Weeks had passed and, little by little, the young Goddess of the
Future found life in and around the sprawling megalopolis to be most
interesting, if not enjoyable. It wasn't too hard to make Sylia agree to
letting the young Goddess to stay. Skuld thought she had readily agreed
too fast. Still, knowing that Sylia was a most perceptive woman, Skuld
had been the shining example of utmost discretion.
That alone had curtailed Skuld from bringing in her, ahh.... more
exotic toys to the pad where the Stingrays lived.
Well, she had managed to bring her personal computer.
The young goddess frowned.
Like she was ever satisfied with that.
She would be, if she could just get Mackie to let her help around.
Ah, well.... maybe later.
The young goddess smiled.
Chapter Four: Goddess For Hire
Sunlight streamed into the room where the Goddess of the Future,
one of the three sisters who wove the strands of mankind's destiny until
Kami-sama had introduced computers in Heaven, slept angelically, a small
smile on her face as she dreamed of something.
Light caressed the sleeping figure, letting it be known to the
Goddess that slept in the room that a new day had been born with the
blessings of heaven and earth. Another day in the life of those that
lived within the embrace that which is the earth.
Like said goddess cared for that right now.
A lone bird landed near the open window.
It chirped inquiringly at the goddess, wondering why she wasn't up.
No response.
It chirped. And chirped. And chirped.
Until....
"ALRIGHT!!!! I'M UP!!!!!"
The bird made one more chirp before it took off.
Skuld stared bleary eyed at the window that lay conveniently close
to her bed. One thing she had to agree with _practically_ anyone was she
certainly not a daytime person anymore. Must have been from all those
all-nighters she took back in college or whenever she particularly got
fixated on some idea like that upgrade of Banpei-kun last year.
Then again, it could be Urd's unhealthy influence rubbing off on
her.
Skuld stretched languidly on her soft bed, the first she had ever
slept on since she left heaven, unmindful of how sensuous she looked
then. The years had been good to the young goddess, her figure filling
out well in the past years, endowing her with a figure even her eldest
sister would envy.
Problem was Skuld normally hid it with baggy or nondescript
clothes.
Unlike her sisters, she was unsure of what to make of the changes
wrought to herself. While it was far from being unwanted, she was
hesitant to show off. After all, why care about something she herself
obviously felt to be unnecessary in most cases, unless it involved the
acquisition of ice cream.
Skuld was happy that she was good with technology.
Something within Skuld clicked together.
Skuld smiled, one that threatened to break out into gales of
laughter.
� la Kodachi.
"Bwahahahahahahahahaha!!! Do I have such a great idea!" Skuld
said out loud. "With my genius and skill at all forms of engineering, I
could get ADP to hire me as an engineering consultant!" The young
goddess smiled something fierce. "I could even upgrade those piles of
junk they call power armor! With my help, ADP could take out those
annoying boomers that seemed to pop up every now and then to cause
havoc."
Another round of Kodachi-type laughter filled the morning air.
"I can't possibly lose in this!!!"
Looks like things in MegaTokyo are about to heat up.
Then again, with the Goddess of the Future taking a hand in the
lives of everyone in the megalopolis, it shouldn't be surprising at all.
===================
Leon McNichol leaned in his nice chair, feet resting comfortably on
his rather neat desk. This was the life. Three weeks of little-to-no
boomer activity. If there were any, it had been either some of the older
55-C boomers that his team dispatched with somewhat relative ease, or, if
it had been any of the deadlier models - thankfully, only three separate
incidents had occurred - there were no loss in life.
Surprising.
Hell, yes, it was!
Not that anyone in the ADP was complaining.
Not even him.
"LEON!!" the new chief of ADP yelled at him.
Leon sighed as he stood up, automatically fishing for those ultra
cool shades of his. Resisting the impulse to put them on, Leon turned to
the young ADP chief.
"Need anything, ma'am?" he asked a tad bit respectfully.
She smiled, then pointed to her office.
"Inside."
Leon blinked, wondering what was wrong so early in the morning.
"What's the problem, Chief?" he asked, curious as to why he had
been summoned into the office.
Chief Natsume Tendou of the ADP motioned for Leon to take a seat
before she proceeded to her own. Leon, meanwhile, was quite impressed
with the somewhat tasteful items decorating one portion of the small
office. Definitely a far cry from the time the old man took up residence
in this place. Leon had to admit he missed the old man and his tantrums.
Leon glanced at his boss, who was now seated behind the massive
desk most police chiefs seemed to acquire with their position.
Young.
Definitely young for such a position. But who was complaining?
>From what he heard, Natsume Tendou held an excellent record. Skilled in
many more forms of martial arts than he could count or recognize and more
so with the use of a gun or any small firearm. There were even rumors
that she was also stronger than she looked.
Leon decided it best to believe that.
Quick eyes caught the luscious curves hidden by the severe getup
she wore. The slight heaving of her chest definitely proved how well
built she was.
He hid a small smile.
"Done undressing me with your eyes yet, Inspector McNichol?"
Natsume asked wryly.
Leon tried to clear his throat in a desperate attempt to ward off
suspicion. Considering his face was beet red, it was a futile effort,
especially to someone like her.
"Not to worry, Inspector." Natsume smiled. "Your secret's safe
with me. After all, we wouldn't want to ruin your chance at that singer
you keep hounding."
Leon coughed.
Natsume burst out laughing.
Leon looked miffed but kept it at a minimal. Wouldn't want to ruin
the moment. After all, most of the time, the only thing that ever came
from this office was a curse and... well... more curses.
No doubt anyone near the office would hear this.
He wondered if he should be nervous about that.
"Ahh... Chief... care to tell me why you called me in here?" he
asked.
Natsume stared at him for a while. The type of stare that tended
to make any male person start sweating and wondering if anything was
wrong.
Leon found himself melting under the intense scrutiny.
"You'll do," she suddenly said.
Leon blinked.
He did the only logical thing. "Huh?!"
At least he didn't faint, like most people do when confronted with
the unexpected.
Natsume smiled mysteriously.
"My sister had just contacted me that she would be visiting me this
week and plans to stay here for the duration of her vacation. I would
like you to stick by her and make sure she doesn't cause any trouble
while she's around for the holidays." Leon started to protest, but she
cut him off with one overly disarming smile. "She is not a woman to be
taken lightly, Leon. And, besides, you really shouldn't worry all that
much. I've assigned one of our dispatchers... a redhead officer by the
name of Ms. Nene Romanova, to assist you in this little endeavor. I
heard she had some experience dealing with such matters."
Leon blinked.
Nene?!!
It wasn't really all that bad. Nene's a nice girl.
More like a sister, really.
What could be so special about Chief Tendou's sister? Most of the
time, that had been Nene's old job. So, why was he stuck babysitting the
chief's sister? A part of him asked why he wasn't even putting up a
token resistance.
*Women.* he thought sourly.
"I trust we will not have any further problems with this
assignment, Inspector McNichol?" Natsume asked, lips compressed in a
thin smile.
Leon sighed.
He really should have a mighty _long_ talk with those fools who
claim that man was the superior of the two sexes. For some reason, he
had trouble believing in it right now.
"Do I have a choice, ma'am?"
Natsume smiled something fierce. "Not really."
Leon snorted. "Well, with things around here slowing down, I guess
it wouldn't hurt to do something different for a change. Of course,
babysitting wasn't exactly high up on the list."
Natsume laughed at that. "Don't worry, Leon. I'm sure my sister
will change all that. Trust me."
"Why do I have this cold feeling whenever someone tells me that?"
Leon mused.
Natsume quickly pulled out a small envelope and handed it to Leon.
"That envelope contains a picture of my sister, plus some cash to
spend." Leon blinked at that. "If any problem should arise, just steer
my sister to the nearest sweet shop, ice cream parlor, or pastry shop."
"Hmmm... Sounds like someone I know."
Natsume pivoted her chair to one side and got out of it. She then
turned her back at Leon and stared out into the horizon where the hulking
headquarters of Genom blocked the light of heaven.
"My sister has a terrible weakness for sweets. Use this knowledge
well."
Leon could not help but chuckle.
"This may just be the greatest challenge in your life, Leon
McNichol."
"Why is that, Chief?" he asked, honestly curious.
"You'll see, Leon," she answered, turning to face Leon. "And,
Leon, call me Natsume. I'm not too keen on formalities."
Leon saluted smartly, a small smile playing across his face.
"No problem, Chie... errr.... Natsume."
"Good. Now, get out of here. She'll be arriving tomorrow. Get
yourself presentable." She shrugged. "Who knows, she might even take a
liking to you."
Leon started to sweat, liking this assignment less and less. He
idly wondered: how would Priss react to this? Probably say something
nasty about his family line and then deliver her point with a punch to
the gut.
This was turning out to be a really bad day.
Why couldn't his life be simpler? Taking care of boomers seemed oh
so much simpler than trying to find some way to understand women.
===================
"Are you nuts, Skuld?!" Mackie hissed at his companion.
Skuld appeared nonplussed by this. Not while she was eating away
at her third helping of ice cream. She decided to finish that helping
before answering.
"Not really. I just need something that I do very good at." She
called the waitress over and ordered another supreme chocolate delight.
"Actually, I was getting bored with doing nothing." Skuld gazed
meaningfully at Mackie. "If you would just let me help fixing up some of
those stuff, I would be content. But, no! So I decided to offer my
services to the AD Police." She snorted. "Considering their awful track
record, not to mention even worse equipment, I'm sure they need _MY_
help, unlike some people _I_ know."
Mackie winced, knowing all too well who she was talking about.
Much as he'd like a little help around the workshop, he couldn't risk it,
since, if his sister found out, she _just_ might get curious enough to
start taking some steps towards getting rid of Skuld.
Mackie was no fool.
He knew full well Sylia was capable of a bit more than she let the
other Knight Sabers know.
Not that it would work for Skuld.
But it would certainly force them to reveal something they both
felt no one else should know.
Now, this...
"But I thought you wanted to keep a _LOW_ profile, Skuld!" Mackie
told her, voice upgraded to a harsh whisper.
Skuld shrugged.
"Don't worry. If you don't remember, I'm more than quite capable
of handling things myself."
"Yeah! I know you can! But, doesn't this sort of... well..."
Mackie trailed off, not sure how to tell her how dangerous MegaTokyo
could be to people. Women especially. Moreso, with said female being a
goddess.
*How?!* Mackie asked himself.
*Use your imagination, stupid!* a voice within him replied.
Skuld smiled. "You really shouldn't be too worried, Mackie! If
worse comes to worst, I always have my trusty mallet to get rid of any
problem I can't deal with intellectually."
Mackie sighed, wondering how in hell was he going to make Skuld
give up what she had planned. He could just visualize the entire thing
now: Skuld in ADP, somewhere within its concrete depths, brewing trouble
for boomers with her creations.
That did not look good.
Nor did it sound good, either.
He did not need to be smart to know Genom would soon come into the
picture.
"You do not have any idea what the consequences are if you do
this!" he said to her, hands practically clenching the table, as if he
was willing it to solve his problems. "If Genom finds out about you,
they'll want you on their side, making boomers and stuff like that!!"
"So?! I don't really mind. Think of what I could do to contribute
to you humans!"
Mackie's jaw dropped.
He couldn't believe this!!!
Skuld noticed his reaction. "Huh? What's wrong, Mackie? Is it
bad if I helped you humans make a more efficient boomer that would not
malfunction or go insane or have any megalomaniac ideas and stuff??"
Mackie blinked.
"I dunno, Skuld. It still looks like you're taking a big risk
here."
"So? Isn't life but a big risk?" she said, offhandedly.
Mackie wondered just _what_ would keep this goddess from acquiring
the job she had an interview for today at three in the afternoon.
Everything he tried to keep her from going ended up being countered
with answers even he felt to be true.
"Why do I ever even try reasoning with you?" he asked tiredly.
"Dunno."
Mackie cast his eyes heavenward. "What did I do to deserve this?"
he muttered.
"Did you say anything?" Skuld asked, albeit sweetly.
Mackie gulped.
Lucky she didn't bring her mallet.
"Oh! Look! Your order's here!"
Skuld's eyes brightened as she gratefully relieved the waitress of
her burden and started digging in. A grateful Mackie sighed in relief.
*Never thought a wish could actually become a burden.* Mackie glanced at
Skuld, who seemed to be perfectly content with her ice cream. *Then
again, it _was_ also the best thing to happened to me.*
===================
"Hmmm... Your credentials seem most impressive, Ms. Morisato."
Natsume leaned in her chair, observing the raven-haired woman who
had applied for the position as Senior Technician.
"Hai," Skuld replied softly. "I was hoping to get the job."
"But, why?" Natsume asked. "From your records, you could land a
far better job in Genom or any other corporation, for that matter."
Skuld nodded. "I know. But I felt that this is the place I would
like to work. You know, public service and stuff like that. Guess you
could say my family had been doing that for ages." Skuld smiled.
"Besides, I'm sure you guys could use a helping hand."
Skuld smiled some more.
Natsume could suddenly felt cold, for some unfathomable reason.
Something about the woman's smile.
"Hmmm..." Natsume pondered. "Are you sure?"
Skuld nodded enthusiastically.
Natsume sighed. She had a very bad feeling about this. The woman
had scores to make _anyone_ infinitely envious of her. She had a talent
for anything that held some sort of engine or involved microchips and
programming.
What hidden reason did someone like this woman have to be working
in a place like this?
What the hell!
ADP could sure use the help this woman was offering.
"Why not! You're hired!"
Skuld let out a cheer of joy and hugged the woman who was now her
boss. "ThankYouThankYouThankYou!!! THANK YOU _SO MUCH_!!!!! I got a
job!!! Yay!!!"
After her rather enthusiastic hug, she practically jumped out of
the office, eyes sparkling with so much joy and gratitude.
Natsume picked herself off the floor and went back to her seat.
She depressed a button on her terminal and called for the man currently
in charge of the Engineering Tech Division.
Somehow, she felt the strange woman would be an asset worth
protecting.
Then why was she not happy?
===================
Priss exalted in the freedom she felt whenever she drove her bike
through MegaTokyo's old highways. She had always been addicted to speed
and danger, prerequisites of a job that seemed tailor-made for one like
her.
She drove her bike towards the outskirts of the city, intent on
getting some time off alone. Today was fast becoming a red letter day
for her career as a singer. Someone had actually offered to sign her up!
It was an opportunity for her to rise above her usual status as a retro
trash singer.
She preferred to be called an artist.
Not that anyone minded what she sang.
She was GOOD.
That was that.
She smiled and revved her engine as she roared out into the night
to celebrate.
Priss was little more than a mile or two out of city limits when a
black car roared out from the veil of the night and passed by her mere
inches away, before speeding back into the night from which it was
spawned.
*What the hell?!!* Priss cursed, as she slammed on the brakes.
For once, Priss Asagiri did not give chase. She did not want
another repeat of what had happened with that some time ago with the
Griffin. She _did_ have a meeting with Mrs. Kusanagi the day after
tomorrow.
She did not want to be bedridden while an opportunity like this was
around.
Truth be told, she might even act nice for once - provided, of
course, that Mrs. Kusanagi did not hit too many sore points. Priss
smiled since she was rather confident that she might actually get this
contract with Zu Records. Especially since Mrs. Kusanagi had been most
forward with what she knew of her colorful reputation in the music
industry.
She had insisted that her company did not mind.
Not with the stuff she had seen her do at Hot Legs.
Priss smiled at the memory. What made it most unusual was that
Priss had a reputation of rejecting every executive that had come out to
get her to perform for their company. Then again, it was probably
because she instinctively knew trash when she saw it. No matter how they
were dressed.
Of course, maybe she accepted since this was the very first woman
who actually treated her as a human being for once.
Priss smiled.
It was so very good to have friends in high places.
She reminded herself to thank Vision when she had a chance to call
her.
===================
"I hope that plane arrives already," Nene complained. "I'm getting
really hungry."
Leon merely grunted and went back to reading the magazine.
Nene, wishing to do something other than get bored, got curious as
to what Leon was reading so intently, considering that she never thought
Leon to be interested in any form of reading material, unless it involved
women somehow.
"What'cha reading, Leon?"
Leon looked up. "Huh? Oh! Nothing really. Just something to
while away the time." He glanced at his watch. "Although, the plane
sure is late."
Nene stole a glance at the magazine.
She was surprised to learn what it was.
Leon, being who he was, noticed Nene's interest in his reading
material. He laughed a bit. "Never thought to catch me reading
something other than the stuff you normally catch me with."
Nene nodded, looking more and more flustered.
*Wow. Never thought Leon to be interested in things that didn't
have a skirt on them,* she said to herself.
"Well?" Leon asked, staring at the unusual look he was receiving
from Nene.
Nene quickly averted her gaze and tried to look at things other
than Leon's eyes which, for once, were not hidden under those ultra cool
shades +5 of his.
Leon smiled at the strange look he was receiving from Nene.
*Reminds me of my sister... uh-oh!*
Leon suddenly stood up, swearing loudly.
Nene yelped, turning to the still swearing Leon.
"Leon?! LEON!!!"
Leon McNichol turned, obviously regaining control of his composure.
"Nene! Please, do me a favor! Wait for the Chief's sister for me,
will 'ya?!! I just forgot something that I was supposed to do today! Be
right back! Promise!! Bye!"
Unable to protest or even raise one, she merely took her seat and
picked up the magazine Leon had dropped.
"Wonder what's wrong with the guy? Never seen him _this_ nervous
about anything."
===================
Somewhere else, in a near panic - something anyone rarely sees, if
ever - Leon ran through the huge terminal of the MegaTokyo Spaceport
flashing his badge to those who got in his way.
*Damn! Damn! Damn!!! Argh!! Why the hell did I have to forget?
Shit! Curse, Argh! @#$%#@#$@!!! Kyoko is going to _kill_ me!!* Upon
further thought. *No! Make that, she'll turn my life a living hell and
stay for good!! What have I done in my past life to deserve having _her_
for a sister?!!!*
Leon glanced at his watch.
"Agh! Frig! Damn! Twenty minutes late!! Make way! ADPolice!!"
People instinctively moved out of his path, as if some inborn
instinct warned them of the trouble Leon was now in.
His sister was coming to town.
And he was late!!!
===================
Somewhere high above, a somewhat stunned crowd of passengers
started at the mangled pile of metal that had once been an old-model
boomer. Nearby, a very insulted young woman with light brown hair,
wearing a sleeveless blue jacket over her somewhat more revealing tight
blouse and blue jeans, was busily tying back the ribbon she had to use on
the boomer that had been the hijackers' main weapon.
Boomers instilled fear in people.
All except to some few martial artists.
"Well?" she asked the trembling one-eyed man behind her. "Are you
going to shoot that toy of yours, so I could do something horribly evil
to your bones, or are you going to surrender and let this plane land
already? Air travel always makes me so _Very_ short tempered, for some
reason."
The man decided it was better to faint than have to do anything
rash against a woman who just took out a boomer with that ribbon of hers.
"Geez! What a wimp!" the young woman complained, taking her seat
once more with an almost aggrieved expression on her face. "You'd think
I was serious or something."
No one chose to speak, too afraid to even utter a word. After all,
what was one to say to a woman who could take a boomer out like that?
The hyper-sonic plane landed in short order.
Finally feeling a little better, a more cheerful Kurumi Tendou
stepped out of the plane. She took note of the lateness of the hour.
She glanced around the terminal, checking to see where her sister could
be. Keen eyes found no one that looked like her sister, Natsume.
She frowned.
"Wonder where Onee-chan is? She never was late for anything."
Seeing futility in trying to even locate her sister, she decided to
take a seat nearby where a very cute redheaded woman was idly riffling
through the pages of a magazine. For some reason, the redhead reminded
her so much of an old acquaintance back then during the good old days
before the quake had hit.
Deciding it better to befriend someone while waiting for her sister
to arrive, she sat next to her and began a conversation.
"Hiya! Waiting for anyone special in particular?"
Nene looked up to see a smiling woman of about twenty-five or so
staring at her with mischief in her eyes.
"Huh?! What?!"
"My name's Kurumi. Tendou Kurumi."
"Uh... Nene. Nene Romanova."
Kurumi beamed happily. "Cute name." She bent over until she was
nearly an inch away from the other woman's face. Eyeing Nene-chan
critically, she wondered if she really was that person. No. That person
had died many years past. A past many of them had long since tried to
put behind them as best as they can. "Say, you sure you're not related
to the Romanofs?"
"Not that I can recall. A lot of people had often told me that -
more times that I could remember," Nene answered automatically. "Maybe.
I wished. Then I wouldn't have to work, and stuff like that."
Kurumi laughed. "Wanna be friends?"
===================
"You do realize, of course, that you are a whole half hour late,
Nii-chan?" a young violet-haired woman huffed, starring at her brother
through her wide-rimmed glasses.
Leon shrugged, helping his younger sister Kyoko with her pieces of
luggage. Leon's little sister, while she looked rather unassuming, was
really an illusion she had perfected through time. From the way she
talked, dressed, and walked, one could never say she was England's most
famous model, part-time fashion designer and actress.
Hell, even now, Leon could hardly begin to understand how she could
hide such the figure she had with the get-up she had on.
"Uh... sorry, Kyoko. I kinda forgot." Leon told his sister. "I
was on an assignment when I remembered that little postcard you sent me.
Heh! Sorry."
Kyoko shook her head. "Forget it, Leon. Let's just get my stuff
back to the car and get me to your house."
Leon blinked. "Hey, Kyoko-chan. You sure you're okay? You're
acting way out of character."
Kyoko laughed. "Expect me to be _in_ character, as you call it, in
a little while." Kyoko turned to see her brother staring at her so,
through those ever present shades of his. "Just kidding, Leon-chan!"
Leon missed a step upon hearing that familiar name his sister liked
so much. For some reason, it really ticked him off every time his sister
said that. Only she could make it sound so... so damn irritating.
"You really haven't changed all these years," Kyoko observed.
Leon shrugged. "I try not to. This city does enough for everyone."
===================
"So, who are you waiting for, Nene?" Kurumi asked, as she took a
seat next to her new friend.
"Well, Leon said something about an assignment the Chief asked him
to personally oversee. I kinda forgot to ask him who we were waiting
for, though. Or how she looks like." Nene answered.
"You a cop?"
Nene nodded. "Well, kinda. I'm a communications expert in ADP.
Leon's the one who goes out into the field to play with boomers."
"Is the name of your boss wouldn't happen to be Tendou Natsume,
would it?"
"Yeah." Nene's eyes widened as she managed to put the pieces
together. "Oh. Are you the one the chief asked us to, uh.... look
after?"
Kurumi giggled. "Same old sister Natsume. She's always worried
about me. It isn't like I couldn't protect myself."
"Yeah. But you know how dangerous any place can be at any time.
Even more so when boomers are added to the equation." Nene sighed.
"There are times when I wish no one ever found out how to create those
things."
"All things considered, it could have been much worse." Kurumi
thought out loud.
"Huh?" Nene was confused. "What could be more dangerous than
boomers on a rampage? As far as I could recall, 75% of all deaths are
boomer related. Only a mere 10% could be attributed to crime.
Everything else is mostly of natural causes."
Kurumi laughed. "Trust me. I've seen much worse. A _lot_ worse."
This she kept mostly to herself.
"Well, we'll just have to wait for Leon to get back. He's got the
keys to the car." Nene stared at the pieces of luggage Kurumi brought.
"And your stuff wouldn't have fit anywhere in my scooter, anyway, even if
I had brought it."
"We could always walk," Nene's new friend suggested.
Nene blanched. "You're kidding! It's an hour's drive from here to
ADP Headquarters. And you wanna walk?!"
"So? What a little walk got to do with it?" countered Kurumi.
"Like I always say, we women have to do all the sacrifices. After all,
we're usually the ones doing the fishing."
Nene laughed at the pun. "Very funny." Nene looked wistfully at
Kurumi's well-proportioned figure. "What I wouldn't do to have a figure
like yours."
Kurumi blinked. "You don't look that bad, Nene-chan."
"Ah! But I'd still like to have one like yours. I mean, even with
all the workouts I do, I still can't get my body to look the way I want
it to."
Kurumi's smile turned wicked. In conspiratorial tones, "Ah... you
seem to be having some boy trouble then."
Nene looked shocked. "No. It's not that. I'm not really
interested in getting myself a guy. Well, not all the time, but finding
one is kinda way far down the list of my worries. I sometimes try to
pretend I'm enthusiastic about finding the man of my dreams, but lately,
even pretending doesn't help much. I just am _not_ interested in guys
like some of my friends in dispatch." Nene smiled. "I'm not lonely
though. My friends keep me happy enough."
"You know, there is a word for that."
"Eeeeehhhhhh!!! No way! I'm that kind of girl!" Nene protested.
Kurumi giggled. "Well, you did say you weren't too interested in
guys. That normally leaves only a few options. Unless you want to grow
up an old maid."
"Never that!"
"You wanna know my secret for maintaining a figure like mine?"
Kurumi asked, a gleam of mischief in her eyes.
"Sure" was Nene's enthusiastic reply.
"Great. We'll start training once I get myself settled in my
sister's place."
"Huh?"
"Well, you want a figure like mine, right?" Nene nodded. "Then
I'm going to give it to you. The only way it can be done. Martial
arts!!"
Nene moaned.
"Don't worry, Nene-chan! I can guarantee you - it'll be fun!! Who
knows, maybe you got what it takes to perform some of the more exotic
styles."
*What have I gotten myself into now?* Nene thought.
Nene glanced at Kurumi, who was cheerfully smiling at her. *Oh,
boy.*
===================
"Say, Kyoko. Why the sudden visit? I thought you said you didn't
want anything to do with me anymore. Not with your career and
everything."
Kyoko sighed. "It just wasn't because of that, Leon." She turned
to look at her brother, a solemn look on her face. "Look, why don't we
take a seat over there?" She pointed at the small caf� she just spied a
moment ago.
Both took the nearest seats. A waiter came to get their orders but
Leon waved him off, saying they did not want any. Kyoko gazed at her
older brother, wondering if she was doing the right thing, telling him of
the things that'd been happening to her for the past five years.
They'd been quite close, but had grown slowly apart, since the time
she had called him on the phone, telling him that she did not want to see
or hear from him again. It was a lie, one that she had perpetuated for
some time now.
And it had kept her brother safe.
Until now.
She had thought she'd buried everything about her past, even going
so far as to try out that drug her best friend, Morrigan, had invented.
It was very effective in wiping out all traces of her past existence.
Leon instinctively knew his sister was in some sort of trouble. He
felt that coldness in his heart once again. Back then, when Kyoko had
told him she did not want anything to do with him anymore, that coldness
had been present.
Leon knew -- felt -- Kyoko was in trouble.
"Leon, first of all, please forgive me for that call I gave you
five years ago. That had been a thoughtless act of me. Gomen nasai."
"Like I even blame you for that." Leon smiled. "Besides, you're
still my little sister, even if you were busily making my life hell on
earth everyday."
Kyoko laughed, the first since her plight from those who wanted
something from her.
"So, Kyoko, who's after you? Genom?"
Kyoko shook her head. "For once, Genom is not involved in this."
"Who is it, then? Not to many megacorporations in the planet, you
know."
"I... I don't know," Kyoko lied.
"What is so important that they want you, sis?"
"Janet, my roommate, left me something before she died. Something
her science team had excavated in Antarctica. Something so very deadly,
it had claimed the lives of everyone in the science team, including
Janet, who died shortly after she came home with it."
"Where is the item now, Kyoko?" Leon asked in an even voice.
Kyoko looked sadly at her brother, wondering if it was the right
thing to do coming back here and involving her brother in something like
this. No. The bastards had forced her into coming here. She had little
choice.
"That item is me."
to be continued.....
Author's Notes:
Gah! That took longer than expected to finally release another
chapter of my AMG/BGC fic. Sorry for the wait but I had some matters to
take care of first.
I've decided to put the timeline of this fic somewhere around what
should be a few months after the final episode. Why? Probably since too
many fics have done the opposite already.
One more thing, if any of you may want to know, plans for the
Angel's Chronicles Book 2 are under way and some have even been
incorporated into this fic. More on this development when I get to it.
C&C will be greatly appreciated in this fic or any other that I've
done. ^_^
Radler
"A man's house is his SDF. His car, his valkyrie."
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