RahXephon Fan Fiction ❯ Compromised Dreams ❯ Compromised Dreams ( Chapter 1 )

Compromised Dreams

 

By: A-Z Mark II

 

Disclaimer: Don't own.

 

-

 

Megumi Shitow peered through the window of the clothing store in Kanai. Can I really do this? she wondered, thinking of her bridge operator trainee paycheck in her purse. It's not like Haruka doesn't have things like this. she reasoned with herself, studying the item that had caught her eye. And besides, I'm not a kid any more. she thought defiantly. Taking a breath, she marched into the shop.

Twenty minutes later, she was sitting in a seat on the tram home, holding her new purchases as she thought about what she had just done. “It's not like I've never bought clothes before.” she muttered to herself truculently. In her mind's eye, she saw the dashing and cute Major Yagumo, whom she had developed a crush on. Peeking at the carefully-wrapped items, she smiled, her cheeks darkening into a blush as she thought about what she planned for these items.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, she glanced at the animated sign that showed their position relative to the route. Four more stops before I have to hike home. she thought, relaxing. Looking out the window, she watched the ultra-modern city of Kanai slide by, and the nearly-primitive Nirai come into view. One old island with mysterious ruins, and one modern military research city. Mix well and you get a bad pun on the Okinawan version of paradise. she thought sardonically. “Could be worse.” she murmured.

She and her sister Haruka had come to live with their Uncle on the island of Nirai after their parents had been lost in the Mu invasion of Tokyo. Her sister had been left to care for herself and Megumi from an early age, and for the first few years, she had also been heartbroken because she had lost her boyfriend to the Mu as well. Shortly after they had managed to get to their Uncle's place, Haruka had announced that she was going to be joining the UN, and from there, going into TERRA, the then-new anti-Mu research arm.

For the next decade, she had worked tirelessly toward her goal, getting excellent marks in school, then in university. Joining the UN right out of university, she had made it to TERRA within a year, and had been pursuing her quest for revenge ever since. There was a downside to this decision, however, as the relationship between the siblings - neglected in favor of chasing her goal - began to fray from the stress. Between her junior and senior years of high school, Megumi had dropped out and joined TERRA directly as an operator in training for the bridge crew of the main action branch.

This placed her under the same command as her sister. Even then, Haruka didn't have much time for her. Megumi sighed. It wasn't that she didn't understand her sister, it was just that felt so…inadequate when compared to her. Even with all that, she felt that she had made the right call in quitting school and going into TERRA. She had met Kim, who was now one of her best friends, and she had met her crush, Yagumo. It would be nice if things could go back to being like they were between Haruka and me, but I guess it just isn't the right time right now. she thought.

“And then, there is Ayato.” she mused. Ever since her sister had showed up with him after that big mission to Tokyo Jupiter, she had felt an odd sensation around him. It's almost like I have known him before. she thought. And Haruka has been acting really strange around him, like she isn't sure how to act around him, but can't avoid him. Megumi reflected that that was a rare situation for her big sister. She wasn't sure why, but there was an odd vibe she got when she was around the two of them together. Almost like it is where I belong. she thought before snorting in disbelief. “Like I believe in that stuff.” she muttered.

Even if she didn't believe in it, that's what it felt like. Since Ayato and the RahXephon had arrived in Nirai Kanai, things had been flowing along like they had already happened. Megumi thought about her first meeting with the enigmatic young man. He had just managed to destroy a Dolem that the defenses of Nirai Kanai had been unable to beat, and was being told that he was going to be used as a pilot. Megumi, watching with Kim, had witnessed the sparks between him and Commander Kunugi, followed by the cold snubbing of Haruka.

Whatever tension may be between her and her sister, Megumi had taken an immediate dislike to Ayato simply because she had seen the hurt in her sister's eyes when he snubbed her. Once Doctor Kisaragi had managed to get the young man to accompany him to the medical area for a check up, she had learned about the incident that had spawned the cold reaction of the young man toward her sister. She had also been asked for a favor by the dashing young Major.

Now, months later, she just smirked. Ayato would be staying with their uncle and them in the house, and it was the major's request that she make sure he got settled in. It had been more than apparent to her that he had meant to ask Haruka to see to this, but she had left immediately after Ayato had, her eyes shiny with unshed tears. When Megumi had walked home, she had arrived just in time to see him standing with the doctor, Quon and doc Kisaragi's assistant in front of the steps leading to the house.

Naturally, she and he had gotten into a bit of a pissing match. I still don't really understand why I was feeling resentful of his treatment of sis. she admitted, noting that she was now two stops from the one she needed to go home. Even so, she had gotten off to a bad start with him. Fortunately for her, her uncle had ordered her to show him around and make sure he felt at home. Not really wanting to, she had none the less shown him around the area a little, inadvertently getting caught in a rain storm as she did.

Between the mean comments of her former classmates and being soaked to the skin, she and he had come to a sort of truce, and it was then that she began to get the odd feeling about him. “I could swear I knew him before.” she muttered. Over the time he had been there, the two of them had grown closer, thought it was not by conscious choice by either of them. It just sort of drifted into being. she thought.

Her attention was distracted by a familiar hairdo boarding the train. “Hey, it's Kim.” she said, standing to go speak with her friend. I was meaning to ask her about makeup and maybe see if she could give me some pointers on acting more like Haruka. she thought. She was just about to call her friend's name from two seats back when she realized that Kim was sitting with someone. Blinking, she slowed, studying the other person. It was a shock to find that the other was her crush.

-

“Is something wrong?” wondered Yagumo, seeing Kim suddenly turn and look behind them. The train wasn't crowded, but there were some people near them. The woman frowned.

“No, nothing's wrong. It's just that I had this odd feeling that Megumi was behind me, and then, I thought I smelled her perfume.” said the operator, turning back to her companion. “You know, she started wearing the same perfume as Haruka about a week after Ayato arrived.” she observed. Souichi quirked an eyebrow.

“Really?” he asked. “How do you know that?” he wondered. His current girlfriend smiled at him.

“Because Haruka has worn the same perfume since I have known her, and suddenly, Megumi started to smell just like Haruka. I actually called her by the wrong name twice before I realized why I was doing that.” she confessed. Although, the two feel a lot alike in their auras as well. she mused. “And that perfume has been out of fashion for a decade or more.” she added, smiling.

“Captain Shitow is an odd one sometimes.” mused the Major. “Is it just me, or has she been acting a bit strange since Ayato came here?” he asked his lover. Kim pursed her lips.

“There is no doubt that she has been acting differently since he arrived.” she confirmed. “For one thing, ever since Ayato arrived on the scene, she had been keeping a conscious distance between herself and him, like she doesn't want Ayato to know that they were once an item.” she analyzed the situation.

“What do you think that is all about?” wondered the major.

“Haven't a clue.” shrugged Kim. “Haruka isn't going to answer any questions about what is going on in her mind, and Megumi would rather cut her tongue out than talk about her sister.” she smiled. “Speaking of tongue, what are the chances that you can come over tonight?” she asked.

“Well, I do have that report to type up for Commander Kunugi…” began Yagumo. Kim interrupted him by grabbing his crotch.

“Are you sure I can't convince you to stay for breakfast?” she purred throatily. The man swallowed with some difficulty.

“I…think I can think of…something.” he managed. I never thought that Kim would be so eager! he marveled to himself. While she was not his first, his experience was limited to less than a half dozen times before his first time with her, while she was clearly more experienced.

Hearing the stop they wanted, Kim rose and led her new boyfriend off the train. As she passed a seat a few back from the one they two had shared, she saw a package sitting on the seat, apparently forgotten. It was still wrapped snugly in the store packaging. Recognizing the packaging, she frowned, glancing around. No one was even close to the seat. Reaching down, she snagged the package and moved off the train.

As she and her date walked, she briefly examined the package. Seeing what was in it, she nodded slightly at the taste of whoever had bought it. Her eyes slid over the tag, and she nodded to herself again. You know, this is Megu's size. And the color would look good on her, too. she thought. A fleeting thought danced through her mind. I wonder if Megu bought this, then forgot it on the train…? No. Why would she do that? And if she was on the car, we would have seen her. Kim mentally shrugged. Coincidence. she assured herself.

-

Megumi trudged up to her house, shoulders slumped. What she had seen and heard on the train had destroyed her happy mood. She hadn't even bothered to take her purchases with her when she fled the train, one stop early. What does it matter now, anyway? she thought bitterly. Pausing, she turned to look out over the bay, to where the rounded-pyramid shape of Terra's headquarters was.

“It doesn't matter.” she said to herself. If Kim got to him first, I might as well give up now. she thought dejectedly. First Haruka, now Kim. she grimaced. Always second place for me, I guess. she thought. “What's wrong with me?” she wondered, looking at herself.

As she usually did, she was wearing her simple top that was a loose-fitting tube held up by a simple neck cord, kind of like the neck loop of a bikini, worn with short, relaxed shorts and sandals. With a modest B cup, she rarely bothered with a bra when not at work. Even now, she hunched her shoulders a bit, seeing her bare chest behind the loose body of the tube top.

In good shape thanks to the TERRA training, she was trim and toned, though not overly muscular. She suspected that she could give her older sister a hell of a close run for her money in terms of fitness and endurance. But Haruka didn't seem interested in Megumi's life lately. And I am shorter and have less chest and ass than she did at my age! she thought resentfully. Why would Yagumo want me over Kim, who is taller, more mature and curved more like Haruka than me? she castigated herself.

“Megu?” came a steady, masculine voice. “Are you ok?” Turning, she saw Ayato a few steps from her. He was in his shirt and pants, as was usual. Blinking, she took a deep breath.

“Yeah! I'm fine, Ayato.” she lied. “What have you been doing all day?” she wondered. Ayato sighed, turning to look out over the bay as well, standing side-by-side with her.

“Tests, mostly.” he said simply. Spending the day in my boxers next to Quon isn't bad, per se, it's just that when you have a nearly-naked girl next to you, it is difficult not to get a boner! He recalled all to vividly the strange girl's indifference to being naked. Still, she's stacked, as Mamoru would say… he thought happily. “Haruka took me to some new restaurant for lunch.” he continued. “We looked for you, but you weren't around, and didn't pick up when we called your cell phone.” he explained. Megumi remembered looking at her cell phone and seeing her sister was calling her. She also remembered angrily pushing her phone back into her pocket.

“I was…busy.” she said simply. Ayato didn't press her on the issue.

“After lunch, I had some free time, so I went for a walk, and ended up lost somewhere in Kanai. I just found my way home a few minutes ago.” he admitted wryly. Megumi couldn't help by laugh.

“Oh, that's too funny!” she laughed. You know, I feel better. she thought, peeking at him as he stood there, looking out over the bay. “So, the mighty pilot of RahXephon can't find his way home?” she teased. Ayato shrugged depreciatingly.

“Apparently not.” he admitted. “Next time, I'll make sure to take someone along who knows how to get around in there.” he said, his tone humorous. Megumi smiled at him.

“I'll be happy to go with you next time.” she said. He smiled at her.

“Thanks, Megu.” he said honestly. “So, how was your day?” he asked her. She turned toward the house they all shared and began to walk, Ayato falling in beside her.

“It was…informative.” she said simply. “But enough about that, Ayato.” she said, dismissing the events of not even an hour before. “Are you doing anything this weekend?” she asked as they started up the steep steps toward the front door.

“Not that I know of.” he replied. “Why ask, Megu?”

“I heard about this nice spot on the back side of the island, and thought you might like to check it out with me.” she said. “It's supposed to be really pretty and you might find something to sketch or paint, who knows?” she said. Faintly, she heard her sister's car climbing toward them. “What do you say?” she asked him, wanting to end this conversation before her sister heard about it. If she goes along, it won't be any fun. thought Megumi.

“Sounds fine.” agreed Ayato. Minutes later, Haruka came through the door.

“I'm back!” she called cheerfully. “What's for supper?”

-

“Are you sure this is the right way?” asked Ayato as he followed Megumi through the dense foliage. The two had made their way to a hiking trail along the back side of the island, and moved along it until it turned back toward the center of the island. Seeing a smaller, less-worn path leading toward where the shore was, the two had moved down it. That path became a game trail for midget rabbits or gerbils, one.

“I think so.” replied the girl, pushing her way carefully through the dense growth. “We should be almost there.” she said, hearing the sound of waves getting stronger. Once more in her tube top and shorts, she had a small pack over her shoulder, which contained a modest pick nick lunch and a thermos of cool ice tea. Also in the small pack was her swimsuit and a towel. I don't know if the beach will be good for swimming, but just in case, I'm ready. she thought.

Behind her, Ayato had his bag over his shoulder, with his pencils and drawing pad in it. Over the last few months, he had found himself drawing more and more. Almost like I was painting back in Tokyo Jupiter, he thought. Pushing that thought aside, he followed Megumi though the heavy greenery. Looking at her short-clad backside, he smiled. She's got a cute ass. he thought honestly.

“Ah ha!” exclaimed Megumi, pushing though some large bushes and finding an open area with a small pebble and sand beach flanked by jagged, rocky outcroppings and tall, old palm trees, twisted by typhoons and a restless ocean. Other than the nearly imaginary trail the two had followed, the only other ways onto this beach was by boat or by air. “Here we are!” she said, stepping aside so Ayato could see the small beach.

“It's beautiful.” breathed the artist-turned-pilot. Megumi smirked.

“Told you.” she gloated. Ayato nodded silently. Moving out to the side, he began to look for a place to sit while he sketched the scene. Mayumi watched him look the small cove over from several different angles before finding a corner of the rocky sand beach to get comfortable in. Pulling out his sketch pad, he selected one of his pencils and began to sketch. Megumi settled beside him.

Some time later, she broke the silence that had fallen over the cove as he worked. “So, tell me about your first meeting with Haruka.” said the younger sister. “We never talked about that.” she said, pulling her pack over and rummaging around in it to pull out a pair of sandwiches she had made for their little trip. Her eyes fell to her bathing suit as she held one of the snacks out to Ayato.

Ayato set aside his sketch pad and stretched his arms before accepting the food. “Thanks, Megu.” he said, unwrapping the offered food and taking a bite. “My first meeting with Haruka?” he asked. Megumi, mouth full of food, nodded. Ayato thought about the attack, the injury to Hiroko and his first revelation about the Mu and blue blood. “It was…rough.” he said.

Once she swallowed, Megumi urged him on. “I'm not surprised.” she said. “So? Tell me about it!” she prodded him. Ayato smiled in spite of himself. before he knew it, he was telling Haruka's kid sister about their impromptu conversation in the subway after Haruka had kicked the asses of two Mulian thugs. As he related the tale, Megumi began to laugh uncontrollably. “I can't believe you said that to her!” she chortled.

“It…seemed appropriate at the time.” he observed. “Of course, right after I told her I wasn't interested in a relationship with an older woman, she pointed the gun at me.” he admitted. “I made some crack about `champion of justice my ass!' and she just shrugged and said `I said I might be'” he related.

“That is so like her!” giggled Megumi. “What happened next?” she wondered, gaining a measure of control over herself. Ayato's smile faded a little.

“After that, I boarded the train with…my friend, and found RahXephon.” he said, skipping over a lot of the weirdness of that afternoon. He really didn't want to think about what happened the next night, but he ended up telling her anyway, as if he couldn't stop talking about it until he got the part where he arrived at Nirai Kanai. Megumi watched him as he talked. When he wound down, she handed him a cup of the ice tea. For almost a half hour, they silently ate, each wrapped up in their own thoughts.

When the food was gone, Ayato picked up his sketch pad again and resumed work on his sketch. Megumi rose and stretched, giving him a good view of her bare belly from below her belly button to just short of her breasts; not that he was looking at her. “I'm gonna lay out for a bit.” she said, not really to him, but more as a spoken thought. Ayato nodded.

“Ok.” he said distractedly, absorbed with trying to properly capture the view before him with his pencils. Grabbing her swimsuit, Megumi stepped back into the edge of the woods and tossed off her top and kicked free of her shorts and panties before stepping into her suit. As she pulled the suit up, she paused to peek at Ayato, who was still concentrating on his sketch. With her suit at her waist, she watched him work for a few minutes before slowly wiggling into the top. Changed, she stepped back out to where he sat and spread her towel out, laying down on it face down. With the sun warm on her back, she didn't realize that she dozed off.

-

“Ooh! That's hot!” winced Megumi as she eased into the warm tub that night. It had been late afternoon when she awoke to find Ayato had finished his sketch and apparently fallen asleep as well, though the sun had been partially blocked by the rocky outcroppings that framed the sand, shielding him from sunburn. With her constant exposure to the sun since she moved here with her sister, she hadn't burned, exactly, though her skin was definitely a bit redder than she cared for.

The bathroom door opened and Haruka stepped in. “Oh, there you are, Megu.” she said, kneeling next to the tub, a tube in her hand. “Thought you could use some of this.” she said, uncapping the tube and squirting some cool, greenish gel into her hand before beginning to rub it into her sister's skin. Megumi leaned forward so her older sister could get to the areas her suit hadn't covered. “You really need to wear some sunscreen when you lay out, Megu.” cautioned the Terra Captain.

“I wasn't planning to fall asleep, you know!” muttered Megumi. “And this is hardly a sunburn.” she added. Haruka silently worked the cream into Megumi's back. The younger sister frowned as something occurred to her. “And what's with the sudden mother routine, Haruka?” she asked suspiciously. Haruka froze for a second.

“It's nothing.” she said a moment later. It was a moment too late, though, as Megumi knew her sister inside and out.

“It's not `nothing', Haruka.” disagreed Megumi. “What's wrong?” she asked directly. Haruka sighed, sitting back.

“There is a mission on for tomorrow.” she said softly. “We're going to test a theory of Kim's about the aria of a D-1. If it works, we might be able to predict where the D-1s are going to attack.” she said. Megumi nodded.

“I'll be ready.” she assured her sister. Haruka shook her head.

“You're here at HQ for this. I'm taking a small field team with me. Elvy, Kim and some support are all that Major Yagumo will risk on this theory right now.” said the older girl. Megumi started to protect, then stopped.

“That wouldn't bother you, sis.” said the girl, turning to look at her sister. Haruka was avoiding eye contact, which was another sign that something was wrong with her. “What is really bothering you?” she asked.

“Yesterday, while he was doing some testing…Ayato said he wouldn't fight in the RahXephon again.” confided the older of the two. “We need him to fight, but I can't ask him to it, and I have no idea how to get him to see that he isn't just fighting for us - he's fighting for himself as well.” she admitted. Megumi considered that.

Maybe she didn't have any suggestions for her sister, but she knew she wanted to support Haruka. “I'm sure he will figure it out, sis.” assured the girl earnestly. “Have you just talked with him about it?” she wondered. Haruka bit her lip.

“I…don't think I can.” she said softly. Too much has happened, but not enough for me to tell him the truth. she thought bitterly. After twelve years, she was really no closer to her goal than when the Mu first took her love from her. Silently, Megumi watched her sister's troubled eyes.

-

The Mu were getting stronger. It was beyond ignoring that the attacks were gaining frequency and strength, and while RahXephon seemed to be gaining strength and capabilities as well, the Commander was worried enough to form up a support team for the giant mecha. Elvy had officially transferred to the new squadron as it's commander, and tapped three of her former comrades from her old UN squadron to fly her wings.

Since the Christmas incident with the ice Dolem, Ayato had been increasingly moody as certain revelations began to eat him up. Megumi had plenty to think about as well, since she had made a sort-of discovery when she had seen Haruka give Ayato the gloves she had kept for her first boyfriend for all those years. Recently, she had been trying to remember who that first love of her big sister's life had been and what he had been like. Since she was barely more than a child when the Mu arrived, her memories of him were somewhat cloudy, though she could clearly remember that she enjoyed his visits to their home. She was fairly certain that he liked her, too.

On top of all that, there were things happening behind the scenes of Terra command, and with the arrival of Isshiki, things had been getting tense at work. For some reason, Isshiki seemed to have it in for Ayato. But all that was merely a side-show to Megumi of late.

Her friendship with Kim had remained, though it had cooled some since she found out that her friend was involved with her former crush. The knowledge that she had been passed over by the Major in favor of her co-worker and friend had hurt, but she had managed to put things into perspective to a degree. With some perspective, she realized that she was probably better off knowing than making a fool of herself trying to get his attention. And then, there is Ayato. thought the younger of the Shitow sisters.

The strange young man with the odd effect on her had gotten closer to her - and to a degree, her sister - in the passing weeks and months. Megumi found herself seeking out his company and spending a lot of her free time with him, even when he was being difficult and moody. Haruka had been fending off ever-increasing advances from her old boyfriend Doctor Kisaragi, though she would have to be blind to miss seeing Ayato's reaction to each advance by the doctor.

“Troubled times.” she muttered to herself, taking a drink from her soda. With some free time, she had been wandering the shopping districts of Kanai, though she had no plans to buy anything. Glancing at her watch, she smiled as she realized that it was only an hour until Ayato was supposed to finish his tests. Grabbing her cell phone, she punched in a number, raising the phone to her ear as she waited for him to pick up. As the phone rang, she began to worry.

Her worry was cut short by the alarms ringing. Looking over to the structure that held RahXephon, she saw steam suddenly boil out and cover the city below it like an avalanche of silver fog. Rising from the water column, RahXephon was glowing with energy. In her hand, forgotten, her phone rang as it received a priority call from HQ, ordering her to report to the bridge immediately. “Ayato!” she breathed. You're going back, aren't you?

-

Megumi sighed, unable to sleep. Getting up from her bed, she pulled on the first thing her hands found and headed outside. It had been a week since Ayato had taken RahXephon back to Tokyo Jupiter. When Elvy had been directed to attempt to breach the barrier with an experimental weapon, Haruka had stowed away on board the strange ship, and ended up going back to Tokyo as well.

She had returned empty handed a day later, visibly upset, to a harsh reprimand from command and a suspension. Megu doubted that her older sister cared. Since that day, Haruka hadn't done a damn thing but sit on the porch, her MP3 player playing that song over and over again. Well, that and drink a lot of sake and beer. amended the girl.

With a tee shirt covering her from shoulders to just below her panties, she stepped next door and peeked into her sister's room. As she had expected, the bed was empty. Nodding to herself, she made her way silently down the steps to the small porch. Under the brilliant stars of the clear night sky, she saw her sister, slumped against a post at the corner of the porch, a few empty bottles of sake near her. For a moment, she thought that Haruka had passed out, but then, she saw her sister move. “Haru?” she said softly, approaching the woman.

The dark-haired head turned toward her, and in the light from the stars and moon, she saw Haruka blink at her. “Megu.” she said softly, her voice not slurred at all. “Couldn't sleep?” she asked rhetorically. “Well, you're welcome to sit with me if you want, sis.” she said, turning back to look out over the endless ocean.

Easing herself down next to her older sister, Megu blinked as she subconsciously determined the direction that Haruka was looking. Her sister was looking in the direction that Tokyo Jupiter lay. The younger sister jerked in surprise when she felt a cool, hard object nudge her side. Turning to Haruka, she saw that her sister was offering her a bottle of sake. “Haru! I'm a minor!” she said scoldingly. Haruka snorted at that.

“You stopped being a minor when you joined TERRA, Megu.” she said, her tone uncharacteristically dark. “Besides, it's not like a little sake will hurt you; it's only if you drink too much too often that it will hurt you.” she said, holding the bottle out to her sister. “But, I certainly won't make you.” she added. Megu took the bottle, finding it to be nearly empty. Carefully, she raised it to her lips and sipped it.

Grimacing a little at the strong taste, she swallowed and smothered a cough with her hand. “So, why are you offering me drinks, Haru?” asked Megumi. For a while, Haruka didn't answer. Megumi patiently waited. It's nice out here. Maybe if I stay here for a bit, I'll be able to sleep. she reasoned. Finally, her sister answered her.

“Maybe because I am tired of drinking alone.” she said softly. “Or it could be that I can't talk to you about the situation sober.” She sighed. “I don't know.” she said after a pause. Megumi decided to take the chance to speak to her sister about some things that had been bothering her of late.

“Haru, what is it with Ayato and you?” asked the younger sister, sipping the sake again. “I mean, I saw you give him those gloves you held onto for so long; the ones you had meant to give to your old crush. You have gone after him twice now, and spend all your time running interference for him. What gives with you two?” she asked.

“He's…it's more like…” Haruka tried to explain it to her sister. Finally, she tried the direct approach. “You know about the time lag, right?” she said softly, leaning back on the porch. Megumi nodded.

“Well, yeah.” she said. Haruka went on.

“Do you remember, when we were at the beach, and Kim was talking to Ayato about his drawings?” Megumi nodded. “Do you recall what he said about his memories being fabricated and that if he hadn't been in Tokyo, he would be my age now?” asked Haruka softly. Megumi sighed.

“Yes, I do remember!” she said, somewhat impatiently. “What does that have to do with…!” she froze, suddenly seeing the picture. “He's…Ayato was your boyfriend?!” she gasped. Haruka nodded. Megumi's mind was frozen by that realization.

“We were on that trip, and suddenly, he was gone.” said the older sister. “Now, he doesn't remember me, and I'm the `older woman' he isn't interested in.” she said, her tone flat and soaked in bitterness. “It's not like I can blame him, though.” whispered Haruka. “I was the one who lost faith first.” she said. Megumi was shaken from her mental paralysis by the tone in her sister's voice.

“Lost faith? What are you talking about, sis?” she asked. Haruka took an unsteady breath.

“You're a smart girl, Megu. You must be able to put it together.” said Haruka, her eyes suspiciously shiny. Her younger sister frowned, trying to put it all together. Lost faith? How did she lose faith? She held on to those gloves for all these years, and she was always so focused on getting back to Tokyo. Even when…! Oh my god! thought the girl.

“Itsuki!” she breathed. Haruka nodded.

“Yes.” said Haruka. “We…were lovers; in the university.” said Haruka guiltily. Megumi had - perhaps naively - thought that her sister had just dated him. I guess that there is more than one definition of `dating'! Megumi thought. “I don't know what happened.” she went on, her tone devoid of emotion. “I was a freshman, and he was a junior, and we had some classes together. Before I knew it, he and I were going to study groups together, then having dinner together off campus, and finally, I was staying overnight at his apartment on weekends.” The older sister rubbed her eyes. “I gave him my virginity, Megu.” she said, her voice beginning to self-destruct. “I gave it to someone I didn't love like it didn't mean anything!” she went on. “No wonder Ayato has no interest in me! I cheated on him, while he stayed true - even if he couldn't remember me! God, I'm a slut, Megu!” Megumi was alarmed to see that Haruka was sobbing, her hands covering her face. “I can't be with him, but maybe I can help him some other way…” she trailed off, her voice silenced by her tears.

Megumi was staring at her sister. All her life, Haruka had been the strong, confident big sister she needed. To see her like this was actually physically painful to the younger sister. Unsure what to do, her familial loyalties took over. Lunging over, hugged herself to her sister. “It's not like that, Haru!” she said urgently. “You aren't a slut!” At least, I don't think so; one guy hardly qualifies you for that label! “Ayato wouldn't shun you for that, I'm sure of it! He just hasn't remembered you yet! He said that doctor Kisaragi said it would be some time before his memories came back, right? Well, when they do come back, I'm sure he won't care about the time lag or your past…incidents. He will still love you, Haru!” she soothed her sister. Haruka hugged Megumi to herself hard enough to make the smaller girl wince.

“He can't, Megu.” she whispered. “Too much time has passed for me, while too little has passed for him.” The older sister held on to her younger sibling as Megumi hugged her back, soothingly stroking her back and sides. “But, maybe you and he have a chance.” she said nearly a half hour later. Megumi blinked.

“What do you mean, me and Ayato?” she asked incredulously. “I don't like that dork! I mean, I like him, but we aren't dating or anything!” she defended herself. Haruka sniffed at her denial.

“Really, Megu?” she challenged. “For the last two months, you have been going out with him constantly to the park, to the beach, shopping and for dinner. I hate to tell you this, but that is dating, Megu.” pointed out Haruka. “And I know that he likes you; he always did.” she murmured. It's almost like seeing him and I when we were dating. If they can be together, I won't have to give him up completely - he'll be my brother-in-law, and I can watch over him without dirtying him. And Megu will be happy with him. reasoned the woman.

Megumi considered what her sister had said. I guess we are kind of dating. she admitted. But it's not that kind of dating! she amended. Her mind began to reconsider the potential represented in Ayato. “Maybe…” she breathed. Haruka was silent. “It couldn't hurt to try it…” she added a little later, yawning, her cheek on her sister's chest.

When Professor Rikudoh found them the next morning, they were clinging to each other, sleeping sounding, like they had when they were kids. Well, except for the empty sake bottles. he chuckled softly. Taking a light blanket, he covered them before moving off into town to tend to some business.

-

Megumi looked at the slashed painting of a woman in a yellow dress, standing on a broken concrete block, looking over a dark and ominous sea. Since Ayato had been `returned' - courtesy of the duplicitous UN special investigations division - he had been in a state of angry depression. Quite asking around had gained her the basics of the story.

Ayato had gone back to find the truth of himself, but it had ended up proving to be more truth than he could handle, and left only more questions. In the ensuing chain of events, he had discovered that the Mu were turning his friends into blue-blooded Mulians, and on an impulse, he had rescued his close friend from some Mulian intelligence agents, and like he had done with Haruka that first time, he took her outside Tokyo using RahXephon's power.

Having chosen not to return to Terra, he sank RahXephon in a man-made lake and he and Hiroko had wandered the area outside Tokyo, hiding from the Mu and from Terra. Eventually, they had ended up in Yokohama, and that was where they were when a Dolem attacked. Ayato had summoned RahXephon and left Hiroko to destroy the intruder. It wasn't until he had come back that he discovered the truth behind the Dolems. In killing the Dolem, he had killed his friend, for she and the Dolem were linked.

When the supposed newspaperman had tracked the two to the hotel room where they were staying, he had found Ayato sitting at the side of the bed that the broken body of his friend lay on, the sheets blue with her blood, holding her diary. He had been unresponsive, and before he could get away with the young man, the agents of the Bahbam group had found them and `escorted' Ayato and RahXephon back to Terra.

The return to Terra had not been any better than his return to Tokyo. Commander Kunugi had been replaced with Isshiki, who had this hare-brained scheme to break the barrier and hit the Mu with everything they had, including the Anti-D fighters from the Bahbam Group. Haruka had managed to get her position back somehow, and was back directing the activities of the invasion force. Ayato had been indifferent to the whole thing.

This indifferent Ayato bothered her. Megumi had come to like the `old' Ayato and wanted him back. So, she took some steps to get `her' Ayato back. One of those steps was to simply talk to him. Day after day, she talked with him, though he rarely responded. Still, she kept at it. Eventually, he began to show signs of his old self. Megumi was counting coupe.

With Ayato on the rebound, she had been giving some thought to the next step in their relationship. She hadn't been able to get Haruka's drunken suggestion out of her mind, and as she watched Kim and Yagumo getting more and more solid, she couldn't help but think about her own situation. It was always in her mind, eating away at her concentration. More and more, she was looking to make a move. Each date, she got a little closer to him; each date, she was more and more sure of her path.

Then, there was a massive disruption. On the way home, she had run into a stranger near their home. He had introduced himself as Mamoru Torigai, and he claimed to be a refugee from Tokyo - and Ayato's friend. Megumi was overjoyed to hear this. Maybe it would snap him out of his funk to find that one of his friends had made it out. Leading him up the hill, she and he had talked a little about the things in general. Mamoru had seemed a charming, smooth young man.

When they had reached the house, she had yelled for Ayato, telling him she had a surprise for him. Ayato had arrived a few moments later. He had indeed been surprised. Mamoru was holding Megumi by the neck with one hand, her arm twisted behind her. Ayato had not seemed surprised. It would seem that Mamoru was a Mulian, and had volunteered to come out here to retrieve Ayato.

That, it would seem, was just an excuse. Megumi listened as the two former friends argued with each other in screamed exchanges. Even though she had heard about Asahina's death, she hadn't realized just how deep the bonds between the three of them had run - Asahina, Torigai, and Ayato had been best friends. In the case of Ayato and Hiroko, maybe more than friends. Mamoru blamed Ayato for Hiroko's death, and to her surprise, Ayato agreed. When the Mulian had told Ayato that he was going to kill Megumi, Ayato had just shook his head.

“No, you will not.” he said calmly. Torigai had faltered at that calm statement.

“You took Asahina from me, Ayato!” he snarled. “So, I will take your girlfriend from you!” Ayato sighed.

“You don't get it, do you, Mamoru?” asked the young man sadly. “Hiroko asked me to save her. In fact, she begged me to save her - save her from you.” he said, sitting down on the porch. “That night, when you were all waiting for me at Mot…at the home of Maya, she saw you and the Mulian agents. Do you remember that wound to her arm?” he asked his former friend. Slowly, the man nodded.

“It never occurred to you that she would look at the blood, did it?” challenged Ayato. “Like me, she found out about her blood turning blue. Unlike me, she couldn't accept it. So, when I found her, I assured her that her blood was red, and that I would protect her. She said you had begun to act strange since I had left, and that she felt like everything was a dream.” He stopped, closing his eyes. “I did as she asked, and took her to the `real' world.” His lips thinned into a grimace. “And it killed her.” he said.

“No!” snapped Mamoru. “You killed her when you refused to take your place among us!” denied the Mulian. “If your attachment to this human girl is so strong, I'll just have to kill her.” he sneered. Ayato raised his eyes to look at his former friend. Megumi felt a chill in her eyes when she saw that they went from brown to red.

“You will not hurt Megu.” he said simply. RahXephon answered his call, and when the artifact appeared, Mamoru had been forced to summon his Dolem. When the dust settled, Mamoru was dead. Ayato's last connection to Tokyo was gone.

-

Megumi walked out of the TERRA medical wing, rubbing her shoulder and throat. Man, that guy was rough with me! Doesn't he know you're not supposed to be hard on girls?! she thought irritably. Looking around, she didn't see Ayato anywhere. “Are you all right, Megu?” came the voice of her sister. Turning, she saw Haruka leaning next to the door to the medical wing. Megumi nodded.

“I'm fine; it's just some bruising.” she said. “I'm not so sure about Ayato, though.” she murmured. Haruka nodded.

“He left as soon as he got out of RahXephon.” said the woman softly. “I have to stay here, Megu, but will you go find Ayato and make sure he's all right?” asked her sister earnestly. Megumi was nodding before she could think about it.

“Of course.” she said. The PA paged Haruka to the Commander's office. Straightening, Haru gave her sister a quick hug.

“Thanks, Megu.” said her sister, turning away from her. “I'll cover here. See you when I get home, sis.” and with that, she was gone. Megumi turned and marched toward the nearest exit. Ayato should be home. thought the girl. But if he isn't, where should I look for him? Busy making her list of places to search for the young man, she almost didn't see Kim until she bumped into her.

“Megumi!” exclaimed the girl, stepping back as Megu jerked to a stop to keep from hitting her. “Are you ok? I heard a Mulian infiltrator roughed you up!” she said, noting the darkening bruises on Megumi's throat. Megumi immediately covered her neck with her hand. Of course, that revealed the bruises on her wrist.

“It's nothing, Kim.” said the girl. “Excuse me, but I'm in a hurry.” she murmured, moving to step pas Kim. The girl reached out and touched her arm.

“Megu, what's wrong?” she asked directly. “Lately, you have been spaced out at work, and when you aren't on duty, you hardly ever spend any time with me any more. Is it about Ayato?” asked the older girl. Megumi felt a brief spike of anger at the question. How dare you ask me that?! But, as quickly as she felt it, it died off. I guess it's reasonable, given how things have been lately. she admitted silently.

“Ayato? Well, sort of.” said Megumi. “Look, I need to go, Kim.” she said, looking away from the other girl. Kim didn't release her arm.

“Megumi.” said Kim seriously, “You need to decide on which one you want him to be. And you need to do it soon.” said the girl, carefully squeezing Megumi's arm before releasing her. “And good luck, whichever you choose.” said the operator, walking away. Megumi didn't look back as she all but ran toward the exits.

The young girl took the express line to her stop, all the while thinking of Kim's words. Easy for her to say! she thought angrily. If I knew what I wanted from him, I wouldn't be this confused! God, she's so preachy and know-it-all sometimes! Megumi though. But, for all of that, she was correct. As it stood now, she was sending - and therefore, getting - mixed signals from the young man. And let's not forget the whole situation with Haru, either! she reminded herself unnecessarily.

She didn't recall getting off the express line, or jogging up the hill to her home. She only broke free of her thoughts when she was kicking off her sandals. She became aware of the sheen of sweat on her from the exertion of jogging up the steep grade to her Uncle's home, and of her dirty and torn clothes. Pushing those thoughts aside, she moved upstairs to their rooms.

She found him sitting on the floor in his room, his hands covered in charcoal and graphite, his pencils and sticks strewn around, and a fresh piece of canvas on his easel. Glancing to the side, she saw that the slashed painting of the girl in the sundress was set - not thrown, but set - to the side. Unsure of what to say, she studied the rough sketch. It was of a girl about her age, with short hair, a smile on her face. Megumi was struck with the similarities between herself and this girl. Suddenly, she instinctively knew who this was. “So, that is what she looked like.” she said, speaking for the first time.

Surprising her, Ayato shook his head. “No,” he said dully, “that is just what I thought she looked like.” he said. “She was prettier than that, really.” he added, leaning over to snag his sketch book. Flipping through it, he stopped at a relatively new one, this one colored with water colors. “This is a better one of her.” he said, handing the sketch book to Megumi.

Taking the sketch book, Megumi silently sank to her knees by Ayato. The girl in the colored sketch was pretty. With more detail in this sketch, she could clearly see the parallels between herself and this girl. Megumi was a bit more developed in the hips and chest, but the overall bearing was the same between the two. “You're right,” said Megumi, intently studying the colored sketch, “she was pretty.” Ayato nodded.

“She was.” he agreed softly. And I can still feel her blood on my hands - her blue blood. But she had red blood when I was last there! What is the point of changing all the people in Tokyo into Mulians? “We went everywhere together; Hiroko, Mamoru and I.” he went on. “She and Mamoru were in the tennis club at school, and I was in the art club, obviously. The art club room overlooked the tennis courts, so it was like we were all in the same club.” Unwillingly, he barked a laugh. “Hiroko had a really bad backhand, and she was always hitting the ball into the windows of the art club room. On summer days, the windows were open, and I can't count the number of times that she nailed some club member's project with one of her backhands. It got so bad that I was the only one who would ever paint near the windows when they were open.” Megumi listened silently.

It was rare for him to talk about Tokyo in this manner, and she was determined to listen and learn as much as she could. After a moment of silence, he went on. “Maybe I was misreading the whole thing.” he mused. “Maybe, she was doing it deliberately. Whenever we went out on the town, she was always by my side. She and Mamoru officially started dating almost six months before Haruka hit the scene, but it seemed like she was just playing at it; at least to me. Any time that Mamoru was off doing something, she would drape her arm over my shoulder and hang on to me. A few times, she even kissed me.” Ayato closed his eyes.

“She always said it was just her kidding around some, and she would kiss Mamoru to keep things even, but I always thought that she kissed me more than she kissed her `boyfriend'. When class assignments split us up, she always chose to team up with me.” Megumi watched as he absently began to dry-scrub his hands together. “Then, that night, when she begged me to save her…it was the first time I thought about her behavior and began to wonder. While we were hiding out, she talked to me about it a little, and she said that she always felt safe with me. She tried to tell me several times, but it wasn't until after I killed her and read her journal that I realized that she had been in love with me for years.” he said, his hands shaking. “And I killed her for it.” he whispered.

Megumi set aside the sketchbook and lunged over to hug him. “No, Ayato!” she said softly, yet strongly. “You didn't - couldn't! - have known about the Dolems and what they really were!” she defended his actions.

“Megu, I left her to protect her! She begged me not to leave her, but I just told her I would protect her at any cost, jumped in RahXephon and murdered her!” His body was shaking her Megumi's arms, and she could feel hot, wet drops on her arm. His hand-scrubbing gained intensity. I can still feel her blood on my hands! he thought despairingly. I can't get her blood off my hands! Megumi hugged him harder.

“You did what you thought was the right thing to protect her!” she argued with him. “Fighting the Dolems was the best way you knew to protect her! You didn't kill her!” yelled Megumi hotly. The Mu killed her when they turned her blood blue and bound that Dolem to her! thought Megumi, furious. First, they took you from Haru. Then, they erased your memories and stole time from you while Haru was left alone and hurting. Then, when Haru finally got back to your side and brought you back to where you belonged, they set it up so you would have to kill your friends and even a girl who loved you! Megumi bared her teeth in a silent snarl.

Brought up to hate the Mu, she found that now, she truly understood hate. This hatred was personal, and never in her life had she felt such deep, focused hate as she did now, holding Ayato. For the first time, her sister's words on the day she joined TERRA made sense. I know about killing in hate now, sister. she thought grimly.

A shaking in her arms brought her back from those thoughts. Ayato needed her now; there would be time enough later for anger and hatred. Shaking him, she managed to get him to focus on her. “You have to let it go, Ayato.” she said firmly. “It's too late to change things now, and in any event, you need to be looking after your girlfriend right now.” she said. Ayato blinked.

“Wha…?” he began, confused. As far as he knew, he didn't have a girlfriend. Megumi was about to correct this misconception. Leaning into him, she locked her lips to his. Inexperienced in kissing, she nevertheless made up for it in intensity. Eagerly, her tongue invaded his mouth.

The shock of her passionate kiss managed to shatter his self-loathing and all-consuming guilt about what happened with Hiroko. Relaxing a bit, he began to kiss her back. His relaxation caused him to lose his balance, and the two of them fell on top of each other, Megu on top of him, bracing herself with one arm. The girl didn't bother to break the kiss just because of a minor detail like falling.

Under her slight mass, Ayato was lost in the feel of the kiss. One arm snaked around Megu's chest, holding her to him while his other hand ran through her hair. Megumi settled herself more comfortably on top of him, letting her chest rest against his, her knees on either side of his hips. Against his chest, she felt her nipples grow hard as her groin began to tingle, growing hot and wet like it did when she used to masturbate thinking about Major Yagumo.

Finally breaking the clumsy but enthusiastic kiss, she smiled at him, panting. “Better.” she said happily, darting down to kiss him swiftly. Ayato smiled back at her.

“When did I get a girlfriend?” he asked her, his tone teasing.

Just now. she thought. “I got tired of waiting for you to put it together.” shrugged as if it should have been obvious to him. Under her shorts-clad hips, she could feel something growing hard. What…? Oh my god! That must be his…! Megumi felt panic and lust waging war in her mind. Feeling his hands stroking her back and cheek, she moaned in pleasure.

“Megu?” asked Ayato, his hand touching her bare back between her shorts and her top. Megumi nodded, her eyes closed. Slowly, Ayato moved his hand up her back, along her spine. When he reached her neck, he slowly began to explore his way back down, caressing her sides and back. Under her hips, she felt his member go completely hard.

For his part, Ayato was reveling in the feeling of her soft, smooth skin. It had aroused him to find that she wasn't wearing a bra under her loose top. Of course, if I had of thought about it before, I would have realized that she wasn't wearing one all this time. he babbled in his mind. Barely daring to touch the sides of her breasts, he shied away from them for the moment and moved back down her back. When his hand touched her short's waistband, he paused again.

“It's ok.” breathed Megu in his ear. She was still lying on top of him with her eyes closed, simply enjoying the feeling of his hands on her body. Pressing her cheek to his, she waited for him to continue. After a few moments, he did.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly ran his hands over her shorts and down to touch her young, firm ass. Feeling the taut, strong mounds, he loved the toned nature of her rear. Several minutes passed as he simply fondled and rubbed her rear, from the tops of her buns to the bottoms of her shorts. Finally, he decided he wanted to move on.

Back up he went, this time staying outside her flimsy top. Megumi frowned slightly, missing the feeling of his skin on her skin, but suddenly smiled as she realized where his hand was. Smothering a giggle, she waited to see if he would take the initiative this time. Come on; it's fine with me. she silently encouraged him.

Ayato held the ends of the bow that held Megumi's top in place in his fingers, but he hadn't pulled the bow loose yet. He wanted to, but he didn't want to do something that Megu might not want him to do. The girl was being silent and was still holding herself to him. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. he told himself finally, slowly pulling the ends away, the bow holding the top in place untying with minimal resistance. Once the knot was completely undone, he wondered what to do next.

Megumi felt the strings fall off her neck and smiled. Figuring that the next move was her move, she pushed herself back from him, sitting upright on his hips. One hand held the top in place. Seeing that, Ayato opened his mouth to apologize, but she shook her head. “No, it's fine.” she assured him. “But we can't get it off with me laying on you like that.” she said happily, tugging the top off over her head and dropping it to the side. Under her, she felt his dick twitch as her bare chest was presented to him.

“Beautiful.” he breathed. Her breasts were small, but shapely and firm, with warm, brown areolas that were neither small nor large, but perfectly proportioned to her breast size. The twin nipples stood forth proudly, and the crinkled state of the surrounding areolas attested to her excitement. Instinctively, he reached out and cupped them with his hands, wondering at their feel and experimentally massaging them and toying with her hard nipples. A long, drawn-out sigh of arousal escaped her throat.

Arching her back to press her small breasts into his hands, she bit her lips as she felt herself grow wetter and hotter between her legs. God, this feels so g-o-o-d! she thought happily. It's no wonder that Haru ended up sleeping with Itsuki! she reasoned hazily. Pushing the thought of her sister from her mind, she leaned back forward and began to unbutton his shirt. Ayato was too busy with her breasts to notice what she was doing until she tugged on his arms to get him to sit up so she could remove his shirt.

As he did so, Ayato took the chance to kiss Megu again. The girl responded immediately and eagerly, rubbing her chest against his bare chest. Her movements caused her pussy to grind against his aching erection. Gasping, Megumi broke the kiss. Looking at her soon-to-be lover, she licked her lips. Shakily, she managed to stand.

As she did, Ayato noticed a small wet spot on her shorts. Is that…could it be her…juice? he wondered. He had taken health class, and was familiar with the particulars of sexuality, but he had never had occasion to do anything with that knowledge. Until now, that is! he amended the previous thought. Reaching forward, he caught her hands as she had reached for the button on her shorts. “Let me.” he husked at her lustfully. Megumi had no objections to that.

Swiftly, he unbuttoned her shorts and tugged them down, revealing some small, white cotton panties with a cute pink bow on the front. Megumi put a hand on his shoulder as she kicked her shorts off impatiently. Ayato reached out as she did that and touched the front her panties, finding them to be wet with her fluid. Experimentally rubbing the cotton clad sex of the girl, he felt her entire body shiver. Grabbing the flimsy garment in his hands, he nearly tore them off her.

With her naked, he scrambled to his feet and clawed at his own pants, Megumi helping him as best she could. The two were frantic to join, the hormones pounding in their veins. Swiftly, his pants and boxers hit the floor. Megumi stared at his member in awe. Reaching out, she wrapped her soft hands around his shaft.

“Ah!” she softly gasped, feeling the hard, hot shaft in her hands. “It's so warm!” she breathed. Slowly, she began to move her hands up and down his length. Ayato grunted as he felt her touch him.

“Megu, maybe you shouldn't…!” he tried to warn her, but it was too late. With a spasm, he climaxed, his cum decorating her from just under her breasts to her navel. To his surprise, his dick stayed hard, and he was able to think slightly clearer. Megumi kept pumping his dick with one hand as she touched the thick fluid on her belly.

Deciding to test something she had heard, she collected a little on her finger and brought it up to her mouth, her pink tongue flickering out to taste it. For a moment, she was still, tasting the cum. Salty, like the girls said, but it doesn't taste bad like some of them claimed. she mused. The texture is a bit strange, but not unpleasant. Kind of like oysters, actually. She licked the rest from her finger. I think…I could get to like this. she decided, scooping up another finger load of the white goo.

Seeing her licking his cum from her finger was more than Ayato could take. Somewhat roughly, he guided her to his bed. Laying her on her back, he touched her thighs, feeling her eagerly spread them wide. Impatiently, he crawled between her legs and situated himself. Megumi felt his tip touch her wet entrance and looped her arms around his neck, looking into his lustful eyes. “Make me yours, Ayato.” she whispered to him. That was all the encouragement he needed, pushing forward.

Aroused or not, she was a virgin, and tight. It took him a few tried to get his tip buried in her, and even then, it was several more tried before he was buried in her full-length. He hadn't really felt her hymen, but she had felt him tear it open. It was a sharp stab in her sensitive groin that swiftly faded to nothing but a hot feeling. Before her lover had managed to get all the way into her, she had had her first non-self-induced orgasm. By the time that he was all the way in her stretched sheath, she was nearing another one.

With her passage stretched to accommodate his member, Ayato paused to simply enjoy the feeling her tight passage for a moment before he began to pump into her. Even though he had cum once not long before, it wasn't long before he came again, deep inside her. Megumi herself climaxed again. Shortly after this, the two fell asleep, still joined.

-

“That's the last box.” said Haruka, setting the box down on the floor of their new living room. It had been eight months since the fall of Tokyo and the destruction of Nirai Kanai. Since then, they had had to look for a new home. In the intervening weeks, they had moved first to Okinawa, then to Hokkaido, and now, they had just moved into their new home on a small island in the Palau archipelago.

Megumi nodded to herself. “Good. I think the power is set up and we can make dinner in about an hour.” she said, satisfied. Haruka wiped her brow. While it was not exactly uncomfortable here compared to their Uncle's home, she had been carrying boxes from the dock to their house for the better part of the day. “Where's Ayato?” wondered Haruka.

“Oh, he was giving Kim a hand with some of her stuff. With her about to pop any day now, I didn't think that she should be moving furniture.” said Megumi. Haruka nodded.

“Reasonable.” she agreed. “Is he going to be back soon?” she asked, sinking down to sit on a box of stuff. Megumi came over to her, offering her a glass of cold water. “Thanks, Megu.” said the older sister.

“It's nothing, Haru; we're family.” said the younger sister. Haruka nodded.

“All of us.” she added softly. Of the survivors of Nirai Kanai, most of them had chosen to settle here in quiet seclusion. Kim had a small, simple house about a half a kilometer away, and on the other side of the low, rocky ridge that was the backbone of their little island was a group of four duplexes of simple, but tough design. In those duplexes lived the surviving members of the bridge and technical staff. On the other side of their house was another small house where Elvy lived.

In the fallout from the last battle with the Mu, the members of TERRA had learned that they where unwanted heroes of a war that no one wanted to think about any more. Ayato was a bit worse off, since most considered him the last living Mu, and more than a few wanted to fix that oversight. Still, the relatively few number of people who knew the truth about the war and it's last battle insured that by and large, most people had no idea who he was nor what the color of his blood was.

Even so, as the survivors tried to move on with their life, their pasts kept cropping up. Research jobs were `unavailable' to most of the high-ranking researchers like Kisaragi and his erratic assistant Sayoko Nanamori. When Haruka had finally reported to the UN for her next assignment, she had been given a letter of official discharge, a severance check and her partial pension. Megumi had only received a letter of discharge and a small severance check. Seemed like the UN wanted nothing to do with them; any of them, apparently, as the officers found themselves discharged as well.

With her three friends killed fighting the Mu in the Vermillion prototypes, Elvy had tried to find a billet with the UN Air Force, but had suffered the same fate. For several weeks, she had been all over the world, looking for a job with a company or an airline, but once they got to the point of checking her credentials, the interviews blew up in her face. It had surprised her to receive the death benefits from her squadron mates about six months after they had been killed. It would seem that they had named her their beneficiaries.

With money in the bank, but no work prospects, the core group of TERRA had ended up together in Hokkaido. Over a night of drinking and talking, they had hit upon an idea: self-employment. By the time that four days had passed, the survivors who had chosen to throw in with the sisters and Ayato had formed the basics of their plan and were moving ahead. Finding a small patch of land was less trouble than they thought, and when they found that buying an island was cheaper than getting real estate in a country, they went with that option.

For less than Haruka's severance check, they got a sixteen square kilometer island in a relatively secluded spot, about two hundred miles off a secondary shipping lane. It was partially marshy, so the only really `useable' land totaled about ten square kilos, but that was more than enough. With no power or fresh water, the island was of little value to the government of the islands, but that only made it cheap to buy. Most of their funds were sunk into building their base.

Power was supplied by a combination tidal generator system placed in one of the five shallow, reef-protected bays and a solar panel array of ultra-efficient design. Fresh water was solved by an eighth-generation desalination plant that was a derivative of the technology used in Kanai to provide water for the large floating city. In the rocky spine of the island, the group cut shelters in case of heavy typhoons or tidal waves from underwater avalanches or earthquakes. On top of the spine were the solar collector array, the communications dishes and the radar mast.

Estimates from the tech people placed the sustainable population at about sixty to eighty year round at full resource use, and as many as one hundred and fifty on limited resource use. Some of the areas bordering the marsh areas were turned into fields for growing some tropical crops, and the small, relatively isolated bar of land on the far side of the marshy area was turned into a small, close resort-like `guest community'. The rock and debris from the construction of the shelters and the area cleared on the top of the spine were used to make a reinforced road connecting the main area to the `guest cabins' as the outpost was called.

When their base was ready, the group was all but bankrupt. It had taken them nearly all their resources to make their new home, but oddly, none of them felt worried. Ever since they had survived the last fight with the Mu, they had been optimistic about the future. And besides, with their home ready, they could get to work.

Each of the group had skills and talents that they could either market, or that they could market the results of. Ayato had been the inspiration for this, as he had been sitting on the grass by the seashore in Hokkaido, painting the scene before him, when an older couple had stopped to look at his work. The couple had been American, and had been struck by the impact of Ayato's painting of the vista before him. After convincing Ayato to have lunch with them as their guest, he had learned that they were members of the fifth-richest family on the planet. The wife was looking for new art for her eleventh house, and she loved what she saw.

Over the rest of the afternoon, the couple had negotiated with Ayato. When Haruka and Megumi had come looking for him, they had found him going through his sketch book with the couple, who were excitedly planning out the locations for the works they wanted. Stunned, Haruka and Megumi could only gape as the couple made a call and flooded their shared account with funds in the seven-figure range. Ayato had sold most of the works he had done during the time he was with TERRA, but one piece he would not part with; even when the couple offered him enough money to make Haruka gasp. It hadn't surprised Megumi that he wouldn't part with the water-color of Hiroko.

Talking it over, the core group had marveled at the obvious means of supporting themselves. Ayato was sure that other rich people would see his pieces, since the woman had made plans for a grand gala for her peers right in front of him as she planned the placement of his pieces. If they reacted to the paints and sketches the way that the couple had, he would be set for life with a patron set like them. So, Ayato became what he had always wanted to be: a painter and artist; which left the others to make use of their talents.

Elvy considered how to best make use of her flying skills, and decided on being a high-risk contract pilot. It was inconsistent work, but highly-paid and very demanding. Of course Elvy loved the challenge and the demanding missions. To keep sharp between contracts, she flew island-hopping supply flights, tour hops in the island chains near their base, and taught advanced flight courses at several companies' private pilot programs. Haruka had privately talked with Megumi and Ayato about her suspicion that Elvy wouldn't mind dying on these missions. Still, other than being there for her when she needed them, there was nothing they could so, so they just made sure they were there for her and hoped.

Sayoko Nanamori and Itsuki Kisaragi used what their research of music in TERRA had taught them to pioneer a number of sound-based technologies, and Sayoko began to gain some attention as a highly-skilled composer and scorer. It was her hope that she could break into the business with her work. Itsuki concentrated on cutting edge technology based on acoustics and the related fields. He was often away on speaking tours, but each tour brought in more clients for his and other members of the core group.

The techs from operations spent their time creating and de-bugging command and control software for clients from banks, to governments, to the military. They were good at it, and were swiftly in demand by those with the budgets to afford them. In a real sense, they were a bunch of mercenaries, but that thought didn't bother them much.

The biggest problem was finding a way to utilize Haruka and Megumi. Haruka was an intelligence operative focused on the Mu. With the Mu gone, her experience and skills were practically useless. Or rather, they were mostly useless. It hit her one day that she could still use skills she had developed in infiltration. Once she had pitched the idea to the core group to make sure that everyone was ok with her idea, she began to market a security-testing service. After an initial hard start, she was now in regular demand by companies and governments to test and fix their secure installation security. Still, she made a point to never be gone more than half the days in any month.

Hardest to find was a use for Megumi's skills - such as they were. She had been a trainee for most of the war, and therefore had less skill and experience than the others. Even so, the girl was determined to earn her share of the dough. It took a while, but they found a use for her skills. She became their organization and financial overseer. Once she got comfortable with it, she was excellent in her role.

Kim had chosen to throw in with the group, but her main focus was on her impending motherhood. The baby she carried would be her primary focus, though she helped the others that she could when she was able. Mostly, though, she just eagerly awaited the birth of her and Yagumo's child. It was more or less agreed that as they core group had children, Kim would take care of them when their parents were out working.

For the most part, though, the group stayed on their island, working from home as it were. With familiar tropical weather, the group felt at home there, as if they were back on Nirai Kanai. Slowly, the bonds began to take shape, and gradually the dust of the end of the Mulian War settled.

For three of them, the dust was still in the air. When Ayato had come back from the final battle, he had told Megumi that he had his memories back; which meant that he remembered Haruka, their childhood together and their love for each other. In a shocking display of honesty and self-discipline, Megumi had told him that she understood completely and that he needed to follow his heart in this matter. That wasn't much help to Ayato, since he wasn't sure where his heart led him. He loved Megumi - of that, he was sure. But, he also was equally sure that he loved Haruka - and his restored memories proved it.

So, the three had held a private meeting and talked it all out. At the time, there was so much going on, and things were so confused that none of them could honestly claim to know what they wanted. With that in mind, the three agreed to bid their time. For the moment, they would be a family without any couples. As time passed, and things got clearer, they would see how it played out.

And so, they were now living in a house on their island. It was more than their island - it was their refuge. Inside this house, they were alone with each other, and no outsider was allowed to intrude on their world. Things were still settling, but none of them were willing to rush things any.

One thing did mark their house as different, though. Ayato had brought some cherry trees to the island, and made sure they were planted correctly in the right soil to be healthy. He had chosen young trees based on their beautiful, pink-red blooms. When they bloomed that first year, the entire group had been shocked to see that the blooms were mixed evenly between the normal pinkish blooms, and the pale, icy blue of the blooms like the late Commander Kunugi had had at his house on Nirai Kanai.

On their first anniversary of their permanent move to the island, the group had a party. Everyone attended, and it was held at the Kamina house, as the girls insisted it be named. Now, well past midnight, the guests were sleeping or had gone back to their homes, and Haruka was sitting on the front porch of her house, looking up at the crystal-clear skies and the myriad stars and moon overhead. From a ways away, the gentle waves crashed on the beach. “Haru?” came Megumi's voice.

“Hey, sis.” said Haruka, making a little unnecessary room. Megumi settled next to her sister. “Everything ok?” she asked her younger sister. Megumi nodded.

“Yeah. Just came to see when you were coming to bed.” she said softly. Haruka hummed.

“In a bit. Ayato?” she asked. Megumi smiled.

“Fell asleep.” she said insolently. Haruka smirked.

“I'm sure he did.” she murmured. Time passed silently for the sisters. Finally, Haruka rose and helped Megumi to her feet. “Come on.” she said softly. “Let's get some sleep.” she said, wrapping her arm around her little sister. Together, the two entered their house, closing the door behind them. As they climbed into bed, Haruka remembered what she had been thinking about that night.

No matter how this ends, I have finally gotten what I want. she thought, knowing that Megumi and Ayato were safe and happy. From the broken dreams of the past, we will find a new dream, and make it our own.

 

End

 

Author Notes:

This is NOT what I had in mind when I started this story. It just kind of turned out this way. I think I will have to take another crack at this universe before the monkey on my back will shut the fuck up, but that's no reason to delete this story. It does have a good `feel' to it, and re-watching RahXephon, it seems obvious that Megumi is the logical match to Ayato, rather than his original love Haruka, though that isn't the ONLY match that works.

 

Like I said, this ISN'T what I had in mind originally. Oh, well; sometimes shit happens, you know?