Renewed Acquaintances - Part 3
Personal Problems
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        Shiko sat quietly behind her desk, working through the stack of 
paperwork that had replaced her daily trips to Chambers.  Across from 
her, the Advisor and her personal assistant Lissa did the same.
	Almost three weeks had transpired since she had sent her message,
and the fact that she had not heard anything back was beginning to grate
on her nerves.  Finally, she could stand no more.
	Dropping her pen in frustration, she pushed aside the papers with
an anguished cry.
	"Auugghh!  Why has it been so long?  I sent that request three
weeks ago, and it should have been delivered by now!  D promised it would,
and she doesn't break her promises," she blurted, startling the other 
women.
	"Majesty, please.  I'm sure it's nothing...  Just a bit of
difficulty in tracking her down," the Advisor put forth, looking 
concerned.
	Lissa, meantime, had slid the Advisor a quick knowing glance, 
apparently hoping not to be noticed.  She wasn't fooled.
	"Okay, you two...  I caught that little look.  Someone had best tell
me the truth here, or I'll find it out on my own," she threatened, regarding
them both.  After being on pins and needles for three weeks, she was in no 
mood for games.
	"Your Majesty, contact has been made.  But, the response was not as
we had expected," the Advisor began, bowing slightly in her chair.  "However, 
we are trying to work out the slight logistical difficulties we encountered,"  
she continued, trying to sound optimistic.
	Shiko's eyes narrowed slightly as she listened.  She knew instantly
that something was wrong, just by looking in the Advisor's eyes.
	"Maaja, please...  I want to know.  What did she say?" she pressed,
bracing herself.
	The Advisor sighed sadly and lowered her head.  "Your Majesty, the 
response...  Was not good.  She threw Operative D out of her home after 
adamantly refusing to come.  Monitored communications have shown that she 
put her dwelling up for sale through her family... And then disappeared 
again."
	Shiko took in the news calmly, then sat back in her chair, face 
impassive.  "I see.  Very well then," she said at length, her slightly
higher, thinner voice indicating her emotional state.  "I'm going to my
chambers.  Inform me... Immediately...  If there's any change,"  she added,
her voice controlled.  With no further discussion, she rose from her seat 
and strode off to her chambers, closing and locking the large doors
behind her.
	The Advisor, after watching her depart, turned to Lissa with tears
welling in her aged eyes.  "What are we going to do?  I'm afraid for her, 
Lissa...  This could be a disaster in the making."
	"We must think of something...  If this Eiko person doesn't come,
there's no telling how hard Her Majesty will take it.  And with her carrying
our new Heiress..."
	"By the Holy Mother, Lissa...  Don't even suggest such a thing."





	In her chambers, Shiko calmly closed and locked both sets of doors,
set her phone on privacy, turned off all the lights, then walked over to her
bed and sat heavily on the side.
	For some length of time, she just sat unmoving, the shock of Eiko's
reaction having numbed her to the soul.  She couldn't understand how someone
she loved so much could be so cold.  Especially someone she thought she knew
nearly as well as she knew herself.  She wanted to cry, but the tears
wouldn't come.  All she could do was sit, staring into oblivion, her mind
locked in a running replay of the words that had ripped her heart from her
chest.
	"...after adamantly refusing to come."  
	The words seemed to cut deeper with each repetition, but she couldn't
silence them.  Over and over, they continued to torture her, until finally 
her brain did the only thing it could do to end the agony.
	It simply shut down.  
	With a soft moan, she crumpled forward to the floor, bumping her 
bedside table on the way down.  The impact rocked the table, sending the 
picture of Eiko and herself crashing to the floor beside her.
        She came to rest on her back, arms splayed to either side -- and 
the broken picture mere inches from her open hand.





        When the server reported that there was no answer from Shiko's room,
the Advisor immediately panicked, and ordered a locksmith to break in.
The sight that greeted them caught their breath in their throats.
        Shiko still lay unconscious beside her bed, her breathing shallow
and very slow.  A Physician was immediately summoned, but there was little
to be done beside put her in her bed and make her comfortable.  The Doctor 
was unable to determine any physical reason for Shiko's collapse, and could
only recommend that she be watched around the clock.
        Silently, the Advisor cursed herself for having told Shiko about
her friend's reaction, knowing full well that it was the reason for her
Queen's condition.  Lissa and the shocked server meantime, stood hugging
one another in the office, both sniffing back fearful tears.
        Eyes reddened from her own restraint, the Advisor walked up beside
Shiko's bed and gently took the unconscious woman's hand.  She noted with 
great relief that it was still warm to the touch, and smiled despite her 
remorse.  Brushing a lock of hair out of Shiko's face, she leaned down and
kissed her forehead softly.
        "I swear to you, Your Majesty, that I will find your love and bring
her to you, no matter what the cost.  Your happiness is all I live for,"
she whispered, face solemn.





        After posting a watch schedule and ensuring that Shiko was as
comfortable as possible, the Advisor called an emergency meeting.  When all
parties required had gathered, she rose from her seat and called for
silence.
        "We have an urgent situation before us.  Her Majesty has collapsed,
and is currently under a Physician's care," she began, to a chorus of gasps.
"As some of you are aware, the Earth girl that Her Majesty wants so badly to
see again has rather adamantly refused her invitation.  That not 
withstanding, it is now of the utmost importance that we locate and convince
the Earth girl to come to Her Majesty's side.  If we fail, not only is our 
Queen's life quite probably in danger, but that of our new Heiress as well,"
she continued to the now silent room.  "We must contact our Operative to 
inform her of the situation, and ensure that she is aware of the gravity.  
In the interim, we will dispatch support ships immediately to aid in the 
search.  We will inform Council regularly of our progress, and of the status
of the Queen."
        "What happens if we are totally unable to succeed?" a hesitant voice
asked from the floor.
        She lowered her head.  "The Earth people have a saying for situations
like this:  "Failure is not an option"."





        Eiko openly cursed her lousy luck as she pulled her car to the side
of the road.  Beside her, Kikuko slept soundly, oblivious to the flat tire
that had interrupted their flight.  She had cried herself to sleep again,
and Eiko was glad for the respite.  They had departed in the middle of the
night the day after her meeting with D, hoping to avoid detection, and
Kiko still wasn't taking it very well.
        Glancing at her slumbering child, she sighed again, feeling for
the little one's plight.  She hated to have done what she did, but she knew
it was ultimately for the child's benefit, no matter how much it hurt now.
        Stepping from the car, she groaned at the flat rear tire, wondering 
if she even had a spare.  They had packed so fast that night that she wasn't
sure.
        Opening the trunk, she removed several suitcases and boxes, and
much to her relief the spare was in fact there, still undisturbed.
Removing it, she was miffed to see that all that was provided for a lug
wrench was some cheap little thing that looked like it would just round
the lugnuts off.
        Smirking, she thought to herself that she didn't need it anyway,
and walked the spare over to the affected corner of the car.  Kneeling
down, she carefully lifted the car up, slid her knee under it, and started
to remove the lugs with her hand.  Each one let go with a piercing squeak, 
at which she grimaced, worried the noise might wake Kiko.
Finally, she was able to switch the tires around, and just as she was
about to tighten the lugs up, a voice from behind her spoke, startling
her so much she almost dropped the car.
        "Need any help, Ma'am?"
        Turning, she bigsweated as she saw the O.P.P. uniform behind her,
and the gently smiling but imposing man in it.  She suddenly realized that
she still had the car sitting on her knee -- and worse, it was possible that
D may have involved the Police in an attempt to locate her.
	She decided to play innocent, and hope for the best...  Not that she
had many options.
        "Thank you, officer, but I'm almost finished.  Just have to
tighten these up," she responded, forcing calmness into her voice.  As
she spoke, she turned the nuts down snug, then began to torque each one
up.  To her horror, the first one she tightened squeaked loudly.
        The officer, hearing the squeak, leaned forward to see what
caused it.  Noticing that the car was sitting on her knee, he promptly 
face-faulted.
        "Chikusho!  Now I'm in it!" she thought, and quickly tightened
the remaining lugs.  Once done, she immediately lifted the car down and
stood up, turning to face the gape-mouthed officer.
        "How...  Did you..." he stammered, staring at her in naked 
disbelief.
        "Oh, that..." she replied, off-handedly.  "I'm a weight lifter,"
she explained, with a sweet smile.
        The officer looked over her curvey, five-foot six inch frame,
and lowered an eyebrow.  He stood a good head taller, and outweighed her
by probably 150 plus pounds, and he knew he couldn't lift that car...
especially not loaded like it was.
        As she watched the officer think it over, she noticed him size
her up.  She was taller and slightly bigger built than most Japanese women,
but she knew he'd still find her story hard to believe.  Nervously, she 
hoped he'd just let it go.
        The officer, meantime, wondering how he would explain this one,
rolled his eyes and sighed.  "Okay, Ma'am.  Is everything under control?"
he finally asked, much to her relief.
        "Yes, thank you," she replied happily, with a quick bow.
        "All right.  Have a better day," he said, touching the brim of
his hat and turning toward his car.
        "You, too!" she returned, earning a quick glance from the officer,
who strode off shaking his head.





        D closed down the link to her ship numbly, the message she'd 
received rendering her temporarily stunned.  She was already mad at herself
for having gone for that sandwich, assuming that her target would have been 
sleeping.
        Now, she was in shock.  Her Queen, the woman she had sworn to
protect, the woman she had promised that she would return her friend to
was essentially in a coma...  Because of her actions.
        As the reality hit home, she collapsed back against the tree she
stood near, not knowing whether to cry or destroy something.
        For several long minutes, she stared straight ahead through her
sunglasses, trying to figure out her next move.  She knew that Eiko now had
to be found, and if necessary forced to see Shiko.  However, it had been two 
days since she'd slipped away, and D had no idea where to start looking.
        It had taken almost a week just to isolate her to this part of
Canada, and a stroke of luck to pick her up on a chance sweep with the
tracker.  She doubted if she'd have that kind of luck a second time, 
especially with her target knowing she was being sought.
        Abruptly, she gasped aloud as a thought flashed into her aching brain.
There was someone she'd almost forgotten about -- someone who had the 
resources to pull off a massive search on short notice, and all she'd have to 
do is convince her of the need.
        Laughing out loud, she ran off toward her jumpship, concealed under
optical Camo in a wooded area of the park.  Jumping in the cockpit, she
wasted no time in launching, not caring if anyone saw her.
        She had an important appointment...  In Tokyo, Japan.





        Eiko groaned as she lifted her sore backside out of the car, now
parked in the lot of a fast-food restaurant.  She gathered up her excited
daughter and led her into the establishment, hoping to let the little one 
burn off some energy in the playroom.
        Kiko immediately headed for the enclosure, while she ordered their
food, and took the opportunity to ask the young clerk which hotel was the 
best in town.
        When she was finally able to corral Kiko long enough to feed her,
she discussed the choice of Hotel with her, and to her relief, Kiko didn't
care about being on the upper floors, as long as the room had a Jacuzzi.
She had to snicker at that condition, accusing Kiko of not knowing what
one was.  Kiko, insulted at the idea, stated that it was a big bathtub that
blew its own bubbles.
        She almost dropped her coffee.
        Finally, after signing in and shipping their bags up to the room,
She turned on the TV and flopped on the King Size bed, flipping her shoes
off with a groan.  Kiko jumped up as well and crawled up beside her, laying 
her head on her Mom's tummy.
        She smiled gently and began to stroke her daughter's hair, 
remembering for a moment how her own mother used to do the same.
        Eventually, she chased Kikuko off for her shower, indicating that 
it had to come before any Jacuzzi.  Happily, Kiko disappeared into the 
bathroom while Eiko got herself ready.  Sliding out of her short black 
skirt, she folded it neatly on the dresser.  Her blouse followed suit, as 
did her bra and hose.  Dragging one of her suitcases out of the closet, she 
dug out her favorite nightwear -- one of her Dad's old dress shirts.  Laying 
it out on the bed, she was about to slide off her wrist bands when Kiko 
stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel and smiling.
        "Okay, Mom...  I'm ready-set!"
        "Good girl.  Let me get my shower now, and then we'll both have a
good soak, ne?" she responded, winking.
        "Can I start the water?"
        "No, Honey...  I have to do that.  Just sit here and watch the TV
for five minutes, and I'll be right out," she instructed, sliding off the
wristbands finally, and laying them beside her skirt.
        "Mommy... Why do you have those?  You wear them all the time," Kiko 
abruptly asked, pointing to the bands.
        "I have to, honey... " she sighed, glancing at the bands herself.
"But, don't worry about it.  I'll explain it to you when you're a bit older."
        "You always say that, but you never do," Kiko pouted, crossing her
arms.
        She had to smile slightly, then knelt before her perturbed daughter.
"That's because you're still not old enough," she stated, poking the child
gently on the nose.
        "When will I be?"
        "Don't worry...  I promise, you'll know," she assured, rising again.
"All right, you watch some TV, and I'll be back in five," she instructed,
peeling off her panties and heading for the bathroom.
        "Hai, Okaasan," Kiko answered, her attention now on the TV set.
Eiko stopped short, about to admonish her for speaking Japanese, but decided
to just let it slide.  Shrugging, she stepped into the bathroom and started
the shower.
        As she was about to step in, she caught sight of herself in the
large mirror over the vanity, and decided to quickly check her roots.  She
had to snicker at the stark difference between the hair on her head and the
neatly trimmed delta between her legs, thinking that it made her look like
some kind of punk.
        Having checked her roots over, and deciding all was well for the
moment, she took a second to look at herself in the mirror, noting how life
had changed her.  Her few grays were well concealed along with her natural
hair color, but she could see how the years were starting to show around her
eyes.  Also, her face had lost some of its youthful softness, and now bore
the look of someone old beyond her years.
        She frowned at that observation, not having seen that in herself
since she first came to Canada.  Now, that look was back, and silently she
resolved to get things settled soon, before it got any worse.
        Sighing, she stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wash
her troubles away.  It felt good to relax, especially after having been so 
tense for the last several days.  She looked forward to finding a new home, 
and trying once again to have a peaceful life.  She also fervently hoped it
would be the last time she'd have to do so.
        Stepping from the shower, she wrapped herself in a towel, and went
out to join her daughter for a Jacuzzi, only to discover Kiko so engrossed
in an episode of Sailor Moon that she didn't notice her Mom had returned.
        Grinning to herself, she started the water for the Jacuzzi, which
immediately snapped Kiko out of her trance.
        "Hi, Mommy!" she greeted excitedly, wandering over to watch the
large tub fill.  Turning, she looked up with her best kawaii eyes.
Eiko knew she was in trouble.
        "Mommy, I looked out the window and saw a pretty park down the
street...  If it's nice tomorrow..." she began, charm turned up to melting 
temperature.
        She shook her head at the display, and knelt down to look her in 
the eye.  "Well, I had hoped to be on the road fairly early..." she began,
making a production out of looking thoughtful.  "The traffic won't be as 
heavy then..."
        "Please, Mommy?  Please?  Just for a little while?" she begged, 
bouncing on the spot.
        Waiting just a few heartbeats, she finally puffed a heavy sigh, as
if making a major decision.  "Okay, for a little while.  But you have to
promise to come when I call you, no arguing," she stressed, just in case
a fast departure became necessary.
        "Yatta!" Kiko exclaimed, lunging into a hug.  "You're the best, 
Mommy!  I love you!"
        "Ha Ha!  I love you too, honey!" she smiled, happily returning the
hug.




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END - Renewed Acquaintances - Part 3     A Project: Ako FanFic by Coutuva

Comments Welcomed - Flames Extinquished!
coutuva@gmail.com