Miyuki, and little children like Mikeko.
As the aircraft sped on towards the northeast and home, Tatsuya's mind was filled with thoughts of the one person in this world he could love.
….Miyuki.
And of the other two women that were closest to him in his so far short life.
One he wished he could love, because she truly deserved more love than he could ever hope to give.
….Honami.
And the one he wished he could truly understand enough to genuinely love. A woman who, from now on would never be "madam" to him again. A woman who would always be to him from now on...
….Mother.
[The End]
Author's notes:
Again, I thank you all for reading my humble work. While this is the end of this particular story, the Shiba siblings and their friends' story continue onward. More can be found in my other works here on :
-Going Home
and
-To Stand at the Pinnacle
My particular take on Satou-sama's amazing story and characters continue in these humble efforts.
And there will be a short Epilogue to this story as well in the coming week, so please keep an eye out for that too.
Sachiko Mikeko was a new character of my own design that I had always intended to include in this story from very near the beginning of me starting this work, but she took on particular meaning to me as I completed her part. It was always my intention to have Tatsuya fly home with a surprising little girl with magic talent that would let him focus into perspective what had happened to him and Miyuki that difficult week. When I started this story I learned shortly after that my wife and I were expecting our first child. The day before I wrote this final chapter, I learned that she would be a girl. I think that with this in the foreground of my mind I found it very easy to make Mikeko more "real" to me at least, and I hope you can see that in my work too. I am certain now that she will make an appearance later on in To Stand at the Pinnacle.
Thanks once again,
The Baryon Lancer