Subject: [FFML] [Nadesico] Sea-Blue of the Stars, Ch.1
From: Andrew Dynon
Date: 5/4/1999, 8:22 AM
To: ffml@fanfic.com

	A couple of short notes before the fic.  First, I don't have copies of
_Nadesico_ available to me, and will have to rely on my memory.  Therefore,
I may make mistakes regarding series continuity.  Also, since this fic
takes place after the end of the TV series, I will be borrowing a few
events from the background to the movies (I will try to avoid any major
spoilers, though).  The most important of these events is that after the
war ended, Ruri was taken in by Akito and Yurika.

	I don't know exactly how to classify this fanfic... probably "soap-opera"
or "shoujo-esque".  I don't think it can be classified as true shoujo - it
isn't specifically aimed at females, for one thing (there are other
reasons, too).

	Finally, this fic is set in the same universe as my Iczelion/Teknoman
crossover, _Operation: Lightsphere_.  However, it's not necessary to have
read it, and the impact of my other fics on this one will be negligible to
nonexistent.

	As always, any & all C&C NEEDED, MSTs especially welcome.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

RURI (V/O): All things considered, the way the war ended was the best we
could hope for.  I was surprised at how many people wanted to take me in,
but I always kind of expected the captain to do it in the end.  Sore dewa...

SEA-BLUE OF THE STARS
A Mobile Battleship Nadesico fanfic
Part of the Lightsphere Universe
by Andrew Dynon

OP: "Dumb Things", Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls

Chapter 1
"Observations"

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

	"Baka."

	Never in all the time Ruri had known Yurika had her adoptive mother been
more worthy to be described that favourite word of hers.  While she had
come to expect Yurika to suddenly get hare-brained ideas into her head
(actually, that was probably unfair... unless the hare in question had the
surname Tsukino), there was no way she was ever going to become used to
them.  And this was one out of the box, she noted, thinking back to how she
had first learned of it.

*	*	*	*	*

	"SCHOOL?"  Akito's shocked yell could have woken the dead.  Ruri had never
actually fallen asleep, though, and lay awake, her hearing more than
satisfactory to make out the conversation.  "What for?"

	"Because, A - ki - to..." Yurika paused.  "She's a school-age child.  In
fact, she'll be starting junior high school this spring.  I've already made
the arrangements"

	The next sound was Akito's chin hitting the floor.

	"But, she's..."

	"I know, never been to school before.  Isn't that all the more reason to
start now?"

	"That's not what I was going to say!"

	"Oh?"

	"Why does she need to go?  She's a genetically engineered genius... who's
already had an education that's the equivalent of several university
degrees, for crying out loud!"

	Yurika's voice suddenly became softer, calmer... yet it took on an air of
seriousness it had not possessed before.

	"She's not going for the education, Akito.  School's a place where she can
socialise, make friends her own age.  I can't let her just go on with the
only people she knows being at least ten years older than her."

	"Yeah... I guess you have a point there."

	{So, she's turned him into a baka, too.} Ruri thought as she rolled over
and closed her eyes.

*	*	*	*	*

	And that was the reason she was currently walking toward the front gate of
a junior high school, clad in a dark blue sailor fuku with a red scarf.
Unlike most of the other students, who chattered cheerfully and laughed
amongst themselves, she walked alone and silently alongside the dark grey,
stone wall.  As she traversed the space between the heavy, wrought-iron
gate and the main building, nobody approached her.  That suited her
perfectly - the last thing she needed right now was to be harassed by a
whole lot of would-be friends like Yurika-mama wanted her to be.

	She placed her shoes in the locker she had been assigned and looked at her
watch - her estimate of five minutes until she was meant to be in class was
spot-on, as usual.  She took the woefully oversimplified textbooks the
school used ("Even nowadays, schools still use textbooks") out of her
schoolbag and headed upstairs to the classroom.

	A chart of the seats to which each student was assigned was stuck on the
door, and Ruri noted that she was to be sitting in the second row from the
front, just left of the centre.  As she sat down, the girl in the seat next
to her - pretty, with long, shiny black hair - turned and spoke to her.

	"You're Hoshino-san, right?  I'm Sagawa Umiko, but you can call me
Sa-chan.  Pleased to meet you.  Yoroshiku!"

	"Yoroshiku."

	"I heard something about you only recently moving into this area, right?
I bet you don't really know anyone here.  Anyway, don't worry.  I'm sure
you'll make lots of good friends here."

	"I... suppose that's want my parents want for me."

	"Yeah, I'm sure that's what they'd want for you, too.  And do you know why
I'm so sure you'll make lots of good friends?" Umiko asked.  Ruri did not
respond.  "Because I'm gonna help!  Just you stick with me!" Ruri sighed.

	{Baka.  They're all bakas.  But I guess I'm gonna have to put up with it.}

	"Ohayo Gozaimasu!!" A female voice called out, and the teacher - a young
and VERY attractive woman - entered the room, causing the faces of all the
boys in the class to grow wide grins.  "Everyone, as of today we have a new
student in our class.  Hoshino Ruri-chan, please stand up."

	Ruri arose. 

	"Ohayo gozaimasu.  Watashi wa Hoshino Ruri desu."  She immediately sat
back down.

*	*	*	*	*

	Shortly after the teacher began reading from her book, Kamahara Yasujiro
leaned over to the boy sitting beside him in the back row - a boy slightly
smaller than normal for his age, with short, black hair.

	"Hey, Suzuki, what do you think of her?"

	"She's good looking... it's hard to tell anything more about her, but she
seems interesting." The boy's friend, Suzuki Toshio, replied.

	"I'll admit she's kinda cute, but probably the only reason you find her
interesting is that you don't know anything about her.  She doesn't seem to
care that nobody knows her here.  I don't like people like that."

	"Actually, I ... I sorta remember some broadcast from one of the
spaceships during the war.  And I think I saw her on it."

	"She was on a spaceship in the war?"

	"Well, like I said, I can't remember it well."

	"Well, I suppose you should ask her, then." Teiji said, nudging Toshio
with his elbow.

	A few seconds later, Ruri's laptop beeped, indicating a message for her.

	// Is it true you were on a spaceship during the war? Y/N //  After a few
seconds of thought, Ruri decided she may as well reply.

	// YES //

	"WHAT???" The entire class - except Ruri - exploded into a commotion as
soon as the SEND button had been touched.  The albino girl sighed.

	"Too many bakas."

*	*	*	*	*	

	After the initial commotion (quickly stifled by the teacher), things died
down until the lunch break.  A crowd then milled around Ruri, eager to
question her about her experiences.  As  the number of students surrounding
her increased, Ruri felt increasingly uneasy.  It seemed difficult to
breathe surrounded by so many people, with her the focus of all the
attention.  Every face probed her, every question seemed like an attempt to
trick her into revealing something she would prefer nobody knew.  She was
disciplined enough to retain a calm facade, but that did not lessen the
unease she felt - an unease which soon grew to the point where she could
not stand being surrounded any longer.

	"Excuse me, but I don't want to answer any more questions right now."  She
said, before slipping through the crowd, ignoring the students' cries of
"Wait a minute!" and "Just tell me...".  If she stopped and listend, she
would immediately be back in the center of the crowd.

	As soon as Ruri had announced she was going to leave, a feeling of
disappointment settled over the crowd, in more than a few cases turning
into audible expressions.  Two of the girls involved turned to leave, and
stopped immediately upon seeing a tall, green-eyed senior-year syudent with
black ponytailed hair.

	"Mizoguchi-sempai..."

	"How's the new girl?" The sempai asked, her tone of voice indicating that
she had already formed an opinion of Ruri - and not a positive one.  Her
pair of subordinates immediately fell into line.

	"In the middle of introducing herself to us, she decides she doesn't wanna
talk any more, and just goes walking off!"  The first girl, Aya, began.

	"Yeah!  How arrogant was that?  Her first day here, and she already acts
like she's not answerable to anybody!"  Araki followed up.  

	"It's because she was on that spaceship in the war.  She thinks that just
because of that she's so much better than the rest of us!"

	"Yeah, what Aya said!  She can't just waltz in here like that!"

	"Then I presume we're agreed?"  Misoguchi said, a malicious glint in her
eyes.  "We need to cut her arrogance down a bit."

*	*	*	*	*

	Ruri sighed as she opened her locker and began to pack her bag.  The day
had gone completely as expected - boring classes teaching her things she
had known at half her current age, some baka teachers, and a whole load of
baka students trying to be her friend.  She wasn't the type of person who
would wish a slow and painful death on anybody, but if she was, then her
adoptive parents would undoubtedly be the first victims.  At least she
would be able to do what she wanted for most of the evening - she figured
her homework, which was supposed to take an hour and a half, would be
finished within thirty minutes.  If she was lucky, Ines would ask for her
assistance with some research...

	Her train of thought crashed as she was pushed from behind, her head
slamming into the locker.  She fell forward, and books slid out of her
still-open bag.  It took her a few moments to recover, by which time she
knew her assailant had disappeared among the mass of students.  As she
reached for the books lying on the floor, she noticed a boy kneeling down
to pick one of them up.  The boy paused briefly before speaking.

	"Here are your books...  I'm Suzuki Toshio, I'm in your class."  The boy
said.

	"Ah, sou."

	"Hoshino-san...  You're bleeding."

	Ruri felt the side of her forehead, and noticed dark red liquid on her
finger.  The cut was small, however, and did not hurt.

	"I'm okay."

	"I didn't see who pushed you back there.  Sorry about that."

	Ruri put the last of the books into her bag, and walked toward the exit of
the room.  After stepping outside the doorway, she turned her head toward
Toshio once more.

	"Arigato, Suzuki-san."

	Long after Ruri had left, Toshio still sat, staring at the vacant doorway.   


END CHAPTER ONE

	I can't think of much to add here.  I'm not sure who created and animated
Nadesico, but the series and all characters therein are copyright to them,
and it is licensed in North America by ADV Films.  This fic is not intended
to infringe on those copyrights, and no material gain whatsoever is being
accrued from it.

	One other thing:  Who spotted the gratuitous scene-lifting from
Evangelion?  Well, since Nadesico's a parody of mecha anime in general, and
has so many Eva in-jokes, I decided one more couldn't hurt.

STATUS OF UPCOMING FANFICS:

Nadesico - Sea-Blue of the Stars Ch.2: Planning

Evangelion/Iczer-One - Nagisa^2 Ch.2: Planning

Iczer/Teknoman - Operation Lightsphere Phase 3 Ch.3: 10% Complete

Sailor Moon - Kingdoms Ch.2: 10% Complete

Ranma � - To Lose, To Gain Part 2: 25% Complete

________________________________________________________________

Andrew Dynon

My 10 Favourite anime (in no particular order): 
The Iczer Series / Teknoman / Magic Knight Rayearth / Martian Successor
Nadesico / Rurouni Kenshin / Sailor Moon /	Card Captor Sakura / Brain Powerd /
Neon Genesis Evangelion / Gundam Wing


"Stories have to be told to exist.  They exist in the telling and retelling."
- Itzhak Roeh