Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
Last of the fluff chapters for a while. The next few will build up to Callista's visit to The Society and what happens behind those walls.
MisaRae, I love you little sis! I couldn't do this without you
They arrived at the hospital not long after the ambulance did. Aya led Lisa through the Employee Entrance to the ER to avoid the front desk.
Lisa heard Mark's very distinctive roar as they stitched up his shoulder. She went over to the bay where they were working on Mark. After Lisa moved the curtain out of the way, she said, "You are such a big baby!"
Mark lifted his head from the pillow, noticed Lisa standing there with Aya who was suppressing a giggle, then said, "You know I hate needles Lisa."
The nurse then made a very deep stitch in the wound, which cause Mark to roar again and say, "Son of a…"
"Mark! Watch your Language!" Lisa barked back at her husband.
"Sorry dear but this really hurts!" Mark said as the nurse continued her work.
Aya went over to one of the nurses and asked in Japanese, "Did you give him anything for the pain?"
"Hai. We gave him 200mg of morphine already. He's just too big," the nurse answered.
Lisa sat down on the edge of the hospital bed and ran her fingers through his hair as the nurse continued stitching Mark's shoulder up.
After a few more minutes of Mark acting like a baby, the nurse was able to finish sewing Mark's shoulder up.
Another nurse or orderly came into the bay and handed Mark a lollipop for being a good patient.
Mark looked at the treat for a second, then put it in his mouth. Unfortunately for him, its wasn't sweet. The lollipop was flavored with seaweed which made Mark's face scrunch up.
Both Lisa and Aya started laughing hysterically at Mark's expense.
Mark continued sucking on the lollipop while starring down the two she-cats.
Soon after Mark finished the lollipop, the drugs the hospital's staff kicked in and soon, Mark was curled up in the bed with his head in Lisa's lap.
Aya went over to Mark and stroked his hair as she said, "He's so adorable. You are so lucky Lisa."
Lisa ran her index finger over the edge of Mark's right ear and watched it flick away from her. She then said, "Yes I am. Can we get him back to the Saito's? I think we have had enough of Nikko for one day."
"Yes, I've been wanting to talk to Yoso and Natsume about little Ushio anyhow. I can take you both back as long as I can get someone to watch my son," Aya said after she removed her paw from Mark.
"Don't you think that Yoso and Natsume would want to see their grandson?" Lisa asked.
"I know they will once they hear about him. However, he is too young to be sitting in a car for the six hour trip to Osaka," Aya said as she turned to face the wall.
Lisa laid Mark's head down onto the bed, kissed his cheek, then went over to where Aya was standing, then asked, "What's bothering you Aya? You know Yoso and Natsume are going to love Ushio, so what is holding you back from letting them know your son?"
"I really don't know Lisa," Aya stated. "The Saitos have always welcomed me and Mariko into their home, even after their sons' deaths." She rested her right fist against the wall at head level, then said, "Something keeps telling me not to bring Ushio to Osaka."
Lisa gently placed her right paw onto Aya's left shoulder, then said, "We'll figure it out together Aya. The Saitos deserve to know their grandson."
Aya lowered her fist from the wall, turned to face Lisa, then said, "You know, you're right. The Saitos deserve to meet Ushio."
Right after she finished speaking, Mark let out a snore like no other.
Both Aya and Lisa laughed at Mark as he slept like a kitten.
An hour later, the drugs mostly passed through Mark's system, allowing him to be discharged front the hospital. He was placed in the into the backseat of Aya's patrol car and secured. Lisa slipped into the backseat as well, not wanting to be apart from her husband followed by Aya sliding into the Driver's seat.
As soon as they were on the highway heading for Osaka, Lisa asked, "Can I see a photo of Ushio please?"
Aya simply handed Lisa her uniform cap as she answered, "Look inside, there is a photo of him right inside of the cap."
Lisa took the cap from Aya and looked inside. She saw the 2 inch square photo of Aya holding a new born kitten. "He's adorable Aya."
"Yes he is. My son is my life. I see so much of his father in him. I only hope that Ushio's father is smiling down on us and watching over us," Aya said.
"I hope so as well Aya. Ushio must be so proud of you," Lisa said as she handed the cap back to Aya.
Aya put her cap down on the passenger's seat, then wrapped her left paw around the steering wheel. "Ushio didn't like the idea of me becoming a Police Officer. He didn't want me in a profession where I could be placed in danger and potentially not come home to him. However, being a Police officer was something I wanted and desired more than anything. Before I became pregnant with my son, I enrolled into the academy without my future husband's knowledge. Ushio became furious when I told him, but his anger was not with my decision, he was more frightened that I might be hurt instead. On the day I graduated, he came to the ceremony with one of those giant hearts with a ribbon on it stating I'm so proud of you. After the ceremony was completed, he met me at the side of the stage and gave me one of the biggest hugs I have ever had and said, 'You are going to be one of the best officers o the force Aya. I'm sorry for not supporting you when you needed me the most. I love you.'"
"That's so sweet of him. When Mark told me he wanted to join the Enforcers and asked me to enlist with him, I thought he was crazy. I was a dancer and never imagined myself wearing an Enforcer uniform. But I quickly discovered that I loved helping others in their time of need and excelled as an officer. It also helped that I was partnered with my soon-to-be husband. I don't think there has been a Husband and Wife team on the force. Mark and I are forging new ground in the Enforcers, especially once he becomes a Lieutenant and I start my new job as the Assistant to the Commander," Lisa responded.
"You mentioned earlier that you both were members of the Enforcers." Aya stated. "Ulysses Feral is well known here and his methods have been adopted by our force. So, what's it like working under him?"
"I won't be working for Ulysses much longer, I'll be working for his niece and one of my best friends, Felina."
Aya almost drove off of the road when she heard that a female was taking over the command of the Enforcers. "What happened to Ulysses?"
"He's retiring Aya," Lisa answered. "Ulysses is now married to the she-cat he should have married years ago and he couldn't be happier. Felina is taking his place as Commander and after my kitten is born, I'll be working as her assistant."
"And the other officers have no issue taking orders from a she-cat?" Aya asked.
"Mark and I won't and I highly doubt any of the officers she trained will either. Felina is going to take the Enforcers to new heights and make us into an elite force that will not only command respect, but will earn it from the public," Lisa said.
"I hope so Lisa," Aya said. "I maybe an Officer here, but the force is stuck in the past. No female will ever get past the rank of Patrol Officer. Maybe once the ranking officers see how well the Enforcers flourish under Felina's tutelage they will change their minds and allow she-cats to rise in the ranks." She noticed Lisa yawn in the mirror, then suggested, "Why don't you'll take a nap Lisa? There will be plenty of time for us to discuss the roles of she-cats on the force when you wake."
Lisa didn't need to be asked twice. She slowly laid her head against Mark's right shoulder and fell fast asleep.
"Sleep tight, my friend. In a few hours, I'm going to tell the Saitos they have a grandson. I hope I don't need it but it will be nice to have a friend that I can lean on when I tell them," Aya said as she continued driving to Osaka.
A few hours later, Mark started to waken from his slumber. He quickly realized he was no longer in Nikko and in the back of a Patrol car. "Where are we?" He asked as he took in the surroundings.
Aya looked into the rear view mirror at him as she answered, "We are about fifteen minutes from the Saitos'. I hope you had a pleasant rest?"
Mark felt Lisa leaning against his shoulder and tried to move his arm so she could be more comfortable. However, as he moved, the stitches holding the wound closed started to stretch and pull on his skin which caused him to wince in pain and curse under his breath.
"Are you alright?" Aya asked.
Mark returned his arm to its original position, then answered, "I'll be fine. I forgot about the stitches and they reminded me they were there." He looked down at his sleeping wife and asked, "How long has She been out?"
"About five hours. Do you know how lucky you are to have her?" Aya bluntly asked.
"Yes I do and I reminded each day how much she means to me," Mark answered.
"Good. Her worry was written clearly all over her face. She really loves you just as I love Ushio,"
"I assume you mean your son? I sort of heard the conversation," Mark replied.
"I do love my son but no, I was referring to my fiancée, his father. I'm still in love with the tom that I wanted desperately to marry and raise our son with," Aya answered.
"There is nothing wrong with still loving him Aya, even after he passed. I don't know the ways of the dead, but I'm sure Ushio is still in love with you and will be for all eternity," Mark said.
"I hope he is. My Ushio was quite handsome. I would hate to think that some angel is trying to gain his affections?"
"I doubt it. If Ushio is anything like Yoso, then there is only one she-cat for him and that she-cat is you Aya," Mark said.
Aya smiled into the mirror as she made the final turn onto the Saito's property.
Yoso happened to be sitting out on the front porch of their house when he saw a patrol car pulling up to the house. He raised his left eyebrow in question since he was not expecting company until later on when Mark and Lisa returned from their trip to Nikko.
Aya stopped her car right in front of the stairs leading up to the porch and got out of the car. "Yoso-sama, can you please assist me with getting Mark out of the back of my car?" She asked in Japanese.
Now Yoso was concerned. Not only was Aya standing in his driveway but there was something wrong with Mark. "Natsume! Please come here and help me." He pleaded while he ran down the stairs to help in anyway he could.
Aya opened the door to her car and reached in to help Mark get out of her car.
Mark winced in pain as his stitches pulled while he got out of the car.
Lisa was instantly at his side, helping Aya and Yoso assist Mark in getting out of the car.
"Thanks, all of you," Mark said as he leaned against Lisa for support. "These stitches hurt worse that being sliced open by that thug."
"Sliced open by what thug Mark?" Yoso asked.
Lisa explained to Yoso and Natsume what happened in Nikko as they helped walked up the front stairs.
Yoso told Mark to sit on the futon in the living room while he went to get something from his personal store room.
While he was gone, Natsume turned to Aya and asked, "Its good to see you again Aya, but why did you come here? You could have called and we would have came to get them?"
"Natsume-San, there is something that I need to tell both of you," Aya said as her nervousness started to rise in her body.
Natsume sensed that Aya was very apprehencious about something and it was clearly shown in her body language. "Aya, you know you can tell us anything, there is no reason for you to be nervous," Natsume said as she gently laid her right paw on Aya's left shoulder.
"Arigato Natsume-San," Aya responded. However, she still was nervous about revealing she had a son with Ushio.
Yoso returned holding something long wrapped in faded white linen. He stopped and knelt in front of Mark and Lisa. Then he said, "Mark, Lisa, you both showed bravery today where many would have turned was simply walked away. I'm proud to not only know you, but consider you both family. If my sons were alive today, I'm quite sure all of you would have gotten along like siblings rather than friends." He quickly un-wrapped the object and dropped the cloth to the floor. He now held a bamboo scabbard with a simple wooden hilt at the far end. Yoso put both of his paws on the scabbard and presented it to Mark and Lisa as he said, "This was made by Felicia's grandfather over fifty years ago. It was given to my father by the late emperor after the war for bravery and valor above and beyond what was expected. It is now yours."
Lisa took the scabbard from Yoso and gave a slight tug on the hilt. She withdrew a razor sharp blade with an inscription either stamped to engraved into the blade, then filled with some sort of black ink or lacquer. She inspected the sword and tried to read the kanji, but failed since the symbols were blurry from the engraving obviously done be paw. "Its beautiful Yoso, what does the inscription say?" Lisa asked.
Yoso examined the blade held in Lisa's paws and read the inscription. He snickered then answered, "It was a personal note to my father, a very personal note. It basically says may this sword bring you a very large and happy family Senji."
Natsume quickly read the inscription from where she was standing and also snickered since she knew exactly what the emperor wrote was, 'May this sword give you the ability to give Sakura kittens, many times over old friend.' She asked Yoso in Japanese, "Did you know what was inscribed on that sword before you gave it to them?"
Yoso turned his head to his wife and simply shook his head no before he responded also in Japanese, "No dear, but it is fitting. I can see them as parents for four or five kittens, with any luck."
Aya laughed after Yoso responded to Natusme's question, then said, "Speaking of kittens, Yoso, Natsume, I have something to tell both of you."
End of Chapter