Nadesico Fan Fiction ❯ To Die or Not to Die ❯ Chapter 11

A/N: When I said I was taking a vacation, I meant it, yo! Well, I told myself this wasn't going to be long, but that was a load of crap. >< But oh well, you guys deserve it for being so patient! ^^ Since this is all about Episode 18, this chappie is mostly Ruri interlude. But there's stuff about Omoikane, her brother Ariko, and other people too! Oh, and with the starting scene, THEY ARE PLAYING AROUND, they aren't doing anything… yeah. Oh, and for some reason, if you have the desire to listen to a certain type of music while reading… ("You Owe Me Nothing" by Alanis Morisette,"At the Beginning" by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis, "Blue Fields", "Where I Belong", "Cloud's Theme", and "Holding my Thoughts in my Heart" by Uematsu Nobou) But anyway, on to the fic!

~*~

The room was very dark… but it had seen many dark nights and days, so this was no different. But this time, it was dark for a reason. And that reason also wasn't a depressing one.

Akito giggled. "Gai-chan, stop that. It tickles! I'm trying to sleep here, ya know?"

Gai laughed too. "It's supposed to tickle, stupid. And sleep is for weenies. Get up so we can cuddle some more, onegai?"

"We've been cuddling all night, and we are right now, if you'd stop it with the side thing, now shut up and let me go to sleep, I'm tired!"

Akito was just about to surprise his boyfriend by hitting him with his pillow, when the lights flashed on. They froze. At the same time, they both thought, 'Yurika?!' But it wasn't her. It was Hikaru. "Hey, Gai-chan, where's those tapes you said you had? I need them right now, I'm doing a flashback scene!" She walked over towards the bookcase and started rummaging, obviously looking through the piles of laundry on the bookcase for them.

Akito glared at her from his futon. "Oi oi, Hikaru-chan, don't you KNOCK?" He was slightly annoyed. Mostly because now TWO people were interrupting his precious sleep.

Hikaru moved from the bookcase to the dresser drawers. "Nope. Gai-chan, where are they???"

Gai sighed. 'The tapes were for Christmas for 'Kito… guess I got… ahem, distracted…' "Damn you Hikaru, I was going to give him them tomorrow morning... I guess not." Gai reaches under his bed (yes, he has a bed) and pulls out a somewhat forgotten Christmas present. He plops it into the Martian's lap. "Hikaru-chan ruined the surprise, so just open it, will ya?"

Akito gives him a confused look, shrugs, then unwraps the present. To his surprise, he finds, nothing new, but some very old things.

"All of your Gekiganger stuff!? I remember when you told me you'd gouge out my eyeballs if I touched them!"

Gai blinked. "I said that? Gomen." Akito shook his head. "It was funny, baka."

Hikaru cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses, trying to get the two male pilots to notice her. "Excuse me? I'm still here, you know. Argue later. Akito-chan, give me Episode 27 or you shall suffer… some sort of torture. Can't tell you what kind though, because…. I'm too tired to remember." She plucked the correct disk out of the box.

"Too tired? Why? What time is it?" asked Gai, who actually didn't give a damn. Apart from the fact he was keeping track of how many hours he's stayed up. Last time he checked, it was 10 P.M., and he was at 27 hours.

Hikaru looked at her watch. "2:15."

Akito's jaw drops. "'2'-fucking-'15'??? I have to get up in two goddamn hours! GAI, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!!" Hikaru left the room giggling.

Gai was able to choke out "Will you PLEASE learn to knock!" before Akito started to attempt to strangle him.

~*~

(Omoikane Interlude)

Step, step, step, turn. Step, step, step, turn. Back… and forth… and back…

"This is too long!" whined a certain robotic boy called Omoikane as he continued to pace in his birth-room. "I have been waiting here for approximately 7 hours, 21 minutes, and 22 seconds! I want to go out now!!!"

Omoikane, since the idea that his consciousness could be transferred to a robotic body, has been excited about the idea of meeting the crew of the Nadesico, and interacting with them. He was very tired of having to just watch the crew on their duties.

He remembered her exact words from the night before. The words that tumbled out of Ruri's mouth and sealing him to this room.

'"I'll show you to everyone in the morning. Remember, Omoikane-chan, you were created to be my back-up. You won't let me down?"

Omoikane shook his head. "Hai, Ruri-sama!" He saluted with such seriousness even Ruri had to smile. "Omoikane, you must stay in here for the night. We cannot risk people finding out before we're ready, so no one must see you."

Omoikane nodded. "I won't leave, Ruri-sama."

"Good."'

'If I didn't save that on backup… I want out, not fair!' His curiosity and excitement levels started to get uncontrollable. "Why did she have to tell me to… what did she say again?" He tried to bring up the file… but it was corrupted? 'Nani… Oh! That means I can go now!' He was completely oblivious that he had, in fact, become more human. Simply because his excitement overwrote Ruri's words.

Omoikane wondered through several halls, some dark, some very bright, as if it wasn't nighttime at all.

His eyes nearly popped out when he heard a muffled familiar voice. "I'm not that stupid, but I'm telling you, the rumor's true!"

'Megumi Reinard. Communications officer. Previous employment, voice actress.' He then heard another voice, muffled and familiar, but not beautiful like Megumi's. "How are you so sure, Meg?"

'Haruka Minato. Helmswoman. Previous employment, secretary.' He hacked himself into their conversation. 'Ruri-sama's going to yell at me… but I want to know what's going on!' Two windows appeared before his face, one of Minato, the other of Megumi. 'Yes! Now I can listen and not be seen!'

"I know because I saw them yesterday! My god! Akito and Yamada were all over each other! It's fucking disgusting!" Megumi shuddered at the thought.

Minato's eyebrows knit together. "No it isn't, Meg. There's nothing wrong with a man being in love with a man instead of a woman."

Megumi's face, which had turned white, flipped back to purple at her anger. "Yes there is! It's unnatural! Women should be with men, and men should be with women!" She sighed. "Akito's a pervert, now, I guess. I don't understand why I liked him in the first place."

Minato was hit with confusion. "You don't like Akito anymore? News to me. So, I'm guessing you have another guy to chase, am I right?"

Megumi's face went to way it was normally. She smiled slightly. "Well, Akatsuki-san is… rather eye-appealing." She bit her lip. "Besides… He reminds me of a man in a dream I had once. He was all dressed in white, and had long black hair..."

"Excuse me, I've never seen you before. Who are you?" came a voice from behind Omoikane. He quickly closed the two windows and turned around.

Inez saw the electric blue sparks in his eyes, a side effect of using the newer technology in Nanomachines. 'They're like Ruri's… but more… metallic. As if his eyes were built, not just there.' "I… think you better come with me," She gave him a knowing smile. "Omoikane."

~*~

"…Now let's run through this again, just to make sure I'm understanding correctly. Your name is…" Inez looked into the boy's ears. 'Microphones, really now.'

"I'm Omoikane! Serial number SVC-2027!" chirped he. Miss Fressange had been one of the people on the ship he really liked. So, of course, he coughed up whatever she wanted to know.

"And just what do you do on the Nadesico? Judging by your uniform, you're on the bridge, correct?" She shined a small flashlight into his eyes. His pupils stayed dilated.

"Uh-huh! I'm Ruri-sama's backup. Whenever Ruri-sama gets tired, I do her work!" He punctuated this statement with a grin. Inez couldn't believe that this happy-go-lucky child could be the embodiment of the intelligent computer Omoikane, but…

"Alright, Omoikane. Who created you?"

"Why, Uribatake Seiya, of course. No one else on the Nadesico knows how to build a completely functional robot to stand as a human being…" His hands flew to his mouth. 'I am in a fair amount of trouble now… I was not allowed to say anything!'

Inez was smiling, but not smirking, as if she was just let in on important information. "Don't worry. I knew he did it. No one else here could, as you said. You can trust me Omoikane." She scribbled something on her clipboard. "As a cyborg, I trust you have amazing technology. You proved that in your hacking. No console before you, you bypassed the encryption codes as easy as breathing." Her eyes met his. "I don't think you should tell anyone about what you can do."

Omoikane blinked. "No one, Miss Fressange?"

Inez thought for a moment. 'If he keeps it confidential, it may become vital that we know. If it's widely known however… Somehow, Erina seems just power-greedy enough to do something about it.' "I've got it. Tell only those that are allied to the Nadesico. Not Nergal." Omoikane opened his mouth, possibly to ask what she meant, but Inez silenced him with a look. 'You know what I mean.'

Omoikane nodded slowly. "I won't tell anyone but Kanchou, Haruka-san, and Miss Reinard. I promise, Miss Fressange."

Inez nodded back. "At some point, everyone will know, but that's fine for now."

~*~

The blue-haired pilot yawned and rubbed her crimson eyes before turning to her comrade across the table. "Hikaru-chan, if you don't get your face off of there, you WILL have crumbs embedded into your cheek."

The much-shorter girl grunted in response, but her face still stayed rested on the plate, which her crumb bun used to sit. Izumi supported her head with one hand. "Fine, whatever, but don't crumb whine to me as if I'm your granule that will clean you right up." Izumi snorted. "I'm really getting crusty." She giggled again. Hikaru groaned.

"Yes, you are, and one more reference to my choice of breakfast food-" Hikaru's threat was cut off as the door opened and closed. Itsuki waved as she made her way through the other tables to sit next to Izumi.

"And just where is my lovely little Third Angel? My height, green hair, gorgeous eyes, answers to Ryoko or 'Fighting Force'?" Hikaru snorted at the old pilot's school name their classmates named her.

"Ryoko hasn't been sleeping well. Nightmares. We're letting her sleep some more. Trust me, she needs it," answered the tallest of the female pilots.

Itsuki glanced at Hikaru across from them. "Shouldn't you send her back to bed too? She looks really beaten and rugged." Izumi suppressed a laugh at Itsuki's attempt to make a pun. "No, she's fine."

Hikaru mumbled something about being a light sleeper and able to work on the fewest number of winks. Of course, she could have been babbling about eighteen-wheelers and pork lasting very few weeks, but they just assumed the former and disregarded the latter. Izumi began to poke at her omelet as Itsuki watched her. Crimson met deep brown in a glare. "You ARE aware of how close I am with my food, are you not?"

Itsuki smirked. "I'm not hungry Izumi, don't you worry." The flirtatious pilot jumped up and ran to the ordering counter. "Oh, Tenkawa-san…" She called out, singsong fashion.

"Itsuki, you will sit your ass down and shut the hell up. Now!" A sigh. "I have the mother of all headaches…"

Itsuki didn't sit down as ordered, but, rather, shot a rather confused look into the kitchen. "Are you going through PMS or something, Tenkawa-san?" Itsuki was sure Akito would throw something at her, but he didn't because the door to the cafeteria opened and closed once again.

Gai came in; completely silent, sat down next to Hikaru, and put his face on the table in the same manner as she. Akito, out by the counter and brandishing a spatula, saw this act that screamed, "I'm tired as fuck. Leave me alone." Itsuki barely had time to duck when the spatula left Akito's hand, hitting its target (Gai's shoulder) with practiced precision.

"Look, I don't ever want to HEAR this from you! 'You're not allowed to go to sleep', I'll show you not allowed to go to sleep!" yelled the Martian, his headache and anger making a vein in his forehead pop out.

Izumi and Itsuki were shocked at this display. "Jesus Christ…" whispered Izumi. Itsuki had her own two cents. "Note to self, sleepy Akito is pissy Akito..." The quieter pilot nodded.

Hikaru, on the other hand, was assessing the situation. 'Holy fuck, Akito's pissed. I haven't ever since him this pissed off… and the only big thing recently, other than Munetake croaking of course, was him and Gai-chan getting together…' She raised her head and rubbed both cheek and eyes. "Anyone know what's on the agenda for today?" she asked, trying to change the subject. 'I hate confrontations.'

Izumi pulled up her sleeve a bit, and pushed a button on her communicator. A window popped up showing all of the events happening today: February 7th, 2198. "Meeting after breakfast." Itsuki snorted. "More like 'Meeting after everyone wakes up.'" Izumi nodded, the corners of her mouth turning up a bit. "Free and clear for the rest of the day."

Hikaru seems to wake up at that statement. "Yes! A chance to get some work done!" Itsuki poked Izumi in the arm. "Care for a game of table tennis in the rec. hall? I feel like showing off my skills."

Gai pulled his head up, finally, but looked very thoughtful. 'Today is the 7th… it's 'Kito's birthday in approximately 19 days… Turning twenty? Lucky older bastard. Well, not really, he missed his 19th birthday… too much thinking…' He felt some pressure on the top of his head as Akito sat down next to him.

"We're going to the rec hall too. I give you my permission to completely whoop my ass in Aesti Fighter." A daring, yet forgiving smile played the Martian's face. 'I'll forgive you for now… maybe.'

Gai mirrored it. "You're on, 'Kito-chan." Hikaru squeaked a bit, completely and totally awake and aware now. "Oh, so last night really was what I thought it was..."

The two male pilots both stood up abruptly, their chairs skidding across the floor, one of them falling over. Akito started screaming first. "No, nothing happened! This bastard just wouldn't leave me alone and let me sleep!"

Gai followed suit, backing up the Martian cook's story. "No, nothing at all! I was just... afraid it was a dream..." Akito's brown eyes flashed with realization. 'Fuck…. I don't remember him sleeping recently…' The Martian turned on his heels to face his Earthling boyfriend, giving him one of the hardest glares the three females had seen in a long time.

"So you haven't slept in two days because you thought all this was a dream and you didn't want to wake up?"

Gai, afraid of what would happen if he answered dishonestly, nodded very slowly, afraid of telling the truth as well. He must have been slow due to weariness, as he didn't even see the pale hand shoot from Akito's side to the side of his head until it stung from the blow. "Baka! Screw that, you get your ass to bed, right now!"

Gai made a sound that seemed much like a mouse, as he scurried, not ran, out of the cafeteria and in the direction of their room.

Akito sighed heavily as he sat back down across from Izumi. He notices her red eyes trained on him. "Such is the work of the dominatrix," she says plainly. Akito was confused. "Eh?"

The violet-haired pilot next to her smiled her indecent smile. "Tenkawa-san, you obviously hold the whip." Hikaru, her eyelids beginning to droop again, nodded.

Akito stood up once again. Hikaru immediately covered her ears. Sure enough, the boy had started yelling at the other two females.

'Yeah… Gai's definitely pissed him off more than should be happening. What the hell? Gai loves Akito… and Akito isn't sure. That much I know. Maybe… being with Gai isn't the best thing for him…'

~*~

(Ruri Interlude)

The pilots sure were cursing their alarm clocks by the time the meeting had begun. At least two of them were fighting the urge to fall asleep at their stations, while one (Itsuki, of course) was snoring softly. Mr. Prospector cleared his throat, but he knew that wouldn't wake them up so easily. "Ruri-chan, didn't you have someone to introduce us to?"

Ruri nodded, but, right when her mouth opened, a private invisible communications window popped up before her. It was blank, but she heard Omoikane's voice, very softly. "Ruri-sama, please don't tell them I'm a robot! Miss Fressange said it would be better if they thought I was just a human and not anything special." Ruri nodded, very slightly.

"I present to you, crew of the Nadesico, to my new assistant… Sarutahiko Omoikane. He was the… failure at learning how to control the console, but he was the first attempt, so they named two different computer systems after him." Ruri's amber colored eyes glinted a bit at Omoikane. Omoikane blushed at this. 'She did a wonderful job at covering it up. Of course she did! She's Ruri-sama!'

The crew (or, rather, that of the crew that wasn't sleeping or half-asleep) nodded or welcomed him, and went on their basic duties.

Omoikane whispered thanks to Ruri. Ruri just glanced at him before she went to her position and begin playing video games. Omoikane got the message. 'I know you meant to tell some people the truth, feel free now.'

The robot boy walked up the steps to where Minato sat, her hands limply draped on the controls. "Um, Haruka-san? I have… a secret to tell you" Minato leaned back and focused her brown eyes on his mechanical blue.

"I already know, little metal man." Omoikane's jaw dropped. "But how-"

Minato closed her eyes in a relaxed form. "I used to work for Asuka Incorporated. The company who actually created the nanomachine console and computer system. Nergal just stole it." Omoikane was amazed. "Wow... That made it very easy…"

Minato smiled at him warmly. "Good luck with Meg and Kanchou." Omoikane gulped, she made them sound very… Well, his fantasy wasn't pretty. He slowly walked to the opposite side of Ruri, who paid him no attention; she was absorbed in Fighting Kanji. Omoikane cleared his throat when he reached the chair of the purple-haired girl. "Excuse me… Miss Reinard?" He didn't get another word out before Megumi's baby blues were mirroring his.

"Omoikane, it would take an idiot to not know. Luckily, I have this strange feeling that everyone here is just stupid enough to qualify for that." A snort came from Ruri. The robot heard the silver-head whisper something like, "It took them this long to discover that?" Omoikane smiled, now reassured about telling the captain, as he nearly bounded up the steps to tell her.

~*~

Needless to say, Yurika happened to be one of those idiots, but she saw nothing wrong with it. "Omoikane-chan, you're Ruri-chan's best friend. I can't hold anything against you!" Her tone was enough to make someone want to die of sugar-overdose, but it made Omoikane trust her just that much more.

Over the next week or so, they weren't truly sure how long it was, Minato, Megumi, and Yurika soon discovered why they needed to know the truth of the robot boy. He could be nowhere to be seen, but the computer would still make the best choices based on its experience, as if Ruri herself was controlling it. His hacking abilities were unmatched anywhere on the ship, not even by Uribatake or Mr. Prospector. Everyone just seemed to think Ruri made a wise decision on which her assistant would be, but she and a select few knew better.

Since Omoikane needed to take breaks with everyone else for meals, though not necessarily in the sleep department, Ruri was able to eat her lunch much earlier, beating the crowds in the cafeteria and having time to herself on the bridge during the riotous meal. In this time, she had begun to amuse herself by reading the history of mankind.

~*~

Omoikane licked his lips at the small meal before him at lunch. Right before picking up his chopsticks, however, he heard a small, but very familiar voice in his head. Ruri. He put down the wooden tools so he could focus on what she was saying.

"This just seems to be a history of wars... If I live to be a hundred, 90 years of my life will be nothing but war. There was no war in my first ten years. I remember so little. Omoikane, why don't I remember?"

'This is a familiar question.' He searched his recent memory, and announced the results. "You have, approximately, asked this question 1,257 times. The answer is the same," he replied, knowing that people were beginning to stare at him.

Ruri blinked. 'I should have expected that…' "Please display all of my records." Omoikane pulled up a file that seemed to open everyday. He read it aloud to himself, as Ruri did the same.

"Seven years ago, an unidentified orphan named Ruri was adopted by a couple that worked for Nergal. Their task was to train her to use the Asuka Incorporated computer console. She was to be Computer Operator of a ship called the Nadesico, which was to be completed in six years."

Ruri blinks again. 'I know that nearly by heart now.' "I remember all that, but I want to know what happened before!" Omoikane snorted in frustration. "Blank. Unknown. There isn't anything there, Ruri-sama!"

Ruri sighed and leaned back in her chair. "The answer never changes. You don't know. And I remember so little..."

~*~

Splish. Splash.

Ruri's eyes opened and saw nothing but her mobile. She closed her eyes again, in attempts to go back to sleep, but she was now fully awake. 'That dream again…' Beep! Megumi's face appeared before her as she reopened her eyes. "Hello, Ruri, are you awake? We need you to come to the bridge immediately." Ruri's heart skipped a beat. "Are we under attack?"

Megumi smiled. "No, actually. Someone is here to see you." Her face disappeared as fast as it appeared. Ruri was confounded. 'Somebody to see me? But I don't know anyone off the ship.'

~*~

If it weren't un-Ruri-like, she would have wrinkled her nose. But it was un-Ruri-like. "What is Peaceland?" The Peaceland Emissary vessel, a somewhat small shuttle decorated extravagantly, was slowly making its way to the Nadesico's dock.

Omoikane listened intently on all the information the Captain and Mr. Prospector started to feed Ruri, though he knew it all already. 'Peaceland is a neutral country, its economy is based on profits from it's amusement parks and casinos. Ruled by the great-grandson, Fredrick Notsumote III, of the original owner. Has the Peace Bank, the most discreet banking system on Earth. Yeah, yeah, I know that already, but-'

"What do they want to speak to me about?" asked Ruri. "I don't have an account in the Peace bank." Before they could answer her question, however, the vessel had landed and its main door opened.

A very regal looking man stepped out, a long blue cloak draped over his shoulders and touching the floor, and with a large hat that reminded Omoikane of the villain from a very old movie by a company called Disney, "Peter Pan". The man looked to be scowling, but some amount of joy sparkled in his eyes. He stepped forward until he was standing before Ruri, the same look on his face. To everyone's surprise, he took of his floppy hat and bowed, perched on one knee. Ruri's expression faltered only the very slightest as the man introduced he. "I am Sir Alfred Le Oeuvre, guardian to the children of the Royal family, kin of his highness King Fredrick the Third, and her highness Queen Gwynth." He continued face the floor even as he said the words that made Mr. Prospector and Yurika jump ten feet into the air. "At last, you have been found, Princess Ruri."

~*~

"Our king and queen had wished for an heir for years, but they had no luck with such a desire. They, instead, made a deposit at a famous fertility clinic. However, not just a few weeks later, they received word that the clinic had been blown up by a band of terrorists, the vial containing your Highness lost among the debris. We've been searching for you ever since." Alfred told the story briefly, as if he left out some of the heartbreaking details. Omoikane noticed this, and, felt very curious as to what those details were.

Ruri was unphased. "I was raised as an orphan. Are you certain that I am the person you are looking for?" Alfred pounded a fist on the table between them, where the printouts of her records lay. "There is no doubt! The king and queen have produced other heirs, but you are still Peaceland's princess and first heir!"

Omoikane watched Ruri's eyes go from golden to light brown. He had discovered long ago that that meant she wasn't focused on the matter at hand. It didn't happen often, but he realized she had a lot to think about.

Whispering, "The king and queen… they're my… parents," Ruri pictured them from long ago, cheering her for doing something right. "…It can't be."

~*~

Alfred opened the door and bowed, allowing Ruri to go first. Ruri, making sure she would get used to this, started to step onto the vessel, lifting her pink skirts. "Wait! I'm coming too!" yelled Omoikane. The old man and the girl turned to see the robot running towards them. Ruri glared slightly in the direction of him. "Omoikane, I order you to stay onboard the Nadesico. You are my backup, and they need you to back me up now."

Omoikane, a little unnerved at Ruri's glare, explained, "Kanchou decided for us to take a break and follow the vessel to Peaceland! I want to come with you Ruri-sama!" Ruri was not very surprised. It was just like the Captain to make such strange orders. "Miss Won will be upset," she whispered as she sat down.

Alfred looked at the robot as he climbed aboard. He set the vessel to take off. "Your Highness, who is this boy?" Omoikane answered first. "I'm Ruri-sama's assistant!"

Ruri made no expression as she simply stated, "My best friend."

Alfred smiling slightly at the boy that now was sitting behind him. "You don't seem the type to make friends easily, your Highness." Ruri said nothing.

~*~

Ruri was slowly getting used to all the respect Alfred seemed to be able to pay to everyone. That is, everyone in her new family. Alfred bowed before King Fredrick when the three of them reached the throne room. "She has arrived," was all that he announced. Ruri stood, emotionless, while Omoikane was basically rewriting his records on Peaceland. She would later find that this would include a complete map of the castle. However, Ruri wasn't emotionless long.

A huge grin broke out on Fredrick's face. "At last we have found you! How we have waited for this day!" One of Ruri's silver eyebrows twitched. "Otosan?"

Fredrick heard the title, and disregarded the fact she didn't give him proper respect. After all, she would get used to their ways eventually. "That's right! I'm your father, Ruri-chan, and this is your mother!" He pointed to the silver-haired, pale woman seated beside him. Queen Gwynth was a complete opposite of Fredrick. He was dark haired, tan, and burly, while she was delicate and slightly secretive.

She smiled at her daughter. "Oh, Ruri-chan, you've grown up so beautifully. We look forward to you taking your oldest younger brother's place in the hierarchy." Ruri was suddenly surprised. Only slightly though. 'They want me to be their princess… I don't even know if I want to be a princess.'

On Gwynth's left, one boy with silver hair and big blue eyes stood and bowed. He said nothing, but his large smile told his emotions clearly. 'I knew if we found her, she'd take my place. Now I can be just that much more of a normal kid.' As he sat back down, the line of boys at Fredrick's right stood and bowed. Most of them were just welcoming, but there was the boy seated closest to his father. While the older, silver haired boy's eyes spoke volumes of welcome and happiness, this blonde boy's baby blues screamed in anger, as if he wished Ruri didn't even exist.

Fredrick got up from his throne and ran down to where Ruri stood, his robe billowing behind him. He knelt before her and took her hands, looking so genuinely happy, Ruri thought he might burst. "At last we are all together, and you can be heir to our wonderful kingdom!" He lowered his voice to a whisper, as if telling her a secret, "You don't have to, if you so desire."

Ruri nodded to this statement. "May I have some time to think, Otosan?" Fredrick stood up at once. "Certainly, my child! Ariko-chan!" He called. The silver haired boy seated next to his mother stood at attention. "Take Ruri-chan to the room that will be hers," he gave Ruri a knowing glance, "if she wishes it to be."

~*~

It wasn't long before Notsumote Ariko, First Prince of the Kingdom of Peaceland, got annoyed with his older sister's companion's ogling. The brown haired boy looked at everything for at least ten seconds, which slowed their journey from the throne room to Ruri's room greatly. While Ariko was getting extremely bothered at this display, Ruri seemed to not mind it at all, deciphering the answers to any of his questions and defining anything of interest to him patiently. Ariko growled a bit under his breath. "Oneesama," began he, "will your companion please cease staring at our furnishings so that we may reach your room at a faster pace?"

Amber met sapphire as Ruri began to explain why Omoikane was the way he was. "Omoikane-chan is a robot. He cannot help his own actions. He is simply collecting data on the house and the things within it. However, if this disturbs you… Omoikane, please tone it down a bit. We really must hasten our pace." Omoikane stood straight, turning away from an antique urn on a table, and saluted. "Hai, Ruri-sama!"

Ariko's jaw dropped. "A robot? A real robot!? Oneesama, where did you get him? Why does he listen to you? What kinds of things can he do?" Ruri chose to answer the last question. "Just normal hacking. If he made him too powerful, he'd almost be a tiny Aestivalis."

Omoikane smiled broadly. "I can break into the Peace Bank if I wanted!" However, the prince wasn't amazed. "You mean, he doesn't zap people or shoot things?"

The corners of the princess's mouth turned down. "Omoikane was very expensive to build, Ariko-san. His creator made him as much as a real person as possible, and he can do things that I am not capable of."

Ariko opened at door to their right. This room seemed way to big at first, but it's mostly because it is quite empty. With light pink wallpaper and lavender carpet, the room contained a cast iron canopy bed with pink and purple sheets, a white dresser, end tables, with lavender trim, and little pink candles around the room. The room seemed to be more for a little girl that played with Barbie dolls than the thirteen-year-old computer operator on the most powerful battleship in the Earth alliance.

Ariko spoke, monotone, as Ruri and Omoikane surveyed the room. "I, along with the rest of the Notsumote family, will enjoy your stay here, Oneesama, until you make your decision. There will be a dinner tonight in your honor, and we have already invited your crew." Ruri nodded.

Ariko bowed once again. "Make-" he was cut off by Omoikane. "Yourself at home!" cried the cyborg, smiling broadly. Ariko glared at the robot. "Will you-" "Stop that this instant!" Omoikane was enjoying himself. Ariko scowled at Omoikane as he left the room. Omoikane turned to his controller. "Ruri-sama, what are you going to do?"

Ruri shook her head. "I don't know. What I do know is… this isn't the place." Omoikane nodded. "You need more time, of course, to decide. It's a big decision. Would you like to go shopping for everyone, so we can be productive while you think?"

The princess stood from her perch on the bed and leaves the room. Omoikane read this response as an affirmative and followed her.

~*~

(Jun Interlude)

Jun tapped a yawning Ryoko on the shoulder. "Excuse me, Subaru-san, but have you seen Yuri- I mean, Kanchou?" The green haired pilot shook her head. "It's obvious where she is though, doncha think, Junny?" She walked away. The executive officer's blue eyes got a little wet. 'Yeah, I know where she is. Chasing Akito, that's where.'

But just as soon as this thought passed through his mind, his blue haired goddess ran up to him. "Jun! You gotta help me find Akito! This is the most perfect time for us to go on a date, and I don't want to miss this chance!"

"Uh, no, Kanchou, I was just going to go, um, eat or something…" Yurika grabbed his arm and started dragging him away. "Thank you so much, Jun! You're such a nice guy and all, helping me go looking for my true love! Oh, he might be near those trees in the courtyard of this area!" She let go of his arm to start searching for her childhood friend.

While she was investigating the pavilion, Jun's heart sunk lower and lower, as if the Earth itself was pulling the organ towards its center. 'It's always him... and he's gay right now, but Yurika's still chasing him... doesn't the fact that we were engaged mean anything to her?! I suppose not. I mean, everyone is saying Yurika and him make a good couple... Uribatake-san told me to look for other girls, but I just can't. Yurika is the only one I'll ever love, and she doesn't even notice me.'

Yurika, emerging from a fast food restaurant, walked over to where Jun stood. "He isn't there either... Hey, Jun, are you okay? Is something wrong?"

Jun looked up abruptly, looking quiet surprised. 'She actually asked if there was something wrong…' He shook his head and pointed in the direction of a gift shop. "Did you check in that store? It seems unfamiliar." Yurika followed his gaze, and, realizing he was right, ran in to go check.

Jun sighed. 'No. I'm just her 'best friend.' Nothing more. At least, not to her.'

~*~

(Hikaru and Izumi Interlude)

Plopping down in a booth, Hikaru let out a deep breath. Izumi sat down across from her reluctantly, as if she didn't want to be there. They had just ordered food, and it would be a few minutes before they finished it. Izumi glanced at the hyper pilot. "Hikaru-chan… why don't you go to the hangar to hang out anymore?"

The redhead looked up. "You noticed?" Hikaru pulled a white napkin from the dispenser on the table and began to fiddle with it. After a moment of silence, Hikaru took a ragged breath and said simply, "Uri-P asked me out." Izumi nodded and closed her crimson eyes. "So you told him to get lost. For someone who's lonely all the time, that wasn't very smart."

Hikaru looked down. "I told him... I left Shirono." Izumi seemed baffled. "Not again. Hikaru-chan, you need to stop it. Lying to yourself isn't going to dull the pain any better. Trust me. I do it for a living."

Hikaru shot her a doubtful look. "Now that I think of it, you haven't been making as many puns as usual... why?"

A sincere smile played the taller pilot's lips. "I've discovered another part of myself... Fressange-san helped me discover that." Hikaru blinked.

"Whoa... so you're bi now?" Izumi chuckled. "I knew you'd pick up on that... and I also knew you wouldn't really give a damn." She took a long drink from her cup.

The artist's red eyebrows gathered, but she nodded anyway. "You, though? Never would have thought. So, what? Third time's a charmed, and you've been sleeping with Fressange-san?"

Izumi choked on her drink, the carbonation making her sneeze. "Where did that come from?" Hikaru gave her a look that screamed, 'I'm not stupid.' "'Fressange-san helped me discover that'? Do you really take me for a fool? I mean, god damn, Izumi-chan, I may play the part of the happy baka otaku, but I'm a lot deeper than that." She took a drink.

Izumi reached across the table and petted Hikaru's red waves. "I know Hikaru-chan. Men have hurt us both, wounded us dearly. We're both much deeper than we appear. But we have to be true to ourselves. Kanchou has taught me that too, and I'm sure as hell not fucking her." Hikaru giggled.

~*~

(Back to our regularly scheduled Ruri Interlude)

Fredrick glanced at his only daughter. Ruri was stirring her soup, not really paying attention to anything. He cleared his throat, grabbing Ruri's attention. "Are you ready to announce your choice, my dear?" Ruri took a deep breath, and nodded.

Fredrick tapped his glass, requesting quiet, after a minute or so, he finally had the silence he needed. He gestured for Ruri to take the stage. Ruri nodded again, and stood up.

"I, Hoshino Ruri, decline from being Princess of Peaceland. My place is on the Nadesico."

Gwynth stood up instantly. "Ruri-chan! You have no choice in this matter! It is your duty to take control of this country when your father and I are gone! You must begin training for this immediately!"

Yurika stood up too. "If Ruri-chan wants to stay on the Nadesico, where she's needed, then you should let her! Not make her stay here, where she's convenient to have! We need and want her!"

Megumi was next. "Ruri-chan holds us all together!"

The next words of advice seemed to all run together, with some snickering, stomping of feet, and continuous nodding threaded through them.

"She is the brick in the pool of gelatin." "That's right! Most of us here are crazy..." "...But Ruri-chan keeps us all in line by being the most stable." "Ruri needs to be on the Nadesico." "Without her, there will be no order." "Total chaos. Absolute total insanity." "Ruri is the smartest of us all, she is the driving force of the Nadesico. The Nadesico will go to pieces if you take her computer operator away!" "We all love and adore Ruri and won't let you take her from us!" "Ruri-sama is mine!!!"

Fredrick clapped his hands together, wanting quiet again so he could speak over the screaming crewmembers. They all say down, looking a bit embarrassed for blowing up at the Queen. "We acknowledge your decision Ruri-chan, and respect it. You may go back to the Nadesico as you wish."

~*~

Alfred bowed to Ruri, a little more informal by request. "Should you ever change your mind, I will be happy to serve you." Ruri nods, and spread her arms, welcoming a hug. It was given briefly; Alfred didn't want to get into this habit.

Ariko, ringing his hands, approached Ruri. "Um... do you have anything pressing you right now?"

"No." Ariko glomped Ruri's arm. "Oh please please please, Oneesama! Give me a tour around the most powerful, beautiful ship in all of the Earth alliance!" Ruri looked up at the Captain standing next to her, her amber eyes asking it if is all right.

Yurika smiled at the two silver haired royals. "Of course, it's perfectly fine!"

~*~

The three children, Ruri, Omoikane, and Ariko got into the hangar bay before the ship started to take off, surprising them with the shock of the inertia. Ruri opened a window to the bridge. Megumi's face appeared instead of the captain's. "Ruri-chan! We need you down here. We're to answer an SOS from the Lunar Theatre ASAP." Another window popped up, this one showing the captain. "Ariko-sama, would it be all right if you're away from your family for a while?"

The silver haired boy nearly leapt with joy. "Be all right? I'll be great! This has been my dream! I get to see a space battle!"

Omoikane faced the ecstatic prince. "It's not as great as you think." He helped the running Ruri out by taking up some of the duties. He set the controls to the coordinates to the orbit of the moon called Luna.

TBC…

~*~

A/N: Not as long as the other one, and even though I did cut out the La Homaro Instituto scenes, they did take place, okay? So, how did you like this interpretation? You may have noticed I'm tying in manga concepts and adding my own twist, but that's okay, right? Anyways… Is blondie up to something? What will Ariko do away from home, and why is he so happy to be away? What's this we hear about Izumi? And how many of us are worried about Ryoko? And all the other various things, like why does Hikaru hate confrontations, and what's up with Akito lately? These questions will be answered eventually, but not now. In the next chapter, keep an eye out for love in the form of music as Ryoko picks up on an old talent she thought she lost! By the way, you will most likely need the playlist in the next chapter, so keep that in mind, you music downloading addicts! As always, review me pweasies! ^^V