Renewed Acquaintances - Part 6
Reality Check
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Eiko sat stunned and blinking on the ground, mouth hanging open.
Her rage had been abruptly replaced by utter and total disbelief in what
she saw standing before her, and she was still waiting for it to sink in.
Smiling, and with his hands on his hips, her father looked down
at her quietly, then turned and knelt beside Kiko.
"I think she'll be fine... looks like she inherited the family
resiliency." He commented, looking the little girl over. "How about you,
Eiko-chan?" he continued, looking over at her.
Eiko nodded slowly, still too stunned to respond.
"Good. Now, would you mind explaining all this to me? First I get
a call from you saying "sell my house", and now I find you in a pitched
battle, about to waste half a dozen people. Something serious is going on
here, isn't it?"
Eiko closed her mouth and lowered her head shamefully.
"Dad... They want me to fight a war for them." she began, raising her
now tearing eyes to meet his. "I left Japan because I was tired of that
life and what it cost me.... now they want me to do it again. And they
won't take no for an answer!" she began, her tears choking her voice.
He listened intently, then shook his head sadly. "I thought so.
Honey, there's been a misunderstanding of incredible proportion here...
they don't want you to fight any war. In fact, I talked to the Royal
Advisor to Queen Ciaara myself to get the full story. All they wanted was
for you to go visit Shiko... no war, no fighting... just a visit. And
perhaps, if you wished it, you could have even stayed on a while. "
"What? Then why did D say..." she stammered, wiping her eyes.
"You didn't give her a chance to give you the full story. As
usual, you were a bit too impetuous, Eiko-chan. What she was trying to
tell you was that Shiko misses you... so much that she desperately wants to
see you again. She's also scared of raising her new daughter, and thought
asking you to help would be a good reason to reach out. Now, however,
since you threw D out of your house while yelling your refusal to go, Shiko
is in a massive depression... so severe that there is genuine fear for
her life... and the life of her new baby." he explained, quietly yet
sternly. "She thinks you hate her, Eiko-chan, and she's taking it to
heart."
Eiko couldn't reply. Her father's words hit her like the
proverbial sledge, shocking her to the core. She tried to speak, but as
soon as she opened her mouth, she dissolved in a mass of tears, collapsing
on the ground in a sobbing heap.
At that moment, Kikuko walked slowly up behind her and touched
her back gently. "Mommy.. are you okay? Grampa, what happened to Mommy?"
the little one asked worriedly. "Did she hurt herself?"
"In a way, Kiko... I think she did." He replied softly, kneeling
down beside his daughter and placing his hand on her head.
Kiko frowned. "I don't like Mommy being sad." she stated, hugging
her Mom's back. "She's been sad a lot."
He glanced down at his daughter, who still lay in a ball, sobs
wracking her chest. "I know, Kiko... but she's sad now because she just
found out about a sick friend." he indicated, brushing Eiko's hair away
from her face.
"I wish... someone... would have... told me..." Eiko sobbed, barely
able to form the words.
"They tried, Eiko... you weren't in the mood to listen. Granted,
D made a mistake by trying to use the 'Civil War' angle to convince you,
but you decided to close off any further discussion, didn't you." her
father reminded, his face soft, yet serious.
Eiko cried harder at that remark, causing Kiko to start sniffing
as well. "Mommy..." she said softly, hugging even tighter.
"Eiko... Long ago we told you that your gift was not yours alone...
it was to be used for the benefit of all, not kept to yourself. When you
moved here, we hoped you would find such a use... like I did." he sighed,
sadly. "But instead, you've found out why you can't keep it to yourself.
It breeds it's own tangled web of difficulties... this is part of what we
meant when we said it could hurt you, too." he continued, his voice now
soothing. "Do you understand now?"
"H... Hai, Otousan." Eiko sputtered through her sobs, slowly
sitting up and wiping her face. "I really screwed up this time, didn't I?"
"I'm sorry you had to learn it this way, Honey... I would like to
have seen things go better for you." he continued, lowering his eyes.
"Well..." she began, sniffing. "I never did do anything the easy
way, did I?" she replied, attempting a smile. Kiko noticed the attempt,
and promptly jumped into her lap. Eiko tried to smile at her, but her eyes
stung too much. "Are you okay, Kiko-chan? You didn't get hurt, did you?"
she asked weakly, looking the child over once again.
"No Mommy... just got blown conscious." Kiko replied, shaking her
head. Eiko almost snickered. "You little monkey...!" she gushed, hugging
the child tightly.
"That was a pure stroke of luck, Eiko... I saw the blast from a
ways out, and if she had been a normal little girl..." Eiko's father
cautioned, looking very serious.
"I know... I don't even want to think about it, Dad... Please don't
remind me." Eiko breathed, still hugging Kiko.
"Fair enough... Okay, next topic."
"What?"
"Here." He indicated, handing her back her wristbands. "You made
me a solemn promise several years ago, and from what I've seen... it
didn't hold up. Honey, I've never taken a life in the performance of my
job... and neither have you. Yet, today... you almost took several." He
began, great disappointment evident in his tone. "Do you even remember
the promise you made?"
"Yes..." she replied, lowering her head. "I would never remove
these in anger, and never use my abilities to deliberately take a life."
she answered, weakly. "Dad... I have... no excuse for my actions. I was
being incredibly selfish. I never meant to hurt anyone... least of all
Shiko. I miss her, too." she added, face red with shame as well as tears.
Eiko felt a hand on her shoulder again, and looked up to meet her
father's gaze head on. He was smiling, yet she swore she could see tears
in his steel-blue eyes as well.
"That's my Eiko." He stated, helping her to her feet and wrapping
her in a huge hug. "I love you, sweetheart... You're still my little girl."
he added, softly. Eiko smiled happily despite her sadness, the feeling of
her Dad's arms around her making it all go away for a few wonderful minutes.
Kiko, still worried about her Mom, glomped onto her leg and held
tight, wanting her to know that she was there for her. Eiko reached down
and held her daughter's head against her leg, happy for the support.
Finally, Eiko's father stepped back and regarded his little
extended family happily. Eiko, still wiping tears away from her eyes,
reached down and picked up her daughter, slipping her a quick hug and kiss.
Kiko grinned at her, then turned and flashed the same grin to her Grandpa.
"By the way, Dad... how do you know so much about all this? You
knew more than me, and I was involved." Eiko asked abruptly, the
coincidence of his appearance suddenly dawning on her.
Her father grinned wryly. "I got a call from the last person I
would have expected to be concerned about you. She was worried that you'd
resist, and knowing the full story, realized that you probably didn't
understand it correctly. She was also worried that the situation might
escalate… like it did. You owe her a debt of gratitude."
Eiko knew instantly who he referred to. "Biko... but, that would
mean she knows who you are..." she replied, shooting him a surprised look.
"She has for a while. I 'helped' her a few times over the years,
and she figured it out for herself. It's okay, though. I trust her."
he insisted, winking.
"Kuso... Who would have thought. I guess I do... owe her." Eiko
admitted, thoughtfully. Despite her father's words, the concept of a
'humanitarian' Biko was going to take a while to get used to. As she
grappled with it, another thought struck her.
"What's the situation with Shiko right now, Dad? Is she still
okay?" Eiko finally asked, feeling extremely guilty over the whole affair.
"She's been locked in her room since this began... won't see anyone,
won't eat or drink... won't even get out of bed. They're all very worried
about her." He replied, evenly. "You know what she can be like."
"Damn... Do you think she'll even want to see me after all this?"
"I don't know, Honey... You'll have to find that out on your own. I
take it that you've decided to go?"
"Yes... I would have right from the start if I had known the whole
story. I feel like such an idiot... especially with what's happened to
Shiko over it. I just hope she'll accept my... apology." she replied,
sheepishly.
"I think she will... eventually. Remember; she took your
rejection pretty hard. If I didn't know better, I'd swear she's in love
with you." he commented, winking.
Eiko smiled at that statement, noting that it gave her a warm
feeling inside. "Dad, I think she is, too." she remarked, winking back.
"Well, you had best not waste any more time. Shiko's staff is
about to take over her affairs, since she won't take care of herself. Would
you like a lift?"
"Yeah... over to D and Biko. I have to settle things with them,
first." she indicated, quietly. "Ready, Kiko? Grampa's going to take us
for a ride!"
Kiko's eyes lit up instantly. She hadn't had a 'Grampa-zoom' for
ages. "Cool, Mom!" she giggled, tightening her grip.
"Okay, here we go!" Eiko's Dad announced, taking the two women in
his arms and lifting off. Kiko shrieked with delight as they took to the
air, and even Eiko had to smile... it had been a long time for her, too.
Dropping them off in a patch of trees near the war zone, He kissed
them both goodbye, and wished them luck. Then, in a blur, he was gone.
"Wow, Mom... Grampa is super!" Kiko gushed, still blown away by their
ride.
"You can say that again" Eiko grinned, tousling her daughter's
hair.
D paced impatiently beside her jumpship, waiting for the promised
return of Eiko. She was about to complain about the wait again when she
spotted Eiko and her daughter walking back toward them.
Her first reaction was to smile and run out to them, but
remembering the scene earlier, decided to just step out in the open and
wait.
Eiko walked behind her excited daughter, her face expressionless.
Ahead, she could see D and Biko near the ship, and the group of commandos
off to one side. Biko, upon being nudged, looked up quickly then started
to walk toward Eiko.
As Eiko stopped at what remained of her car, she grimaced, knowing
she was going to miss it. It was only four months old, and now looked like
a metal pretzel. Rummaging quickly through what was left of her personal
effects, she gathered up a few items and stuffed them into her last intact
suitcase.
Just as she was about to pick it up and walk away, a little glint
of light from amidst the rubble caught her eye. Curious, she reached
for the source of the flash and brought it out into the light.
She had to smile, yet force back more tears as she opened her hand.
In it was the shiny little 'bunny' earring that Shiko had bought her
several years ago. Eiko paused as she stared at the piece of jewelry,
remembering how she had treated the poor girl that summer... and how
ironically similar the circumstances were now.
Sighing sadly, she went to put the earring in her suitcase, but
stopped in mid motion, staring at the small silvery item dangling from
her fingers. A slight smile spread across her face as she nodded to
herself, and then clipped it into her left ear.
Satisfied, she closed her suitcase and glanced around for Kiko,
who was already heading toward the jumpship. Grabbing the suitcase, she
stepped out from behind the wreckage and continued toward her inevitable
face to face with Biko.
A few moments later, the two stood ten feet apart, resembling two
old-west gunfighters in the town square. Each eyed the other carefully,
looking for signs of movement.
"I owe you something, Biko..." Eiko finally said, still eyeing
the woman. "And I don't think you're going to like it... but, that
doesn't concern me right now. I just want to make sure you get what's
coming to you."
Biko gulped silently, unable to tell if Eiko had her bands on or
not. Looking back at Eiko's face, she was greeted with a silly smirk.
"Here! Take this!" Eiko suddenly shouted, and leapt at Biko,
wrapping her in a tight... hug.
Biko bigsweated, unable to fathom what her oldest adversary had
just done to her. She stood paralyzed with shock, unable to even stammer
an expletive.
"Thank you, Biko-chan! If you hadn't arranged that, I don't know
what would have happened." Eiko blurted, releasing the stunned Biko, who
couldn't say a word.
"I owe you a thanks for the foresight... I guess you really are smart
after all." Eiko grinned happily as she bowed deeply to her former foe.
Biko still stood unmoving, her eyes wide and mouth drooping. Eiko,
noticing Biko's condition, wandered up to her and stopped immediately beside
her ear.
"You're a sweetheart down under it all, aren't you? Don't worry,
Biko-chan... I promise I'll keep your secret." Eiko whispered, kissing
Biko lightly on the cheek. "It was wonderful to see my Dad again... Domo
Arigato." she whispered even more quietly, patting Biko on the shoulder
and starting to walk away.
Slowly, the shock began to wear off, and Biko realized what had
happened to her. Eiko... the woman she loved to hate had just hugged her,
thanked her, and even kissed her cheek. And, worse yet, she was actually...
happy about it.
Turning, she saw Eiko waving her daughter toward herself, and
quickly started after her.
"Eiko...?" she called out, hesitantly.
"Yes, Biko-chan?" Eiko replied, watching Biko's cheeks flush.
"Eiko-sama... I came here today to try to put the rivalry between
us to rest... but, as usual, you beat me to it." she began, voice
unusually soft and personable.
"No, you won this round, Biko-chan. You stopped me from hurting
or killing a lot of people today... you deserve the win." Eiko responded,
softly. "Thank you." she continued, opening her arms to her old nemesis.
This time, Biko accepted willingly, not noticing the face-faults going on
behind her.
"Are you going to go to Shiko? She really needs you. The poor
girl is wasting away." Biko urged through her sniffles after breaking
the hug.
"I am. I owe that poor woman more than I think I could ever repay...
I was an idiot, Biko. And my stupidity may have already cost an innocent
life. Kuso, I hope she's still okay." Eiko replied, remorsefully.
"Then get out of here... I'll look after your house, and my 'team'
over there will have a new car waiting for you when you return." Biko
responded to the groans of her cohorts. "You be sure to pass along my best."
"I will. Thanks again, Biko-chan. I'm actually... going to miss
you." Eiko smiled, turning toward D.
"Go. Get up there... and stop calling me that. I have a reputation
to protect." Biko winked, shooing Eiko away.
"Kiko-chan! Come on!" Eiko called, running over to D who still
stood nervously beside her ship.
"Well, D... shall we depart? I understand I have an audience with
the Queen."
"" D stammered,
incredulously.
"Hai. I am indeed. Can Kiko fit in there? I'm not going without
her." Eiko insisted, scooping up the little girl who had just caught up
to her.
"" D urged excitedly.
Loading Eiko and Kiko into the jumpship, D jumped in and immediately
notified her support ship that she had succeeded, and was enroute to the
rendezvous point.
The cheer that greeted D's message told Eiko that she was doing the
right thing, and she was now looking very much forward to seeing her old
friend again.
Within half an hour, the jumpship met up with it's carrier, and was
quickly brought aboard and stowed for the trip back to Alpha Cygni and
Shiko.
Eiko and Kikuko were escorted to very posh quarters, normally
reserved for Heads of State or visiting dignitaries. There, they were
treated to baths and new clothing, given that their original clothing was
looking somewhat worse for the wear.
Afterward, they were led to a huge dining hall, and served an
incredible meal as guests of the Captain of the vessel... none other than
Captain Napolipolita, finally reinstated after the fiasco of several years
ago. Eiko, despite being glad to see the familiar face, couldn't help but
tease the Captain about her weight, which had increased a bit over the
years. The Captain blamed it on having dried out, which Eiko couldn't
help but be happy about.
Word of Eiko's impending arrival was sent ahead to the Advisor,
who promptly danced a most undignified jig in her office, ecstatic that
Eiko was really coming. Upon learning that the ship carrying her was an
older second generation Nagota-Class, she immediately dispatched her
personal Cutter from it's remote base to intercept it, and called off
the other support ships. In the mean time, she spread the word to the
rest of the staff, but deliberately avoided telling the Queen… she felt
that such news was best delivered in person.
As preparations began, the staff buzzed excitedly about the news,
praying that all would soon be well. Their excitement was tempered
however by news that the Queen was in bad shape. Her condition had
deteriorated to the point that she was now on intravenous fluids to
re-hydrate her, and her heart was beating erratically. The self-induced
stress on her system had taken it's toll, and she was dangerously weak.
Out in space, the Advisor's Cutter had met up with the carrier
and the transfer of passengers was quickly completed. The Cutter
immediately jumped to Midspace, a level of speed that the older ship was
not capable of. They expected to arrive at the planet within the hour,
but it still wasn't fast enough for Eiko. She was becoming increasingly
anxious about getting to Shiko, something telling her that she had to
hurry. Kiko, meantime, had curled up beside her Mom and was drifting
off to sleep, as per usual.
After a little while, Eiko stood up carefully so as not to disturb
Kiko, and began to pace the aisle of the cabin, her anxiety getting the
better of her. A few laps later, one of the flight crew popped out of
the forward cabin and called the attendant up, and the two of them
disappeared for a few moments. When the attendant reappeared, she walked
straight up to Eiko, her face bearing grave concern. Eiko's heart sank.
The attendant told Eiko sadly that Shiko had, as the Medical
Team called it, 'crashed' a few minutes earlier. They were working on
her as they spoke, but that was all she knew. She also mentioned that
the Cutter had already accelerated to it's top speed, but they were still
twenty minutes from the planet.
Numbly, Eiko thanked the girl and walked back to her seat. The
news was as she had feared... she was going to be too late. Shiko was
going to let herself die, and it was all because she had been so selfish.
Inwardly, Eiko cursed herself for her stupidity, wishing she could turn
back time and take back her deadly words. Her eyes began to mist up as
her hands clasped together in a heartfelt prayer for her friend's life,
and the life of her unborn daughter.
Finishing her appeal, she sat quietly, tears stinging her eyes.
She had the sickening feeling that this must be what it felt like to
be guilty of murder.
Upon finally arriving at the palace, Eiko was escorted to Shiko's
private chambers, past dozens of long-faced and even weeping staffers
and Members of Court. Her heart felt like it was in her feet as she saw
them, and she couldn't bear to look into their faces.
Quietly, she was led into Shiko's room, where in the dim light
she could just make out a figure on the bed. Moving closer, her heart
skipped a beat as she recognized Shiko, laying on her back with her eyes
closed and a peaceful expression on her soft face. The covers had been
drawn up to her neck and neatly arranged to frame her face, complimenting
her blonde curls.
Eiko could see that under the blankets, Shiko's arms were crossed
over her chest, an observation that made her heart skip a beat. In a way,
Shiko resembled a sleeping china doll, relaxed and content.
Eiko moved to the edge of the bed and looked down on her old
friend, feeling the tears coming once more. "You look good..." she
whispered, her voice choking with emotion as she touched her friend's
face gently. As she did, she felt the coolness of Shiko's skin, and
the last of her self-control crumbled.
All of the guilt, all of the remorse and all of the anger at
herself overflowed as she collapsed heavily beside the bed, burying
her face in her hands and crying her heart out.
*******
Eiko stood alone on the large balcony, leaning on the ornate
railing that overlooked the garden below, a light breeze wafting through
her flame-red hair. Brushing the flyaway locks from her face, she thought
to herself absently how nice the day had turned out to be.
In the garden, Kikuko played happily with several other children
her age, just like any other carefree, innocent seven year old... except
for the black bands that adorned her wrists.
Eiko sighed at the sight of them, again wishing that the little
one would have been spared the life she would eventually have to lead.
Eiko knew the path all too well, the hard lesson she had learned in the
recent past bearing testimony to how painful it could be. The lesson was
one she would not soon forget, due to the enormous price she had paid to
learn it. Inwardly, she vowed to teach Kiko well what she had learned, so
the little one would not have to endure any similar pain.
Behind her, the faint rustle of garments and the soft, bubbly
cooing of a newborn heralded the arrival of Shiko and her new daughter.
Eiko turned and smiled at the proud new Mom and her precious armful,
holding out her arms to take the baby.
Returning the smile, Shiko gently handed the tiny girl to Eiko,
then moved in beside her, wrapping her arms about Eiko's waist and resting
her head on her shoulder.
"" Shiko reiterated, happily.
"" she continued,
sighing.
"Sure, Shiko... you're just saying that so I'll stay." Eiko
teased, grinning at her friend.
"" Shiko replied confidently, rising up
on tip-toe to kiss Eiko's cheek.
"Kuso... Busted again." Eiko replied, laughing.
Glancing down at the happy little girl nestled in her arms, Eiko
was abruptly struck a by a thought she hadn't had since her own daughter
was born. Looking down at Kiko laughing and squealing with her friends,
and at the same time feeling Shiko's loving embrace, Eiko sighed
appreciatively... and smiled widely.
At that moment, as the breeze again teased her flaming locks about
her now radiant face, she felt that life was perfect again... and for once,
actually looked as if it might stay that way.
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END - Renewed Aquaintances - Part 6 of 6 A FanFic by V. Coutu.
Comments Welcomed, Flames Extingushed!
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