Renewed Acquaintances - Part 2 First Contact ------------------------------------------------------------------------- A familiar figure stood partially obscured behind a stand of small trees, intently watching the small parking lot of the nearby neighborhood park. Several children played noisily among the various apparatus, and the figure glanced over at them every few moments. In the figure's hand, a small device resembling a cell phone beeped quietly, then began to emit an increasing tempo of blipping sounds. The figure smiled beneath its beat-up fedora and hi-perf sunglasses, noting the relative position of a small dot on the device's screen. Hearing a vehicle approaching, the figure looked up to see a jade-green Mercedes convertible pull into the small parking lot. A black-haired woman and a young child exited the vehicle, and headed toward the playground. Looking down at the instrument again, the figure touched a few buttons and waited for the readout. When the results flashed across the small screen, the figure grinned. <"Hmm... I thought so. 100 percent. No doubt about it,"> the figure muttered in Japanese. Slipping the device into its large jacket pocket, the figure turned to head across to the park when a ball bounced gently off its leg. " the figure blurted, turning to see the ball roll off to the side. "Sorry, Mister!" a young voice called, as its owner ran up to retrieve the ball. "Daijobu," the figure replied, stepping forward and nudging the ball toward the child. In the park, Eiko found a shady bench on which to enjoy her book, while Kikuko ran off to join her friends. As the weather had been cooperating of late, she'd been spending a lot of time outdoors, a fact reflected in her deepening tan. Just as she opened her book and found her place from the day before, her still acute senses picked up someone coming toward her. Automatically, she tensed a bit, waiting to see what the person's next move would be. "Hi, Amii... Out with Kiko again?" a familiar male voice asked, from a short distance behind her. Inwardly, she sighed, both in relief and about the name. It had been one she picked on the spur of the moment, after one of her new neighbours introduced themselves the day she moved in. It wasn't her favorite, but it worked on short notice. Turning, she saw Frank Thompson, a widower that lived a few houses away from her. He stood smiling quietly a few feet behind the bench, folding a small sweater. "Hi, Frank... Sorry I didn't see you. I was reading," she replied, pleasantly. "That's okay... I just got here. The twins talked me into it," he said, searching the grounds for his children. "I know. Kiko-chan can't stand a sunny day without the park. So, I take it you're off today?" "Vacation. I spread it out to give myself a bunch of long weekends. How about you?" "Just the usual. I still haven't found a new job -- not that I'm looking too hard. I'd rather spend the time at home with Kiko-chan." "Yeah. Wish I could. The twins are growing so fast... Hey, want an iced tea? I'm going to get one as soon as I see where they got themselves off to." She thought about it for a second, then decided there was no harm in it. "Sure, Frank. I have the change right here..." she began, reaching for her purse. "Nope. It's on me. I owe you one for amusing the twins all afternoon on Tuesday. Remember?" he stated, still scanning the playground. "You don't need to do that. The kids weren't any trouble," she protested, holding out a handful of change. "More trouble than if they hadn't been there. Aha! I see them. They're by the slide with Kiko. Lemon, right?" he confirmed, walking off toward the cantina. All she could do was nod, then shake her head. She had known Frank since she'd arrived, and this act was typical of him. He was a nice guy, and she knew he liked her, but she wasn't interested. He wasn't exactly her type. A few minutes later, he returned with the teas, and promptly headed off after his children, not wanting to lose sight of them. She again shook her head, wondering how he was going to manage when his twins got older. With a sigh, she returned her gaze to her book, glancing up every so often to check on Kiko. The little girl was a bundle of energy, racing from one apparatus to the other, easily outpacing her playmates. Eiko smiled, absently wondering if that wasn't a sign of things to come. As she lowered her eyes to the page before her, she sensed someone nearby again, only this time, the individual was trying to be discreet. Her eyes narrowed as she listened intently to the measured footfalls, and assessed the person in question to be fairly large, and quite probably a threat. Closing her book slowly and placing it in her purse, she stood up and walked away, intent on circling around behind the person she had heard. As soon as she was out of sight behind some trees, she dashed down toward the parking area. Once she was sure she was far enough back, she braked to a halt, and turned toward the location of the footfalls. Quietly approaching the treed area from the opposite side, she scanned the bushes for signs of movement. Within a few seconds, she spotted a large, gray-clad figure, hunched down in the trees and staring at the bench she'd just vacated. Face darkening in anger, she leapt up in the air, deflected off a convenient tree, and set up to deliver her famous 'Flying Foot'. The stranger heard her and turned just in time to receive a medium-heeled size six square in the face. She then dove on the flattened stranger, about to start pummeling away -- until she got a good look at the purpling face before her. Stunned, she released her grip and stood up slowly. The stranger, despite everything, was the first to speak -- in perfect Japanese. "O-Ohaio Gozaimasu... " a pained and very familiar voice asked. "D! What the hell are *you* doing here?" she blurted, both surprised and angry. "" D replied, weakly. "" she continued, groaning as she tried to sit up. "Damn right. " she shot back, helping the large woman to her feet. "Domo, Magami-san. " D assured, wiping the dirt and leaves from her jacket. "" she snarled, returning an angry look. "" she continued, striding off toward the play area. D watched her depart, then shook her head sadly. "" Once safely within her house, Eiko prepared some tea and sat D down in the kitchen. Seating herself across from the large woman, she glared at her over the table. " D only smiled broadly, then reached into her large pocket to produce the cell phone-shaped device. "" D explained, happily. "" she continued, grinning. "" she observed, flatly. "" she indicated, reaching to her inside pocket to produce a pink envelope. It was intricately trimmed in gold leaf and bore a very official looking symbol. She handed it carefully to the stunned Eiko, who immediately suspected where it came from. Carefully opening the seal, she removed the ornately decorated card and looked it over carefully. "" she noted, wryly. "" she asked, reading on through the note. "" she exclaimed, leaping from her seat. "Hai! " "Ano... " she replied, looking back at the message. D sat quietly watching her read, smiling knowingly all the while. She was quite well aware of what Shiko wanted, and fervently hoped Eiko would accept the offer. Eiko, meanwhile, gasped aloud as she read the last few lines of the note. "" "Hai! " D explained, her eyes pleading. "" D continued, her palms together, and eyes reddening. Eiko regarded her numbly as she spoke, then slowly dropped into her chair. The card slipped from her fingers and landed on the table. "" "" "" "" she stated, slowly. D's large jaw dropped. She hadn't been expecting such a negative response. "Ano... " "" she began, quietly but firmly. "" she explained, lowering her head. "" she continued, rising from her chair. "" she indicated, anger starting to edge her voice. D couldn't reply. All she could do was glare back with a combination of anger and disbelief. After a moment, she stood up, bowed, retrieved her hat and sunglasses, then started for the door. Stopping momentarily beside Eiko, she turned and looked her hard in the eye. "" she stated, then turned toward the door again. As she did, Eiko felt a quick brush against her skirt's outer slash pocket. "" she snapped, withdrawing a small device from the pocket. "" D replied, an unusual bitterness in her voice. Eiko set her jaw in response, and watched the large woman carefully as she stepped through the door and strode down the walk. "" D simply kept walking, not looking back. Eiko stood fuming in the doorway, watching her walk down the street until she rounded the corner. Glancing down at the device in her hand, anger flashed across her face as she crushed it to bits, then threw the pieces out into the yard. Closing the door with a deafening slam, she turned to see Kikuoko standing in the livingroom archway. "Mommy... What are you so mad about? Did that man bother you?" "In a way, yes," she replied, walking over and kneeling before her little girl, face softening. "I'm sorry, Kiko-chan. I didn't mean to upset you. That 'man' is someone I knew a long time ago. He wants me to do something for a friend of his." "Does this mean we have to move again, Mommy?" the girl asked, disappointment edging her soft voice. "What?" Eiko blurted, not expecting her to have remembered why they moved in the first place. "You said we moved from our first house 'cuz too many favors were asking. That man wants one too, right?" she explained, sadly. Brushing the child's bangs back away from her face, Eiko smiled at her intuitive response. "Yes, honey, he does. A big one." "So now we have to move again," Kiko sniffed, looking at the floor and shifting her foot around. "Hai, Kiko-chan... It looks like we do," she responded with a sigh, reaching out and pulling her daughter into a tight hug. Later that night, as Eiko lay in bed staring at the dark ceiling, she replayed the conversation in her mind, remembering how distraught D had been in trying to convince her. In actuality, she dearly missed Shiko, and would love to have seen her again. But, in asking what she had, Shiko had stepped over the line. She wanted something from her. That was the very type of situation she'd uprooted her life to escape, and she couldn't bring herself to fall back into the same trap. She was more than tired of giving up her life so that others could achieve their objectives, no matter what they were. It actually hurt her that her best friend, who obviously knew she'd gone to great lengths to drop out of sight, would be the one to 'blow her cover'. Rolling on her side, she cursed her lot. To keep her new life, she knew was going to have to leave, and try again to disappear. The thought of going through that made her angry, since she had been in her current home just long enough to be accepted, and for her daughter to have made some good friends. Friends she would miss. She felt her eyes start to moisten. The first time, Kiko was barely old enough to realize what had occurred, but now, she was older, smarter, and on the verge of a potentially disruptive change in her young life. The little girl was going to need stability, but that had just been utterly destroyed. "Kuso... Why did you have to do this to me, Shiko?" she asked aloud, wiping away the forming tears with a sniffle. Abruptly, she felt a tug at her blanket, accompanied by a soft, hesitant voice still thick from recent tears. "Mommy... Can I sleep with you?" Kiko asked, amid a soft sniffle. Her heart melted. "Sure, honey..." she smiled, rolling over to face Kiko, who stood holding her favorite stuffed bunny by one paw. "C'mon in. Were you crying, Kiko-chan?" "Hai, Mommy... I don't want to move," she sobbed, even as she snuggled in. "We may have to, honey... Now that they know where I am, people may come around to ask me for things again. I don't want that to happen... It would take me away from you, and I'd miss you too much," she explained gently, hoping her daughter would understand. "I know, Mommy. But I'll miss Sarah and the park and all my friends at the monkey bars! Please don't make us move again... I don't want to go," she argued, starting to cry. "Please, Mommy? Please?" she begged, looking up through her tears. Eiko felt her chest tighten at her daughter's plea, and scooped the sobbing child into a tender embrace. "We'll see, honey," she sobbed, her voice choking to a whisper. "We'll see..." D, meantime, sat under a large tree in the park where she had 'met' Eiko earlier. As she finished the last of her submarine sandwich, she puffed a heavy sigh. "" she thought, sadly. Sighing again, she fumbled around in the darkness for her tracker/sensor, which also acted as her communications link with her ship. Locating the unit, she activated it and prepared to report her disastrous news. "This is Operative DC138621S113, Codename 'D' reporting as ordered," she stated in her native tongue, holding the unit before her face for a good picture. "Go ahead, Operative D," came the flat reply. "The news is not good. I have located the target and made contact, but she *refuses* to return with us. I have left a calldisk with her should she change her mind, but I'm not optimistic at this point in Earth time." "This is not good, Operative D. You are aware of the importance of this woman to our Queen, are you not?" "Yes. I know it's more than just the Heiress issue, if that's what you're referring to. I knew that long ago." "Good. Then you will continue to monitor the target and if necessary, make contact again and try to convince her to come willingly. Regrettably, we can't force her, so use your best tact and diplomacy to try again. This mission must succeed, D." "Right!" D replied, and shut down the link. Closing the device up, she looked up at the starry night sky and sighed aloud once more. "I'd hate to see what will happen to our Queen if it doesn't." ==================================================================== END - Renewed Acquaintances - Part 2 A FanFic by Coutuva. Comments Welcomed - Flames Extinquished! coutuva@gmail.com