Kagaku Ninja-Tai Gatchaman Fan Fiction ❯ Ragdoll ❯ And It's Just the Beginning ( Chapter 2 )

...And it's just the Beginning...

Roses. English roses. In every color she could find, all sizes and shapes, were bundled together with a cobalt blue ribbon and laid on the marble headstone.

Reginald Archer.

**I hate cemetaries. I'm sorry, Reggie. You are... were...no killer. You had no business trying to play the tough. If I'd have known, I'd have gone myself.**

The petite blonde in the rather form-fitting black dress stood in front of the grave marker looking small and lost. Reggie Archer had been more than the dancer's contact for the last three years, he'd been like a father to her--at the least an uncle. He kept her spirits up, encourged her to keep up her education, had given her some semblance of a 'real life.'

Nikki didn't have many friends and she'd just lost one. He'd gone off on some knuckleheaded 'assignment'-- she bet that it was Frank's and Reggie was covering for him --again-- and never come home.

She had waited until the cemetary was empty, all the man's family gone, before she came out and added her token to the few already there. She thought that perhaps she should pray or something--she wouldn't cry for him now, he'd had enough of that running all over the place today. Reggie hated crying females, they always unnerved him.

**I'll get 'em for ya, Reggie.** it was a half-hearted promise, because she knew the gentle Brit would just rather that she settle down with some nice man and live a nice life--forget Galactor and the ISO all together.

"Come away from there." a dark, smoke-roughtened voice--almost in answer to her thoughts--called to her from near the entrance of the cemetary. It was nearly a whisper, but she knew it and responded.

Nikki turned and nearly threw herself into the arms of the leather-clad young man, burying her face in the silly numbered jersey he wore under his jacket. His arms were comfort incarnate as they circled her. Leave it to Joe to know just when and where to be.

Without asking, he led her from the place. Nikki didn't argue, she knew how he cared even less for these places than she did.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there, kid." He muttered to her. He couldn't well tell her that he'd been fighting the damned Turtle mecha that had ended the operative's life. Archer was only one of thousands that Galactor had killed with that one. They'd been lucky that Nambu had recognized the alien technology--and he hadn't asked him 'How' he'd recognized it, either--Galactor had been using, or the Turtle King would still be raging and filling the cemetaries.

"'s'Okay, sugar." she sniffed. "Even the great Joe Asakura can't be everywhere all the time." Moreover, she knew the icky hollow feeling inside him meant that he was as sick about it as she was. When he said he 'wished he was there' to stop it, he meant it. She had no idea just what Joe could have done about it, of course, but she could feel him adding this to a long list of dark entries in some personal journal of injustices somewhere inside him.

They walked in silence back to where he'd left his car. "You want a ride back to the Buddha?" He lit a cigarette and offered it.

"I'm trying to quit." a tiny smile marked the lie for what it was as she took the offered tobacco. "Can you just run me home? I.. I'll go in to work later on."

"You got it."

There was no conversation on the ride home. Joe didn't care for chatter. Nikki didn't feel like it.

Joe was her only friend now. The thought struck her and she felt an icy hand around her heart. Because, unlike Reginald, Joe was an ACTIVE ISO agent. She didn't know exactly what he did, but she knew that he was on the front line. He was also her 'usual' contact with the ISO.

Three years ago, when he'd come into the Buddha with the 'password' Nikki had been more than delighted. The Siciian with his rugged good-looks, dark golden blonde hair and sex appeal that wouldn't stop, had been the best 'bonus' any undercover spy could ask for. She'd built up a few fantasies on their first meeting that hadn't survived their first night together.

They'd even laughed about it, still tangled in sheets and each other in the early morning hours. They knew then what they knew now. They were cursed with being Friends forever. Their bodies were beautiful together but their hearts steadfastly refused to chime in. Gazing into each other's eyes would end up with the two of them laughing like ... children.

Children they should have been, but weren't.

Back in the present, Joe pulled up outside the old house where Nikki's apartment was and walked with her up the old staircase. It was by some unspoken agreement he followed her inside. Nikki could feel that something had changed.. something in him... something that he couldn't talk about. The war was stepping up, like people on both sides had always been afraid--or hopeful--that it would. That could explain it.

Today they'd take their comfort where they could, like the teenagers they should have been. Tomorrow Joe would be the racing circuit's youngest, brightest star and the ISO's best driver and marksman, putting his life on the line; Nikki would be a stripper and a call girl, trading favors for information.

Neither spoke about it, but tomorrow would be there soon enough.