Epilogue - - - 4215 AD Colony World Idun It was their last day on Idun before the launch of the Vanguard.The impressive vessel was the first of a brand new ship class developed by the united colonies. It was assembled at the Idun docks, built with Earl metals, armed with Earth weaponry, and run by a diverse crew from all corners of the known territories. Because of all the anticipation, the crew was stripped of the free time that they should have been allowed. Instead of staying home with their families, they were forced to mingle with socialites and attend highly boring parties thrown by companies or media organizations. This was such a night. Spending several months alone in space was starting to sound less and less like 'duty' and more like a relief. All Natsuki truly wanted to do was go ride her bike up and down the coastal highways. That would have been bliss. This was a party that she was not allowed to skip. She was forced to attend both as a member of the Border Guards... and as a daughter. Saeko Kuga had helped create the AI system that was going to run the ship while the crew was in cryosleep. She was also going to attend the final party, hosted by Shin Fujino. It was an industry affair that was taking place at Fujino's mountain estate. The only consolation was that there was likely to be food... and wine. That was going to come in handy. Natsuki arrived at the Fujino estate with her group of friends, most of whom she had met during the pre-launch celebrations earlier that week. Some she had known since her days at the academy. None of them were particularly excited about the final send off. The only two who were anxious to get moving were Midori and Youko. That was, again, because of the wine. A medical officer like Youko should have known better than to drink so much, but she and Midori were subject to the 'work hard, play hard' mentality. "Shit. Any more time around these rich bitches and I'll start to be a dull as they are. It's like an infectious disease," Nao spat as they walked up the stone stairs that led to the entrance of the estate. A young blonde, a teen prodigy who was working in the Vanguard'sengineering department, was not amused by Nao's whining. "I think you just like to complain. Had you been a little more resourceful, you could have just run off for the night." Oi, don't try to start a fight again, Alyssa... Natsuki thought. "Little twirp," Nao shot back. "You're one to talk. Why didn't you run away?" "I'm here because of familial duty. You're here because you couldn't think up an escape route in time. I can't help but wonder how you Border Guard soldiers, despite all your training, manage to miss these opportunities." I mean it. I'm not bailing you out again and your robot isn't here to cause collateral damage in your name. Luckily, Mai, who was going to work in the mess hall, stepped in before either woman tried to kill each other. "I'm sure the Fujino family would not appreciate blood being spilled all over these nice, clean steps. Go back to your corners!" "If there's any hostility between us before the launch, our great team won't be able to function as it should, leaving us open to the perils of evi--" "Shutup,Midori." Nao had had just about enough of this 'team dedicated to truth and justice' crap. She'd only met the mad scientist yesterday and she was already starting to lose her mind. Had this woman been dropped on her head right after birth? Life was not a space ranger show. Natsuki sighed as she saw two people approach their group. "Everyone be quiet and act like civilized people. Here comes the first wave of annoyance." They all put on fake smiles as a pair of attendants greeted them just outside the main gate. There, they endured countless questions and praise that they had all heard before. They were quickly taken inside, escorted towards the hall that the festivities were going to take place in. There, they sat through their captain's well rehearsed speech, something he repeated verbatim at every conference. Photographers and well wishers began to make their lives living hell. It was difficult to get either Nao or the Kuga sisters to smile for any camera. It would have hurt too much, they said, and they needed to be in prime condition. - - - "Tanya, do you have my eyeshadow?" "You look fine." Milena sighed and went through half her vanity before turning back to her sister, who sat next to the window reading a magazine. Tanya was decked out in full dress and makeup, and was waiting rather impatiently for her elder sister to finish up. Her lack of cooperation was causing delays. "Tanya, could I borrow some of yours?" She flipped to another page, not looking up. "You keep using all mine up whenever I come over. Maybe you should just learn to organize your things better. Take a lesson from that anal-retentive husband of yours." While Milena Fujino was calm and collected in most situations, it was Tanya who was an expert at making her act out just a little. "Tanya, if you don't help me, I'm going to sock you right in the face. This is no time for games! We have very important people out there." "Do you think that you look like a deformed monster when you don't have any eyeshadow-- Oh, my." Tanya paused and looked out the window. There was the group of crewmen, all being harassed by other guests. "Don't you just love it when you can see that 'leave me alone or I'll kill you' look on their face? The poor things!" "Eyeshadow." "Do you just want to marry the eyeshadow?" "You aren't ten years old. Don't try to argue like a child." "Fine. I'll argue like I'm your parent. Why are you only now getting ready? Shouldn't you have done this hours ago?" All right, this wasn't worth it. There was one more female in the family, and she wasn't quite so difficult to get along with. Milena would just have to go to her for help. Walking down the hall, and ignoring the subsequent taunting yells from her sister, she knocked softly on her daughter's bedroom door. It opened a few moments later, and there was her lovely child dressed in a proper violet kimono. Her brunette hair was partially tied back, only a few strands left to frame her delicate face. "Shizuru, could I borrow some of your eyeshadow?" Milena asked. "Of course." The request was puzzling, but she never the less complied. She opened the door further and both women retreated into the room. Shizuru went to her bathroom and removed several cases of the stuff, allowing her mother to choose which one would best match her lavender kimono. In a rush, her mother began to apply the best choice, and Shizuru couldn't help but laugh at how anxious she was. "I take it you lost your own again." "It would have been far easier if your aunt had not been born with the Dragunov smartass gene," she replied, touching up her work. "She loves to be difficult at the worst possible moments." "Please relax, Mother. You look wonderful." Milena smiled. "Thank you. Now, this is not a business meeting, so please don't feel obligated to act the part of diplomat. I imagine you'll have your fill of that on the ship. It's your send off as well, after all, so just try to enjoy everything." "Don't worry. I'm sure I'll manage," Shizuru said with a wink. In the mirror, she could see her mother's face fall slightly at the thought of Shizuru going away for so long. Feeling a twinge of guilt, Shizuru bent forward and wrapped her arms around her mother, leaning her face against her mother's own. "It's only for a year. I'll be back before you know it." "And what if you get it through your head to stay on after the trials? You'll be gone for years on end, and I'll be stuck with that thing in the other room." "That's no way to address Aunt Tanya," Shizuru chastised, even if she knew her mother was only kidding. She then turned serious again. "I'm only going on this trip because it was requested. Somehow my superiors trust my charm more than the regular diplomat's trickery. Besides, it will look good on the resume. It won't be a permanent thing." "If you say so, Shizuru. Regardless, we'd better get going. We can't stay in the house much longer without your fathering coming to find us." Milena stood, and she and Shizuru went back into the hall. As they began the descent down a flight of fine wooden stairs, Milena called back out to her sister. "Tanya! We're going!" "Time to have fun tormenting the frightened deer lined up outside, then?" Tanya asked, moving to follow the both of them. - - - "Kuga-san, your daughters are exceedingly beautiful!" Fifteen year old Alyssa averted her gaze, not falling for Shin Fujino's charm. Natsuki acted as if she had not even heard it. Saeko, however, laughed politely. "Yes, they are. Unfortunately, they're just as sarcastic as they are lovely." Somehow, he only seemed more intrigued by that idea. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by his approaching wife. The tall beauty linked her arm with his and gave the Kuga family a warm smile. "Hello, my name is Milena Fujino. I hope you're enjoying your stay so far. Has everything been adequate?" "Everything is wonderful. It's nice to finally meet you," Saeko said cordially. Shin gave his wife a quick peck on the cheek. "Well, I see you've brought Tanya, but where has Shizuru gone?" Milena turned back, surprised that her daughter had left her. Given the media presence, it was probably for the best. Shizuru did not like noise or frantic questioning. "She must have gone off to do her own thing. I gave her the night off, you might say. It's a shame she didn't come out here to at least met you Kuga girls, though. She should be about your age, Natsuki." Fascinating. "Perhaps you'll see her sometime this evening," Saeko said to her girls. "I'm sure you two don't want to hear all this business talk, so why don't you go hang out with your friends for a little while? I'll join you for dinner." The old 'go play with your friends' order. How well we know it. Natsuki escorted her younger sister away from the adults, heading to the table where their companions were sitting. There it was plain to see that Youko and Midori were in some kind of drinking contest, Midori occasionally pausing to bicker with Nao, who sat on the other side of her. They had always been like that, and likely always would. It was for the best. With Midori's constant cheeriness in Nao's face, the brawler was more likely to focus her snide comments onto her rather than Natsuki. "Do you think we can escape?" Natsuki eventually asked her younger sister. "Yes, but she would find us and skin us sooner than later." Natsuki snorted. "I'm still waiting for you to make robotic duplicates of us, so that we can use them to avoid these little messes. What is taking you so long?" "I keep trying to make yours, but I can't find any metal cones small enough to properly mimic your non-existent chest." The blonde swiftly ducked out of the way of a swinging arm. Instead of Alyssa, Natsuki hit a man serving drinks, who had the misfortune of walking on Alyssa's other side as the attack occurred. He stumbled back and they held their breaths, but he managed to regain his balance before the drinks took a tumble. He quickly scurried away, and Alyssa couldn't help but laugh at her more brutish sister. As they neared the table, Natsuki looked down at the objects under scrutiny. "Mine are just fine, thank you very much." Both sat down at the table with their friends, and each grabbed one of the complimentary sandwiches left out by the staff. In unison, they grabbed their favorite condiments and splattered the sandwich interior until it was soaked. Mayonnaise for Natsuki, ketchup for Alyssa. This was enough to draw Nao's attention away from Midori. The redhead convulsed in disgust and made a face. "You can't be serious!" She exclaimed. "You should try it before you judge," Natsuki countered. "I don't have to taste shit to know it's disgusting." "That's not healthy!" Chimed the health advertisement known as Mai Tokiha. She largely went ignored by the elder Kuga sister. Alyssa smirked slightly at Nao. "Maybe you won't try it because you're too chicken?" "Why you...!" Natsuki stared off into space while Mai dealt with the little fight breaking out at the table. She finished her sandwich in silence and let her eyes wander around the estate. It really was a lovely place. Had it not been populated with so many irritating people, she might have liked it. She tried to bring herself back into the conversation, but hearing Nao complain about how Ensign Lu had grabbed her ass earlier that day was enough to make Natsuki tune back out again. Her eyes swept over a trail that led into a forested area of the 'back yard.' Thinking that some kind of adventure would be much better than what she'd been offered, Natsuki stood without warning and dropped what was left of her sandwich on the table. When Alyssa saw her sister's intentions, she tried to grab at Natsuki's leather coat, but to no avail. Dammit! Now she was going to be stuck there with the crazy people and left at the mercy of socialites. What a strong, protective sister! And so, Natsuki began to walk off towards the private trail, and Alyssa was left to fend for herself, enduring Midori's long winded recap of the last action series that ran on the video streams. In great detail. - - - The path was indeed very beautiful, and Natsuki enjoyed looking at the scenery. It was private and peaceful. She continued on and found a small pond nestled between a cluster of old trees that had no doubt stood there for generations. Standing before the pond, however, was a young woman Natsuki's age. She was surrounded by pink flowers that had just recently bloomed. She must have heard Natsuki approach, because she was pulled out of whatever reverie she had been in before. A violet colored kimono covered a sinful body, and long sandy brown hair drifted with the wind. She had the same piercing red eyes as the other family members, but something about them was very different. Very foreign, but very familiar. Something in Natsuki's heart twisted. She stood there transfixed for several moments. It was very seldom that Natsuki found anyone beautiful, and she was not quite sure exactly what she was feeling. There was just something about that woman that held Natsuki in place, unable to move. The kind of power frightened her, but she was calmed by those red eyes in the moments that followed. There was something soothing in them. - - - Shizuru didn't like having this many people over to her home. It was an invasion of privacy, wasn't it? She understood her father's need to get everyone on good terms with everyone, but couldn't it have been done elsewhere? Or at a different time? She stood by a pond within the secluded part of their land, having snuck away from the gathering crowds. You could only introduce yourself so many times before suicide looked like a more entertaining action to take. She was good at being diplomatic and kind, and was just that when it came to her mother's co-workers. Shizuru would do her best to aid her parents, but all she wanted was a break. She was making the most of it. She'd have to go back eventually, wouldn't she? Oh, but just a little longer. Her eyes watched the surface of the water, taking in every ripple and movement while she listened to the birds chirp around her. She shut those very eyes a moment later, and let her ears resume observation. Her breathing was slow and rhythmic as she listened to every sound that nature provided. Birds, leaves rustling in the wind, small animals darting from one branch to another. A twig snapping. Oh? Had she been found out? Shizuru stood and turned to face the intruder who had disrupted her tranquil reflections. No, this wasn't a parent coming to escort her back. This one had long dark hair and captivating green eyes that looked surprised and somewhat fearful at the same time. What a wonderful expression this girl held. She was absolutely the most beautiful creature that Shizuru had ever had the pleasure of seeing. Shizuru knew nothing of her, but was almost instantly bewitched. Something within told her that this was something that was not a disturbance, but a blessing. She could not help but smile and draw near, like a moth to a flame. - - - "Hello. My name is Shizuru. What's yours?" A moment of shy hesitation. "...Natsuki." - - - The End
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