Episode XI: The Lazarus Mechanics Family
“Hey, Eien! Is the supper ready yet?”
“Not yet, Silvara! I already told you eighteen times!”
“You told me seven times, liar!” she spat, holding up the number of fingers. Eien growled to herself and tried to remain civil. She always had to remember that, if given the chance, Silvara would argue with anyone or anything.
“Fine, then this is the eighth! Will you stop asking?! When it’s done, I’ll call you in the kitchen!!”
“Who, you mean me individually, or all of us in the building?”
“Everybody!” shrieked poor Eien, who was already losing her temper. “Just leave me alone! I can’t concentrate with you hanging out the window like that!”
“Fine.” Annoyed, Silvara righted herself up and sat on the roof of Lazarus Mechanics. Any window in the building was fair game for her to hang upside down from and look into, and since she was the only one who could do such things, she did them as often as she could. Most events she happened to see were ordinary, such as Kit working on Max’s mysterious mecha message (she got dizzy just trying to say it all out loud), the boss doing his usual pile of paperwork, Eien cooking, and other things.
It wasn’t bad working for Jack Lazarus. He was a patient, fair, and generous man, and he treated his employees better than most people treated their own families. Everybody seemed to like him, even Silvara (who had a nasty habit of arguing with him day in and day out), and it felt like more of a family surrounding than a simple workplace. Never mind that the girl who was fixing the roof had wings, or the chef was a fuzzy humanoid cat/rabbit creature, or the resident tenant had a message in a very large bottle; it was a really great place to be, and Silvara liked it there.
Of course, since she claimed the building to have been her home long before Jack Lazarus occupied it, she really had little choice in the matter. Personally, she thought that it was strange for her to be employed in her very own “house”, performing tasks that she normally did for free. Silvara’s main responsibility was the upkeep of the house, especially during the late hours when everyone else had went home (except for Max Rockwell, who was living there temporarily). It wasn’t a bad existence, especially considering that she got paid just to watch over her own home.
Silvara normally wasn’t very good with people (or any other creatures), but her new “family” was an easy exception. Eien was a friendly and chipper lady who was easy to get along with, provided nobody ever touched her arm bracelets. Kit was a sweet but shy young lady who seemed to like Silvara’s quiet and self-absorbed nature (the two held excellent conversations together), and of course nobody had any dissent with the boss. Max was perhaps the only exception to the exception, but only because he seemed content to be by himself and not bother anybody.
“There sure are a lot of shy people in this place,” said Silvara as she sat on the roof. She decided to sprawl out on it, letting her long curly rust-red hair to fan out over the warm surface as she laid down. She wanted to sunbathe a bit and get some tan back on her skin (living in a mechanic’s office made her pale), but since there were taller buildings in the area where any peeping Tom could peer out and see her, she decided to just take a brief nap.
Max checked in on Kit’s progress every now and then, the sound of his boots the only indication that he was even there. Kit’s concentration didn’t break easily, but she knew the tall, mysterious stranger would be coming in again, just as he had been for the past three days. It was unusual for Kit to work on a single machine for so long, but the message was especially encrypted and very hard to pull out without damaging anything. Kit had her work cut out for her, or she used to.
“Are you out there, Mr. Rockwell?” she asked. It was also unusual for her to speak first, or without shyly stuttering, but she enjoyed the company of a person who shared many of her own traits.
“I’m here. What news?” Kit’s head popped out of the mecha’s cockpit, her blonde hair a mess and her cute face covered with dirt, and gave him a rare smile.
“I… I think I have it done! I think I finally managed to… uh… reach the thing… in question…”
“The message?” he hissed sharply. She nodded her head.
“Yes. When would you like to see it?”
“Quickly, and please make this a private matter. Don’t get anybody else in here--this message was meant for my eyes only. Understand?”
“Y-yes, sir.” Kit beckoned him up with a wave, and like a snake climbing up a tree, Max slithered up the mecha and into its cockpit, leaning over uncomfortably as Kit activated the code that would play the message.
“Will it play on this monitor?” he asked, tapping his finger on the HUD screen. Kit nodded her head.
“Yes. I’ll activate it and get it running, but I’ll leave the observation to you, as requested. Uhh… once I’m done, all you have to do is… y’know… press the button.” Max understood and studied Kit as she activated the HUD screen. She shortly climbed out and told him which button to press, and left him to watch the message in privacy.
Once her difficult task was complete, Kit blew out a deep breath of relief, wiping her arm across her forehead. She had never been so challenged before, so whoever hid that message did a very professional job of it. The deed was done, though, and her boss would most definitely love the news. She anticipated that he would at least give her two hours off, if not the rest of the day, and even though she knew better to hope for such things, she already began to plan for what she was going to do next.
The delicious smell of Eien’s cooking filled her lungs and made her stomach sing with anticipation (Grr!). It was improper of her to dine without getting cleaned up, so first she poked her head in the kitchen. Of course, Eien and Silvara were arguing once again, this time the topic being centered around the dinner. Eien was defending her dish and homemade recipe to the death, but Silvara was questioning everything the cabbit did, insisting that she go about everything another way--in her words, “The more reasonable solution, dummy! It’s not my idea, it’s just pure logic!”
“But this is a recipe tried and true on several worlds!” retorted Eien. “I won an award for this, ya know! I’m not about to change the way I cook something right now! If it’s not broke, don’t fix it!”
“I’m not saying it’s a bad meal!” replied Silvara, her voice increasing in volume with every attack. “I’m just saying that you could improve on it! Even the best dishes can be even better! Here, use some oregano for Pete’s sake!” Silvara grabbed a shaker of oregano and thrust it at the boiling pot, but Eien screamed and grabbed the winged woman’s wrist before she could spoil the food.
“NOOO! What, are you crazy?! Oregano would completely ruin everything! I’d have to start all over again! Who’s the chef in here, anyway?!”
“I’m just offering a few solutions, that’s all!” stated Silvara. Sensing that she would not win against Eien’s stubbornness, she turned around and began marching out of the kitchen in a huff. “Jeez! Just trying to help…” The woman sighed and came to a stop as she saw Kit standing there, a slightly amused look on her face. Silvara grinned and placed her hands on her hips, silently wondering why the mousy girl was there.
“Uh… I’m hungry. Do you know when dinner is?”
“Go ask Iron Chef Hairball over there,” pointed Silvara. “Just don’t get on her bad side. That woman can be so pissy sometimes! Jeez, and I was just trying to help…”
“Uh… well… Eien’s cooking has… always been good before,” murmured Kit. “I mean, the boss and I have enjoyed it ever since she came on… y’know… And it is her job now… whenever she’s not cleaning…”
“I guess,” muttered Silvara, frowning heavily. “Anyway, I’m gonna go scrub the garage ceiling. God knows that it’s been needing it for awhile.”
“N-no!” exclaimed Kit suddenly, stepping in front of the winged woman. “You… you can’t go in there now! Mr. Rockwell is busy!”
“Doing what?” Kit stared at Silvara desperately, the look in her innocent green eyes expression more than her words ever did. Silvara got the picture pretty soon and grinned. “Oh my gawd! Did you really fix that machine he brought in with him?” Kit shyly stared down at the floor and blushed, even though she liked talking to Silvara.
“The… the machine itself wasn’t damaged, except for a few small dents. The… the, uh, it was, uh… the message… y’know… in the machine… that was, uh… broken…”
“So you fixed the guy’s message?!” blurted Eien in surprise. Kit nodded her head.
“Yeah… It was hard, but… I’m glad I was able to help…”
“Well congratulations, hon!” Both Eien and Silvara gave the smallish girl two very broad grins, the former leaving her food to cook as she joined her annoying coworker. “That’s great! Now we can all see what that thing was about!”
“But you can’t go in!” stated Kit suddenly, finding a bit of bravery somewhere in her body. “It’s a private message just for him! It doesn’t involve any of us! Remember, none of the customer’s problems are our problems unless it involves machines! This is… this is…” She finally faltered after such a momentous run, but luckily, a more relaxed speaker substituted for her.
“This is a business, pure and simple. Kit’s right; we should respect his wishes. If he wants us to look at it, that’s fine--but otherwise, we need to stay out of it.”
“Hey, boss!” smiled Eien. Jack Lazarus smiled and tipped an imaginary hat.
“Ladies. How’s everything?”
“You probably overheard everything we said,” replied Eien. He nodded his head and gave Kit a warm smile.
“That was swell work, Kit. You’ve really outdone yourself. Why don’t you go ahead and wash up, then you can eat and go home. How’s that sound?” Kit replied by giving her boss a sweet smile, almost completely void of any shyness.
“I would really like that. You’re very kind to me, sir.”
“Hey, you deserve it. This place would fall apart without you!”
“I keep on telling you that we need another mechanic!” spat Silvara suddenly. “I mean, I love Kit just as much as you or Eien, but the poor girl can’t handle everything herself! But do you ever listen to me??”
“Yeah, of course I listen! What kinda boss would I be if I didn’t listen to my employees? But you think I have a choice in the matter? I can’t do half the things that Kit can, and neither can any of you. I’d ask Max, but I’m not sure if he’d like to work for us, and so far, I haven’t heard from anybody who would qualify. So… I really can’t help it.” He sighed and shrugged, giving Kit an unspoken apology which was accepted with humble grace and understanding.
“Yeah… well, it would be funny if somebody came to the door right this very minute, asking for a job…”
Knock, knock, knock!
“Son of a bitch!” whispered Eien in awe. “Damn! I ought to be a prophet!”
“Watch the language,” pointed Lazarus stiffly. “I don’t mind you girls goofing off and arguing, but I don’t like the use of profanity in my workplace. Keep it to a minimum, okay?” The cabbit frowned sadly and nodded her head, her spiky brown hair drooping a bit.
“Sorry. I was just shocked. I couldn’t control it.” Lazarus gave her a doubtful glare, but ended up nodding his head.
“Well, okay. Given the circumstances, I can understand. You’re off the hook now, Eien, but if you--”
Knock, knock, knock!
“Jeez, I forgot about the door!” Quickly, Jack wheeled around and ran towards the front door, leaving the three women behind to smile. Eien grinned, shrugged, and apologized to Kit for her foul language.
“What about me?” asked Silvara. “Aren’t’cha gonna apologize to me?”
“No, because I like Kit!” And with a big tongue razzing her coworker, Eien turned around and went back into the kitchen. Silvara sighed wearily, shook her head, and looked over at Kit.
“Oh yeah, she wants me.”
Kit Hiro couldn’t help but giggle.
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“Max, please… I beg of you… Please leave with me as soon as you can! I’m so afraid!”
“Hmm, so that’s what the transmission was about…” Max Rockwell, Lady Luck’s personal spittoon, rubbed his chin carefully as the message completed itself. It had been a long time since he first heard it, way back in that mechanic’s shop on Mars, and lots of things had happened to him--and probably to the girl in the video, as well.
She had came to him from out of nowhere. It was his first real job on Mars, a dark and smelly mechanic’s shop where the environment was much colder and impersonal than the one run by Jack Lazarus. It wasn’t a great place to live, but it gave Max the money he needed to crawl up out of the pit of the slums and into a real life. He learned that he had a knack for machines--nothing like Kit’s knowledge, but still a spark. He was especially good at driving the mechs used in the shop, most of which were for lifting purposes.
One of the mechs he was taking out for an inspection seemed to have the remnants of a recording in its system. All mechs were supposed to be wiped clean of any “past memories”, so it was unusual to find a message still inside. Even more unusual was what the message contained: a desperate blonde woman who seemed to know who her viewer was. She had begged him to leave with her, but until very recently, Max had not found all of the message. Now that he understood it, though, he was still in the dark.
“So she trusted me out of everybody else for this message… Only I could perform the tasks she asked me to, to bring her to safety… But who is she really? And how did she know that it would be I who would take that machine? It was a big risk to take, especially considering that any other person would not have paid attention to it. Very strange…” Still without many clues, he breathed in the deep scent of mystery and wondered what he was going to do next.
Captain Lazarus had a job open for a mechanic. Max had worked in a shop once. Perhaps he should apply.
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“Sorry for the delay… can I help you?” The boss offered the person on the other side of the door his best smile, and hoped that they could forgive his late reply. A pretty young lady greeted him, smiling confidently and looking him right in the eye. She was short and thin, though not quite as short and thin as Kit, and had a gentle look to her face. Her hair was the color of chocolate, curling down into a ponytail and hanging over her face like the gardens of Babylon; her eyes, though, were covered with dark sunglasses. She wore clothes for the summer, and spoke quietly and politely.
“Hi, I’m here about the job. Are you still hiring?”
“I’m definitely looking,” replied the boss. “What are you good at?”
“Anything you need me to do, really,” she replied. “I’m a Jill of all trades.”
“Hey, then you’d be great in here! C’mon in, miss…?”
“Miichi Zuroi, but people call me Meesh. And you?”
“Uh, my name’s Jack. Heh… you’re a Jill and I’m a Jack…” Miichi smiled broadly as the boss made a humorous introduction, and followed him inside to get a better look at the building. Like most of the people who already worked at Lazarus Mechanics, Miichi seemed to be a very quiet sort, and hardly said anything unless it was in response to what Jack said.
“I have to be honest with you, Miichi--the boss is looking for a few more people who know how to work machines. He only has one mechanic, perhaps two if this one guy applies for the job, but since mechanics is our business, we’d need at least three to really prosper. You think you could qualify?”
“I most definitely could, sir!” she replied enthusiastically. “I was born to serve and work. Anything you need done, I can do!”
“That’s just fantastic,” he sighed with relief. “That’s just the kind of attitude that could get a person a good job here! Boy, when can you start, Miichi?”
“Umm… tomorrow?” she offered with a smile. Lazarus grinned and stuck out his hand.
“All right! Well, I’ll tell the boss about you, and I’m sure he’ll give you something! Wow, sometimes the powers at work really DO work, huh?” Miichi smiled politely, her eyes squinting with happiness as she was hired with such ease. She took off her sunglasses upon the request of Lazarus, revealing two crystal-green eyes that squinted under the glare of the halogen lights above.
“I was born with very sensitive vision, so I have to wear glasses everywhere,” she told him. “I have a doctor’s prescription and everything. Even halogen lights will upset me.”
“Sorry. You can put ’em back on. Can you work very well with them over your eyes?”
“I’ve gotten used to it,” she shrugged. “It’s no big deal. The colors are all blurry, but I can otherwise see fine. Oh! I meant to ask you if the manager is in today!”
“No, he’s on his lunch break,” lied Jack (as with Eien before, he was putting Miichi through a test which would determine how she would act without an authority figure around). “I’m in charge with him gone, but don’t worry--I run a really fair ship. We’re more like a family here than a business.”
“That’s great,” she said with a smile. “I hope I fit in. Oh, but you don’t need to lie to me, sir. I know you’re the manager.”
“Huh? How do you figure?”
“I recognized your voice,” she said with a grin. “Remember the girl on the phone who was asking if you had a job?” Jack paused for awhile so he could recollect the call.
“Oh yeah! Jeez, was that you?”
“Mm-hmm. Your voice is exactly the same as the man’s on the phone, and he answered as Jack Lazarus, manager of Lazarus Mechanics, where you can raise any machine from the dead!” Lazarus smiled and laughed out loud, completely amazed at how sharp the girl really was.
“Well I’ll be! You’re pretty smart, Miichi! You’d definitely be a good member of this team! C’mon, I’ll introduce you to your coworkers. You’ll probably like most of them, but don’t hold it against them if they’re not too talkative. I’ve got a shy crew here.”
“It’s okay,” she smiled, “I’m not much of a talker myself. I only speak when I have to anyway, since I feel like nobody ever pays any attention to me…”
“Well I guarantee that your words won’t go unheard here!” he stated with a smile. Miichi grinned and followed her new boss further into the building so that she could meet everybody there.
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Eien Kinu loved her job so much, she wished that she didn’t have to leave. Silvara could stay because the place had originally been her home, and Max could stay since he was paying for rent, but that didn’t leave any other places for her. That was bad, because Eien didn’t like going out in the world where lots of wide open spaces greeted her. She especially didn’t like to venture out into open fields or parks, simply because she had a problem in areas that didn’t have any walls to them. She didn’t want to feel too free, because feeling too free to her would mean less safety.
Inside the Lazarus Mechanics building, with several sturdy walls and a small group of people she liked, was more her idea of safety. She was secure in a place where walls gave her protection, and where several good-hearted people could watch out for her. Ironically, though, she fancied herself a protector of others, those who were too frightened or inadequate to save their own selves. She was sympathetic, especially to the underdogs of the world (she would eventually become very good friends with Miichi, who shared the same ideals), but the person she liked the most was Kit Hiro.
Eien had not known Kit for as long as her boss, but she was perhaps the next-closest thing to a friend. She liked Kit tremendously, and not just because she was a pretty young lady with an outstanding talent. She could tell that Kit had a very fragile but very pure heart, who was a good and obedient worker, and one whom she would easily get along with, if ever she emerged from her protective shell. Eien had wanted some private time to get to know Kit better, to try and find out why she was so painfully shy, and why she didn’t like physical touch (except from the boss, and only because she knew and trusted him).
One uneventful day, Eien found herself snacking in one of the break rooms with Kit, who was sitting by herself with a bowl of soup and some bread. Kit ate quietly and slowly, and would have never bothered anybody who came in the room. Since Eien wanted to get to know the blonde better, she smiled brightly, cleared her throat, and got the ball rolling.
“Hey, Kit! How have you been?”
“……Okay,” she replied quietly. It was a start.
“Just okay?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Nothing really special or out of the ordinary happening?”
“N-no, nothing recently. Just… the usual.”
“I see. Hey, you know, I’d like to be your friend, Kit. I like you a lot, and I wanna get to know the real you better. I’m sure there’s much more to you than just a pretty young lady with a skill for machines.” Kit smiled humbly and continued eating.
“No… not really…”
“You should really look at a person when you talk, Kit!” stated Eien, a bit too hastily. Kit frowned and turned around, apologizing softly. “There. Now, tell me about yourself! When did you discover that you had a knack for machines?”
“Uhh… it was just something I liked… I kind of… went to it after my mom and dad died…”
“Oh, gosh, your parents are dead? Oh, goodness, Kit! I’m sorry! I… well… I guess that kind of explains why you’re so quiet. You must still be hurting from the loss.”
A lengthy pause, thick as the soup that Hiro was eating, filled the air for some time.
“…A little.”
“Yeah… Course’, I never had parents to begin with. I was supposedly created from synthetics, or some crap like that. But I’m real, all right: I have use of all five senses, and free will, and thought and reason… Hey, I even bleed when I’m cut! Oh, whoops… there I go again, talking to much.”
“I don’t mind,” said Kit with a gentle smile. “Um… I’m not a really big talker anyway.”
“Why not? You afraid that nobody will listen?”
“A little. I’m just… not.”
“Oh. Some people are that way, huh?” Kit nodded her head, and seeing as Eien had nothing else to say, she continued eating her soup. Eien, however, moved from her chair and sat across from Kit so they wouldn’t have to talk from a distance. Eien gave the pretty blonde girl a smile, which was returned shyly.
“You’re such a pretty girl, Kit… Hey, is Kit short for something?” She nodded her head.
“Kitty. My dad used to call me Kitten,” she answered. Eien squealed with delight.
“Aww, that’s so cute! Can I call you Kitten?”
“If… if you want… I mean, if you like… I really don’t care…”
“But Kitten’s such a cute name!” squealed the cabbit. “And you’re as cute as a kitten!”
“Stop it…!” she mumbled, smiling and blushing uncontrollably. Eien couldn’t help it, though: Kit was just naturally built to be a cute girl, especially when she blushed or shirked away in bashfulness. They both grew serious after awhile, wherein the cabbit asked a very delicate question.
“Kitten… can I ask you… why don’t you like for other people to touch you?” Kit quietly frowned and shook her head, the frightened look in her eyes saying more than a thousand words had to offer. “Oh. I’m sorry. I just… well, you know. I like you a lot, Kitten, and I really wanna be your friend. I’d never think of hurting you in a million lifetimes--in fact, I’d rather try and protect you from harm. A nice lady like you shouldn’t have to experience pain; she should only have happiness.”
All throughout Eien’s speech, Kit watched and listened with quiet awe. Her face changed from scared to sad, then from doubtful into hopeful, and finally from happy to flattered. She gave Eien a gentle smile, the kind the cabbit couldn’t help but squeal over, and gently extended her hand.
“You’re very sweet, Eien. H-here… I mean, uh, if you want, uh… M-maybe I can trust you enough to… uhh… you know…”
“I’m not gonna do anything if it makes ya uncomfortable,” whispered the cabbit in all honesty. Kit shook her head and smiled.
“That’s nice… but I want you to… uh, well, you know… I’d like you to, uh…”
“All right,” she said with a grin, and slowly, Eien reached her furry hand out and touched Kit’s, slowly at first, but then grasped it gently. Kit let out a happy little hum and even squeezed tighter.
“Your hand’s warm. It feels nice. You’re a nice girl, Eien. I really feel like I could trust you. You’d never… hurt me, would you?” Eien looked flattered at first, but then she opened the emotional floodgate and stared at the younger woman in surprise.
“Why in all the worlds would anybody want to do that to you, Kitten? Least of all me! I like you a lot, and I’d never want to do anything to you except make you happy!”
“That’s very sweet,” whispered Kit with a grin. “And… thank you for saying all that. I’m sure that it’s all true… I can see it in your eyes, your pretty orange eyes. You’re… well… umm… You’re a rather pretty young lady yourself, Eien.” The fuzzy woman tried to hold back a big squeal, but even though she was biting down on her smiling lips, she couldn’t hold back a small one. It got out, and a warm fire burned in said pretty orange eyes.
“Aw, you’re so sweet!! Ack, how in the world can anybody be so cute and so pretty, and not have a boyfriend or girlfriend or anything??”
“Girlfriend?” parroted Kit with a shy grin. “You… think I like girls?” Eien jerked in surprise and tried to cover up her faux pas with a watery smile and a few stuttered words.
“Uh, well, uh, I still don’t know you that well! I mean, uh, if you do, that’s okay… I mean, I don’t care, y’know, cuz’… umm… Oh, jeez…” Kit chuckled softly and patted Eien’s hand, showing her by action that it didn’t matter what words were slipped or who assumed what. Kit liked Eien too, and not just because of the events of that day. She had liked Eien ever since she took the boss’ test and passed, though of course she never admitted it. All it took, though, was the right push from just the right person.
“Uh, Miss Kinu?” she said suddenly.
“Yes, Miss Hiro?”
“I’m… going to take a shower now…”
“Uh… okay. Have…fun?” Kit smiled and elaborated on what she was saying.
“Will you… um… come with me, for awhile?” Eien balked.
“What, you mean in the shower??”
“Not in the shower with me, just… come. I have something… maybe I should show you…” Kit smiled and winked (uncharacteristically), then left the break room and Eien in a confusion. The cabbit eventually hopped out of her chair and followed her new friend into the bathroom, where the door was locked and a dim light was turned on (thankfully, there wasn’t a window in the room for Silvara to look into).
“So whaddya wanna show me, Kitten?” asked Eien. Kit shyly remained quiet for awhile before gathering her courage. She had to remember that Eien was a genuine friend now, one who solemnly vowed to protect her and keep her from harm--and Eien had been perfectly honest when she said all that.
“I’m… gonna take my jacket and shirt off,” murmured Kit bashfully. Eien looked surprised, so Kit elaborated. “Just… look. I’m going to show you something.” Eien understood, and watched as Kit unzipped her mechanic’s outfit and emerged from it, wearing only shorts and a T-shirt. She carefully removed her shirt, revealing a smallish body covered only by a white brassiere. Shyly, her entire face red, Kit turned around to show Eien her backside. When she did, the cabbit drew in a very sharp breath.
A hideous scar ran across her backside, from the upper-right shoulder to the lower-left portion of her back.
“Oh, Kitten… what kind of a sick bastard would do this to you?”
“I… don’t want to say,” she whispered quietly. Her voice would have gone unheard if Eien wasn’t so close to her. “It… happened a long time ago. I just… I guess… uh…” Eien softly shushed her, and even though she knew it would make Kit uncomfortable, she drew the younger girl in for a hug from behind, wrapping her arms around her body and over her stomach. Kit tensed only for a second before relaxing into the warm embrace of her furry friend.
“Ssh… you don’t need to say it. I can tell. What kind of depraved monster would ever do this to you, Kitten? You’re such a sweet, sweet, beautiful creature… You’re so warm-hearted and kind, a lovely young lady who works hard and does such a great job… You’d never hurt anything, so why…?”
“There’s just bad people in the worlds, that’s all,” answered Kit quietly. She allowed herself to sink in Eien’s hug, and gently petted the arms that were draped across her body and over her small tummy. “Bad people…”
“But this is sick!” hissed Eien hurtfully. “Kitten, not even the devil himself would be so cruel! Well, maybe, but… Gosh, you don’t deserve this…!”
“It’s okay, really,” squeaked the blonde as she managed a smile. Kit turned around, still half-naked, and looked up into Eien’s pretty orange eyes as she returned the hug. “As long… as long as I have nice friends like you, and the boss, and Silvara around, who’ll care for me and keep me safe, and who I can trust, then I’m okay. I’ll be happy.”
“I just wanna make you happier, that’s all.” Eien gave the smaller girl a wink, and gently bent down to kiss her forehead. Kit didn’t shirk back at all; in fact, she leaned up on her tiptoes and returned the kiss, except upon an area slightly lower than the forehead, somewhere between the nose and the chin.
Closing comments: Thanks go out to Erra for Miichi Zuroi! She’s the very last character that I’m going to introduce, so now I have them all! Who’s your favorite? (the one you contributed doesn’t count) Preview of next chapter: Keiko Yamanaka, the Seventh Judgment, watches in anticipation as chaos unfolds before her, firmly keeping the promise to a friend she made despite the coming madness…
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