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Bubblegum Crisis: Story of the Knight Sabers
Once and Future Goddess
=======================
Chapter Four: Goddess for Hire
=======================
Weeks had passed and, little by little, the young Goddess of the
Future found life in and around the sprawling megalopolis to be most
interesting, if not enjoyable. Somehow, Mackie's sister had allowed her
to stay with them - although she really did not doubt as to who was
pulling the strings for her.
She'd pretty much moved most of her stuff from the temple to the
penthouse where the Stingrays lived. She had to admit Mackie really lived
in a cool place. The microsensor in her watch had detected a dozen well-
hidden security devices spread across the entire building. It made
teleporting a little troublesome, but nothing she couldn't do when she
really wanted to.
Still, she _did_ have to leave Banpei with her sister Belldandy.
Well, she had managed to bring her _personal_ computer along.
Right now, she was bumming in the living room, watching some idol
singer by the name of Hatoko singing some catchy song. She did wish
Mackie would let her down in the labs, since the place oozed with so much
stuff she was itching to take a look at.
Mackie had to decline, of course. No telling what a tech-oriented
goddess could do around her sister's stuff. He did not relish having to
be the one to explain if anything bad actually happened.
Skuld normally went around MegaTokyo with Mackie in tow, exploring
the large and fascinating city - just a young couple out for a stroll in
the city. Mackie had enjoyed those times, much to the annoyance of a
particular young ADP officer. Somehow, they managed not to stumble upon
any boomers going on a rampage, to which Skuld was most disappointed.
To sum things up, she was getting restless.
She needed to do something... useful with herself. After all, she
did not relish becoming like her older sister Urd, who was, to her
opinion, a lazy, no good, troublesome sister who picked on her way too
much.
===================
Sunlight streamed into the room where the Goddess of the Future,
one of the three sisters who wove the strands of mankind's destiny until
Kami-sama had introduced computers in Heaven, slept angelically, a small
smile on her face as she dreamed of something.
Light caressed the sleeping figure, letting it be known to the
Goddess that slept in the room that a new day had been born with the
blessings of heaven and earth. Another day in the life of those that
lived within the embrace that is the earth.
Like said goddess cared for that right now.
A lone bird landed near the open window. It chirped inquiringly at
the goddess, wondering why she wasn't up.
No response.
It chirped. And chirped. And chirped. Until...
"ALL RIGHT!!!! I'M UP!!!!!" she practically screamed, glaring
evilly at the little bird that had decided to wake her up.
The bird cocked its head sideways, blinked, then made one more
chirp before it took off.
Skuld stared bleary-eyed at the window that lay conveniently close
to her bed. One thing she had to agree with _practically_ anyone was that
she certainly was not a daytime person anymore. Must have been from all
those all-nighters she took back in college, or whenever she particularly
got fixated on some idea, like that upgrade of Banpei-kun last year. Then
again, it could be Urd's unhealthy influence rubbing off on her.
Skuld stretched languidly on her soft bed, the first she had ever
slept on since she left heaven, unmindful of how sensuous she looked just
then. The years had been good to the young goddess; her figure filled out
well in the past years, endowing her with a figure even her eldest sister
would envy. Problem was Skuld normally hid it with baggy or nondescript
clothes.
Unlike her sisters, she was unsure of what to make of the changes
wrought to herself. While it was far from being unwanted, she was
hesitant to show off. After all, why care about something she herself
obviously felt to be unnecessary in most cases, unless it involved the
acquisition of ice cream.
Skuld was happy that she was good with technology.
Something within the young goddess clicked.
Skuld smiled, one that threatened to break out into gales of
laughter � la Kodachi.
"Bwahahahahahahahahaha!!! Do I have such a great idea!" Skuld said
out loud. "With my genius and skill at all forms of engineering, I could
get ADP to hire me as an engineering consultant!" The young goddess
smiled something fierce. "I could even upgrade those piles of junk they
call power armor! With my help, ADP could take out those annoying boomers
that seemed to pop up every now and then to cause havoc." Another round
of Kodachi-type laughter filled the morning air. "I can't possibly lose
in this!!!"
Looks like things in MegaTokyo were about to heat up.
Then again, with the Goddess of the Future taking a hand in the
lives of everyone in the megalopolis, it shouldn't be surprising at all.
===================
Leon McNichol leaned in his nice, ergonomic chair, feet resting
comfortably on his rather neat desk.
This was the life. Three weeks of little-to-no boomer activity. If
there were any, it had been either some of the older 55-C boomers that
his team dispatched with somewhat relative ease or, if it had been any of
the deadlier models - thankfully, only three separate incidents had
occurred - there were no losses in life.
Surprising - hell, yes, it was!
Not that anyone in the ADP was complaining. Not even him.
"LEON!!" the new chief of ADP yelled at him.
Leon sighed as he stood up, automatically fishing for those ultra
cool shades of his. Resisting the impulse to put them on, Leon turned to
the young ADP chief.
"Need anything, ma'am?" he asked a tad bit respectfully.
She smiled, then pointed to her office. "Inside."
Leon blinked, wondering what was wrong so early in the morning.
"What's the problem, Chief?" he asked, curious as to why he had been
summoned into the office.
Chief Natsume Tendou of the ADP motioned for Leon to take a seat
before she proceeded to her own. Leon, meanwhile, was quite impressed
with the somewhat tasteful items decorating one portion of the small
office. Definitely a far cry from the time the old man took up residence
in this place. Leon had to admit he missed the old man and his tantrums.
Leon glanced at his boss, who was now seated behind the massive
desk most police chiefs seemed to acquire with their position. Young.
Definitely young for such a position. But who was complaining?
From what he heard, Natsume Tendou held an excellent record.
Skilled in many more forms of martial arts than he could count, or
recognize, and more so with the use of a gun or any small firearm. There
were even rumors that she was also stronger than she looked. Leon decided
it best to believe that.
Quick eyes caught the luscious curves hidden by the severe get-up
she wore. The slight heaving of her chest definitely proved how well
built she was.
He hid a small smile.
"Done undressing me with your eyes yet, Inspector McNichol?"
Natsume asked wryly.
Leon tried to clear his throat in a desperate attempt to ward off
suspicion. Considering his face was beet red, it was a futile effort,
especially to someone like her.
"Not to worry, Inspector." Natsume smiled. "Your secret's safe with
me. After all, we wouldn't want to ruin your chance at that singer you
keep hounding."
Leon coughed, wondering how the heck she found out about it.
Natsume burst out laughing.
Leon looked miffed but kept it at a minimal. Wouldn't want to ruin
the moment. After all, most of the time, the only thing that ever came
from this office was a curse and... well... more curses.
No doubt anyone near the office would hear this. He wondered if he
should be nervous about that.
"Ahh... Chief... care to tell me why you called me in here?" he
asked.
Natsume stared at him for a while - the type of stare that tended
to make any male person start sweating and wondering if anything was
wrong.
Leon found himself melting under the intense scrutiny.
"You'll do," she suddenly said.
Leon blinked. He did the only logical thing. "Huh?!"
At least he didn't faint, like most people do when confronted with
the unexpected.
Natsume smiled mysteriously. "My sister had just contacted and
informed me that she would be visiting me this week and that she plans to
stay here for the duration of her vacation. I would like you to stick by
her and make sure she doesn't cause any trouble while she's around for
the holidays."
Leon started to protest, but she cut him off with one overly
disarming smile. "She is not a woman to be taken lightly, Leon. And,
besides, you really shouldn't worry all that much. I've assigned one of
our dispatchers... a communications officer by the name of Ms. Nene
Romanova, to assist you in this little endeavor. I heard she had some
experience dealing with such matters."
Leon blinked. Nene?!! It wasn't really all that bad. Nene's a nice
girl. More like a sister, really.
What could be so special about Chief Tendou's sister? Most of the
time, that had been Nene's old job. So, why was he stuck babysitting the
chief's sister?
A part of him asked why he wasn't even putting up a token
resistance.
*Women,* he thought sourly.
"I trust we will not have any further problems with this
assignment, Inspector McNichol?" Natsume asked, lips compressed in a thin
smile.
Leon sighed. He really should have a mighty _long_ talk with those
fools who claim that man was the superior of the two sexes. For some
reason, he had trouble believing in it right now.
"Do I have a choice, ma'am?"
Natsume smiled something fierce. "Not really."
Leon snorted. "Well, with things around here slowing down, I guess
it wouldn't hurt to do something different, for a change. Of course,
babysitting wasn't exactly high up on the list."
Natsume laughed at that. "Don't worry, Leon. I'm sure my sister
will change all that. Trust me."
"Why do I have this cold feeling whenever someone tells me that?"
Leon mused.
Natsume quickly pulled out a small envelope and handed it to Leon.
"The envelope contains a picture of my sister, who will be arriving
tomorrow evening at seven. She shouldn't be too hard to spot."
Leon frowned at the credit chip that fell out of the envelope along
with the picture. "What's this for?" he asked.
"As you will be looking after my sister, you'll probably have to
put up with her appetite. That should last for at least a couple of
days," she told him with the barest hint of a smile.
"How much is on this thing anyway?"
"At least fifty thousand yen. Enough to last for four to five days,
at most."
Leon stared disbelievingly at the Chief. Fifty thousand yen? He
certainly could buy a lot of lunches with that.
"This may just be the greatest challenge in your life, Leon
McNichol."
"Why is that, Chief?" he asked, honestly curious.
"You'll see, Leon," she answered, turning to face Leon. "And, Leon,
call me Natsume. I'm not too keen on formalities."
Leon saluted smartly, a small smile playing across his face. "No
problem, Chie... errr... Natsume."
"Good. Now, get out of here. She'll be arriving tomorrow. Get
yourself presentable." She shrugged. "Who knows, she might even take a
liking to you."
Leon started to sweat, liking this assignment less and less. He
idly wondered, how would Priss react to this? Probably say something
nasty about his family line and then deliver her point with a punch to
the gut.
This was turning out to be a really bad day.
Why couldn't his life be simpler? Taking care of boomers seemed oh
so much simpler than trying to find some way to understand women.
===================
"Are you nuts, Skuld?!" Mackie hissed at his companion.
Skuld appeared nonplussed by this. Not while she was eating away at
her third helping of ice cream. She decided to finish that helping before
answering.
"Not really. I just need to do something that I do very well." She
called the waitress over and ordered another supreme chocolate delight.
"Actually, I was getting bored with doing nothing." Skuld gazed
meaningfully at Mackie. "If you would just let me help fixing up some of
those stuff, I would be content. But, no! So I decided to offer my
services to the AD Police." She snorted. "Considering their awful track
record, not to mention even worse equipment, I'm sure they need _MY_
help, unlike some people _I_ know."
Mackie winced, knowing all too well whom she was talking about.
Much as he'd like a little help around the workshop, he couldn't risk it,
since if his sister found out, she _just_ might get curious enough to
start taking some steps towards getting rid of Skuld.
Mackie was no fool. He knew full well Sylia was capable of a bit
more than she let the other Knight Sabers know. Not that it would work
for Skuld. But it would certainly force them to reveal something they
both felt no one else should know.
Now, this...
"But I thought you wanted to keep a _LOW_ profile, Skuld!" Mackie
told her, voice upgraded to a harsh whisper.
Skuld shrugged. "Don't worry. If you don't remember, I'm more than
quite capable of handling things myself."
"Yeah! I know you can! But, doesn't this sort of... well..." Mackie
trailed off, not sure how to tell her how dangerous MegaTokyo could be,
especially with women.
Skuld smiled. "You really shouldn't be too worried, Mackie! If
worse comes to worst, I always have my trusty mallet to get rid of any
problem I can't deal with intellectually."
Mackie sighed. Nothing seemed to faze the young goddess he'd
inadvertently wished to be with him forever. She'd volunteered to help
around in the lab, but he had to decline, since he doubt his sister would
approve of it.
"You do realize the dangers you're exposing yourself to," he said
in a low voice.
Skuld nodded. "No problem for me," she answered confidently.
"Besides, I think I'm going to like working in the ADP. Tee-hee."
He could just visualize the entire thing now: Skuld in ADP,
somewhere within its concrete depths, brewing trouble for boomers with
her creations.
That did not look good. Nor did it sound good, either. He did not
need to be smart to know GENOM would soon come into the picture.
Skuld was a genius in a lot of fields. And if she began using some
of her more esoteric inventions, who knows what kind of problems that
would cause?
He looked at her, her face filled with happiness and the gleam in
her eyes spoke of just how much she was looking forward to getting the
job. *She's beautiful,* he thought, a smile on his face.
Skuld frowned at the way Mackie was looking at her. "Hey!!"
"Huh?"
"Quit looking at me like that, you pervert," she snapped.
"Sorry."
Skuld sighed, clearly at a loss on how she was going to handle this
situation she'd gotten in. Mackie wasn't really all that bad a guy, in
her book. Bit of a pervert - then again most males were, anyway, may it
be mortal or immortal. Besides, she liked talking with someone who was on
the level with her. Heck, she even managed to get some good ideas off the
guy once.
She did hate having to stay away from the lab. After all, she
wasn't supposed to know Sylia and the others were the Knight Sabers,
anyway. That pretty much limited her in the things she could do. The
stuff she'd brought from the temple were hardly interesting anymore, ever
since she saw the lab under the building.
Then there were the hardsuits. How she wanted so much to get her
hands on them!!
But it was not to be. So she did the next best thing: she decided
to apply in ADPolice.
"You really, really, really sure you wanna do this, Skuld?" he
pressed.
She nodded, returning to her large helping of ice cream.
===================
Later that day....
"Hmmm... Your credentials seem most impressive, Ms. Morisato."
Natsume leaned in her chair, observing the raven-haired woman who
had applied for the position as Senior Technician. She looked rather
young and acted like it, but something in her eyes made Natsume think
otherwise.
"Hai," Skuld replied softly. "I was hoping to get the job."
"But, why?" Natsume asked. "From your records, you could land a far
better job in GENOM, or in any other corporation, for that matter."
That was true. Her credentials were very impressive. Enough that
she would easily land a job in GENOM without even trying. She was curious
as to why she'd choose a place like ADP to get a job.
Skuld nodded. "I know. But I felt that this is the place I would
like to work. You know, public service and stuff like that. Guess you
could say my family had been doing that kind of work for ages." Skuld
smiled as she adjusted the hem of her dress. "Besides, I'm sure you guys
could use a helping hand."
Skuld smiled some more.
Natsume could suddenly felt cold, for some unfathomable reason.
Something about the woman's smile.
"Hmmm..." Natsume pondered the issue.
It would certainly be great to take her in, but she was also
suspicious of the girl. She radiated an intense aura she could not
comprehend, but other than that, she looked okay.
*Well... it wouldn't hurt to see what she's capable of. Besides,
the tech crews were woefully undermanned as it was,* she thought.
"You seem very enthusiastic about this," she noted.
Skuld nodded enthusiastically.
Natsume sighed. *What the hell!!* ADP could sure use a woman of her
caliber. "Why not! You're hired!"
Skuld let out a squeal of delight and reached over the desk to hug
the surprised Natsume. "ThankYouThankYouThankYou!!! THANK YOU _SO
MUCH_!!!!! I got a job!!! Yay!!!"
After her rather enthusiastic hug, she practically jumped out of
the office, eyes sparkling with so much joy and gratitude and a little
something else....
Natsume casually straightened her clothes; a small smile on her
lips as she wondered just what kind of trouble she'd let herself get
into. Then again, she felt the strange woman would be an asset worth
protecting.
*Well, at least someone was happy with all this.*
===================
Priss exalted in the freedom she felt whenever she drove her bike
through MegaTokyo's old highways. She had always been addicted to speed
and danger, prerequisites of a job that seemed tailor-made for one like
her.
She drove her bike towards the outskirts of the city, intent on
getting some time off alone.
Today was fast becoming a red-letter day for her career as a
singer. Someone had actually offered to sign her up! It was an
opportunity for her to rise above her usual status as a retro-trash
singer.
She preferred to be called an artist. Not that anyone minded what
she sang. She was GOOD. That was that.
She smiled and revved her engine as she roared out into the night
to celebrate.
Priss was little more than a mile or two out of city limits when a
black car roared out from the veil of the night and passed by her mere
inches away, before speeding back into the night from which it was
spawned.
*What the hell?!!* Priss cursed, as she slammed on the brakes.
For once, Priss Asagiri did not give chase. She did not want a
repeat of what had happened with that some time ago with the Griffin. She
_did_ have a meeting with Mrs. Kusanagi the day after tomorrow. She did
not want to be bedridden while an opportunity like this was around.
Truth be told, she might even act nice for once - provided, of
course, that Mrs. Kusanagi did not hit too many sore points. Priss
smiled, since she was rather confident that she might actually get this
contract with Zu Records. Especially since Mrs. Kusanagi had been most
forward with what she knew of her colorful reputation in the music
industry.
She had insisted that her company did not mind. Not with the stuff
she had seen her do at Hot Legs.
Priss smiled at the memory. What made it most unusual was that
Priss had a reputation of rejecting every executive that had come out to
get her to perform for their company. Then again, it was probably because
she instinctively knew trash when she saw it. No matter how they were
dressed.
Of course, maybe she accepted since this was the very first person
- excluding Sylia and the others - who actually treated her with some
level of professionalism, for once.
Priss smiled. It was so very good to have friends in high places.
She reminded herself to thank Vision when she had a chance to call
her.
===================
"I hope that plane arrives already," Nene complained. "I'm getting
really hungry."
Leon merely grunted and went back to reading the magazine.
Nene, wishing to do something other than get bored, got curious as
to what Leon was reading so intently, considering that she never thought
Leon to be interested in any form of reading material, unless it involved
women somehow. "What'cha reading, Leon?"
Leon looked up. "Huh? Oh! Nothing really. Just something to while
away the time." He glanced at his watch. "Although, the plane sure is
late."
Nene stole a glance at the magazine. She was surprised to learn
what it was.
Leon, being who he was, noticed Nene's interest in his reading
material. He laughed a bit. "Never thought to catch me reading something
other than the stuff you normally catch me with."
Nene nodded, looking more and more flustered. *Wow. Never thought
Leon to be interested in things that didn't have a skirt on them,* she
said to herself.
"Well?" Leon asked, staring at the unusual look he was receiving
from Nene.
Nene quickly averted her gaze and tried to look at things other
than Leon's eyes which, for once, were not hidden under those ultra cool
shades +5 of his.
Leon smiled at the strange look he was receiving from Nene.
*Reminds me of my sister... uh-oh!* Leon suddenly stood up, swearing
loudly.
Nene yelped, turning to the still swearing Leon. "Leon?! LEON!!!"
Leon McNichol turned, obviously regaining control of his composure.
"Nene! Please, do me a favor! Wait for the Chief's sister for me,
will 'ya?!! I just forgot something that I was supposed to do today! Get
the Chief's sister back to the station, okay?"
Unable to protest or even raise one, Nene Romanova took her seat
once more. She had no inkling as to who the woman they were waiting for
was. All she knew was the flight number and the arrival time - not much
to go on, but considering the plane was late anyway...
"Wonder what's eating the guy. You'd have thought something really
bad is going to happen," Nene wondered as she walked towards the
information desk to ask a few questions.
===================
Leon McNichol was in trouble. Not unusual, since it usually came
with the job.
However, this time, the threat did not originate from rampaging
boomers or crazy megalomaniacs bent on world domination. This time, it
took the form of a rarely seen individual he had long thought he would
never thought to see again. After all, said individual was leading a very
luxurious life in France.
*Damn! Damn! Damn!!* he cursed inwardly, gritting his teeth as he
careened through the throng of people in the airport. *?@#@##$$% Why the
heck did I have to forget about her?!!!*
Leon glanced at his watch. "Agh! Frig! Damn! Twenty minutes late!!
Make way! ADPolice!!"
People instinctively moved out of his path, as if some inborn
instinct warned them of the trouble Leon was now in. They were not far
from the truth. There was trouble afoot.
His sister was coming to town. And he was late!!!
Boy, was he ever in trouble.
===================
Somewhere high above, a somewhat stunned crowd of passengers
started at the mangled pile of metal that had once been an old-model
boomer. Nearby, a very insulted young woman with light brown hair,
wearing a sleeveless blue jacket over her somewhat more revealing tight
blouse and blue jeans, was busily tying back the ribbon she had to use on
the boomer that had been the hijackers' main weapon.
Boomers instilled fear in people - except to some few martial
artists.
"Well?" she asked the trembling one-eyed man behind her. "Are you
going to shoot that toy of yours, so I could do something horribly evil
to your bones, or are you going to surrender and let this plane land
already? Air travel always makes me so _very_ short-tempered, for some
reason. Hmmmmm..." Her eyes were half-lidded as she inclined her head
sideways.
Said person was sweating profusely now. It was supposed to be a
simple little insertion. Get the stuff, kill the target, and get the hell
out of there. Simple as that - that was until he had unwittingly stumbled
upon this little bundle of trouble.
What the girl had done simply wasn't right. One just does not take
on a ton of armored death with a frigging hair accessory.
It just was not right, dammit!! Where was the justice in that?
Seeing very little options on his side, the beleaguered hijacker
decided it was better to take a little nap rather have to deal with the
terrible reality of a young girl beating up boomers.
"Geez! What a wimp!" scoffed the young woman, tossing her head to
one side sniffing in disdain at the man. She walked back to her seat with
an almost aggrieved expression on her face. "You'd think I was serious or
something."
No one chose to speak, too afraid to even utter a word. After all,
what was one to say to a woman who could take a boomer out like that?
The hypersonic plane landed in short order.
Finally feeling a little better, a more cheerful Kurumi Tendou
stepped out of the plane. She took note of the lateness of the hour. She
glanced around the terminal, checking to see where that guy her sister
had sent to pick her up could be.
She frowned. "Wonder where that Leon guy is? Hmmm... must have
forgotten about today." Kurumi shrugged. "Ahh... well... not like I'd get
into trouble - for the time being, anyway."
Kurumi, feeling a wee bit tried from air travel, not to mention
having to fight a boomer on an empty stomach, decided to take a seat
nearby. She took note of the cute, not-so-busty redhead sitting beside
her. For some reason, the redhead reminded her so much of an old
acquaintance back then, during the good old days before the quake had
hit.
Deciding it better to befriend someone while waiting for her
sister's 'friend' to arrive, she decided to start a little conversation
with the aforementioned redhead.
"Hiya! Waiting for anyone special in particular?"
Nene looked up to see a smiling woman of about twenty-five or so
staring at her with mischief in her eyes. The stranger was wearing a
flannel jacket under which peeked out a blue cotton shirt and a black
leather miniskirt. A largish backpack was slung across her back... almost
too large for her slight frame.
"Huh?! What?!"
"My name's Kurumi. Tendou Kurumi. What's yours?"
"Uh... Nene. Nene Romanova," came the unsure reply.
Kurumi beamed happily. "Cute name." She bent over until she was
nearly an inch away from the other woman's face. Eyeing Nene-chan
critically, she wondered if she really was that person. No. That person
had died many years past. A past many of them had long since tried to put
behind them as best as they can. "Say, you sure you're not related to the
Romanofs?"
"Not that I can recall. A lot of people had often told me that -
more times that I could remember," Nene answered automatically. "Maybe. I
wished. Then I wouldn't have to work, and stuff like that."
Kurumi laughed. "Wanna be friends?"
===================
"You do realize, of course, that you are a whole half-hour late,
Nii-chan?" a young raven-haired woman huffed, starring at her brother
through her wide-rimmed glasses.
Leon shrugged, helping his elder sister Kyoko with her pieces of
luggage. Wearing a simple black blouse made of silk and a long skirt of
the same material, she hardly looked anything like the model he'd seen on
those fashion magazines at the office.
Overall, she looked very plain. An average woman any male wouldn't
bother to look at more than once. Not surprising really. What _was_
surprising that she could make herself look _that_ good.
Hell, he'd been hard-pressed to believe that was her in the cover
of those magazines, but it was her - there could be no mistaking it. The
woman in the magazine _was_ his sister - dressed differently.
He was one of those who believed clothes did make the person. His
sister managed to pull it off a lot better than he or anyone else did.
The event had left him stunned for a few the rest of the day.
"Uh... sorry, Kyoko. I kinda forgot," Leon apologized to his
sister. "I was on an assignment when I remembered that little postcard
you sent me. Hehehehehe! Errrr... Sorry."
Kyoko shook her head. "Forget it, Leon. Let's just get my stuff
back to the car and get me to your house. My flight has been very tiring
and I'd like to sleep off the jetlag, if you don't mind."
Leon blinked. Normally, his sister would have been ready to impale
him with that sharp tongue of hers for him being so very late. She always
acted like that whenever she got irritated with anyone, more so with him
than anyone else.
Not bad for a sister that was three years younger than him. Then
again, she had developed the perfect weapon to coerce him to do whatever
she wanted.
"Hey, Kyoko-chan. You sure you're okay? You're acting kinda weird."
Kyoko laughed. "Don't worry about me, brother dearest," she
admonished in a sugary sweet voice that made Leon wince. "Jetlag can do a
lot to one's personality you know. I'll be my usual self by tomorrow."
"Uh-huh," Leon deadpanned.
Kyoko peered intently at his face, frowning a little as she pinched
his cheeks a bit. Leon bore the inspection stoically.
"You certainly aren't eating very well, Leon-chan."
Leon missed a step upon hearing that familiar name his sister liked
so much. For some reason, it really ticked him off every time his sister
said that. Only _she_ could make it sound so... so damn irritating.
Leon shrugged as he adjusted his shades a bit. "My job doesn't
exactly give me enough time to cook my own meals you know," he pointed
out.
"Mmmmhmmm...," she agreed. "Don't you fret. I'm going to be staying
for quite a while here, so..."
Leon gulped as he found his world slowly crumbling all around him.
He stared incredulously at his sister, rendered speechless by her words.
*Oh, shit.*
Kyoko merely smiled.
===================
"So, who are you waiting for, Nene?" Kurumi asked, as she eyed the
magazine Nene was reading. 'Life and Times' was the writing on the cover
page.
"Well, Leon said something about an assignment the Chief asked him
to personally oversee. I kinda forgot to ask him who we were waiting for,
though, or how she looks like," Nene answered.
"You a cop?"
Nene nodded. "Well, kinda. I'm a communications expert in ADP.
Leon's the one who goes out into the field to play with boomers."
"Is the name of your boss wouldn't happen to be Tendou Natsume,
would it?"
"Yeah." Nene's eyes widened as she managed to put the pieces
together. "Oh. Are you the one the chief asked us to... uh... look
after?"
Kurumi giggled. "Same old sister Natsume. She's always worried
about me. It isn't like I couldn't protect myself."
"Yeah. But you know how dangerous any place can be at any time.
Even more so when boomers are added to the equation." Nene sighed. "There
are times when I wish no one ever found out how to create those things."
"All things considered, it could have been much worse," Kurumi
thought out loud.
"Huh?" Nene was confused. "What could be more dangerous than
boomers on a rampage?"
Kurumi laughed. "Trust me. I've seen much worse. A _lot_ worse."
This she kept mostly to herself.
Nene looked doubtful. "Well, we'll have to wait for Leon to come
back. He forgot to hand me the keys when he ran away for some reason."
"We could always walk," Nene's new friend suggested.
Nene blanched. "You're kidding! It's an hour's drive from here to
ADP Headquarters - without the traffic?!! And you wanna walk?!"
"So? A little walk ain't going to kill you," countered Kurumi. "
'sides, like I always say, we women have to do all the sacrifices. After
all, we're usually the ones doing the fishing."
Nene laughed at the pun. "Very funny." Nene looked wistfully at
Kurumi's well-proportioned figure. "What I wouldn't do to have a figure
like yours."
Kurumi blinked. "You don't look that bad, Nene-chan."
"Ah! But I'd still like to have one like yours. I mean, even with
all the workouts I do, I still can't get my body to look the way I want
it to."
Kurumi's smile turned wicked. In conspiratorial tones, "Ah... you
seem to be having some boy trouble then."
Nene looked shocked. "No. It's not that. I'm not really interested
in getting myself a guy. Well, not all the time, but finding one is kinda
way far down the list of my worries. I sometimes try to pretend I'm
enthusiastic about finding the man of my dreams, but lately, even
pretending doesn't help much. I just am _not_ interested in guys, like
some of my friends in dispatch." Nene smiled. "I'm not lonely, though. My
friends keep me happy enough."
"You know, there is a word for that."
"Eeeeehhhhhh!!! No way! I'm that _kind_ of girl!" Nene protested.
Kurumi giggled. "Well, you did say you weren't too interested in
guys. That normally leaves only a few options. Unless you want to grow up
an old maid."
"Never that!"
"You wanna know my secret for maintaining a figure like mine?"
Kurumi asked, a gleam of mischief in her eyes.
"Sure" was Nene's enthusiastic reply.
"Great. We'll start training once I get myself settled in my
sister's place."
"Huh?"
"Well, you want a figure like mine, right?" Nene nodded. "Then I'm
going to give it to you. The only way it can be done. Martial arts
training!!" she answered gleefully.
Nene moaned.
"Don't worry, Nene-chan! I can guarantee you one thing - it'll be
fun!! Who knows, maybe you got what it takes to perform some of the more
exotic styles."
*What have I gotten myself into now?* Nene thought. Nene glanced at
Kurumi, who was cheerfully smiling at her. *Oh, boy.*
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