Okay, here goes Part three!  As always, Please let me know what you think!
This follows Part Two, "First Contact."  Again, you should read the 3
Prequels, "A Matter of Inheritance", "Destiny, Not Desire", and "The Bitter
Taste of Truth" to get the setup for this fic series.



Project A-ko and all original characters Copyrighted by
Soeishinsa/Final Nishijima, Central Park Media Corp., and
Island World Communications Ltd., and are used without 
permission, hopefully to entertain and promote this 
excellent animated series.
************************************************************



Renewed Acquaintances - Part 3
Personal Problems
-----------------------------------------------------------------------


        Shiko had so far sat quietly behind her desk, working through the
stack of paperwork that had replaced her daily trips to Chambers.  Across
from her, the Advisor and her personal assistant Lissa did the same.
	Almost three weeks had transpired since Shiko had sent her message,
and the fact that she had not heard anything back as yet was beginning to
grate on her nerves.  Finally, she could stand no more.
	Dropping her pen in frustration, she pushed aside the papers with
an anguished cry.
	"Auugghh!  Why has it been so long?  I sent that request three
weeks ago, and it should have been delivered by now.  D promised it would
be, and she doesn't break her promises to me."  Shiko blurted, startling
the two other women.
	"Majesty... please.  I'm sure it's nothing... just a bit of
difficulty in tracking her down."  the Advisor put forth, hoping to calm
Shiko down.
	Lissa shot the Advisor a quick knowing glance, hoping Shiko wouldn't
notice, but notice she did.
	"Okay, you two... I caught that little look.  Someone had best tell
me the truth here, or I'll find it out on my own."  she threatened,
regarding them levelly.  After being on pins and needles for a week, Shiko
was in no mood for games, a fact not lost on the Advisor.
	"Your Majesty, contact has been made... but the response was not as
we had expected." she began, bowing slightly in her chair.  "However, we are
trying to work out the slight logistical difficulties we encountered."  she
continued, trying to sound as optimistic as possible.
	Shiko's eyes narrowed slightly as she listened.  She knew instantly
that something was wrong, just by looking in the Advisor's eyes.
	"Maaja, please... I want to know.  What did she say?"  Shiko pressed,
bracing herself.
	The Advisor, realizing she was in too deep, sighed sadly and lowered
her head.  "Your Majesty, the response... was not good.  She threw Operative
D out of her home after adamantly refusing to come.  Monitored communications
have shown that she put her dwelling up for sale through her family... and
then simply disappeared again."  she admitted, lifting her head just high
enough to see Shiko's reaction.
	Shiko took in the news calmly, then sat back in her chair slowly,
her face impassive.  "I see.  Very well then."  she said at length, her
slightly higher, thinner voice indicating her emotional state.  "I'm going
to my chambers... Inform me... if there's any change."  she added, her voice
controlled, yet strained.  With no further discussion, she rose from her
seat and strode off to her chambers, closing and locking the large doors
behind her.
	The Advisor, after watching Shiko depart, turned to Lissa sadly,
tears welling in her aged eyes.  Lissa reached out to hug the woman, also
feeling the seriousness of the moment.
	"What are we going to do now?  I'm afraid for her, Lissa... this
could be a disaster in the making."  the older woman sniffed, wiping her
eyes.
	"We must think of something... If this Eiko person doesn't come,
there's no telling how hard Her Majesty will take it.  And with her carrying
our new Heiress..."
	"By the Holy Mother, Lissa... don't even suggest such a thing."


	In her chambers, Shiko calmly closed and locked both sets of doors,
set her phone on privacy, turned off all the lights, then walked over to her
bed and sat heavily on the side.
	For some length of time, she just sat unmoving, the shock of Eiko's
reaction having numbed her to the soul.  She couldn't understand how someone
she loved so much could be so cold... especially someone she thought she knew
nearly as well as she knew herself.
        She wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come.  All she could do was
sit, staring into oblivion, her mind locked in a running replay of the words
that had ripped her heart from her chest.
        "...after adamantly refusing to come."  The words seemed to cut
deeper with each repetition, but Shiko couldn't silence them.
        Over and over, the words continued to torture the anguished woman,
until finally her brain did the only thing it could do to end the agony...
it simply shut down.  With a soft moan, Shiko crumpled forward to the floor,
bumping her bedside table on the way down.  The impact rocked the table,
sending the picture of Eiko and herself crashing to the floor beside her.
        Shiko came to rest on her back, arms splayed to either side.
Ironically, the broken picture lay mere inches from her open hand.


        When the server reported that there was no answer from Shiko's room,
the Advisor immediately panicked, and ordered a locksmith to break in.  The
sight that greeted them caught their breath in their throats.
        Shiko still lay unconscious beside her bed, her breathing shallow
and very slow.  A Physician was immediately summoned, but there was little
she could do beside put her in her bed and make her comfortable.  She was
unable to determine why Shiko had collapsed, and could only recommend that
she be watched 24 hours for any changes.
        Silently, the Advisor cursed herself for having told Shiko about her
friend's reaction, knowing full well that it was the reason for her Queen's
condition.  Lissa and the shocked server meantime, stood hugging one another
in the office, both sniffing back fearful tears.
        Eyes reddened from her own restrained tears, the Advisor quietly
walked up beside Shiko's bed, and took the unconscious woman's hand gently.
She noted with great relief that it was still warm to the touch, and smiled
despite her remorse.  Brushing a lock of hair out of Shiko's face, she leaned
down and kissed her forehead softly.
        "I swear to you, Your Majesty, that I will find your love and bring
her to you, no matter what the cost.  Your happiness is all I live for."
She whispered, firmly.


        After posting a watch schedule and ensuring that Shiko was as
comfortable as possible, the Advisor called an emergency meeting.  When all
parties required had gathered, she rose from her seat and called for silence.
        "We have an urgent situation before us... Her Majesty has collapsed,
and is currently under a Physician's care."  she began, to a chorus of gasps
from the assembled.  "As some of you are aware, the Earth girl that Her
Majesty wants so badly to see again has rather adamantly refused her
invitation, apparently not wanting to revisit her past for some unknown
reason.  That not withstanding, it is now of the utmost importance that we
locate and convince the Earth girl to come to Her Majesty's side.  If we
fail, not only is our Queen's life quite probably in danger, but that of
our new Heiress as well."  she continued to the now completely silent room.
"We must contact our Operative to inform her of the situation, and ensure
that she is aware of the gravity.  In the interim, we will dispatch support
ships immediately to aid in the search.  We will inform Council regularly of
our progress, and of the status of the Queen."
        "What happens if we are totally unable to succeed?"  a hesitant
voice asked from the floor.
        "At this point in time, Minister... Failure is not an option."  the
Advisor replied, sternly.


        Eiko cursed her lousy luck openly as she pulled her car to the side
of the road.  Beside her, Kikuko slept soundly, oblivious to the flat tire
that had interrupted their flight.  She had cried herself to sleep again,
and Eiko was glad for the respite.  They had departed in the middle of the
night the day after her meeting with D, hoping to avoid detection, and Kiko
still wasn't taking it very well.
        Glancing at her slumbering child, Eiko sighed sadly, feeling for the
little one's plight.  She hated to have done what she did, but she knew it
was ultimately for the child's benefit, no matter how much it hurt in the
short term.
        Stepping from the car, she looked angrily at the flat rear tire,
wondering if she even had a spare.  They had packed so fast that night that
she wasn't sure.
        Opening the trunk, she removed several suitcases and boxes, and much
to her relief the spare was in fact still there, and even inflated.  Removing
it, she was miffed to see that all that was provided for a lug wrench was
some cheap little thing that looked like it would just round the lugnuts off.
        Smirking, she thought to herself that she didn't need it anyway, and
walked the spare over to the affected corner of the car.  Kneeling down, she
carefully lifted the car up, slid her knee under it to hold it up, and
started to remove the lugs with her hand.  Each let go with a piercing
squeak, and Eiko grimaced, worried the noise might wake Kiko.  Finally, she
was able to switch the tires around, and just as she was about to tighten
the lugs up,  a voice from behind her spoke, startling her so much she
almost dropped the car.
        "Need any help, Ma'am?"  A friendly male voice asked politely.
        Turning, Eiko bigsweated as she saw the O.P.P. uniform behind her,
and the gently smiling but imposing man in it.  She suddenly realized that
she still had the car sitting on her knee, and there was also the
possibility that this officer may be looking for her.  She decided to
play innocent, and hope for the best... not that she had any other options.
        "Thank you, officer, but I'm almost finished.  Just have to tighten
these up."  She responded, forcing calmness into her voice.  As she spoke,
she turned the nuts down snug, then began to torque each one up.
To her horror, the first one she tightened squeaked loudly.
        The officer, hearing the squeak, leaned forward to see what caused
it.  Seeing the car sitting on Eiko's knee, he promptly face-faulted.
        "Chikusho!  Now I'm in it!" Eiko thought, and quickly tightened
the remaining lugs.  Once done, she immediately lifted the car down and
stood up, turning to face the gape-mouthed officer.
        "How... did you..." the officer finally stammered, staring at Eiko
in disbelief.
        "Oh, that..."  Eiko replied, off-handedly.  "I'm a weight lifter."
she explained, smiling sweetly.
        The officer looked at Eiko's curvey, five-foot ten inch frame, and
lowered an eyebrow.  He stood a good head taller, and outweighed her by
probably 150 plus pounds, and he knew he couldn't lift that car...
especially not loaded like it was.
        As Eiko watched the officer think it over, she noticed him size her
up.  She was taller and slightly bigger built than most women, but she knew
the officer would still find her story hard to believe.  Nervously, she
hoped he'd just let it go.
        The officer, meantime, wondering how he would explain this one,
rolled his eyes and sighed.  "Okay, Ma'am.  Is everything under control?"
he finally asked, much to Eiko's pleasure.
        "Yes, thank you."  she replied happily, and bowed quickly.
        "All right.  Have a better day."  he said, touching the brim of
his hat and turning toward his car.
        "You, too!"  Eiko stated, earning a quick glance from the officer,
who strode off shaking his head.


        D closed down the link to her ship numbly, the impact of the
message she had just received rendering her temporarily stunned.  She was
already mad at herself for having allowed Eiko the opportunity to escape
her,  when she had assumed that her target would be sleeping and gone for
a sandwich.
        Now, she was in shock.  Her Queen, the woman she had sworn to
protect, the woman she had promised that she would return her friend to was
essentially in a coma because of her actions.
        As the reality hit home, D collapsed back against the tree she stood
near, not knowing whether to cry or destroy something.
        For several long minutes, she stared straight ahead through her
sunglasses, trying to figure out her next move.  She knew that Eiko now had
to be found, and if necessary forced to see Shiko, but it had been two days
since she slipped away, and D had no idea where to start looking.
        It had taken almost a week just to isolate her to this part of
Canada, and a stroke of luck to pick her up on a chance sweep with the
tracker.  D doubted if she'd have that kind of luck a second time,
especially with her target knowing she was being sought.
        Abruptly, a wicked smile crossed her face.  It occurred to her that
there may yet be a way to expedite the process, and possibly have Eiko
found before the reinforcements arrived.  There was someone on this
misbegotten planet who had the resources to pull off such a thing, and all
D would have to do is convince her of the need.
        Laughing out loud, D ran off toward her jumpship, concealed under
optical Camo in a wooded area of the park.  Jumping in the cockpit, she
wasted no time in launching, not caring if anyone saw her.
        She had an important appointment... in Tokyo, Japan.


        Eiko groaned as she lifted her sore backside out of the car, now
parked in the lot of a fast-food restaurant.  She gathered up her excited
daughter and led her into the establishment, hoping for a chance to let
the little one burn off some energy in the playroom.
        Kiko immediately headed for the facility, and Eiko ordered their
food, taking the opportunity to ask the young clerk which hotel was the
best in town.
        When she was finally able to corral Kiko long enough to feed her,
she discussed the choice of Hotel with her, and to her relief, Kiko didn't
care about being on the upper floors, as long as the room had a Jacuzzi.
Eiko had to snicker at that condition, accusing Kiko of not knowing what
one was.  Kiko, insulted at the idea, stated that it was a big bathtub
that blew it's own bubbles.
        Eiko almost dropped her coffee over that response.
        Finally, after signing in and shipping their bags up to the room,
Eiko turned on the TV and flopped on the King Size bed, flipping her shoes
off happily.  Kiko jumped up as well and crawled up beside her, laying
her head on her Mom's tummy.
        Eiko smiled gently and began to stroke her daughter's hair,
remembering for a moment how her own mother used to do the same.
        Eventually, Eiko chased Kikuko off for her shower, indicting that
had to come before any Jacuzzi.  Happily, Kiko disappeared into the
bathroom while Eiko got herself ready.  Sliding out of her short black
skirt, she folded it neatly on the dresser.  Her blouse followed suit,
as did her bra and hose.  Dragging one of her suitcases out of the closet,
she dug out her favorite nightwear... one of her Dad's old dress shirts.
Laying it out on the bed, she was about to slide off her wrist bands when
Kiko stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel and smiling expectantly.
        "Okay, Mom... I'm ready-set!"  she announced, grinning.
        "Good girl.  Let me get my shower now, and then we'll both have a
good soak, ne?"  Eiko responded, winking.
        "Can I start the water?"
        "No, Honey... I have to do that.  Just sit here and watch the TV
for five minutes, and I'll be right out."  Eiko instructed, sliding off the
wristbands finally, and laying them beside her skirt.
        "Mommy... why do you have those?  You wear them all the time."
Kiko abruptly asked, pointing to the bands.
        "I have to, honey... "  Eiko smirked, glancing at the bands herself.
"But, don't worry about it.  I'll explain it to you when you're a bit older."
        "You always say that, but you never do."  Kiko pouted, crossing
her arms.
        Eiko smiled slightly, then knelt before her perturbed daughter.
"That's because you're still not old enough."  she stated, poking the child
gently on the nose.
        "When will I be?"
        "Don't worry... I promise, you'll know."  Eiko assured, rising
again.  "All right, you watch some TV, and I'll be back in five."  She
instructed, peeling off her panties and heading for the bathroom.
        "Hai, Okaasan."  Kiko answered, her attention now on the TV set.
Eiko stopped short, about to admonish Kiko for speaking Japanese, but
decided to just let it slide.  Shrugging, she stepped into the bathroom
and started the shower.
        As she was about to step in, she caught sight of herself in the
large mirror over the vanity, and decided to quickly check her roots.  She
had to snicker at the stark difference between the hair on her head and
the neatly trimmed delta between her legs, thinking that it made her look
like some kind of punk.
        Having checked her roots over, and deciding all was well for the
moment, she took a second to look at herself in the mirror, noting how
life had changed her.  Her few grays were well concealed along with her
natural hair color, but she could see how the years were starting to show
around her eyes.  Also, her face had lost some of it's youthful softness,
and now bore the look of someone old beyond her years.
        Eiko frowned at that observation, not having seen that in herself
since she first came to Canada.  Now, that look was back, and silently she
resolved to get things settled soon, before it got any worse.
        Sighing, she stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wash
her troubles away for a few brief but precious moments.  It felt good to
relax, especially after having been so tense for the last several days.
She looked forward to finally finding a new home, and trying once again to
have a peaceful life.  She also fervently hoped it would be the last time
she'd have to do so.
        Stepping from the shower, she wrapped herself in a towel, and
went out to join her daughter for a Jacuzzi, only to discover Kiko so
engrossed in an episode of Sailor Moon that she didn't notice her Mom
had returned.
        Grinning to herself, Eiko started the water for the Jacuzzi, which
immediately snapped Kiko out of her trance.
        "Hi, Mommy!"  Kiko greeted excitedly, wandering over to watch the
large tub fill.  Turning, she looked up at Eiko with her best kawaii eyes.
Eiko knew she was in trouble.
        "Mommy, I looked out the window and saw a nice park down the
street... if it's nice tomorrow..." she began hopefully, charm turned up to
melt mode.
        Eiko shook her head at her daughter's display, and knelt down to
look her in the eye.  "Well, I had hoped to be on the road fairly early..."
she began, making a production out of looking thoughtful.  "The traffic
won't be as heavy then..."
        "Please, Mommy?  Please?  Just for a little while?"  Kiko begged
anxiously, bouncing on the spot.
        Waiting just a few heartbeats, Eiko finally sighed heavily, as if
it was a major decision.  "Okay, for a little while.  But you have to
promise to come when I call you, no arguing."  Eiko stressed, just in case
a fast departure became necessary.
        "Sugoi!"  Kiko exclaimed, hugging her Mom.  "You're the best, Mommy!
I love you!"
        "Ha Ha!  I love you too, honey!" Eiko replied, happily returning
the hug.




===============================================================
END - Renewed Acquaintances - Part 3    A FanFic by V. Coutu.


Comments Welcomed - Flames Extinquished!
coutuva@vecdev.com
coutuva@hotmail.com


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"No, we don't broadcast animation live any more... it
puts too much of a strain on the Artist's wrists."