I really didn't plan on it ending this way, but I got to the end and
said 'What the fuck'.  Replies and junk wherever, other stuff at
http://www.emich.edu/public/llb/fanfic.html





Blood Relations
Epilogue

by Lara Bartram


	Another idea, another failure.  It wasn't something Nabiki was
used to.  Ever since she had graduated from college (honors in
business, no less) and had attempted to make her own way in the world,
everything seemed against her.
	It was all the fault of Japanese society.  Oh sure, it was
easy to say 'If you don't like the way things are, change them,' but
she had tried.  She had tried, very hard, and failed.  Multiple times.
	No one was willing to to believe a woman, at her age, could
do anything in the real world, let alone anything business related.
Not in Japan.  That was an impossibility.
	Nabiki could still remember the words of one man, who had
probably gotten his money from his parents and had someone dress him
in the morning, when she had gone looking for backing.
	'Maybe they let little girls run businesses in America, but
this is Japan.  Business is for men.'
	That fat, arrogant bastard.  He didn't know a thing about
business.  The only thing he knew was how to get someone else to wipe
his ass.  Maybe the ass was right though.
	Maybe America was where she could go and possibly get taken
seriously.  Hell, she couldn't be taken less seriously.  But for now,
she was stuck going back to work for some firm that would hire her as
a damned secretary because surely that was the only thing a woman
could do.
	She opened the double doors of the tall building in just
outside of Tokyo downtown and walked into the huge lobby.  Her shoes
clicked on the impeccable marble floor as she headed to the main desk.
	If she was lucky, they wouldn't make her work at the main
desk.  There was nothing worse than that.  She knew.  She had done it.
	The young woman sitting at the desk smiled at her.  "Can I
help you?"
	"Yes, my name is Nabiki Tendo, and I'm supposed to report
to..."
	"Miss Tendo, of course.  You're to go up to Contracting on the
24th floor.  They're expecting you."
	Nabiki looked at the woman, a bit stunned.  "Contracting?
Thank you."
	"Have a nice day!"
	Nabiki acknowledged that with a little nod of her head and
went to the elevators.  Contracting?  Did they need a secretary in
Contracting?  If they did, she hadn't noticed.  But again, these big
firms probably had people going in and out often enough that agencies
couldn't keep up.
	The elevator doors opened and she stepped in.  Pushing the
button for the 24th floor, Nabiki was somewhat surprised to see that
there were only 25 floors plus a penthouse.  For some reason, the
building had seemed much larger to her than that.
	But this was just an office building, she mused as the
elevator rose.  All production and service must be someplace else
because they wouldn't be doing that sort of thing in the middle of
the city.  It just wasn't smart money.
	The cost of getting a large volume of product out of the
building to the railway alone would be immense.
	The elevator chimed softly and the doors opened.  Nabiki
stepped out into a cozy lobby area with a large wooden receptionist
desk directly in front of the elevators.
	"Miss Tendo?" the woman sitting behind it asked her.
	This was very odd.  They obviously weren't looking for a
secretary here, so what did they expect her to do?  Executive
administrative assistant?  There was no way in hell she'd play a piece
of cheesecake for some executive, always wearing short skirts so he
could get his rocks off.  She nodded.
	"Down the hall and to your right.  Just knock on the door."
	Nabiki nodded, thanking her, and headed down the hall.  This
was quite strange.  Yet, there was a bit of nervousness in her stomach
that this was another AA job that she'd have to turn down.  And she
needed the money.  She couldn't afford to turn a job down...
	To the right, a door with a frosted glass window at the end of
a very short hall.  There was no name on the door, no placard
indicating who the office belonged to; it just was.
	Gathering her courage, whether it was to refuse the job or
accept it, she wasn't sure yet, Nabiki walked down the hall and
knocked sharply on the door.
	She stood stiffly, back straight, head up, eyes forward.  A
picture of self-assuredness and confidence.  This might be one of
those jobs where competence was rewarded more than having a shapely
ass, and being professional was an asset.  She would just have to see.
	The door opened revealing a middle-aged man, fit and trim in
his suit, hair still black, but probably colored, and a pair of
gold-rimmed glasses.  His face was hard-edged with the experience of
working in the business world, and that gave Nabiki an ounce of hope.
He looked no-nonsense.
	"Miss Tendo, come in, please," he said, his voice sharp and
quick.
	Many times, she could tell how serious a job offer was by how
the person talked and looked.  Slurred words were a dead giveaway.
Disheveled clothing and appearance were as well.  And of course, the
face, round and fleshy with eyes only as good as the next girl walking
by...
	This man was none of those things.  Nabiki walked into the
office with confidence.
	"Have a seat, Miss Tendo and we'll get right down to
business," he said, closing the door and taking his seat behind a
large, tidy desk.
	Nabiki sat down and looked at the nameplate on the desk.
Doubts suddenly started to crowd her mind.  He hadn't introduced
himself to her and that bothered her for some reason.  It was like she
wasn't worth it to tell his name to, though he hadn't seemed the type.
	"Now, Miss Tendo, you're aware of the nature of this company.
Someone that knows how to stay loyal to the company is a valuable
employee due to the nature of our clients."  He leaned back in his
chair and looked at Nabiki.  "You know how to stay loyal to a company,
don't you, Miss Tendo?"
	Nabiki nodded.  "Of course."  As long as they were loyal to
her.
	He smiled.  "I'm glad to hear that.  We consider our wages...
more than fair.  Nothing disappoints us more than someone who doesn't
see the generosity in what we pay."
	Nabiki nodded again.  She understood perfectly what he was
saying.
	"Good.  Why don't we have a short tour then."  He stood and
waited for her to do the same.
	"I just have one question before we get to the tour," Nabiki
said boldly, realizing perfectly that she could be damaging her
chances at the job... whatever it was.
	"Question?  Of course."
	"What exactly is the position?  It's obvious you don't need
any..."  The word felt dirty in her mouth.  "Secretarial help, so..."
	The man began to laugh.  "Dear goodness, no!  We're looking
for some fresh talent to help in writing new contracts and evaluating
offers.  We have our fill of secretaries and 'administrative
assistants' as they like to be called."
	The man walked to the door and opened it.  "Let's take the
tour.  You can get a better idea of what we're dealing with that way."
	The tour was fairly short as the floor consisted mostly of
large offices, smaller conference rooms, copy rooms, a large lounge
and numerous secretarial offices and cubicles.
	There was one office at the end of a hall that they ended up
at.  The executive opened the door to reveal a huge corner office with
a view out over the smaller commercial district.
	"This would be my office?" Nabiki asked, voice betraying her
stunned amazement.
	"Of course.  So... what do you think?"
	The job was worth it for the office itself, even if she was
paid minimum wage...  Nabiki shook her head.  "Why me?  Why did I get
offered this job?  It's not because of my work history, so..."
	"You were highly recommended when your application reached our
company."
	"By who?"  It couldn't really be by any of her former
employers...
	"The CEO.  We only hire for long-term employment here, and so
we oversee, as a group, the hiring of employees.  It's one of the
benefits of being the CEO, president and owner.  But he's more than
fair.  That's the real incentive for those of us that work here."
	Nabiki was getting more and more intrigued, and she was
falling more into her old business routines.  "Well, I'm very
interested, but I think we need to discuss the details."
	The man smiled.  "Quite right, Miss Tendo.  Your reputation
does indeed precede you."


	The job was tiring and challenging.  Nabiki loved it.  It
seemed eerily perfect for her, selling full surveillance systems and
individual pieces of equipment in bulk to governments, companies
and... other organizations she didn't bother to think about.
	So it was one day she was scanning another contract, well
entrenched in the daily workings of things after a month getting
acquainted with the company, that she heard the voices in the hall.
	"Good morning, sir."
	"Good morning, sir."
	The sound of 'good morning, sir' seemed to float down the hall
toward her office.  And this wasn't just Genjiro.  He was far more
informal, and no one on the floor referred to him as sir.
	"Good morning, sir," Miko, Nabiki's secretary, said from just
outside her door.  "How are you this morning?"
	"Excellent, Miko.  And how goes business?"
	"Good, sir.  Things are going smoothly," Miko answered.  "We
have combined contracts this month worth..."
	"I'm sure things are going very well.  Is she available right
now?"
	"Of course, sir.  Go right in."
	Nabiki was staring at the door that was slightly ajar.  She
couldn't be mistaking that voice for someone else.  She was still
staring as the door opened.
	"Ah, Nabiki Tendo, it's good to see you are doing well."  He
sat down in the chair in front of her desk and steepled his fingers.
	"Um..."
	Laughing a little, Kuno shook his head.  "What did you think
would happen to me?  I'd be sliced into sections to be studied?
Hardly."  He grew serious for a moment.  "My mother may have done many
things wrong, things people would say are cruel, things people would
hate her for... but she is my mother.
	"Without her... what would I be?"  He stared at her with a
frightening intensity that made Nabiki want to look away.  "But that
is neither here nor there.  How do you like our little establishment?"
	Nabiki looked at him, the confusion starting to fade.  "My
recommendation?"
	"Of course.  It seems all you needed was someone who
recognized your ability.  I've never been shy about hiring competent
people, which is why, if I may be immodest, we are more successful
than many high profile corporations."  He shrugged, his smile
returning.
	"I don't know what to say."  And Nabiki really didn't.  The
way things had ended all those years ago, she didn't have anything to
say.
	"Don't say anything then.  You don't need to."  Kuno stood,
straightening his suit jacket.  "There's work to be done; I wouldn't
want to keep you from it.
	"Perhaps we'll speak later, Nabiki Tendo."  He turned and left
the office, closing the door behind him.
	Nabiki looked at the closed door for a moment, then said
quietly, "Nice to see you again, Kuno-chan."

	"Kodachi decided to start over, go somewhere they didn't know
who she had been.  And where did she end up?"  Kuno smirked.
"America.  Not that I was surprised.  She enjoyed college very much
and met a young man.  I haven't met him yet and am reserving judgement
on him.  As her older brother, it is my duty..."
	The conversation dwindled as it broached the subject of older
brothers, and the two were left idly eating in the lounge.
	"So Kodachi got a boyfriend...  I never would have imagined
it," Nabiki said finally.
	"She speaks endlessly about him in her letters.  I'm simply
awaiting the wedding announcement.  It would be nice if she would come
back home for it..."  Kuno looked down at his food and shrugged.  "But
she'll do what she wants.  I fear she has little use now for an older
brother.  She's more than capable of taking care of herself."
	Nabiki nodded and sipped her tea.
	"This offends you, doesn't it?" Kuno asked suddenly.
	Nabiki looked up from her cup.  "What does?"
	"The fact that you have to work for me."
	Nabiki assumed an uninterested look and shrugged.  "Maybe.
Just a little.  But then, you're smarter than me, right?"
	Kuno cocked his head to one side a little and looked at her.
"Yes."

~~~~

	For the one hundredth time, she looked at the number on the
piece of paper and considered calling it.  It was late, there probably
wouldn't be anyone to answer if she did call.  But... wasn't that why
she was up late, so no one would know she was calling?
	There would be someone at the other end of the phone, someone
who would answer her questions.  Strangely enough, that was what she
was worried about.
	As if it had a life of its own, her hand was dialing the
number, and then there was a phone somewhere she didn't know ringing
in her ear.  
	/*Yes?*/
	Nabiki froze, unsure of what she should say.  "Um..."  She was
expecting someone to begin ranting that this was a secured number and
she shouldn't be calling it, and... and...
	/*Ask your questions.  That's why you were given the number.*/
	One question forced itself to be asked.  "Are you really...
their mother?"
	/*Of course I am.  They're not test tube babies.  They're my
children and I love them very much.*/
	"How... how could you do something like that to them?  How
could you ever..."
	/*I don't expect you to understand what I've done.  And I've
been judged by more influential people than a schoolgirl.  I did...
What I did is in the past and nothing will change that.  Right now,
I'm doing my best to take care of them.  That's all that matters.*/
	There were sounds on the other end of the phone that sounded
like things being overturned.  Nabiki held the phone a little away
from her ear.
	/*Tatchi!  You stop this instant!*/ Midori yelled away from
the phone.  /*You are not supposed to be in here!*/
	/*But I want ice cream!*/
	Nabiki blinked hearing the voice over the phone.  Was that
really...
	/*Fine, Tatchi.  You can have ice cream after I'm done on the
phone.  AND after you clean up the mess you made.*/
	/*Yay!*/  The voice was louder.  /*Who's on the phone,
Momma?*/
	/*It's one of your friends from school...*/  There was a
fumbling noise.  /*Tatchi, give that back!*/
	/*Hi!*/
	Nabiki had trouble speaking.  "Hello, Kuno-chan?"
	/*Hi!  I'm gonna have ice cream later!*/
	"Kuno-chan..."  What had happened to him?  He was acting like
a child.
	/*Tatchi!  Go to your room!  You know you're not supposed to
use the phone!*/
	That was followed by sounds of protest and more strong words.
After a few minutes, Midori spoke once again.  /*He's a very
strong-willed boy.  He can be quite a handful sometimes.*/
	"What did you do?  Why was he acting like that?"
	/*A sometimes unpleasant course of action to... retrain them
properly.  It just wouldn't do to have them out and about with their
old training.  It's a very complicated process.*/
	"Yeah, I bet it is.  Brainwashing people must take a lot out
of you.  SO just what did you do to them this time?" Nabiki asked, a
hint of anger in her voice.  She was looking out the window at the sun
shining on Nerima.
	/*I can't take away the... gifts I've already given them.  I
can only reshape the way they use those gifts.*/
	"Gifts?  How can you call what you did gifts?  They almost
died from what you..."
	/*No!  I can't explain everything that I was working on to
you, but the short of it is that we came up with a way to... program
people with skills and knowledge, even improved physical capacity.
It's quite exciting to see...*/
	"Programmed?  You brainwashed them."
	/*Maybe program is the wrong word.  Think of a person as a 
computer.  The things I want them to know are simply copied on to the
hard drive.  This is all done on a biological/chemical level, so it's
not quite so simple, but I'm sure you...*/
	"Yes, I understand perfectly.  You didn't brainwash them, you
just used them as experiments.  That's much more understandable.  And
the other one, the one that was about to kill everyone?  He was one of
your experiments too?"
	/*Yes, one of the early ones.  It was too soon, but...*/
	"I'm glad I called.  Now I'm positive that you're a disgusting
person.  I'm sure you don't care how much trouble you've caused with
this whole thing, and I'm sure you didn't even bother to see what
kind of effect this was having on..."
	/*Yes, I appreciate your concern and your concern for their
well-being, I'm sure.*/
	Nabiki blinked at the phone.  The woman had just completely
tuned out everything she had just said.
	/*I'm afraid I have a lot of work to do now, so if you don't
mind...*/
	The phone clicked in Nabiki's ear suddenly.  She set it back
down in the cradle and stared at it.

~~~

	"It was... weird.  It was hard to just forget everything that
had happened, ignore what she had said.  It just wasn't..."
	"It wasn't right.  It made you mad.  That's understandable."
	"Yeah, but...  I had to live with that.  I lived with it for
seven years, while I went through hell to get where I am now.  And
that's only because of you."  Nabiki looked angrily at Kuno.  "I
couldn't even..."  She trailed off and looked down at her cup of tea.
	Getting angry at him wouldn't accomplish anything worthwhile.
"In any case, that was just one other thing I had to deal with."
	"That's unfortunate.  I take it things did not progress easily
for you in college."
	Nabiki shrugged.  "Not really, but I got through it.  I only
had to work twice as hard as everyone else for the same results."  She
swirled her cup around, looking distastefully at the tea in the bottom
of it.
	"A lack of respect from your classmates."
	"And professors and administration...  I gave up on fighting
after my first semester.  Doing the extra work was easier."  Though it
had been completely unsatisfying.  It had been the first time she had
experienced the stab of tradition so deeply.  It had been utterly
humiliating too, having to prove herself every day even though she was
better than 80% of the other students.
	"I got over it.  I got through it.  It just really..."  The
word eluded her.
	"Sucked?"
	She looked up in surprise.  The look slowly shifted to
amusement and she laughed a little.  "Yeah, that it did.  A sense of
humor is pretty good on you.  Too bad you didn't have one before."
	"Yes, well, there were other distractions.  Things I didn't
really have control over."
	"I know.  It was just... too bad."
	There was an uncomfortable silence between them.
	The lounge door opened and Nagiro entered with Sou from R&D.
They both stopped momentarily seeing who was occupying the room at
the moment.  "Good afternoon, sir," Nagiro said shakily.  He had been
taken completely by surprise.
	"Please, gentlemen, don't let me bother you.  I have things to
attend to now anyway," Kuno said, his eyes returning to Nabiki after
giving the two men a cursory glance.
	Pulling out an elegant, gold-trimmed pen, Kuno got a
business card from his waistcoat pocket and wrote something on the
back.  He pushed it across to Nabiki then stood.  "Forgive me for
cutting lunch short.  I really do have things to attend to."
	"It's no problem," Nabiki said and started to stand.
	Waving her to sit, Kuno exited the lounge, relieving the
tension from the other two men in the room.
	Nabiki slowly returned to her seat and looked at the card.
Smirking at the number on it, she was actually ready to throw it in
the trash, but on second thought, slipped it into her pocket.
	Whistling to herself, she cleaned up the remains of her lunch
and left the lounge.


END