Interlude: Alyssa Searrs "Miss Alyssa," Miyu Greer nodded respectfully as she entered their chambers in the church. The tall, blue haired woman had a icy beauty, one likely coming from her unique nature as a cyborg, one of the best created by Searrs. Alyssa Searrs turned with a smile, the blonde haired girl dressed in the uniform of a high school junior. Since she had revealed her true nature during the battle with the HIME Alyssa could now use her superior intelligence to her advantage, advancing to high school as the new school year began. "Were you able to acquire the data?" Alyssa asked. "Of course," Miyu handed over the file, "while SEARRS improved their security after we left, it was not sufficient to stop me." "Thank you," Alyssa smiled. "You're welcome," Miyu smiled slightly, "my lady." Alyssa sat down, flipping through the pages with a serious expression. Quickly absorbing data she raced through the documents... only to freeze at one point. She set the page down on a nearby, her expression troubled as she asked, "You got this all from the secure archive?" "Yes, my lady," Miyu said, well aware of what was causing her mistress distress and wishing she could help, "I also checked into the safely of the data. It had not been accessed for nearly five years, and unless the individual was more advanced than I am the files haven't been tampered with." "Which is extremely unlikely, considering your creator is dead," Alyssa noted. "Exactly," Miyu nodded. Alyssa nodded gravely, "Then I suppose we have no choice." Later that say, two of the more prominent figures sighed in contentment. Natsuki Kuga looked up with her slightly sweaty black hair falling into her eyes as she said, "I'm impressed." "Why, thank you Natsuki," Shizuru purred as the brown haired young woman reached out to stroke her companion's skin, "I got the new bed just for you." She smirked, "Or was it something else you were commenting on?" "Shizuru!" Natsuki protested with a blush. Shizuru chuckled gently, "I've missed seeing you blush." She smiled as she poked a red cheek, "It's SO cute." "Argh," Natsuki sighed, covering her head with the covers to conceal the blush, not incidentally revealing she was just wearing lingerie. "Oooh, you even blush there," Shizuru stroked her side, bringing forth a surprised squeak from Natsuki. "Why you..." Natsuki erupted from beneath the covers, the two women engaging in a test of wills that soon devolved into a tickle fight. Gasping for breath and tears streaming from her eyes Natsuki finally gasped, "I give! I give." Shizuru relented reluctantly, having rather enjoyed seeing her lover writhe on their bed. "What are you going to give me to stop?" she asked coyly. "Uh..." Natsuki started, only to be saved by the door bell. "Well darn," Shizuru murmured, though there was a flash of something very like anger in her red eyes. "We'd better see who it is," Natsuki got up, feeling Shizuru watch her as she grabbed at her robe. "Aww, don't put that on yet," Shizuru cooed, "let me enjoy the view." "Not now," Natsuki belted her dark blue robe around her. Shizuru looked amused as she followed her to the door of the suite they shared near Fuka academy and university, "Does that mean I get to take a good long look later?" "Would you cut it out?" Natsuki tried to fight down another blush as whomever it was rapped on the door once again. "Sure, honey," Shizuru purred in her ear. Fighting back a shiver at Shizuru's tone Natsuki belted her robe a bit tighter then answered the door, "Yes...?" Both Alyssa and Miyu blinked as they took in the messy pair standing at the door, both flushed and panting a little. "Natsuki Kuga," Miyu noted after a moment, "visual data indicates we have interrupted you in a moment of..." "Shhh!" Natsuki blushed, "Not in front of Alyssa!" "Natsuki," Alyssa said mildly, "I assure you, I am quite versed in..." Shizuru smiled slightly, "I think you've embarrassed Natsuki. Isn't that the cutest blush?" Miyu tilted her head to the side thoughtfully, "It is ascetically pleasing, though it doesn't match m'lady Alyssa's." Natsuki grit her teeth as she felt herself blush harder, "Could you please stop talking about my blush?" Alyssa looked amused, "But it's such a charming blush." "Ergh," Natsuki rolled her eyes, wishing she could just summon up her element and open fire on all of them. Well, maybe not Shizuru, but... Alyssa shook her head, still smiling slightly. "Sorry, got a bit distracted there," she admitted as she tried to restore her usually serious look. "Could we speak to you privately?" she asked Natsuki. Natsuki gave both women a wary look, "What about?" "Your mother," Alyssa met her eyes as she replied promptly, "and the work she was doing for SEARSS." Natsuki's eyes widened a bit, then she turned to look at Shizuru, "Do you mind...?" "I'll stay in the other room," Shizuru nodded smoothly. Before she left she fixed Miyu and Alyssa with a look and said, "I know how you two hurt her that time... if this is some kind of trick, you'll regret it." "No tricks Miss Fujino," Alyssa answered honestly, "I'm not that stupid." "All right," Natsuki said as Shizuru left, "talk." Miyu found a chair for Alyssa, pulling it over as she said, "Here, my lady." "Thank you," Alyssa smiled up at her. Turning to the also sitting Natsuki she said somewhat more seriously, "You are aware that your mother had dealings with SEARRS?" "John Smith," Natsuki said the name as if it left a poor taste in her mouth, "claimed that my mother was killed trying to bring me to SEARRS." "Not quite," Alyssa shook her head. Natsuki leaned forward, "Oh?" Alyssa smiled grimly, "What Dr. Saeko Kuga wanted to do was put you both under SEARRS protection, as she had already traded something to them." "What was that?" Natsuki demanded. Miyu produced the files from underneath her clothes and handed them to Natsuki, "She sold samples of your DNA." "WHAT?" Natsuki blurted, looking first at Alyssa and Miyu then down at the documents in her hands. "SEARRS needed DNA for their attempts to create a artificial HIME," Alyssa revealed flatly, "even with that they had hundreds of failures." Miyu added calmly, "There were one hundred, forty..." "Miyu," Alyssa shook her head. Natsuki rubbed at her arm unconsciously, "I remember getting pricked by needles as a child... I always assumed it was for just regular shots." "Apparently not," Alyssa said with a bit of sympathy. She had always been aware of her artificial origins, but the information that she had some of Natsuki's DNA had only been just confirmed for her. "Wait a MINUTE!" Natsuki sat up as a even more disturbing thought occurred to her. "Yes?" Miyu asked, worriedly watching Natsuki. Slumping back down with a faintly stunned looked Natsuki said, "That means that I and Alyssa are at least part sisters." "Is that so bad?" Alyssa asked after a moment. Natsuki stopped, then smiled slightly as she met Alyssa's eyes. "No," she conceded, "but it is going to take some getting used to." "Understandable," Alyssa smiled. Thump! With a crash Shizuru pushed on the door she had been listening against a little too hard and fell into the room, landing in a sprawled lump on the floor. "Sorry," she smiled a little sheepishly. Natsuki sighed, but she really wasn't surprised as she got up to help Shizuru up. "You all right?" she asked softly. "Nothing hurt but my pride," Shizuru winced as Natsuki helped her up. "Well, since you were listening into our conversation," Natsuki said wryly as she led Shizuru over to Alyssa, "I'd like you to meet my little sister." Shizuru smiled, "Does that mean I can call you Alyssa-chan?" "No," both Natsuki and Alyssa found themselves replying, then looked at each other in surprise.
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